Kabul National Cricket Stadium Gets a New Look
Posted by Robert Sauers / November 23, 2010
About the Author: Robert Sauers serves at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
A large crowd of cricket enthusiasts watched today as Finance Minister Mohammad Omer Zakhiwal and United States Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry laid foundation stones to inaugurate the renovation of the Kabul National Cricket Stadium.
Because of the national team's exceptional success in many international tournaments, cricket in Afghanistan is gaining popularity. The growing number of players includes not only men, but women as well. More than 100 young women are currently playing cricket in Kabul and the Afghanistan Cricket Board is about to create a National Women's Cricket Team for the 2011 Asian Elite Cup Tournament in February 2011.
"Cricket in Afghanistan is more than a game. It is a means for bringing Afghan youth from different backgrounds… more »
Posted under: Afghanistan
Young Civil Society Leaders Bring Afghan Voices to European Audiences
Posted by Fleur S. Cowan / November 22, 2010
![Italian students listen to Afghan civil society leaders in Milan, Nov. 2010. [Embassy Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1122_italian_students_m.jpg)
About the Author: Fleur Cowan is the Deputy Cultural Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy.
U.S. Embassy Rome recently hosted three impressive civil society representatives who shared with the Italian public their personal experiences in building a new Afghanistan. Jawed Nader spoke about agriculture, Rahima Housaini discussed prison reform, and Wazir Ahmad Khorami addressed human rights. Though they represented three different fields, they all shared a common view: Things are much better in Afghanistan now than they were under the Taliban, and the support of the international community is vital.
Jawed, Rahima and Wazir thanked the Italians and spent their time in Italy meeting with a range of people, from politicians and journalists to students and development activists.… more »
Posted under: Afghanistan
U.S. Embassy Islamabad Celebrates International Education Week
Posted by Courtney Beale / November 19, 2010
About the Author: Courtney Beale serves as a Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
In honor of International Education Week (IEW), the U.S. Embassy reached out to young Pakistanis to say: Study in the U.S.A.! International Education Week is a joint initiative by the U.S. Departments of State and Education to attract foreign students to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States. In Pakistan, we already have the world's largest Fulbright and professional exchange programs, and send over 200 Pakistanis every year on study experiences at high schools and universities around the United States. In total, 5,222 Pakistani students attended college in America last year, but if you figure that since 50 percent of Pakistan's population of 170 million is under… more »
Afghan Customs and Border Officials Visit U.S. Ports of Entry
Posted by Hila Hanif / November 19, 2010
![Cargo being loaded at Kabul international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 29, 2003. [AP File]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1119_cbo_m.jpg)
About the Author: Hila Hanif serves in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
What better way to tackle challenging border control issues, including narcotics-smuggling and criminal threats, than to visit others who are addressing the same challenges? This week, a delegation of Afghan officials visited the United States for just that reason. The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security hosted a group of officials from Afghanistan's Customs Department and Border Police and took them on a tour of several facilities in Washington D.C. and in Texas. The two agencies represented by the delegation have been working hand-in-hand with U.S. officials on a number… more »
Posted under: Afghanistan
U.S., Pakistan Launch Wind Power Partnership
Posted by Alberto Rodriguez / November 16, 2010
![A Pakistani woman walks on a beach as the sun sets in Karachi, Pakistan, Dec. 31, 2009. [AP File]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1116_energy_m.jpg)
About the Author: Alberto Rodriguez serves as a spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
On November 14, the governments of the United States and Pakistan, together with American power company AES Corporation, agreed to create a public-private partnership to develop a 150-megawatt, $375 million wind power generation project in the Gharo Corridor of Pakistan.
The project will produce 150 megawatts of new, "clean" power serving some 600,000 homes.
"This project represents a meaningful, environmentally sound step toward addressing Pakistan's energy crisis," said Ambassador Richard Ambassador C. Holbrooke, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. "Partnership with the private sector will also demonstrate the potential of investing in the power sector in Pakistan."
This agreement is a… more »
Renewable Energy To Illuminate Kabul’s Street Lamps
Posted by Abigail E. Sugrue / November 12, 2010
![Afghans stand outside a home in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 14, 2010. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1112_kabul_street_lamp_m.jpg)
About the Author: Abigail Sugrue is an officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Mayor Muhammad Yunus Nawandish of Kabul needed a creative solution. He wanted to build street lamps to light the darkened city, and provide safety and security to residents and visitors. However, with limited power generation and distribution systems, an innovative approach was needed.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked closely with the Mayor's office and Sustainable Energy Services Afghanistan (SESA) on a pilot program to use renewable energy to provide street lights to the 6 million people living within the city limits. With over 300 days of sun, Kabul City is an ideal place to explore the usage of the sun to power its streets. These solar street lights will not only provide more security and raise community morale, they will also… more »
Posted under: Afghanistan
U.S. Embassy Kabul Observes Veterans Day
Posted by Wendy Kolls / November 11, 2010
![U.S. Embassy Kabul honors fallen heroes, Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 26, 2010. [Embassy Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1111_kabul_ceremony_m.jpg)
About the Author: Wendy Kolls serves as an Assistant Press Officer at U.S. Embassy Kabul in Afghanistan.
U.S. Embassy Kabul was up early this Veterans Day to join the Congressional Delegation (CODEL) of Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Lindsey Graham and Kirsten Gillibrand in a ceremony hosted by Ambassador Karl Eikenberry.
A large crowd of U.S. Embassy Kabul employees gathered to honor U.S. veterans, filling the plaza in front of the New Chancery. Dozens of U.S. Marines stood in formation next to the stage, while the sun was just rising on a clear November day in Kabul. Everyone stood for the National Anthem, and then Ambassador Eikenberry and all four senators, on a stage set up next to the flagpole, paid tribute to our men and women in uniform serving our country around the world--and especially those in Afghanistan, who are currently… more »
Posted under: Afghanistan
U.S. University Awarded Grant From State Department to Assist Kandahar University
Posted by Kerri S. Hannan / November 10, 2010
![Afghan female students discuss a math problem at the University of Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug 2002.[AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1110_afghan_uni_m.jpg)
About the Author: Kerri Hannan serves as Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy Kabul in Afghanistan.
Ball State University in the United States received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of State to help Kandahar University develop curriculua that will emphasize free market principles and entrepreneurship for its new College of Economics.
Members of Kandahar's Economics Department will work with faculty members from Ball State's nationally ranked Center for Entrepreneurship to create courses in entrepreneurship, business development, and economic development.
The purpose of the grant is to provide Afghanistan with added economic development opportunities and integration into the international trade and business community, which lends itself to greater… more »
Posted under: Afghanistan
Multinational Effort Advances Governance and Development in Helmand, Afghanistan
Posted by Hila Hanif / November 08, 2010
![Local elders meet to discuss humanitarian project in Helmand, Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2009. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1108_helmand_leaders_m.jpg)
About the Author: Hila Hanif serves in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP).
The strength of our efforts in Afghanistan lies in the fact that we are working together with a number of partner nations, including 48 contributing troops to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), who are dedicated to improving security, governance and economic opportunity in Afghanistan and the region. Our allies and partners have made numerous contributions in the form of troops, Afghan National Security Forces trainers, PRT staff and resources, and economic assistance. Our allies, just like U.S. troops and civilians, are stationed throughout the country, some in the regions that are seeing the highest levels of violence. At the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Helmand, the United States is working with the UK,… more »
Posted under: Afghanistan
Women’s Garden Reopens in Kabul
Posted by Abigail E. Sugrue / November 04, 2010
![Afghan woman reads book while sitting in a garden, Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 3, 2010. [Embassy Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1104_afghan_woman_garden_m.jpg)
About the Author: Abigail Sugrue is an officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry joined senior Afghan officials, including the Minister of Women's Affairs, the Mayor of Kabul, the Governor of Kabul province, and members of parliament, to celebrate the reopening of the Women's Garden in Kabul on November 3, 2010.
The garden, once a sanctuary, was destroyed during the Afghan civil war. During the paralyzing restrictions of the Taliban era, women and girls were unable to enter the park, and it became a garbage dump.
Now that the historic Women's Garden has reopened its doors, the eight-acre enclosure provides the women of Kabul a safe space to participate in a range of… more »
Posted under: Afghanistan
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