Nuristan PRT advise senior district leaders

NURGARAM, AFGHANISTAN

12.21.2010

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force 101

By U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard Simonsen

NURGARAM, Afghanistan - U.S. Navy Cmdr. Bill Mallory, from Chesapeake, Va., Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team commander, and PRT civil affairs soldiers, visited Nurgaram village to observe the Afghan district government’s line director meeting Dec. 18.

The PRT visited the leaders, and with their permission, observed the meeting at the Nurgaram District Center as the subgovernor, Dr. Mehirulla Muslim, and the deputy subgovernor, Abdul Aziz Abdullah, spoke with the leaders of various line ministries.

District governments throughout Nuristan and all of Afghanistan are working to create budgets to submit at the provincial and then the national level. These budgets are required to get the funding local leaders need to provide basic essential services to the people.

The budgeting and planning process is new for many local governments, including the government of Nurgaram. The learning is made more difficult in the rural and mountainous Nuristan province.

“It is difficult for the people to share their issues together,” said Mehirulla. “We only have eight kilometres of [paved] road in Nurgaram. It is also difficult to get to Parun, the provincial capital. We have lots of issues, but we have to work hard to build our country.”

“You will never have what you need until you have a budget,” said Mallory. “Your government realizes how important it is to budget for your future. We will work with the district governors to help the provincial government to come up with a plan, in accordance with the Afghan development plan, that serves the needs of all the districts in Nuristan.”

“The PRT commander and I had a good meeting yesterday,” said Mehirulla. “I know that we will be able to solve these issues together.”

“It will require a lot of hard work and patience, and you won’t see results overnight,” Mallory told the line directors at the meeting. “You are here today, willing to put in the hard work. We are here to help you put together the plan that is due in April. We look forward to working together.”

• Date Taken: 12.21.2010
• Date Posted: 12.21.2010 13:41
• Story ID: 62416
• Location: NURGARAM, AF