Comments
Having worked as a direct hire for USAID in the early days of our efforts at post conflict reconstruction and reconciliation in Afghanistan..a couple of comments.
1) Most USAID people, especially the ones in the field are, in general highly qualified and well focused.
2) USAID is NOT a direct project funder, but rather uses NGO's of various categories as the implementation mechanism to the funded project.
During the early days in 2002, International Organization of Migration had the implementation contract for USAID, at least in my AO (Paktia, Khost and Ghazni Provinces). While attending a briefing of USAID implementers at the US Embassy in Kabul (which I rarely visited), I was amazed at the "progress" of various project to include my AO. Actually, those projects both "completed" and "planned" never happened...I was struck with the knowledge that these USAID contract implementers either never visited the field to validate..or simply alleging projects completed or under consideration for the benefit of the USAID interrim head of mission.
I was then invited to a meeting the following morning prior to going back to Paktia with the country manager for Louis Berger. Berger had proposed to build under USAID funding hundreds of schools and clinics throughout Afghanistan...when I reviewed the drawings, it looked like the Indian fabricated metal buildings resembled US fast food drive thru's. I immediately objected..and as I understand a model was build in Kabul or the various governors to approve based on a new design and components with some local involvement...
But, as we were leaving..the USAID interim head of mission told the Berger guy that ..."Washington wants more American NGO's involved in the process.." The Berger guy remarked of the increased cost with additional layers of NGO's (the emphasis was on evangelical NGO's) would do more to slow project completion than to assist in its expedition. The reply was.." I do only as I am told.."
3) End point: USAID has many very talented people who could easily overwatch project implementation..especially the projects which could be managed by the PRT's. This should be a consideration for the future.
Make no mistake...the early days in post conflict development and stabilization were slowed or stopped due to the "war of choice"..Iraq. But, that said, had the administration focused the effort and money in the correct manner, we might be further along in Afghanistan than we are today.
I always had my doubts..are we winning the hearts and minds...or "buying the hearts and minds"...history will tell the tell.
RH
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