AREDP Photo Catalouge

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD)
Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development Program (AREDP)
AREDP Photo Catalogue
“Together Towards a Competitive Afghanistan”
communication.aredp@mrrd.gov.af
www.aredp-mrrd.gov.af
Address: Darulaman Road, Nila Bagh Street,
MRRD Compound, Kabul, Afghanistan
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AREDP at a Glance (As of April 2015)
7,933
1,842
561
Saving Groups
Established
Enterprise Groups
Established
Small and Medium
Enterprises Supported
588
240
Village Saving and Loan
Associations Established
144
199
Million Afs
Amount
Saved
Million Afs
Loan
Recovered
Million Afs
Loan
Disbursed
53,208
Jobs
Created
About AREDP
Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development Program (AREDP) is a national
government-led multi-donor funded program that jump-starts and facilitates private
sector growth in rural Afghanistan. The program strengthens the private sector
through integrated, value chain, top to bottom knowledge based interventions,
bottom to top community enterprise development and by addressing credit and
capital needs on all levels and in all locations.
The objective of AREDP is to increase employment, income of rural men and
women, and the sustainability of targeted local enterprises. This program operates
under the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. The key principals of
the AREDP are supporting market orientation, sustainable businesses, improving
coordination, building partnerships, facilitating client decisions, sharing best
practices and vertical integration. AREDP has two program components and one
support component.
The two Program components are Community-based Enterprise Development,
which provides knowledge-based and financial services to community-based rural
enterprises, and Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SME) that provides
business advisory and financial services to rural SMEs.
AREDP is currently operational in Kandahar, Parwan, Bamyan, Nangarhar, Herat,
and Balkh provinces.
AREDP facilitates economic
opportunities for rural men
and women through providing
support in the areas of business
development services, access
to finance, improving market
linkages, product development
and value chain.
AREDP Coverage
Provinces
Districts
6
28
747
Villages
Community-based
Enterprise Development
The community based enterprise development
initiative brings community members together to
explore opportunities and to improve livelihood.
Community facilitation has been carried out jointly
with community members irrespective of gender and
social status.
“I had a small livestock farm and I used to earn 2,000 to 3,000 Afs per month, however, I had serious economic
problems. Then I became a member of a saving group in my village that was established by AREDP and received a
loan to further enhance my business. Today I have four cows, a calf and two sheep in my livestock farm, my income
has increased and my economy has improved significantly.”
Nargis, a benefciary of AREDP in Khewa district of Nangarhar province
“I was jobless and I joined
AREDP saving group in my
village. I took loan of 9,000
Afs and established a small
poultry farm. Today I have
1,200 chickens in my farm and
earn 60,000 Afs a month. Now
I am giving job for other people
in my community.”
Khairullah, a benefciary of AREDP in Balkh
district of Balkh province
AREDP
assisted
Ahmad to
get out of
poverty
Ahmad is resident of Hasan Abad village of Balkh province. He was amongst the many other young men suffering
from economic problems and unemployment. When AREDP established community-based Saving Group (SGs) in
his village, he joins the SG with contributing a small amount of money every week. As a member of SG, Ahmad
received training through AREDP and the training become life changing experience for him. Ahmad decided to
borrow 5,000 Afs from SG to start a small vegetable shop. He bought one sack of potato and one sack of onion to
start a small shop in the middle of his village.
Ahmad made small money but gradually his business grew as he received his second loan. Now he makes 500
Afghani per day and he is supporting his family. Ahmad is grateful to AREDP and he believes that if anybody is
given an opportunity he/she will make a difference in their life. For the last four years AREDP has been working in
the rural communities of Afghanistan to create employment opportunities for men and women.
Rana Enterprise Group, a benefciary of
AREDP in Behsood district of
Nangarhar province
“Our objective is to increase employment,
income of rural men and women, and the
sustainability of targeted local
enterprises.”
Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs)
In order to create access to affordable microfinance at the community level, AREDP federates mature SGs into groups of
eight to ten to form Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs). The purpose of a VSLA is to provide simple savings
and loan facilities in communities that do not have access to formal financial services and record keeping.
AREDP supported communities to establish internal lending system as well as provided guidance on how to better
manage community fund. In total, 588 VSLAs are established and AREDP provided seed capital grant to 125 VSLAs that
are actively providing loan to members of the community using Islamic mode of financing mechanism.
AREDP enables
People with
Disabilities
AREDP supports all members of communities
and gives special preference to vulnerable
people to facilitate their access to economic
activities. People with Disabilities are one of
AREDP’s targets and thus far 140 people have
been covered and facilitated to access
economic and income generating activities.
AREDP believes in
social inclusion and
gives hope for People
with Disabilities
Abdul Bashir is one of the recipients of the program
who has physical disability. Abdul Bashir comes
from Big Mohammad Khail village in Bagram district
of Parwan province and he is the breadwinner of the
family comprising of eight people. At the outset,
Abdul Bashir had hard time to find a job where he
can fit and earn income, until he was selected as a
member of a Saving Group in his village. AREDP
provided him trainings and gave him exposure to
business skills and markets and supported him to
establish his own grocery shop. Today, he earns
700-1000 Afghani per day.
AREDP has demonstrated that women are equal members of community and contribute proportionately to
the economic development of the household. Women participation was attained by raising awareness of
community members on the importance of the program and its relevance to women since it helps them
work from home to generate income and simultaneously take care of family and house.
“I was jobless in the past, but
AREDP provided me the
opportunity to work in a carpet
weaving loom. Now I am
economically stable and I am very
happy.”
Freshta, a beneficiary of AREDP in Enjil district of Herat
province
“I wish that every Afghan
woman uses her talent and
ability to generate income
and become self-sufficient
like me.”
Masooma, the proud owner of Poshak-e Jawan enterprise
and a benefciary of AREDP in Bamyan province.
‘Poshak-e-Jawan’ an Afghani
Clothing Brand
Masooma Ibrahimi is from a far valley of
Azhdar in Bamyan province. When she
returned from Iran, she has been working
from home to make clothes for her family
and neighbors in the village. As she was
gaining more clients, Masooma and her
family established a small shop in the
center of Bamyan called Poshak-e-Jawan,
however, the shop was very small and the
income was hardly enough to bear home
expenses.
In 2011, AREDP covered Bamyan and
carried out business assessment; Poshake-Jawan was registered as one of the
potential enterprises. Initially, Poshak-eJawan received 12 days technical training
and was given basics toolkits such as
tailoring machines, generator, iron etc. to
further
enhancing
the
enterprise.
Masooma also participated in a number of
exhibitions in Afghanistan and outside and
she got ideas on how to produce clothes
using internet. Now her products are of
high quality, trendy and on the same time
include Afghan traditional patterns.
During an interview she said: “My life has
changed dramatically after I got training
from AREDP, this training has given me
new prospect in my business and the
exhibitions and exposure visits gave me
new horizons.”
After AREDP support, Masooma changed
clothes design and changed her marketing
approach. She hired 15 more people to
work with her and produce more clothes.
Currently, she is selling her products in
Bamyan and in Kabul through individual
entrepreneurs.
Recently, Poshak-e-Jawan received a
number of contracts from local NGOs and
also from schools to prepare uniforms.
These contracts are giving a huge boost
to her enterprise and gradually she will
expend her business and income of her
employees will be increased.
Taban Enterprise Group, a benefciary
of AREDP in Enjil district of Herat
province
“Our objective is to increase employment,
income of rural men and women, and the
sustainability of targeted local enterprises.”
Koochies are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in Afghanistan. They have been affected by decades of
conflict and continue to be seasonally affected by harsh winter and draught. The main source of the Koochies livelihood is
husbandry and there is a huge potential for developing this sector to enterprise development.
AREDP addressed these obstacles by developing the ability of Koochies to produce marketable products and enhance
entrepreneurial competencies. Under this initiative, AREDP was able to create and develop business development service
through Roving facilitators that were selected from the Koochi communities. The concept of Roving facilitation was adopted
by AREDP specifically because of the nomadic lifestyle of Koochies. AREDP exposed 96 Koochies in the local market through
creating market linkage to urban areas. The Koochies were also provided with sample technology such as solar generator and
portable fridges to keep products safe and clean.
Access to market was facilitated for
marginalized groups like Koochies...
With AREDP
assistance,
Baryalay owns a
shop and earns
enough to support
his family
Baryalay is a Koochi who lives in Bagram district of
Parwan province; he was unemployed and had
serious economic problems. Through the AREDP
support, Baryalay was exposed to a number of
Enterprise Development training and this was a
turning point in his life. Inspired by what he learnt
through the trainings, Baryalay along with his cousin,
borrowed money from the Saving Group of his village
and also from a friend and established shop for
vehicle spare parts in Qarabagh district. They bring
spare parts from the bordering areas of Pakistan and
sell them in Bagram market.
Baryalay now makes almost 1500 Afghani per day.
His economic situation has improved and besides
covering family expenses now he is able to send his
children to school.
Insights from the field
Herat Province
Insights from the field
Nangarhar Province
Insights from the field
Parwan Province
Insights from the field
Bamyan Province
Insights from the field
Kandahar Province
Insights from the field
Balkh Province
AREDP addresses constraints of the rural
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
towards sustainable growth. This is
facilitated through addressing business
needs and creating access to business
development and financial services.
AREDP conducts technical feasibility and
economic viability studies for the selected
SMEs and identify opportunities to further
strengthen them through capacity building
and technical support.
In total, 555 SMEs are currently being
supported by AREDP in Parwan,
Nangarhar, Bamyan, Kandahar, Herat and
Balkh provinces.
Enabling Environment for Small and
Medium Enterprise Development
Sidiqa, a benefciary of AREDP in Bamyan province
“Initially, I had no idea how to produce market
oriented carpet. AREDP give me exposure to
market in Kabul and internationally where I learnt
how to do carpet business. I also learned what type
of color combination is in demand. Now I am the
proud owner of a large carpet weaving company
and give business to 20 other women. My business
had significantly improved and my products are
sold in Herat, Kabul and international markets like
Russia, America and Italy.”
Tawakuli, a benefciary of AREDP in Herat province
“When we first started making chips we had a
lot of problems. We neither had equipment and
expertise to cook the chips nor proper linkages
to the market. AREDP has provided us with
equipment, training and created direct link to 11
schools in Bamyan where we have been
supplying 70kgs of potato chips on daily basis.”
Mohammad Safi, the owner of Roh
Afza pickle and food production and a
beneficiary of AREDP in Behsood
district of Nangarhar province
“When I started the pickle
business in my village I
used to produce and sell
nearly 20 bottles a day.
After working with AREDP
we went to exhibitions,
exposure visits to the
national and regional
markets and attended
trainings, now we are
selling 200 bottles in
Kabul and Nangarhar on a
daily basis. There was a
huge demand for my
products and I hired 10
more people to work on
my enterprise.”
Khan Mohammad an Ordinary Gardener became
Successful Green House Owner
When AREDP started implementing Multiplier Farm Enterprise, Khan
Mohammad joined the program and agreed to cover 10% of the cost
while AREDP covers the remaining 90%. During the project intervention,
Khan Mohammad also received training on how to crop using vertical
farming and also received support from specialists through REDKAN
project. This season Khan Mohammad’s productivity increased and
now he produced 350 cucumbers per week, sells for 10 Afs per kilo in
local market and makes 14,000 Afs per month.
Now, Khan Mohammad intends to build another green house and
become supplier for larger markets. “AREDP helped me to establish
green house with locally available technology and knowledge. This
business is giving me new prospective and positive changes. I want to
sell my products in Kabul and other provinces in the future and I will be
thankful to AREDP for this support all my life.”
AREDP started work in Kandahar in 2013 under Rural Enterprise
Development Program for Kandahar (REDKAN). Through this project,
AREDP has been working with communities to promote enterprise
development and explore small-scale business opportunities at the
grass roots level. Through REDKAN, AREDP assisted communities to
build green houses, trained them on cropping techniques, provided
tunnels, gardening and processing tools.
Khan Mohammad is one of the recipients of this project who had
experience running a green house in the past. Before AREDP support,
Khan Mohammad had greenhouses but suspended them because of
low productivity; He said: “In one season, I only produced 150 cucumbers
per month, which was enough only for family consumption, therefore
I stopped the green houses and got engaged in other activities”.
Alghochak Chips Production
Enterprise, a benefciary of
AREDP in Bamyan province
“Our objective is to increase employment,
income of rural men and women, and the
sustainability of targeted local enterprises.”
Creating Market linkage for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at the national and
international level is one of the key aspects of AREDP work. Since its inception in 2010, AREDP
has been able to organize 57 national and international exhibitions for hundreds of SMEs in
Afghanistan and abroad. These exhibitions gave platform for entrepreneurs to expose and
promote their local products, interact with other SMEs and clients as well as to understand
national and international client needs and how to upgrade quality of products.
Zahra Kazemi, the owner of Bamyan
Women Handicrafts and a beneficiary of
AREDP in Bamyan province
“AREDP has sent us to an
exhibition in South Asia
Bazar where we have
made contacts to access
international markets. In
one of the exhibitions we
were very successful
selling all our products
(handicrafts) and learning a
great deal by interacting
with other participants. We
have now received offers
from international
entrepreneurs who want to
franchise our products to
the international market.”
One District One Product
AREDP introduced the concept of ‘One District One Product’ after it was successfully piloted in Afghanistan in 2013. This
is a development model that focuses on one valuable local resource that has potential to show case and market in order
to develop it further. The idea behind the concept is that each selected district should have at least one competitive
product that is distinctively its own to offer to the market.
Sadiqullah, a benefciary of AREDP in Kandahar province
“I used to give away all pomegranates from my
garden to family members in Kandahar for free.
After we implemented concept of (One District
One Product) last year, I was able to sell 300
Kg of pomegranates from home to a group of
enterprises which process pomegranate
products and sell in Kandahar.”
Sectors and Products promoted by AREDP
Handicraft
Clothing of Ladies and Gents, Bed Sheet, Table and Pillow covers,
Gem and Jewelry
Agriculture
Improved Seed, Cotton production, Bee keeping & Honey
production, Fish farming, Silk production, Saffron
Manufacturing
Furniture, Clothing, Shawl, Cap, Shoe making, Pickles & Jam,
Chips, Cookies, Cooking oil, Soap making
Livestock and Dairy
Milk, Yogurt, Butter, Cheese, Leather processing, Broiler and
Hatchery
Carpet and Rugs
Carpet, Glim (local name), Namad (local name)
Increasing income and creating
sustainable employment opportunities
for rural men and women
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD)
Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development Program (AREDP)
“Together Towards a Competitive Afghanistan”