What is CRAA all about?

The Committee for Rehabilitation Aid to Afghanistan (CRAA) was established in 1990 as a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit making organization. We maintain offices in Kabul and Jalalabad, Afghanistan as well as in Peshawar, Pakistan. We currently have sub-offices in Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Parwan, Paktya, Logar, and Takhar provinces. Because CRAA is well known and our reputation is good, we are able to set up sub-offices throughout the country as and required. In addition, we have a USA liaison office located in Texas; as well as in Canada.

CRAA is a regular member of ANCB (Afghan NGO's Coordination Bureau), ACBAR (Agency Coordination Body for Afghan Relief), World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA, UK), and other national and international coordination bodies. We are registered with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as well as UNOCHA, the Commissioner for Afghan Refugees (CAR), and the Pakistani Home and Tribal Affairs Department.

CRAA is a responsive organization with multi-faceted capabilities. We are involved in restoring existing economic resources, construction and rehabilitation of transportation links, re-establishing sustainable education, health care, and agricultural systems. We have established income-generating mechanisms for disadvantaged groups. We have experience fighting the narcotics industry by increasing awareness and by addressing those conditions that lead farmers to grow illicit crops.

We assiduously avoid political, ethnic, religious, or other affiliations that would influence our selection of project beneficiaries. Three considerations determine who can participate:

1. Project constraints, e.g. Budgets, time, personal.
2. The person's need.
3. The person's ability to benefit from the program.

Unfortunately, there are many times when we have the resources but the candidate does not have the ability to exploit what the program has to offer - and we must choose someone else.

An Executive Director who reports to the Board of Directors that head the organization. There are five departments within CRAA: Agriculture, Engineering, Health, Animal Husbandry and Support (Support encompasses Administration, Finances and Human Resources). Each department has it's own Director.

In our first few years, CRAA was only active in refugee camps and in Eastern Afghanistan, i.e. In Nangarhar, Laghman and Kunar provinces. Next, CRAA began operating Qandahar and Helmand provinces. In the mid 1990's, we initiated work in Kabul city, Parwan, Kapisa, and Logar provinces.

Many of our projects have been geared to create the conditions under which refugees can return to their home, survive and thrive. We work to advance the role and status of women in Afghan society and actively hire women for administrative and technical work assignments, Most projects involve the kind assistance of international partners, but the expatriate and national Afghans contribute as well. Building personal and community administrative capacity has been a common requirement of the contracts we have implemented. The mission of CRAA is to help a self-reliant and sustainable life to the Afghan people.

CRAA is equipped with more than 20 years of experience and a high level of expertise in:

• Agriculture/horticulture
• Animal husbandry
• Community education and mobilization
• Irrigation and flood control
• Narcotics awareness/illicit crop suppression
• Orthotics/prosthetics
• Pre-natal, preventative and curative health care
• Reforestation
• Road-building and maintenance
• Veterinary practice and system development
• Vocational training
• Women's programs

Our permanent technical and professional staff is comprised of highly qualified and experienced Afghans who are well known and received in the communities we serve. We also have a long list of experts upon whom we can call on for short-term project support.

We always work to maintain hope, courage and a helping spirit in every situation. These attitudes and the great zeal of our staff, international partners and the program participates have allowed positive interventions to succeed during the Soviet-imposed war and events thereafter in Afghanistan.