CWS Japan works alongside communities in Afghanistan who are most impacted and at risk for disasters. Below, Takeshi Komino, CWS Country Representative for Japan, shares information about the project and future efforts for the CWS Japan team.
Afghanistan is a country that has been hit by disasters such as floods and earthquakes many times. As political instability continues, protecting lives from disasters is a very important issue. Although the situation in Afghanistan remains severe, CWS Japan continues to work on improving disaster risk reduction capabilities.
Infrastructure Development and Technology Transfer
In 2023, the “Enhancing Resilience of Afghanistan through Integrated Risk Reduction” made significant strides in strengthening disaster resilience in Nangarhar and Laghman provinces. Supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Grant Assistance for NGO Collaborations and in partnership with the Japan Conversation Engineers, Co. Ltd., this initiative focused on three key areas: disaster risk reduction infrastructure planning and installation, training in advanced risk assessment technologies and the development of skilled disaster risk reduction professionals.
RELATED: Measuring Impact: How Disaster Prevention Projects Are Changing Afghan Communities
As a result, communities gained the ability to interpret topography, assess risks and create hazard maps, allowing for safer evacuation planning. Additionally, disaster-resistant infrastructure was strategically designed and implemented in high-risk areas, addressing long-standing gaps in effective risk analysis and construction practices.
Beyond infrastructure, the project has fostered stronger community ties, reinforcing the importance of collaboration in disaster response. The annual Disaster Risk Reduction Conference in Kabul continues to unite disaster risk reduction workers, furthering knowledge-sharing and coordination. Looking ahead, the project aims to install protection walls to safeguard homes and farmland while developing national guidelines for integrating risk assessment into infrastructure design. These efforts represent critical steps toward a safer, more resilient Afghanistan, even in the face of ongoing challenges.
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- Participants in a training course learning how to interpret topography and create hazard maps, Photo Courtesy: CWSA
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- Training facility located at a local university, Photo Courtesy: CWSA
Project Accomplishments So Far
One of the major achievements of the project is the construction of a 500-meter protection wall in the village of Hussain Abad in Laghman Province. This wall not only protects the village from particularly violent rivers (rivers that often flood or overflow), but was designed based on local topographical and flood data. The process of planning infrastructure after carefully examining disaster risks is common for Japanese people but has not yet taken root in Afghanistan. We would like to spread our know-how by providing practical examples.
Furthermore, we have made great progress in training disaster risk reduction experts. We have trained 128 hazard map creators and 54 disaster risk reduction infrastructure planners, which has allowed us to significantly contribute to improving the capabilities of government agencies, nonprofit organizations and universities.
Another major achievement was the establishment of a master’s degree curriculum specializing in disaster risk reduction at Kabul University. We received approval from the Ministry of Higher Education, and surprisingly, in a market survey, 98% of people showed a strong interest in the master’s degree in disaster prevention. This is the culmination of the efforts of many people to develop human resources who will lead the future of Afghanistan.
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- Completed protective wall, Photo Courtesy: CWSA
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- Dam Repair, Photo Courtesy: CWSA
Learning Together
This project demonstrated the importance of an approach that involves “learning together” with local people, rather than “teaching” from an outside perspective. It not only conveys knowledge and skills on disaster prevention, but also develops the ability to face challenges on their own.
Considering the disaster risks that Afghanistan faces, this initiative is still a small step. However, we hope to make this a movement, and we will continue to increase our number of partners and work to improve Afghanistan’s disaster prevention capabilities.
Takeshi Komino is the General Secretary for CWS Japan. To learn more about the work of CWS Japan, visit their website (in Japanese) or click here.