NURISTAN PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION TEAM ENGINEERS BREAK GROUND

By Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins, Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team attended the ground breaking ceremony of a fourteen-mile (24 km) road connecting the villages of Gondalabuk and Doab in the Nurgram district, Oct. 12.

Navy Lt. j.g. Christopher Saunders from Camarillo, California, is the PRT’s lead engineer on the U.S. funded road project, being built by the local Afghans.

“The road will extend through the Gondalabuk and Doab villages, and will open up trade, education, and future reconstruction opportunities for residents in and around the area,” Saunders stated. “It will allow access to several valleys that were not able to be accessed before. The Nurgram and Doab districts medical facilities and commerce can also be more readily accessible to residents of the area.”

U.S. Navy Cmdr. Russell McCormack, from Hampstead, N.H., commands the Nuristan PRT in its efforts to assist local Afghan leaders and district governors in their effort to prioritize and resource this large scale development project.

"I think that it is extremely important for the residents in this area to be able to have access to commerce,” McCormack said. “The road doesn’t have to be paved, just as long as it’s designed efficiently, so that the people have easy access to connect with their government and have access to surrounding villages.”

Nuristan province is located in a remote region of Afghanistan. Lacking reliable trade routes, the villagers have little interest in the cultivation of cash crops and typically suffer from high percentages of poverty, illness and lack of education.

According to Saunders, PRT engineers and local government officials are building this road to generate increased trade revenues and improve access to schools and local government institutions.

The Nuristan PRT provided the resources for the local Afghan workers to build the road, and will handle all incoming projects to make sure that they are properly managed by the military contracting agency who hired the local workers.

“Our biggest job here is to work ourselves out of a job,” McCormack said. “What we are trying to do is formulate the most effective, cost efficient way to help reconstruct and rebuild this province, while teaching the people how to manage it themselves.”

The Gondalabuk-Doab road, with the help of the PRT, is expected to provide a safe, transportable route for the local villagers to be able re-establish their economy, through commerce. The road is expected to be completed within a year.

“The heart of the country is the people,” McCormack said. “The way to the heart is through its roads.”

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team engineer officer, U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Christopher Saunders from Camarillo, Calif., gives a speech during a ground breaking ceremony in the Nurgram district, Oct. 12. The ceremony was held in order to celebrate the opening project of a fourteen mile road from the Gondalabuk to Doab villages, which will provide access to better health care facilities and commerce for residents in and around the area. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins) (RELEASED)

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Navy Cmdr. Russell McCormack of the Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team, from Hampstead, N.H., hands a village elder a gift during a ground breaking ceremony in the Nurgram district, Oct. 12. The ceremony was held in order to celebrate the opening project of a fourteen mile road from the Gondalabuk to Doab villages, which will provide access to better health care facilities and commerce for residents in and around the area. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins) (RELEASED)

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team engineer officer, U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Christopher Saunders from Camarillo, Calif., cuts the ribbon during a ground breaking ceremony in the Nurgram district, Oct. 12. The ceremony was held in order to celebrate the opening project of a fourteen mile road from the Gondalabuk to Doab villages, which will provide access to better health care facilities and commerce for residents in and around the area. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins) (RELEASED)