Several factors contribute to the extremely low levels of health and income in Takhar and Badakhshan Provinces in the far Northeast of Afghanistan. Unsafe drinking water and poor knowledge of basic hygiene contribute to illness and lower productivity. People's food is not varied, meaning that fruits and vegetables are in short supply, and again, family health suffers. Cash is ialso n short supply. Finally, isolation means not only that access to health care is limited, but also that there is little chance for market access. An improvement in any one of these areas is likely to have little effect unless the others are addressed as well. For instance, if household nutrition improves, but the water still makes people ill, there is little net benefit. Or if people have extra crops to sell, but no market access, the additional crop production is not optimized. This project is an "integrated project" meaning that it addresses these problems simultaneously.

Project goal
To contribute to sustainable improvement in the health and wellbeing of the target region.

Project activities
To build or rehabilitate 35 community drinking water systems across both provinces.
To ensure that all 52 project villages have adequate sanitation facilities (latrines throughout and hand washing facilities in schools and clinics).
To conduct hygiene training workshops for all households in the project areas (targeting men and women separately so the messages are reinforced at home).
To help start 2400 kitchen garden projects and 200 animal husbandry projects (including beekeeping).
To build a new road to the Mandara Valley, an isolated region of Takhar Province with 18,500 inhabitants.
To pay laborers from the project villages in cash for their work on construction projects.

Major donor Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Project code AFG-SHUM-007

Takhar Province is known by government officials and humanitarian agencies as one of the least assisted areas in Afghanistan due to its inaccessibility to basic services and markets because of lack of roads. Due to this isolation and as a result of the area being caught in the middle of the war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, this area has suffered greatly and continues to be in need of a wide range of assistance and aid.

Since the war ended Mission East has assisted the people of Takhar Province. At the moment our aid workers are working on a project which aim is to improve the general health and schooling. Three water systems and 20 wells are being completed to prevent waterborne diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and cholera. Diseases that can be fatal for poor people who have no access to medicine and medical aid. In addition to this, Mission East is promoting good personal and household hygienic practices.  

Our team is also building schools in order to assist 2,000 school children who are now being taught in tents. The schools will be equipped with latrines with hand washing facilities. Mission East is providing cash-for-work to 500 local workers who are assisting with the construction. 

Project goal
Mission East’s overall goal is to improve the general health and schooling of the population in Takhar Province in the north-eastern part of Afghanistan.

Project activities
To improve the access to more and safe water sources.
To promote good personal and household hygienic practices.
To build schools.
To build latrines.
To carry out cash for work activities.

Major donor Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Project code AFG-SHUM-006

The people of Badakshan Province are not only in desperate need of food they are also in need of clean water and sanitation. Recent surveys of 200 villages conducted by Mission East in the province demonstrated that there is a lack of safe water sources, that household latrines are non-existent but desired and that knowledge of good hygiene is low. Our team is now working to meet these needs. 

In order to prevent waterborne or excreta-related diseases among the rural population the team is improving the access to more and safe water sources in 10 villages. Mission East is providing cash-for-work to 200 local workers who are assisting with the construction of water systems. Our aid workers are also training the villagers in proper disposal of human excreta and promoting good personal and household hygienic practices.

In addition to this, Mission East is providing agricultural inputs and technical assistance to 400 vulnerable women in order to improve income-generating capacity, to provide an alternative income to poppy cultivation and to encourage more vegetable and fruit consumption.

Project goal
Mission East’s overall goal is to improve the general health and well-being of the population in Badahkshan Province in the north-eastern part of Afghanistan.

Project activities
To improve the access to more and safe water sources.
To build latrines.
To promote good personal and household hygienic practices.
To support vegetable and fruit production.
To carry out cash for work activities.

Major donor Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Project code AFG-SHUM-005