Afghanistan by Recymar Photography / CC BY
An international nonprofit, Concern Worldwide has undertaken a number of programs in Afghanistan to address some of the nation’s key concerns. The organization primarily works in Kabul and the northeast areas of Afghanistan, with projects in Takhar and Badakshan. Concern has four primary goals: to create better employment opportunities, reduce hunger, empower women, and create better access to potable water.
To meet these goals, Concern has partnered with both community groups and government bodies to create local structures that can maintain and expand the organization’s programs. For example, the organization has managed a number of improvements on existing water canals to make clean water more accessible. After making these improvements, Concern teamed with community groups to teach them how to manage and maintain the canals into the future.
Concern sees environmental health and water management as a key aspect of overcoming poverty. Integrated Development, Environment and Sustainability (IDEAS), Social Water Integrated Management (SWIM), and Sustainable Management for Improved Livelihoods and Environment (SMILE) are all critical Concern programs.
Some of the other important Concern programs include Actions for Women’s Advocacy, Rights and Empowerment (AWARE), which addresses the political, social, and economic issues that prevent development of women’s rights, and the National Solidarity Programme (NSP), which supports the creation of community structures to provide consistent, compassionate governance.
Also a member of the Afghanistan Resilience Consortium (ARC), Concern seeks to mitigate the risk of disaster in the country. ARC consists of four development agencies in addition to Concern. Together, the organizations collaborate to provide timely responses to natural disasters in Afghanistan.
Concern has received support from another organization to help build resilience in communities in some of the nation’s most disaster-prone provinces. This initiative hopes to reach about 400,000 Afghan people. These sorts of disaster relief programs are extremely important in Afghanistan, where just last year a landslide claimed the lives of thousands of people.
Individuals can learn more about Concern’s work and its specific projects online at Concern.net.