	Afghanistan
	Projects

Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society

The overarching goal of the USAID-funded Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society (I-PACS) is to increase the role and viability of civil society in Afghanistan by providing capacity building training and grant support to civil society organizations showing potential to be sustainable, effective organizations.

Since 2005, Counterpart International's (Counterpart) approach to I-PACS has been to support the development of two local implementing partner Intermediary Service Organizations (ISOs) – the Afghan Women's Education Center (AWEC) and the Afghan Civil Society Forum (ACSF) - and eight Civil Society Support Centers (CSSCs) spread around the country as integral components of a robust Afghan civil society infrastructure. CSSCs serve as conduits through which Counterpart accesses remote geographical regions of Afghanistan and provides capacity building for more than 220 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to ensure broad participation in civil society in a professional, transparent and accountable manner. Each of the 10 partner organizations has opened a Resource Center and, since June 2007, over 7,533 visits were made to these centers. Visitors have been assisted in developing proposals, conducting community assessments, report writing, utilizing the internet to gather information and other important skills.

Counterpart has trained a total of 2,085 individuals from 443 organizations in 37 topics such as Adult Learning Methodology, Civil Society and Community Mobilization, Participatory Appraisal and Planning, Project Cycle and Proposal Writing, Reporting, Community Problem Solving, Basic Advocacy and Facilitation Skills, Organizational Development and the Art of Consultancy, NGO Law, Gender Awareness, Gender Analysis and Media.

In 2005, Counterpart completed a massive, six-month assessment of Afghan civil society, surveying almost 700 civil society organizations, conducting key informant interviews with over 80 individuals, and facilitating 24 focus groups in eight Afghan provinces. Counterpart held 13 roundtables throughout Afghanistan for 174 participants to foster dialogue on civil society in the Afghan context and to disseminate the Civil Society Sector Assessment.

After months of technical assistance from I-PACS partner the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), President Karzai signed a revised NGO law into effect on June 15, 2005, significantly enhancing the legal enabling environment for the registration and operation of local and international civil society organizations in Afghanistan.

In a continued effort to improve the general public perception of Afghan civil society, Counterpart recently aired six radio roundtable discussions with eight prominent and moderate religious scholars (Ulema) from the city of Kabul. The purpose of the discussions was to promote discourse among Ulema and seek their opinions on the misperceptions and skepticism held by the general public regarding civil society and citizen engagement in Afghan civic life. Each roundtable discussion featured moderate Ulema who expressed their views on Afghan civil society and the role of civic organizations, the concept of civil society from the Islamic point of view, and understanding of democracy in contemporary Islam and human rights—with a particular focus on women's rights in Afghanistan. The roundtables were aired on Radio Television of Afghanistan's Radio One, which covers all 34 Afghan provinces through its country-wide network of transmitters and local radio station affiliates. Radio broadcasts were chosen as the mode of transmission due to the fact that radio programs continue to serve as the primary news and information source for most Afghan citizens. Moreover, Counterpart has a number of CD-based recordings of the roundtable discussions available to USAID and other interested parties.

Counterpart, in partnership with the Ministry of Economy's NGO Department, created a website specifically designed to improve the level of professionalism, public relations and transparency within the NGO sector. This portal will contain resources relevant to NGO operations in Afghanistan—including the Afghan NGO Law, registration forms and practical information on donor agencies active in Afghanistan. Concurrently, the website will be an important resource for government agencies and the donor community to obtain information on NGOs and international and domestic development projects being implemented in Afghanistan.

Working with women and youth is a cross-cutting theme in I-PACS. Over half of all I-PACS grant funding goes to women-led or women-focused NGOs, and half of all the I-PACS partners are women's organizations. I-PACS also provides youth organizations with grants and capacity building assistance. A total of $7.5 million in grants has been disbursed to Afghan CSOs for over 135 projects; over one-half have been given to women-led organizations. Counterpart has trained 83 government, NGO, ISO and CSSC staff in Gender Awareness and Gender Analysis Frameworks. Counterpart also supports gender mainstreaming throughout the institutional policies and development activities of the local Afghan ISO and CSSC partner organizations.

In addition, Counterpart completed a groundbreaking research document, "Women's Groups in Afghan Civil Society" based on interviews conducted by civil society representatives from across the country. This study helps development actors and donors better understand ways to support the formation of civil society groups that include all members of society at the grassroots level. This research compliments Counterpart's other gender contribution, "The Outreach to Afghan Women Guide," which also focuses on women's organizations at the community level. The Outreach Guide provides practitioners with techniques on encouraging women's participation in development initiatives, with the support of their families and communities.