Provinces Of Afghanistan Research Articles

The Effects of Power Abuse on Educational Processes in Private Universities in Nangarhar, Afghanistan

Abuse of Power harms the actions and effects of organizations, especially if the abuse occurs in educational institutions, the damage will be greater. In developing countries like Afghanistan, the possibility of abuse of power in private universities is high. This article focuses on the effects of power abuse in private universities in Nangarhar Afghanistan. The purpose of this study is to reveal examples of power abuse in private universities in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and to investigate its impact on the educational process. Novelty: In previous studies, only one type of abuse of power was mentioned in private universities in Nangarhar, while this study mentioned two types of abuse of power in private universities in Nangarhar1) abuse of power by lecturers 2) abuse of power by senior management staff. Also, another improvement of this research to the previous research is that the researcher tried to interview the affected students and university staff about the topic and clarify the topic based on these interviews. For this research, the authors use a qualitative approach with case-study methods. This study presents cases of power abuse in private higher education institutions in Nangarhar, Afghanistan. The researcher conducted interviews with students, administrative staff, and lecturers of private universities in eastern Afghanistan. As a result, the study found that there are two types of power abuse in private universities in Nangarhar, abuse of power by lecturers and abuse of power by senior management staff.

Hypertension among adult population of Herat city of Afghanistan: A cross-sectional study

Background: Hypertension as a major health problem around the world which is responsible for 7.5 million or 12.8% of all deaths yearly around the world. To date, there is a scarcity of data concerning prevalence and risk factors of hypertension in Herat province of Afghanistan. Therefore, the present study estimated the prevalence of hypertension and its predictors among Afghan adults living in Herat city.
 Methods: A cross-sectional study was administered in August 2022 among adults (N=504) in the Herat province of Afghanistan. The study examined hypertension, its risk factors among people living in Herat province of Afghanistan.
 Results: Of the 504 participants, 27.4% of them had hypertension. age group, gender, body mass index (BMI), marital status, occupation, smoking, presence of another disease, and use of social media, were among the main variables associated with hypertension among participants of the study. Multiple regression analysis indicated that age (AOR=1.036, p<0.001), BMI (AOR=1.077, p=0.003), gender (AOR=2.910, p<0.001), presence of disease (AOR=0.541, p=0.026), use of social media (AOR=0.504, p=0.007), and Borani (AOR=1.316, p=0.028) were significantly associated with presence of hypertension.
 Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension is found high among adults living in Herat province of Afghanistan. One of the variables found to have a major impact on the prevalence of hypertension was eating Borani food. There is a need for health practitioners to assess self-care activities and blood pressure control, and educate patients the importance of hypertension monitoring and teaching practical techniques to boost their confidence and motivation to achieve a better self-care to have a healthier life.

STUDY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHALLENGES USING DELPHI METHOD IN AFGHANISTAN (CASE STUDY: BALKH PROVINCE)

Entrepreneurship, according to Schumpeter, is the motor of economic development without which no country can achieve economic development. Today, no one can deny the importance of entrepreneurship, and countries are attempting to promote economic development and job creation by passing policies that affect entrepreneurship development. Afghanistan, being one of the countries suffering from unemployment and economic growth, and entrepreneurship can provide the possibility of making more job and economic development through promoting and growing businesses. This study is also aimed to explore the challenges of entrepreneurs in the context of Afghanistan's Balkh region from the perspective of entrepreneurs. The research data was gathered from the target population, which includes people involved in entrepreneurship, business innovation, and government-related departments. The list of challenges in developing countries that are acquainted with the context of Afghanistan was prepared and discussed with the target population based on the research background and literature review. The research methodology used in this study was qualitative research using the Delphi method. The researchers analyzed qualitative data to determine true obstacles, problems, and possibilities for entrepreneurship in the context of Balkh province. According to the research findings, the main challenges faced by entrepreneurs in Balkh province of Afghanistan are policy challenges on a macro scale, financial and economic challenges, Educational and lack of professional skilled human resource challenges, policy and institutional dimension challenges, lack of appropriate infrastructure, and international support and issues are the main challenges faced by entrepreneurs in Balkh province of Afghanistan.

Establishing a child and adolescent mental health center in Herat, Afghanistan: a project description

ObjectiveAfghanistan has witnessed a long-lasting 4-decade armed conflict, which together with high levels of poverty and interpersonal violence, resulted in high incidence and prevalence of mental disorders in general population, including children and adolescents. Until mid-2018, there was neither mental health care facility nor a child psychiatrist in Afghanistan. Here, we report the establishment of the first children and adolescents’ mental health center (CAMHC) in Herat province of Afghanistan. MethodsIn July 2018, CAMHC was initiated at Mental Health Training Center – Herat. CAMHC was initially planned by the International Assistance Mission (IAM) and Herat Public Health Directorate; and financially supported by the Tearfund UK, the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Tearfund Australia. The target population of CAMHC was children and adolescents in Herat and neighboring provinces, healthcare professionals, staff of government and non-governmental organizations, school teachers and community leaders. ResultsA group of eight mental health professionals were trained and made the interdisciplinary board for diagnosis and management of mental disorders in children and adolescents. During the initial three-year period, 2 448 patients, including 1 264 (51.6%) boys and 1 184 (48.4%) girls, presented with mental disorders to CAMHC. Diagnosis and management of mental disorders were performed according to standard international protocols. Eighteen awareness-raising seminars were held; 2 000 leaflets, 10 000 posters, and 30 000 brochures were prepared and distributed; and two short video clips were produced and broadcast via IAM website, social media and local TV channels. A database was developed to house for project data, assessment of outcomes and reporting to stakeholders. ConclusionEstablishment of CAMHC resulted in significant achievements in diagnosis and management of mental disorders among children and adolescents, healthcare staff capacity building, and awareness-raising about mental disorders. Data obtained in CAMHC offers government, mental health professionals and the community the opportunity of improving mental health in the region.

Ecosystem services and sustainable peace in Afghanistan: Gaps in national policy and its security implications

AbstractWhile previous studies underscore the importance of climate‐sensitive approaches to peacebuilding, the relationship between ecosystem services and peace and security, especially at the local level, has been insufficiently studied. We argue that ecosystem services are often neglected by national‐level actors and insufficiently integrated into peacebuilding interventions and project design. In fact, policy discourse at highly aggregate levels of analysis silences local, community understandings of ecosystem services and its potential for contributing to sustainable peace. For example, despite investment in community development in Afghanistan via the Citizens' Charter Afghanistan Project, there is scant reference to ‘ecosystem services’ on which Afghans are so reliant, much less any policy planning informed by it and directed at addressing climate and environmental risks. Drawing on evidence from Kabul and Herat provinces in Afghanistan, we illuminate the intersections among insecurity, environmental sustainability and ecosystem services. Specifically, we examine water‐related services in Chest‐e Sharif district in Herat province and demonstrate how the lack of water availability and (mis)management of water infrastructure contribute to local communities' sense of precarity and government neglect. The findings inform our policy recommendations which are intended to address these gaps.

Study of Production Performance and Economic of Broiler Farms in Parwan Afghanistan

Poultry industry is one of the main source of income in Afghanistan, where about 1.5 million people are engaged in this sector. In recent years, from 476 poultry farms only 165 farms are continuing their activities in Parwan province of Afghanistan, which means that most of previous farms are broken down. In this research, 30 broiler chicken farms were selected by random sampling method and to evaluate the production performance and economical status of broiler farms in Parwan, Afghanistan. Data were collected by using questionaries’ and personal interviews. Based on the results, it was found that the production performance of the chickens was such as the feed conversion ratio was 1.83, the livability percentage was 90.23%, the average market weight was 1.9 kg, and the mortality rate was 9.77%. The fixed costs included 5.64% worker's salary, 0.79% farm rent and 0.32% electricity bill which are totally (6.75%). Variable costs include the cost of a day-old chicken 6.98%, feed cost 70.45%, veterinary service cost 3.44%, litter cost 1.41%, worker food cost 2.11%, fuel cost 7.05% and miscellaneous cost were 1.47%, which totally reached (93.25%). The total income which were earned 97.93% from live chickens as main product and 2.07% from manure as by product and the benefit cost ratio was 1.07%. To conclude this, as the broiler production is profitable, but the proportion of income is less than the investment. In order to improve the income, it is recommended to provide high-quality feed, prevent diseases, providing high-quality vaccines and medicines, and hiring experts in broiler farms.

Revisiting the Bactrian and Gāndhārī Bilingual Inscriptions from Dasht-e Nāwūr

Abstract The historically important Kushan trilingual inscriptions of Dasht-e Nāwūr are revisited. The readings and interpretations of the bilingual DN I (Bactrian)—DN IV (Gāndhārī) are presented. Through careful analysis of the photos, paper rubbings and latex moulds of DN I published by Gérard Fussman in 1974, a reading of lines 7–13 is proposed which shows further significant parallels with known Kushan-period Bactrian inscriptions, supplementing the decipherment of lines 1–6 by Nicholas Sims-Williams. Furthermore, a comprehensive reading of the Gāndhārī version DN IV in Kharoṣṭhī script is proposed, which presents a true bilingual with DN I and corroborates our reading of DN I. Based on our reading of the bilingual DN I–DN IV, the inscriptions commemorate the arrival of Vema Taktu to Dasht-e Nāwūr, located in the Ghaznī province of Afghanistan, in Vema’s fifteenth regnal year.

Quantification of Amu River Riverbank Erosion in Balkh Province of Afghanistan during 2004–2020

In this study, we propose quantifying the Amu River riverbank erosion with the modelled river discharge in Kaldar District, Balkh Province of Afghanistan from 2004 to 2020. We propose a framework synergizing multi-source information for modelling the erosion area based on three components: (1) river discharge, (2) river width, and (3) erosion area. The total river discharge for the watershed shared by Afghanistan and Tajikistan was modelled using hydrological parameters from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis v5 (ERA5) data through multivariate linear regression with ground station data. The river width was determined manually using the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) derived from Landsat data. The riverbank erosion area was derived from the digital shoreline analysis using the NDWI. The digital shoreline analysis showed that, between 2008 and 2020, the average riverbank erosion area in Kaldar District is about 5.4 km2 per year, and, overall, 86.3 km2 during 2004–2020 due to flood events. The significantly higher land loss events occurred at 10 km2 bank erosion during the years 2008–2009 and 2015–2016, and 19 km2 peak erosion occurred during 2011–2012. A linear relation between the erosion area with respect to the discharge intensity and the specific stream power was observed with an R2 of 0.84 and RMSE of 1.761 for both.

Increase in institutional delivery and child immunisation coverage through an appreciative inquiry-based community dialogue intervention in Afghanistan

ObjectiveA community dialogue intervention with an appreciative inquiry approach was undertaken to improve institutional delivery and child immunisation coverage in a hard-to-reach province, namely, Kandahar, in Afghanistan. This study aimed to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness in promoting institutional delivery and child immunisation. Study designA pre-post intervention evaluation study. MethodsAn intervention and a non-intervention district were selected in Kandahar. Children aged under 5 years participated in surveys at baseline (October 2018) and follow-up (Post-intervention: November 2019). We analysed age, sex, place of birth, and confirmed immunisation coverage data concerning 1046 and 927 children pre- and post-interventions, respectively. Changes in institutional delivery and confirmed immunisation status were evaluated using net intervention effect and difference-in-difference (DID) analysis. ResultsInstitutional delivery rates increased from 66.3% to 83.6% (p = 0.016) in the intervention district and decreased from 71.3% to 46.7% (p < 0.001) in the non-intervention district, with a net intervention effect of 41.9%. Full immunisation coverage among children aged 12–23 months and 24–35 months significantly increased from 26.4% to 76.9% (p < 0.001) and from 40.0% to 78.6% (p < 0.001), respectively, in the intervention district, whereas coverage significantly decreased in the non-intervention district. The net intervention effects were 59.1% and 44.8% for children aged 12–23 months and 24–35 months, respectively. The DID analysis also revealed significant differences in outcomes after intervention at follow-up. The results concerning antigen-specific immunisation coverage indicated a significant increase in immunisation coverage in the intervention district. ConclusionsThe appreciative inquiry-based community dialogue intervention considerably increased institutional delivery and child immunisation coverage, even in a hard-to-reach province in Afghanistan.

Poverty and inequality impact of COVID‐19 pandemic: The case of Mazar‐i‐Sharif, Balkh province, Afghanistan

AbstractPoverty was already a main problem in Afghanistan even before, but it has exacerbated due to the pandemic. However, the actual impact of the pandemic on households had not been investigated. This study provides such analysis using data obtained from a strictly random survey of 1060 households in the capital of Balkh, the fourth most populated province in Afghanistan. Using headcount ratio and poverty gap measures and both income and expenditure approaches, the results show that an additional 12% of households fell below the poverty line, from an already high of 75% before the pandemic. The poverty gap index rises to 34%, but the computed Gini coefficient indicates no significant change in inequality. Poor governance and corruption in Afghanistan are major impediments to address the issue of poverty. This paper suggests several measures which can be implemented to have effective policies and governance to alleviate poverty.

Drought in Afghanistan: exploring the vulnerability and drought coping capacity of the farmers of Arabmazari village, Chamtal district, Balkh Province, Afghanistan

Drought is one of the impacts of climate change which affects the productivity of agriculture and eventually of farmers in Afghanistan. The farming system in most part of the country, practices old farming methods, that is why the farming system is vulnerable to natural climatic conditions. With the lack of facilities and financial capacity of the government in Afghanistan, farmers are forced to rely on their own to plan and survive natural disasters i.e. drought, with minimum governmental intervention. The common intervention received is through drought relief, which in the long-run, is not sustainable. In this case, what then is the drought vulnerability and coping capacity of these farmers? This study will assess the vulnerability of the farmers and how efficient or inefficient the coping strategies, practiced by the farmers, are. The study also covers governmental intervention, if any. The study targets small-scale farmers of Chamtal district, Balkh Province in Afghanistan. The research considers non-probability purposive sampling method, selecting around 30-40 participants for the survey. The majority of the participants will be farmers of different wealth status. The data collection will take place through conducting Focused Group Discussion and survey through questionnaire. To assist with the qualitative and quantitative nature of the study, the research will adopt descriptive and correlational statistics. The result of the research finds that in general farmers are highly vulnerable to drought specifically the farmers with poor background. The coping capacity is, although temporarily efficient, but in the long-term, it’s not efficient. For a long-term solution, they require governments intervention which so far, they have not received any help.

Landslide susceptibility mapping in Badakhshan province, Afghanistan: a comparative study of machine learning algorithms

This research aimed to assess landslide susceptibility in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, an area highly susceptible to landslides due to its complex topography and geological conditions. Three distinct machine learning (ML) models, namely the Generalized Linear Model (GLM), Maximum Entropy (ME), and Random Forest (RF), were employed to identify the key contributing factors to landslide occurrences in the study region. The dataset used in this study consisted of landslide conditioning factors and a landslide inventory map. The conditioning factors encompassed lithology, soil type, plane curvature, profile curvature, elevation, slope, aspect, precipitation, land use/land cover (LULC), distance to fault, river, road, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI), and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The landslide inventory map contained 177 landslide locations and 65 non-landslide points obtained from Google Earth. Each machine learning (ML) model was trained and implemented independently using 70% of the training data, with the results validated against the remaining 30% of the landslide inventory dataset. Ensemble results from GLM, ME, and RF were obtained using the median approach. All three models exhibited consistent performance and identified similar landslide-prone areas. Among the various factors studied, proximity to rivers emerged as the most influential factor contributing to landslides, followed by the distance to roads and slope gradient. The study revealed that the districts of Argo and Yaftali Sufla, near Faizabad, were identified as particularly susceptible to landslides, especially in the vicinity of large valleys. Out of the total study area of 3086.4 km2, ∼2162 km2 were deemed relatively safe from landslides, while 149 km2 (representing 4.8% of the study region) were identified as highly susceptible to landslides. Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) statistics were used to evaluate the performance of the machine learning (ML) algorithms. The RF and ME models demonstrated the highest performance levels. This research contributes to our understanding of landslide susceptibility in Badakhshan province and can aid in implementing effective landslide risk management strategies in the region.

Depression, anxiety and quality of life of Afghan women living in urban areas under the Taliban government: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesAccording to the World Health Organization, depression is a common mental health illness that is characterised by a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. The present study examined...

Effects of Work Environment Facilities on Employee Performance

This study investigates the effects of working environment on employee performance in non-governmental organizations in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The stratified random sampling technique is used in order to collect the data from the respondents. The simple linear regression technique is used to analyses the effects of working environment on employee performance. The sample size of the study is 120 senior, intermediate, and lower level managers working with NGOs in Nangarhar. The study found that working environment has positive significant correlations with the employee performance in NGOs sector of Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. There was a considerable positive link between employee performance and working environment (r = 0.63, P 0.05). This correlation was extremely significant. The findings further show that R2 is 0.399, which indicates that 39.9% of variation in the employee performance is being introduced by working environment. The finding further disclose the positive coefficients are assigned to the variable for the working environment. This suggests that a positive link exists between employee performance and working environment in non-governmental organizations in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The estimated coefficient of working environment is 0.345. This implies that as working environment rises by one unit, this would cause to rise the employee performance by 0.345 units on average by keeping all other variables constant. The constant coefficient is 0.635, which indicates that employee performance is equal to 0.635 when the working environment is equal to zero.

MEDICINAL PLAHTS OF BADAKHSHAN PROVINCE OF AFGHANISTAN

For hundreds of centuries, humans have been trying to get rid of vital problems such as nutrition. They were always fighting for the provision of clothes for the continuation of life and especially for the treatment of health diseases that afflicted them. One of the most important ways of their struggle against all the problems of life, especially deadly diseases, was to turn to plants, especially medical and medicinal plants. The Chinese and Japanese believe that their medical information based on herbal medicine existed hundreds of centuries ago, and the historical documents available to them show that three thousand years before Christ, large gardens and farms were built in that country to cultivate medicinal plants. However, every year, hundreds of hectares of agricultural land in Western and American countries are allocated for the cultivation of medicinal plants, so that in the year (1998) AD, 65,000 hectares of agricultural land in America were allocated only for the cultivation of mint. This indicates the value and position of medicinal and medicinal plants in human life. It is mentionable that plants, in addition to their medical and medicinal values, were also used as a suitable source of food for humans in ancient times, and humans benefit significantly from the existence of plants on the earth. Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan, with its special geographical area such as high mountains and useful water resources, has been a suitable environment for the growth and development of all kinds of plants, especially medical and medicinal plants. This subject has encouraged researchers to research and work for knowing these valuable plants. Key words: Medicinal plants, value of medicinal plants, usages, protection methods, medicinal plant in Badakhshan.

Studies on prevalence of bovine gastrointestinal parasites (GIP) in Arghandab district of Kandahar province in Afghanistan

Studies on prevalence of bovine gastrointestinal parasites (GIP) in Arghandab district of Kandahar province in Afghanistan

IUD-Related knowledge and practice among women in Afghanistan: A cross-sectional survey study

Background: Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) are T-shaped devices that can be inserted into the uterus to provide contraception. IUDs are a form of long-term contraception that are effective birth control methods with few adverse effects. The purpose of this study is to reveal the current baseline for the knowledge and practice of Afghan women toward intrauterine devices and identify the related sociodemographic factors. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2022 to December 2022 among married women aged at least 18 years old living in Herat province of Afghanistan. A total of 1000 females in Herat were asked, and 411 agreed to participate in this study (response rate=41.1%). Results: Only one-fourth of the participants responded that health care workers are their primary source of information on health issues (25.3%). More than nine-tenths of the participants had poor knowledge level of IUD (91.5%) while only one-twentieth of participants were using IUD (5.8%). Number of children, education level, occupation, and economic status were found to be significantly associated with participants’ knowledge on IUD. Conclusion: Government and health organizations should provide trainings focused on increase of knowledge on IUD and its related issues. The programs should also persuade women to use IUD and its safety. Training should be targeted not only to women, but to family practice physicians, nurse and midwifery practitioners and other providers who offer family planning counseling and services.

Sociodemographic factors associated with knowledge and practice on cervical cancer among female residents of Herat, Afghanistan: A cross-sectional study

Background: According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is the “fourth most common cancer in women”; around 311,000 women globally lost their lives to cervical cancer in 2018. The purpose of the current study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of women in Afghanistan regarding cervical cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 to November 2022 among female residents aged at least 10 years old living in Herat province of Afghanistan. A total of 1000 female in Herat were asked, and about 441 agreed to participate in this study (response rate=44.1%). Results: One-fifth of the participants were adolescents and were 10-17 years old (20%). Almost three out of four participants had no education (73.0%). Less than one-third of the participants were single (30.4%). Almost half of the participants had low knowledge on cervical cancer. Participants residency, occupation, and monthly family income were significantly associated with knowledge of cervical cancer. Conclusion: The observations here have shown there is space for development surrounding knowledge and practices about cervical cancer. The study sample have demonstrated that the participation of healthcare providers and organizations on awareness of people about cervical cancer was low compared to other sources of information. What underscores these aspects of shortcomings in health information and practices is the disparities in residency, employment, and monthly family income among women.

Knowledge, and practice of women on breast cancer in Herat, Afghanistan: A cross-sectional study

Background: Breast cancer prevalence is observed to be higher in developed economies, but the mortality rates due to the said disease tend to be similar or even higher among lower-income countries. Afghanistan is among these countries where breast cancer mortality has been predominant among the female population. This may be related late diagnosis and the presentation of the cancer at much later stages. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a survey questionnaire administered from June 2021 to July 2021 among women living in Herat province of Afghanistan. It evaluated the participants’ knowledge and practice towards breast cancer. A total of 534 women answered the survey. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS software. Results: Lower level of knowledge about breast cancer and the limitations to the practice of breast self-examination (BSE) were found to be associated with such late detection and treatment. Using data collected in Herat Province of Afghanistan, this study examined the individual level sociodemographic factors related with the level of knowledge about breast cancer and also with the practice of BSE. It was found that 44% of the study sample of 534 women had high knowledge level. There were fewer still who performed BSE at about 12% of the respondents. Further examination showed that lower education attainment, albeit illiteracy, and the employment status were correlated with knowledge and practice surrounding breast cancer. Conclusion: This entails the need to formulate programs targeting the specific needs of women with lower socioeconomic status to build capacity toward their health and wellbeing.

Mental health literacy among Afghan adults: A community-based cross-sectional survey study in Herat city

Background: Health literacy has been defined as the ability to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health. The significance of mental health literacy (MHL)is evolving as a modifiable contributing factor to mental health. This study was undertaken to assess the awareness and attitudes of Afghans on mental disorders. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered in August 2022 among Afghans (N=768) living in the Herat province of Afghanistan. The survey examined knowledge and attitude of participants on mental disorders. Results: Generally, most of the participants (99.1%) had poor mental health literacy. 99.4% of participants with an age range of 36-90 years had poor mental health literacy. Almost three-quarter of the participants had poor knowledge of the ability to recognize disorders (72.5%). Less than one-thirds of the participants had good knowledge of where to seek information (29.4%). Conclusion: Mental health literacy rate was found very low among Afghan population. Socio-economic variables found significantly associated with MHL was educational level, economic status, and employment status. Considering the high prevalence of mental disorders in Afghanistan, the government and related non-governmental organizations should implement awareness campaign to increase the knowledge of Afghan people on mental disorders.