Future Generations partners with the Afghanistan Institute of Rural Development to build cross-agency government capacity

Kabul - In December 2009, Future Generations became the lead technical advisor to the Afghanistan Institute of Rural Development. Through a Memorandum of Understanding, Future Generations will build the capacity of AIRD to educate government staff across multiple agencies in comprehensive rural development. In January 2010, the Future Generations Graduate School will begin training AIRD’s research unit and building the capacity of the Afghan people to run their own rural development programs.

The AIRD is strengthening its research and training department within the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD). Future Generations will support AIRD as it establishes itself as Afghanistan’s leading research and training institute in comprehensive rural development. The Memorandum of Understanding, which forms an agreement between AIRD and Future Generations for the latter to be the technical service agency, was signed by His Excellency Ehsan Zia, Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development.

Country Director of Future Generations Afghanistan, Aziz Hakimi, asks international donors to support “capacity building inside key government ministries involved in the delivery of services to the Afghan people. By training AIRD, he says, “government staff will learn the skills to train communities, link with outside partners, and create genuine partnerships and sustainability. Sustainable development requires that we build the capacity of the Afghan government and local communities to enable the top-down to partner with the bottom-up and lead and sustain the country’s development efforts. And, to do this, the AIRD will become the national training and research institution to build this local capacity.” 

Future Generations Afghanistan is a registered non-profit organization in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Its mission is to strengthen the resourcefulness of communities, ensure community ownership, and promote partnerships with government for a secure, equitable, and sustainable future.  

The Future Generations Graduate School is a 501(c)3 non-profit institution of higher education founded in 2003 by Future Generations, an international civil society organization (www.future.org).  The Graduate School offers a two-year Master’s Degree in Applied Community Change and Conservation and conducts research on the effectiveness of community-based approaches for achieving impact in the areas of child health, nature conservation, and peace building.

The Future Generations Graduate School is currently a candidate for initial accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools of the Higher Education Policy Commission.

For more information contact:
Communications Director, Traci Hickson, traci@future.org ph. 304-358-2000 or
Country Director, Aziz Hakimi aziz@future.org