Provincial leaders & PRT assess health, education facilities in Farah

SHEWAN, Afghanistan (April, 1) – Personnel from the Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team joined key members of the Health and Education Ministries of Farah in assessing the Dehzak Primary School and Shewan Clinic, March 31, in the Bala Baluk district of Farah Province, Afghanistan.

Influential members in the province of Farah are making strides in ensuring the quality and environment of schools and clinics are conducive to teaching and treating the local populace.

“In the history of three years, we’ve had more graduations than we’ve ever had before,” said Mr. Atiquallah, Ministry of Education, Farah Provincial Director.

Atiquallah, Humayum Sediqi, the Education Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP) Coordinator for Farah Province and Marsha Michel, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Field Program Officer visited the Dehzak Primary School in order to assess the construction progress of a new school building.

EQUIP is a project funded by the World Bank, but managed by the Ministry of Education. The head of Shura or a council member has the ability to make a request for funding through the Department of Education in Farah.

“The old school was destroyed by the Taliban, but now this area has been stabilized, and we’d like to see progress” said Michel.

Funding for Dehzak Primary school was allocated more than two years ago. So the Provincial Council, Atiquallah, Sediqi, and Michel are pushing to ensure the school is built in the very near future.

“The children that attended the school that was destroyed are currently learning out of a rented building and tents,” said Michel.

Along with the assessment of the school, Farah provincial government also reviewed Shewan Clinic’s facilities and procedures.

“The Provincial Health Officer did an assessment of the basic health clinic, in order to ensure the clinic was upholding the Ministry of Health’s standards,” said the Navy CDR. Adam Armstrong, Senior Medical Officer, Farah PRT.

The Ministry of Health representative walked around and checked the clinical facility and records of patients to ensure they were keeping them up to date.

A report will be written once the findings have been assessed.

Influential leaders in Farah are taking the lead in ensuring the local education and health facilities are kept up to standards.