Located in northern Afghanistan, the mountainous province of Samangan consists of seven districts. Dari and Pashtu are the main languages. Over 90% of the province’s 390,000-plus residents live in rural areas, often in very remote regions.
Local people earn their livelihoods primarily from agriculture, even though most of the agricultural land is not adequately irrigated. Drought and flooding can lead to sudden food shortages and income shortfalls. Besides agriculture, coal mining and brown marble extraction are sources of employment.
An inadequate water supply is one of the main challenges for the population. Just 20% of households have access to clean drinking water. Even the provincial capital Aybak relies on tankers to supply its drinking water. Many of the remote villages have no electricity, schools or health care.
The German Cooperation with Afghanistan has been working in Samangan for many years, with a particular focus on education, energy supply, health care, agricultural development, water supply, and waste water disposal. A wide range of programmes have helped to effect change and improve local people’s living conditions.
This section provides you with an overview of the German Cooperation with Afghanistan’s activities in Samangan.