The Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project (CLRP) was approved for a $143 million grant consisting of $95 million approved by the World Bank Board of Directors, while the additional $48 million was approved by the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund Steering Committee.

Since April 2022, the project has created nearly 32 million days of paid work, supporting over 1.3 million vulnerable families, including direct employment for 80,000 women. Communities have rehabilitated or constructed more than 11,000 local assets, stimulating local economies and improving access to health care, education, markets and services for over 15 million people nationwide.

The project builds on and strengthens the capacity of community institutions to carry out activities related to project planning, implementation, monitoring and facilitating women and vulnerable groups to play an active role in decision-making, thereby ensuring they gain access to services, including health, nutrition, and jobs and livelihoods opportunities.

For households unable to participate in cash-for-work activities, the project will expand the provision of social grants, ensuring continued support for the most vulnerable. Building on assistance already provided to 182,500 households – 57 per cent of them headed by women – the project will further strengthen social protection as communities navigate ongoing economic pressures and displacement.

“CRLP delivers multiple benefits for the communities we serve. Beyond direct assistance, the project is increasingly focused on stimulating local economies and strengthening resilience,” said Joyce Dalgliesh, Programme Director for CRLP.

“By prioritizing local procurement and engaging Afghan private sector construction companies, CRLP will continue to generate ripple effects for small businesses and local suppliers,” she added.

The project will also scale up support for women’s home-based livelihoods, including poultry farming and kitchen gardening, building on training and start-up support already provided to 18,000 women to further improve food security and household incomes within existing social constraints.

At the community level, expanded investments will continue to improve everyday life – from rehabilitated water reservoirs and channels that irrigate farmland to rehabilitated roads connecting remote villages to clinics and markets, while flood protection works will further strengthen communities’ ability to withstand seasonal risks.

With this latest financing of $143 million, total funding for CRLP now stands at $562 million, supporting activities in all 34 provinces and enabling the project to reach millions more Afghans with jobs, essential services and pathways toward resilience.