Airmen complete projects for progress in Afghanistan

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Command combat camera team
ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFNS) --  Airmen assigned to the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team help Afghan government officials here with reconstruction, health and social projects to improve lives for Afghan citizens in the region.

"The Afghans here are taking ownership of projects and making decisions to meet the needs of the people here," said Capt. Matthew Joseph, the Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul lead engineer. "We have been here for three months now and we are off, running and making progress for Zabul."

Currently, the Zabul team is leading 14 projects including reconstructing a bridge near Tarnak, hospital improvements, perimeter wall repairs, school construction and improvement, emergency road repairs, trash services, nursery security upgrades, and digging irrigation wells. These projects, coupled with several other operations led by Afghan government officials, are organized and prioritized to best benefit the people here.

"Our partners here are helping us to better serve our community and surrounding districts through the projects we agree to and prioritize," said Zabul Provincial Governor Mohommad Asraf Naseri. "Working together, we can make a difference for Afghans in Zabul."

Projects like Strong Food, a program for malnourished children, are helping ease a mortality rate that affects 191 out of 1,000 Afghan children under the age of 5.

"Strong Food provides an easy-to-eat nutritional supplement made from locally-available foodstuffs," said Maj. (Dr.) Luis Otero, the PRT Zabul chief medical officer. "It helps keep children out of the hospital and with their families. This program is a bridge to future programs by (U.S. Agency for International Development) to help prevent malnutrition in the first place."

Other projects include Clean Water, which provides Afghan families with chlorine to kill bacteria in local water; working with the Zabul Province Women's Affairs program to develop a facility that addresses maternal needs; and Village Medical Outreach, a program that helps Afghan doctors address health concerns in local villages. The PRT mission gives servicemembers a chance to help with all aspects of Afghan society.

"Working with government officials, we get a chance to address the negative and positive influencers in the local government," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Logan, the Zabul PRT intelligence NCO in charge. "Addressing those influencers and reducing the negative people's effectiveness gives us a better chance to help the governor's staff and get the right projects working in the right villages that need them."

In an effort to prioritize and coordinate reconstruction projects in Zabul Province, Airmen and Soldiers have begun facilitating project coordination meetings developed by Afghan leaders in the region to improve communication, plan as a team and help build trust and accountability for Afghan citizens and government officials.

"These meetings are great because it's Afghan leaders making key decisions for Afghan people," said Army Staff Sgt. Mindy Vorpahl, the PRT Zabul civil-affairs team lead. "We are in the process of working ourselves out of a job. The more Afghan government officials can choose projects that best meet the needs of their people and address real issues as a community, the less they will need us. That is a very good thing."

As Afghans and Zabul PRT members continue to work on projects, the future looks bright.

"We've seen signs of progress and Afghan ownership in the process," Captain Joseph said. "We can do all the projects we want for the people of Afghanistan, but if we don't help them gain the capability and capacity to do it themselves, they will not make the necessary progress to achieve real change for their country."