Kunar

Kunar has a total population of 413008. There are 64588 households in the province, and households on average have 8 members. The following table shows the population by district.

Source: CSO/UNFPA Socio Economic and Demographic Profile

Around 96% of the population of Kunar lives in rural districts while 4% lives in urban areas. Around 51% of the population is male and 49% is female. The major ethnic groups living in Kunar province are Pashton, Ashkun, Gawar-Bati, Gujari, Pashayi and Waigali. This includes major tribes such as Safi, Salarzai, Mashwani, Mamon, Shinwari. Pashtu is spoken by 705 villages out of 771 villages and more than 90% of the population. Dari and Uzbeki are spoken in 2 villages each, Pashaie is spoken in 15 villages and Nooristani in 35 villages.

Kunar province also has a population of Kuchis or nomads whose numbers vary in different seasons. In winter 13200 individuals, or 0.5% of the overall Kuchi population, stay in Kunar living in 20 communities. Two percent of these are short-range partially migratory, and the others are long-range partially migratory. Even of the long range migratory, most are partially migrating. The most important summer area for the short range migratory Kuchi is in Ghazi Abad district of Kunar province The most important summer areas for the long range migratory Kuchi are in Logar, Wardak and Parwan provinces (in decreasing order of importance). Only 10% own a house in their winter location, and these are all short-range migratory Kuchi. The Kuchi population in the summer is 1355 individuals.

Source: NRVA 2005

On average only 11% of households have access to safe toilet facilities. The following table shows the kinds of toilet facilities used by households in the province:

Source: NRVA 2005

On average 41% of households in Kunar have access to electricity However there is no public provision of electricity in the province.

The transport infrastructure in Kunar is reasonably well developed, with over a third (39%) of roads in the province able to take car traffic in all seasons, and 14% able to take car traffic in some seasons. However, in nearly half of the province (47%) there are no roads at all, as shown in the following table:

Creating the conditions in which a dynamic and competitive private sector can flourish, is key to promoting economic growth, employment creation and poverty reduction. The majority of commercial activity in Kunar is related to trade in timber and gems products.

Agriculture is a major source of revenue for nearly three quarters (74%) of households in Kunar province. Seventy nine percent of rural households own or manage agricultural land or garden plots in the province However; one-third (33%) of households derive some income from trade and services. Over a quarter (28%) of households earn income through non-farm related labour. Livestock also accounts for income for half of rural households as the following table shows:

Source: NRVA 2005

In 2005 there were 11 Agricultural cooperatives active in Kunar involving 464 members. In 2005 agricultural cooperatives controlled a total of 391Ha of land and achieved a surplus As a result of this, each member held a share in the capital of the cooperative to the value of 160,900Afs.

Unlike other agricultural crops, industrial crops are not produced in large quantities. Sugar cane is the most important industrial crop in the province and it is produced in 78 villages. Half of these villages are located in Shaygal Wa Shiltan and others are located in Khas Kunar and Sar kanay districts.

The sector of small industries is dominated by two commodities : dried sugar and honey. Dried sugar is manufactured in 31 villages mostly located in Sahygal Wa Shiltan. Honey is produced in 24 villages mostly located in Mara Wara, Sar Kanay and Watu Pur districts. Handicrafts are very scarce in Kunar province. They are only produced in 16 villages, 5 of which produce Jewellery and are located in Asad Abad.

In 2005, 43% of households in Kunar reported taking out loans. Of these loans, a small percentage was used to invest in economic activity such as agricultural inputs (6%).

Enhancing licit agricultural productivity, creating incentives for non-farm investment, developing rural infrastructure, and supporting access to skills development and financial services will allow individuals, households and communities to participate licitly and productively in the economy. As agriculture represents the major source of income for around three quarter the households in the province, rural development will be a key element of progress in Kunar. The most important field crops grown in Kunar province include wheat and maize. The most common crops grown in garden plots include fruit and nut trees (37%), vegetables and produce such as grapes and alfalfa, clover or other fodder and millet.

Over nine tenths (95%) of households with access to fertilizer use this on field crops and to a much lesser degree on garden plots (1%), although 4% of households use fertilizer on both field and garden. The main types of fertilizer used by households in the province are shown in the following table:

Source: NRVA 2005

Ensuring good quality education and equitable access to education and skills are some of the important ways to raise human capital, reduce poverty and facilitate economic growth. The overall literacy rate in Kunar province is 21%, however, while nearly half (47%) of men are literate, this is true for under one-fifth of women (18%). In the population aged between 15 and 24 the situation for men is a little better with 49% literacy, whereas for women the figure shows a small decrease to 16%. The Kuchi population in the province has particularly low levels of literacy with just 1.1% of men able to read and write.

On average 43% of children between 6 and 13 are enrolled in school, however, again the figure is around half (51%) of boys and just over one-third (36%) of girls. Amongst the Kuchi population, only one in twenty five boys (4%) attend school in Kunar during the winter months; however no Kuchi children attend school in the province during the summer.

Overall there are 295 primary and secondary schools in the province catering for 88701 students. Boys account for 67% of students and 76% of schools are boys’ schools. There are 2572 teachers working in schools in the Kunar province, one twenty (5%) of whom are women.

Source: CSO Afghanistan Statistical Yearbook 2006

More than half (56%) of primary school students have a primary school within 5kms, However around one quarter (23%) of students have to travel more than 10 kilometers to reach their nearest primary school. Secondary schools are located within 5kms for around a third (35%) of students but more than two-fifths (44%) of students have to travel more than 10kms to reach their closest secondary schools. More than a quarter of students have to travel up to 5kms to reach their closest high school and for more than half (55%) of students highs schools are located in more than 10kms distance.

In the sector of higher education, there is a vocational high school with 5 teachers catering for a total of 173 students, all of whom are men. In 2005, 37 students graduated from the mentioned vocational high school and all of them were men.

Ensuring the availability of basic health and hospital services, and developing human resources in the health sector is essential to reduce the incidence of disease, increase life expectancy and enable the whole population to participate in sustainable development. A basic infrastructure of health services exists in Kunar province. In 2005 there were 18 health centers and 1 hospital with a total of 40 beds. There were also 42 doctors and 88 nurses employed by the Ministry of Health working in the province, which represented 17% increase in the number of doctors (up from 36) and about the same number of nurses (up from 87) since 2003. The major health facilities in the province identified in 2007 are shown in the following table:

Source: UNAMA

The province also has 93 pharmacies of which 92 are owned privately and 1 is run by the government.

The majority of communities do not have a health worker permanently present in their community. Sixty nine percent of men’s shura and 64% of women’s shura reported that there was no community health worker present, and both groups most commonly said that their closest health facility is clinic without beds or basic health center. Out of 771 villages, only 24 have a health centre within their boundaries (home to 5% of the population) and 39 have a dispensary (home to 9% of the population). Access to health care is difficult for many people in the province. Around a quarter (23%) of people have a health facility within 5kms. However, more than half the population has to travel more than 10 Kms to reach their nearest health facility

Building the capacities, opportunities and security of extremely poor and vulnerable Afghans through a process of economic empowerment is essential in order to reduce poverty and increase self-reliance. The level of economic hardship in Kunar is reasonably high. In 2005 more than two-fifth (43%) of households in the province reported having problems satisfying their food needs up to three times a year and around one-third (29%) of households faced this problem at least 3 – 6 times a year, as the following table shows:

Source: NRVA 2005

Of those households affected, over half (55%) reported that they had not recovered at all from shocks experienced in the last 12 months and two-fifths (41%) said they had recovered only partially.