Afghanistan: Training

When BRAC was preparing to begin working in Afghanistan in 2002, we realised that human capacity development through training would be essential to the success of our programmes. Therefore, we approached donors for support in establishing training centres in Afghanistan before starting operations.

BRAC’s Training and Resource Centres (BTRCs) were established in Kabul and Mazar-E-Sharif. Initially used for developing internal resources, the centres functioned for three years with support from Oxfam Novib. By 2003, BRAC began working on developing the capacity of representatives from the Afghan Government, partner NGOs and other institutions.

The dual objectives of the BRAC Training and Resource Centre are:

1. Develop capacity of government and non-government organisations, including BRAC, by providing needs-based high quality training
2. Extend necessary support and facilities to organisations for training, seminars and workshops.

The training centres in Afghanistan follow the principles, methods and techniques developed by BRAC in Bangladesh, fine tuned for the Afghan context. The broad goal of the BTRC is to enhance knowledge, skills and attitudes of development practitioners in Afghanistan.

All training is conducted in one of four faculties within the BTRC: Health Management; Education and Gender, Finance and Accounting and Development Management. Various training techniques are used, including group training, where participants go through a process of consultation with fellow group members without gender bias and in the spirit of teamwork.

The current training faculty consists of 18 trainers (14 from Afghanistan and four from Bangladesh). Other BRAC staff members with specialised skills also serve as part time facilitators when needed. Classrooms are equipped with modern facilities. The centres are approaching sustainability by charging course fees from external participants. External evaluations have confirmed the effectiveness of BRAC’s training, especially our emphasis on continued refreshers and follow-ups that ensure proper application of learned skills and knowledge.