Objective. The objective of this USAID funded project is to provide overall technical direction and administrative support to all the other Task Orders authorized under the Afghanistan Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Program (IRP).

Background. Over the life of the program, this project provides technical and executive direction as well as administrative support to all projects in the transport, energy and natural resources sectors.

At the start, staff performed a needs assessment to identify the highest priority potential projects in Afghanistan’s transportation and energy sectors. Staff then developed a work plan for the program that ties institutional strengthening and capacity building with high-priority infrastructure improvements in the transport and energy sectors. Together, the needs assessment and work plan help USAID select and fund proposed projects for the program, and are “living” documents that can be, and are, updated at USAID’s request.

Status. IRP is in the fourth year of its five-year life, and is now implementing 16 major projects for USAID. In addition, 10 major projects were completed in the first three years of the program. As of February 2010, there were 563 local Afghan staff and 145 full-time expatriate staff members working on the program. The entire program, all projects, employed over 11,000 Afghans in February 2010.

The IRP internship program has recently completed its sixth season and has now successfully processed over 100 student engineers through their practical training requirement for university graduation. These young engineering students, coming from various universities throughout Afghanistan, are being trained in the practical aspects of materials testing, monitoring, and technical drawing, among other things.

The IRP Logistics Staff currently operate and maintain 20 guesthouses and 16 offices throughout the country and 44 armored vehicles which are used to transport personnel in Kabul and on the various project job sites. To ensure the safety of all program staff throughout Afghanistan, professional security companies, which employ over 2,100 Afghans, provide Personnel Security Details (PSDs), armed guards for all guesthouses, offices, work camps, and work crews. In addition, security department staff manage the helicopters that are used to safely and securely transport staff and heavy equipment throughout Afghanistan.

IRP Public Affairs staff began working with a local production company in 2009 to produce Afghanistan’s first weekly TV road show profiling communities, history, regional culture, and the people of Afghanistan for a national audience. The 26-episode television series, "On the Road”, is aired weekly on Tolo TV. This program is produced by Afghans, for Afghans, and has already been filmed at numerous sites throughout the land. The International Media Launch was held in Kabul in March 2010 and included members of the International Press Corps, Ambassadors and Embassy staff from numerous countries as well as IRP and USAID personnel.

News:

Media Study Analyzes Afghan Viewer Reaction to On the Road Show

IRP Salutes Jim Myers: Builder of Afghanistan's Kabul to Kandahar Highway

Fox News Reports: Media Industry in Afghanistan Slowly Growing

Female Engineer Works for Her People

Infrastructure Work Brings Jobs, Stability

Hard at Work: Young Afghan Women Break the Mold

New TV Series Takes Afghans On the Road around Afghanistan

Women Play an Important Role at IRP

Community Development Officers Work All Around Afghanistan

IRP Employees Work with Local Community to Assist Panjshir Flood Victims