1.            2009: A Traditional Birth Attendant/Community Health Worker and Literacy project in 2009 was successfully implemented in Saighan district of Bamyan province by The Central Afghanistan Committee (CAWC), training 27 women from 10 villages. The 9 month program was effectively completed in December 2009.

 

2.      2009: The Solar Electrification of Dehlona Girls High School in Saighan was successfully completed on 16^th July 2009. This was Part I of a two phase project to provide Computer Training for boys and girls from the boys and girls High Schools, teaching, administrative, and local government staff.

 

3.      2009-2010: Computers & Computer Training project was completed on 30th November 2010:

          Computers and ancillary equipment were installed and the laptops placed behind glass screens in individual desks. The trainees used separate keyboards and ‘mice’ during training.

          6 laptop computers, a scanner, a printer, and associated equipment, as well as provision of training for 6 months + and a further six months training (1^st June - 30^th November 2011)

 

4.      2010 April: Visitors from Afghanistan

Glencree Peace and Reconciliation Centre hosted 10 people from Afghanistan, 6 women and 4 men. Their programme encompassed visits to the North to see and hear results of the peace process and hear from former combatants, and a visit to the DFA in Dublin. Noor Marjan (Acting Director of the Afghan Women's Skills Development Centre in Kabul, which runs various projects for women including women's shelters, was sponsored by SAFE and thoroughly enjoyed her first visit to Ireland.

 

5.      2010 May 21st:    Dr. Soraya Rahim Sobhrang: Human Rights Commissioner for Women’s Rights in the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

The SAFE Chairman attended a breakfast ceremony on Friday 21^st May in the Rotunda of Dublin City Hall at which Dr. Sobhrang was presented with the “Front Line Human Rights Defenders at Risk Award for 2010”.

Being a fully qualified Gynaecologist and Obstetrician (Kabul Medical Faculty), Dr. Soraya fully endorsed and praised SAFE’s involvement in training 48 women as TBA/CHWs in the rural areas of Bamyan and Wardak provinces. She also praised the comprehensiveness of the training courses, and fully endorsed the necessity of follow-up refresher courses, (this was good news for SAFE to hear). Regrettably she confirmed that qualified midwives in Kabul and other major urban centres are extremely reluctant and even decline employment to travel to the rural areas in response to the needs of the rural women.

 

6.     2010 October:      1-month Refresher Course for the 27 women trained as TBAs/CHWs in 2009.

In conversation with the ladies SAFE was told that the initial training course last year had made a huge difference to them. All of the TBAs had assisted in several births in their respective villages and there had been no deaths in childbirth. Furthermore their acquired knowledge had enabled them to instruct their own communities about waterborne diseases and diet for mothers and infants.

 

7.     2010 October:        Saighan Water Supply Scheme:     

                            Water of Life Project 2010 - (Bishop’s Appeal World Aid Development Programme)

The Water Supply Project, in conjunction with a 2 month course of Hygiene Education for the women, addressed the issue of disease caused by polluted water, and provided filtered and clean potable water for the communities.

The new District manager Mamur Habeb, considered the project to be one of the best, if not the best, that had been implemented in the district. CAWC themselves felt it was one of the very best projects they had implemented since their foundation over 30 years before.

Most of the country's estimated 29-30 million population lack access to proper sanitation and safe drinking water, with one in four children in Afghanistan dying before the age of five from preventable diseases.

 

2010 October 25th:                  Meeting with H.E. Habiba Surabi-Governor of Bamyan

She was very pleased to hear of the TBA ladies and felt it would certainly benefit Bamyan, and also about the Computer Training Course as well as the almost completed wonderful Water Supply Scheme, all implemented by CAWC.

            She mentioned that on the previous day (24^th Oct.) she had been to Bamian City for the ‘Concorde’-University Entrance Examinations, and noticed a number of girls who she had never noticed or even heard about before. Most of the girls (10) had attended the SAFE Computer Training classes in Saighan. Another small success due to SAFE and CAWC, the project implementers.

 

2010 November 3rd:      Meeting with H.E. Dr. Soraya Dalil-Acting Minister of Public Health, Government of Afghanistan.

The half hour meeting, during which I made several very valid points, took place in the Health Ministry building. I urged Her Excellency and her secretary to access our website for further information about SAFE and what we had done for rural people in Afghanistan during past years!

The following is an extract from an MoPH release, published on 5^th December!

 “In Afghanistan's villages, TBA/CHWs are the first line health care providers before one reaches the nearest health facility. Nominated from local communities, these men and women know the people, the local culture and the issues at stake in the community, including but not limited to those pertaining to health.

"If we are to see Afghanistan's public health system stand on its own two feet, we have to develop a system that can sustain the interest and commitment of the community health workers who are, in fact, volunteers,"

“TBAs/CHWs are the backbone of the primary health care system in Afghanistan and are even working in parts of the country not reached by basic health services.”

Her Excellency Dr Suraya Dalil, Acting Minister of Public Health - 5^th December 2010!

SAFE’s aims for 2011

 

1.                 A Micro-Hydro Project to serve Cha-cha and Qala villages in Begal Valley of Bamyan province through the establishment of a 12kW sustainable project for the residents’ access to electricity.            (Approx. 1500 people, approx. 200 households)

            (Water mill can be used during the day for milling wheat after harvest.)

2.                 Limited assistance to a small private co-educational Primary School in Kabul for Hazara pupils, to enable them to purchase library books and essential educational materials, telephone connection and cupboards etc. Several Irish National schools have been approached to contribute small amounts towards this project. A little will go a long way!

 

Stop Press: 2^nd June 2011

Dr. Sima Samar, (Chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission), has been honoured with the 2010 Tipperary International Peace Award. Past recipients of the Tipperary Peace Award include Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, President Bill Clinton, the late Senator Gordon Wilson, the late Margaret Hassan, and Senator George Mitchell.

Messages of congratulations were extended to Dr Sima Samar by President Mary McAleese, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny, and former US Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith.

In accepting her award she stated,

“I am strongly committed to upholding the values attached to the Tipperary International Peace Award. This prestigious award will therefore effectively inspire Afghan women to enhance their commitment towards peace building and towards the elimination of injustice and discrimination.”

Presentation of Tipperary International Peace Award to Dr. Sima Samar

Dr. Sima Samar (Chairperson of AIHRC) with Chairperson of SAFE