Helmand Province, Afghanistan – April 6, 2010 – Habibullah Khan, the district governor of Nad-e Ali, never rests. There is much to be done in his remote district – one that suffered years of oppression by the Taliban regime. He is glad to have USAID’s AVIPA Plus program helping him restore peace and prosperity. Recently, the governor handed out the first shovel to AVIPA Plus laborers who are now cleaning local irrigation canals to improve water flow. He deems AVIPA Plus one of the most important projects in Nad-e Ali without which, “nothing could be done in agricultural improvement.”

Nad-e Ali, a district in Helmand Province where Operation Mushtarak took place, is abuzz with changes. People who escaped their homes to avoid the conflict are returning to their villages. The bazaars have reopened and the roads are filled with trucks carrying goods to and from the nearby provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.

Yet not all is well in Nad-e Ali. The Taliban use strong intimidation tactics against the population to prevent them from taking part in AVIPA Plus programs or working with the government. Threats of suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices arrive daily. Regardless, the people of Nad-e Ali are brave and in need of assistance. They are not scared away and they know who to turn to.

Governor Habibullah sees farmers keep coming to his office every day to register new cooperatives in order to participate in the AVIPA’s agricultural grants program. Fourteen cooperatives with 13,000 members are now ready to receive $9.5 million worth of farm machinery. “Agriculture has improved since AVIPA Plus started seed distribution and especially grants,” he observes. “Farming has also expanded tremendously. Farmers have started cultivating vegetables instead of poppy,” - a remarkable change in this area known as a major drug producing and processing center.

AVIPA Plus, although having started operations in Nad-e Ali only recently, is changing the everyday lives of many residents. The road and canal restoration projects employ more than 6,800 laborers at present. These quick employment opportunities are injecting over $3.5 million in wages and tools into the local economy. Tens of thousands of farmers are receiving training, seed packages, fertilizer and low tunnels that AVIPA Plus fabricates locally.

“Each time a new activity starts in Nad Ali,” the governor remarks with enthusiasm, “people rejoice as if Eid ul-Fitr has started.” Eid ul-Fitr, an important local holiday, literally means “a festival of fast breaking.” AVIPA Plus is working to bring an end to Nad-e Ali’s long fast and open way to a festival of peace.