Strategic Objectives

Hand in Hand Afghanistan Strategic Objectives 2022 – 2025

Hand in Hand Afghanistan’s four-year strategy sets out how the organization will mobilize and equip poor people with basic business skills and access to resources to start businesses, raise their incomes and improve their lives. Furthermore, this strategic plan contemplates how HIHAO will provide prompt and emergency response to the victims of natural disasters and conflicts. During the period of this Strategic Plan, HIHAO anticipates to expand into thirteen more provinces and reach more people. This however can be achieved if three key conditions are fulfilled: 1) that the security situation is satisfactory, 2) that HIHAO is able to ensure good quality of operations and results, and 3) availability of required financial resources.

HIHAO has a particular focus on poor women and microenterprise holders in rural and sub-urban communities. We are currently operating in Balkh, Samangan, Kunduz and Herat provinces through the offices located in Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat and Kunduz cities.

Afghanistan is a costly and challenging country to operate in, in order to be successful, it is of vital importance to build local trust, to offer solutions that are acceptable in a male-dominated society, and to comply with traditions, customs and Islamic principles. Based on an exceptional track record in the closing strategy period, HIHAO has its primary objective to empower women by training and helping them to start and run small businesses to raise their incomes and enhancing their status in the community. To meet these challenges, HIHAO works in close cooperation with relevant authorities and the community including Community Development Councils (CDCs). It also aligns its operations with the challenges and need in the country as well as the donors’ strategies for Afghanistan such as UN, WB, GIZ, FCDO, Sida, DANIDA, European Union, USAID and others.

HIHAO has a small structure and minimum overhead cost. Relative to the Afghan context, it operates a highly cost effective and replicable model, working only with local staff, and drawing on existing community structures and initiatives. HIHAO tracks progress and ensures full accountability for the funds used. Therefore, we have built a strong Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) department. HIHAO is governed by its Board of Directors and is staffed exclusively by Afghans many of them hired from the local communities. Besides its local efforts HIHAO also works in close co-operation with the fundraising and support offices of the Hand in Hand network such as Hand in Hand International and Hand in Hand Sweden, to mobilize resources for the implementation of this strategy. In order to achieve the objectives of this strategic plan, HIHAO needs continued fundraising efforts and partnering with other organizations is another avenue that HIHAO focuses to realize the implementation of this plan.

Strategic Objectives

1.  Support unemployed, poor and vulnerable women, men and young people to secure entrepreneurial opportunities that enable financial resilience, provide sustainable employment, and increase diversified income
2.  Ensure women, men, young people and children who are affected by conflict, who are IDPs, returnees, or who are from underserved host communities in need of humanitarian assistance have access to food, potable drinking water, sanitation facilities, and have good hygiene awareness, health and education services, so they can create and grow livelihoods that enable income generation.
3.  That local peace mechanisms are in place and actively resolving community conflicts, and that communities are empowered to participate in peace-building processes
4.  The disaster-prone communities can access natural and other disaster risk reduction training.

Click here to download HIHAO’s Strategic Plan for 2022 – 2025