Japan Social Development Fund Grant Proposal

I. Basic Data
Name of Proposed Activity                          Capacity Building for National Solidarity Program
Country/Program                                    Afghanistan
Grant Amount Requested                             US$1,510,100
Grant Type (Select one)                            Project [ ]    Capacity building [ x ]

II. Grant Development Objective(s) and Expected Key Performance Indicators
 Grant Development Objective(s)
The Afghanistan Country Team seeks $1,510,100 from the Japanese Social Development Fund (JSDF) to
ensure the swift and proactive launch of the National Solidarity Program (NSP), a long-term, sustainable,
Government-owned initiative which aims to ensure the full participation of Afghan communities in deciding,
planning, and implementing local reconstruction activities.
The proposed grant comprises of three components: (A) the production of technical manuals and other project
documentation, (B) local level awareness- and capacity building programs in community mobilization for NSP
staff, and (C) pilot projects and other activities to field-test procedures, methodologies, and new capacities.
The field projects will be used to launch the NSP in advance of the proposed Emergency Community
Empowerment and Public Works Project (US$42m IDA Grant) which is expected to become available in
August/September 2002.
The NSP is a proposed nationwide program of community block grants that would support locally managed
planning processes. It is the cornerstone of the Afghan Interim Administration’s (AIA's) vision for sustainable
local development, as articulated by Chairman Karzai in Tokyo in January 2002. The NSP comprises of three
stages. Stage One consists of the delivery of small grants over a large area and initiates the process of
community decision-making by facilitating the identification of local rehabilitation priorities. Stage Two
carries the community-driven selection process further through larger village grants, and extends coverage to
activities of other agencies that are outside the grant. Stage Three involves shifting the program onto the
regular Afghan budget. The initial phase of the program would cover one to two districts in 15 priority
provinces, for a total of about 25-30 districts.
 If rapidly available, the JSDF Grant will enable the AIA to build capacity critical for implementing
 community programs prior to the effectiveness of the aforementioned IDA Grant. JSDF funding is essential
 because the AIA does not have sufficient liquidity to neither advance the money necessary for capacity-
 building nor begin initial village investments. If funded, the proposed activities will reduce the preparation
 time of the NSP, accelerate communities' ability to identify local rehabilitation priorities, and strengthen the
 AIA's efforts to assist local reconstruction activities. Time is of the essence for the launch of the NSP because
 it is the AIA’s main instrument to assist local communities across the country. The proposed “Capacity-
 Building for National Solidarity Program” is critical for the successful launch of the NSP.
Expected Key Performance Indicators: (maximum 5 indicators)
1. Production of technical manuals and other project documentation (Component A)
2. Training of 100 provincial and district community-mobilization facilitators (Component B)
3. Completion of large workshops in at least 15 provinces (Component B)
4. Finalize site selection in at least 30 districts (Component C)
5. Start-up of projects in at least 15 provinces (Component C)

III. Grant Categories of Expenditure and Amounts
             Category             Amount of Grant Allocated in US$
 Goods                                        535,000
 Services                                     565,100
 Training                                      54,000
 Civil works                                  102,000
 Other (Small grants)                         225,000
 Incremental Bank Costs                        29,000
 TOTAL                                       1,510,100