Revamped councils to represent Afghan villages

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – International Security Assistance Forces in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar Province are helping streamline the way Afghans connect with their government.

Community Development Councils provide villages representatives a way to vote on needed infrastructure projects and then request the improvements from their District Development Authorities.

In the Norgul, Chowkay and Narang districts, ISAF is working with the government to establish a smaller number of CDCs to cover larger areas, U.S. Army Capt. Ryan A McLaughlin of Tuscaloosa, Ala., said.

“It was a question of efficiency, really,” he said.

McLaughlin, who commands Company B, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, said establishing a CDC for each village can sometimes create an unwieldy number of organizations for district subgovernors to deal with.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Rob L. Schenker of Long Island, N.Y, whose 1st Platoon is responsible for the Narang District, grouped 48 major villages into four CDCs and is meeting with each to get them started.

During an Aug. 24 meeting at the Narang District Center, Schenker talked with village elders and district Subgovernor Goger Wall about the need to start assembling a list of projects based on what residents in their community want.

“You are the voice of the people,” he said to the elders. “You gentlemen are the most important part of the government of Narang.”

A second meeting the next day saw Schenker speaking to more than a half-dozen representatives from the village of Qalawana. He plans to meet with each group in September, then again every two weeks.

Two projects have already been previously approved for the district, the building of a retaining wall and the funding of a summer school program for area youth, Schenker said. Future projects for the area will be handled under the new councils.

McLaughlin noted the CDC and DDA system provides not only a way for village elders to participate in local government, but it also allows the public to know what’s being done on their behalf.

“It’s not a closed-door process between one elder and the government,” he said.