Overview

USAID’s RAMP UP West project assists the four western municipalities of Chaghcharan (Ghor), Farah (Farah), Herat (Herat), and Qala-e-Naw (Badghis) to deliver improved and demand-driven services based on the priorities established by their citizens.  The project seeks to build citizen trust and confidence in the ability of municipal government to deliver services fairly and efficiently.  The overarching goals of the project are to:

• Increase the capacity of municipal officials;
• Improve the delivery of municipal services to citizens in target municipalities; and,
• Increase municipal capacity to enable, support and sustain economic growth.

Activities

• Improve municipal community engagement in budget preparation and oversight.
• Develop a standardized manual for municipal revenue collection and asset inventories.
• Complete business and property registration in Chaghcharan, Farah, and Qala-e-Naw.
• Improve municipal planning, implementation, and maintenance of desired services, as identified by citizens.
• Establish and operate municipal Public Outreach Units.
• Establish Youth Councils and continue holding “Youth and the Municipality” seminars.
• Train teachers who will continue delivering the “Roles and Responsibilities of the Municipality and Citizens” training.
• Develop and implement gender strategies and establish gender offices in each municipality.
• Assist municipalities to run an municipal internship program.

Accomplishments

• Formed Municipal Budget Committees to oversee development, submission and approval of the annual municipal budget.  Each committee developed a budget based on community priorities and held a series of public budget hearings to get community feedback.
• Municipal revenues increased between 21-264 percent by identifying new resources and registering 6,790 properties and businesses.
• Better municipal planning, implementation and maintenance resulted in tangible improvements, including the execution of 17 quick-strike projects identified by communities.
• Assisted establishment of Municipal Advisory Boards to engage citizens in municipal decision-making processes.  Engaged 5,200 citizens in the development of Service Delivery Improvement Plans (SDIPs).
• Developed Municipal Management Capacity Building Plans (MMCBPs) and established municipal training centers.
• Established modern municipal archives, filing, human resources, and inventory management systems.
• Over 11,466 citizens attended workshops on “Roles and Responsibilities of the Municipality and Citizens,” which were offered in public high schools, universities, colleges, and civil society organizations.
• Assisted Herat to establish its first House of Culture and host the first Municipal Documentary Film Festival.
• Provided land use mapping to allow for better municipal planning and controlled growth.