Report Card: Afghanistan
The following list of accomplishments has been provided directly from theatre and has been used by MGen Grant and LCol Walker (2RCR CO) when conducting interviews. It puts some quantative/measurable accomplishments that have been achieved in the past six months. This of course does not measure the hope it has given to the thousands of Afghans at a better life, and personal stories from redeployed soldiers will always have the greatest affect when talking to an audience.
Signed
L.B. ( Lena ) Angell Capt
LFWA Deputy Public Affairs Officer
E-Mail: Angell.LB@forces.gc.ca
Commercial: (780) 973-1943
Cell:(780)719-8721
CSN:528-1943
Fax: (780) 973-1939
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Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC)
* Over 600 Cash for Work projects have been completed since February of this year. That is roughly 3 per day. They range from structural repairs, purchasing fruit trees for farmers, installing wells and reservoirs, to constructing new irrigation systems and cleaning out existing ones.
* Our area of operations expanded from mostly Panjwaii and Zharey, to Panjwaii, Zharey, Dand, Arghandab, Sha Wali Khot, Spin Boldak, and Maywand.
* CIMIC house in Panjwaii is a now considered part of the community
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
* The Arghandab Bridge , funded by CIDA, is under construction. It will be the largest bridge in Kandahar and will span the largest river in Kandahar province. It will bring communities together and allow for increased commerce, better access to markets and health care facilities.
* CIDA has funded Adult Literacy classes in Kandahar City so that 6,000 Afghans, 80% of them women, are being taught to read and write.
* CIDA has funded polio immunization in Kandahar . Polio is a deadly disease that can be eradicated. Over 300,000 children in Kandahar Province have been immunized, giving them a chance at life.
Civilian Police (Civ Pol)
* The civilian police mentors have worked extensively with Afghan National Police to install a system of vehicle checkpoints in Kandahar City, Panjwayi, Zharey, and Arghandab. This presence has helped reduce the movement of anti-government forces and bring as sense of security to these areas.
* Providing continuation training to the ANP and funding the construction of new ANP substations. This provides the ANP with the proper infrastructure and protection to carry out their duties.
* We have provided the ANP with uniforms and equipment aimed at making the ANP an immediately recognized force and permitting them to better perform their duties.
Correction Services Canada (CSC)
* The CSC representatives have built a relationship with Sarpoza and National Directorate of Security prison guards to the point where they now have unlimited access to the prison and its inmates.
* They have facilitated the clearing of unexploded ordnance from Sarpoza prison, making it a safer place to work.
* Have set in place a mentoring program for prison guards to show them a more acceptable way to carry out their duties.
Local government and community organization
* Provincial development council established in Kandahar Province
* District development assemblies established in each of the 17 districts
* Four district community councils formed in Shah Wali Kot district
* 529 community development committees elected in 9 districts
Rural Infrastructure - 707 projects completed
* Water and sanitation:
* Shallow wells - over 1,119
* Deep wells - 13
* Hand pumps - over 121
* Water reservoirs - 1
* Water supply distribution networks - over 3.5 km
* 16 latrine sets constructed
* 2 public baths constructed
Irrigation:
* Irrigation canals - over 55 km (under the National Solidarity Program (NSP))
* Irrigation canals - 20 (under the Integrated Alternative Livelihood Project (IALP))
* Dam diversions - 17
* Drainage initiatives - over 9.9 km
* Water intake (for irrigation) cleaned - 20 meters under NSP
* Water intake (for irrigation) cleaned - 2 (under IALP)
* Karezes (traditional horizontal hand dug well) - over 87 km
* Aqueducts (for channeling water) cleaned - 54 meters
Transport:
* More than 120 km of rural roads have been rehabilitated in Kandahar to allow market access for Afghan villagers (4 km of secondary roads and 117 km of tertiary roads)
* Roadway culverts and retaining walls - 500 road culverts and over 1.2 km of retaining walls
* Bridges - 14 meters
Power supply:
* Power lines - over 7 km
* Electricity generation (diesel) - providing over 1,200 kW
Mine action (since March 2005)
* 199,585 square meters of land cleared benefiting 4,340 people
* 1,632 people received mine risk awareness training (74 training sessions)
Training and education
* Literacy training for 6,420 people
* 9 vocational training (NSP initiative)
* 43 sewing machines (NSP initiative)
* 2 female literacy courses (NSP initiative)
Humanitarian and relief assistance (since December 2006)
* Over 3,400 MT of food to over 118,000 people distributed
* 1,000 non-food kits distributed to 1,000 natural disasters - and war affected families
Each kit included:
* Family Kit (tea pot, soap, gas stove, cooking pot, steel mugs, soup bowls, plates, spoons, towels, bucket)
* Blankets (2 per family)
* Floor mat (1 per family)
* Sweaters (3 per family)
* Health kit (on as needed basis)
Health
* 7 maternal health care professionals trained in emergency obstetric care
* 7 maternal health care professional trained in monitoring and use of obstetric register data
* Over 350,000children being vaccinated against polio
* 114 malnourished children received therapeutic feeding
* Over 76,000 children and 63,530 women vaccinated against measles