For decades, FOCUS donors made a quiet but profound investment in some of the world's most vulnerable communities.
Before the organizations could implement the life-saving infrastructure that exists in Badakhshan today, it was FOCUS donor support and volunteer participation that helped lay the groundwork, building the relationships, the community trust, and the institutional presence that made deeper, sustained intervention possible.
Today, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), AKAH/FOCUS is reaching over 36,000 individuals across Badakhshan, Baghlan, and Parwan provinces through hazard assessments, Community Emergency Response Team training, and mitigation infrastructure. This scale of reach did not emerge overnight. It was built on years of patient, values-driven investment by donors who believed that dignified, resilient lives were possible even in the most remote corners of the world.
In Kurut village, AKAH/FOCUS constructed a retaining wall with a mix of institutional and community contributions, protecting over 60 households along with the village school, mosque, health post, and irrigation canal. Community member Noor Mohammad reflected, “The retaining wall has secured many people here. All of us are happy with this project.”
In Ghaz village, seasonal flooding has long threatened homes and farmland. The newly completed Ghaz Flood Mitigation Earth Dam now protects 577 people directly and safeguards 250 more nearby residents. As one farmer shared, “This dam has given us confidence that our land and families are safe. We no longer worry every time the rain begins.”
In Dehmorghan village, unstable boulders perched above homes had kept families awake at night for years. Through controlled blasting and the installation of a catch fence, the Rockfall Mitigation Project brought relief to over 2,400 people. A local elder said simply, “For the first time in many years, we can sleep calmly at night knowing that the danger above our homes is gone.”
Our organizations have evolved, the funding mechanisms have diversified, and the projects have deepened in scale. But the commitment to walking alongside communities in their most vulnerable moments remains unchanged. FOCUS donors and volunteers have helped make this possible over several decades. The people of Badakhshan are now safer and more resilient.
