Entrants's Name: Marnie Gustavson

Country: Afghanistan

Field: Community Development

Innovation - idea: In Afghanistan,"capacity building" that relies on workshops and training programs have been costly and had very little effect on training Afghans at all levels of organization. PARSA has two pilot programs where we demonstrate the programs by implementing them with government staff paired up with our staff at all levels of the program being implemented.

Innovation - why it is pioneering: Capacity building in Afghanistan involves expensive training programs, workshops and monitoring teams. The expertise and capacity is not transferring through these methods. The gap between planning and implementation is centuries wide. Training programs where the concepts are demonstrated as the work is being done is providing services to the people as staff capacity is expanded.PAR

Strategy - how it achieves impact: PARSA has two demonstration programs in place. One is with Afghan Red Crescent Society in the "Maristoon" or government run organization that provides housing, medical care, and job skills development to disabled and widows. PARSA staff has paired with the ARCS staff to develop systems of referral, assessment, and training plans while implementing an "outcome" based program designed to support residents to successfully reintegrate into their communities. PARSA also is working with the National Orphanage staff to develop a "model" orphanage that can be replicated in 33 other orphanages. PARSA staff is conducting our "vulnerable children" program while paired with government staff and managed by a PARSA director and Director of National Orphanages. This training dynamic "walks through" the weekly work of providing services, and training WHILE working with the people that need the services. Training is provided at each point of implementation. Afghan staff are learning very quickly.

Strategy - growth plans: Current plans include creating "models" for programs at Maristoon and in the Alluhoddin orphanage. These facilities will then become training facilities for staff from around the country. There are Maristoons in five other regions, and 33 national orphanages. PARSA staff will function in a train the trainer capacity and the government staff who have been trained in then new programs will be shadowed by new staff trainees.

Impact to date: PARSA's initiative and development of this strategy of working with government agencies was developed this year as a result of the "initiative for change" that PARSA executive director, Marnie Gustavson began after attempting to provide PARSA's "vulnerable children" program in Alluhoddin orphanage. The conditions were so intolerable that PARSA began an international drive for resources but we were thwarted at every turn by government staff and directors. This approach was developed during the negotiations with government minsitries and through a "holding to account" of the Afghan government for the conditions in the children's institutions. Because of the obstructive nature of the bureaucracy in Afghanistan, International NGO's have developed a parallel track of services, and many attempts to train the goverment in how to develop social protections systems have failed. This initiative is in its infancy but is gaining support from the international community as well as government.

Future impact: International agencies would be providing very specialized and select services, in partnership with government and the Afghan government would be staffing social protection programs in Afghanistan, while participating in a program that constantly upgraded the capacity of their staff.

Sustainability - resource base: PARSA is grassroots funded registered in Afghanistan as an international NGO and in the US as a taxdeductible 501c3. Our key partnerships in Afghanistan are: Catholic Releif Services American Friends Service Committee Afghan Red Crescent Society Equal Access Radio Save the Children US Ministry of Health Ministry of Social Affairs

We have an extremely active base of volunteers in Afghanistan and the US. www.parsakabul.blogspot.com

Major challenge for the field: The major challenge in this field is for the International Community to transition from emergency services to post conflict development so that the government is a vital part of all development of direct services in a way that holds them to account for the result. Donor countries must have a program where goverment responsibility is tied to donor money being released.

Contact Information:

Name: Mrs. Marnie Gustavson - Executive director
Mailing address: General Delivery, American Friends Service Committee,APO AE 09356
Country: Afghanistan
Email: mgustav@mac.com
Tel: 93799020588
Website: www.afghanistan-parsa.org

Bio: Ms. Marnie Gustavson, is the founder and president of Creative Economic Opportunities, inc. (CEO) In the US, she worked fifteen years as a trainer and program consultant for organizations with a focus on programs for women. In 2003, Marnie returned to Kabul, Afghanistan where she had lived as a child with her family for four years, to assume the executive directorship of PARSA, (Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Services for Afghanistan) from icon and founder, Mary MacMakin. In Afghanistan, she has also worked as a consultant and trainer for women leaders, Afghan women parliamentarians and NGO directors providing comprehensive organizational development, and a unique program of personal and professional support in this post conflict country. Working with her husband, Dr. Norman Gustavson, psychologist and medical anthropologist and Dr. Patricia Omidian, anthropologist she is co-creating psychosocial services adapted to the Afghan culture. With her training partner, Afghan American Mahbouba Seraj she is designing “women’s listening groups” and developing a radio program that Mahbouba will host called “Our Beloved Afghanistan” focusing on programs that will support Afghan women as they attempt to improve the quality of their lives and to claim their human rights.

Under her directorship, PARSA has begun two groundbreaking programs in close partnership with two government agencies. With the Afghan Red Crescent Society, PARSA is rehabilitating and modernizing the “maristoons” or “places to find help”-a cultural tradition of social protection for disabled, widows and orphans. With the Ministry of Social Affairs, PARSA is working to initiate change in the orphanage system so that the most vulnerable children in Afghanistan can have care in the post conflict country.