Overview

RAMP UP East supports the creation of effective, responsive, democratic, transparent, accountable, and gender sensitive municipal governance.  RAMP UP East achieves this by: increasing the capacity of municipal officials; improving municipal service delivery to citizens; and assisting municipalities to foster economic growth and increase revenue.  RAMP UP East is active in 14 municipalities in eastern and central Afghanistan: Asadabad, Bamyan, Bazarak, Charikar, Gardez, Ghazni, Jalalabad, Khost, Mahmud Raqi, Maidan Shar, Mehterlam, Parun, Puli-Alam, and Sharana.

Activities

• Capacity Building for Municipal Officials: Offer formal and on the job trainings to municipal officials in the areas of public finance, performance-oriented budgeting, solid waste management, budgeting, economic development, and revenue enhancement.
• Public Finance: Provide municipal officials with the skills needed to increase their ability to complete performance-oriented budgets, manage expenditures, and increase revenue.
• Solid Waste Management: Mentor municipalities in providing improved municipal solid waste management services, including maintenance and disposal activities. 
• Service Delivery Projects: Work closely with municipal engineers to plan and implement municipal development projects and deliver services.
• Cross-Cutting Activities: Support municipal public outreach activities, including citizen forums, newsletters, media events, notice boards and suggestion boxes.  Promote the participation of women in municipal affairs and provide opportunities for youth to become involved in the community.
• Economic Development and Revenue Enhancement: Assist municipalities in stimulating local economic development and job creation, helping increase municipal revenue from local taxes and fees, such as business and property registration.

Accomplishments

• Implemented 55 small-scale municipal infrastructure and 21 service delivery projects that addressed citizen priorities and served as learning opportunities for municipal officials in project planning;
• Created 169,315 man-days of local labor by implementing municipal development projects;
• Supported 13 municipalities in developing functional accounting systems;
• Launched performance-oriented budgeting in 10 RAMP UP East municipalities;
• Developed Economic Profiles and Local Economic Development Plans for 13 municipalities;
• Initiated 3 Public Private Partnership (PPP) schemes to enhance municipal revenue;
• Registered 33,053 businesses in 13 municipalities and 19,002 properties in Jalalabad, Charikar, Ghazni, Khost and Mahmud Raqi;
• Offered anticorruption training to 300 participants (212 municipal officials/88 civil society members);
• Provided training on “Public Participation in Local Governance” to 3,765 citizens (1,917 females and 1,848 males);
• Facilitated a professional fellowship program for 52 male and female municipal offices or local non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
• Supported 500 female entrepreneurs through business training and local craft exhibitions; and,
• Engaged 7,624 youth (6,964 males and 660 females) through a youth participation small grants program.