Nuristan PRT training efforts bear fruit

NURISTAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

01.18.2011

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force 101

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team helped Kautiak Village residents continue a path-building project by providing building materials and supplies for the next phase of the venture at Forward Operating Base Kalagush Jan. 16.

Kautiak villagers will use the PRT-supplied cement and hand tools to create a wash required before the road to the village southwest of the FOB can be completed.

The PRT funded construction of the first mile of a footpath to the village last summer at a cost of $12,000. During that phase of the project, engineers taught residents of Kautiak and nearby Nangaresh villages the skills needed to complete the last half mile of the path.

“The stipulation from the PRT from the first project was that the labor was to be local, and the contractor had to teach them the technical work,” said Mujahed Jana, an Afghan engineer with the Nuristan PRT who designed the wash. “Now they have the skills they need.”

A wash is a common engineering project for roads in Afghanistan. Made of concrete, a wash allows water to travel over the road without destroying it or making it impassable during periods of heavy rain or the spring thaw.

“Now that they have the skills, they can work on other projects and train others,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Roberto Garcia, civil military affairs operations center director from Chicago. “And hopefully when they finish this wash, they will be motivated to complete the entire project.”

The PRT is providing approximately $600 of materials and supplies toward the second phase of the project. The villagers will supply additional building materials and the manpower required.

Nurgaram District officials from the Rural Rehabilitation and Development office are also involved in the project.

“The RRD is doing a site survey to make sure it is done correctly and according to standards,” said Garcia.

Kautiak residents have long wanted a path from their village to the main road for safety reasons to make it easier to transport people to medical care in case of an emergency. With the help of the PRT, the Nurgaram District government, and their own initiative, their dream is a step closer to reality.

• Date Taken: 01.18.2011
• Date Posted: 01.18.2011 13:08
• Story ID: 63743
• Location: NURISTAN PROVINCE, AF