VZCZCXRO8942
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #0378 0521228
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211228Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7446
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KABUL 000378 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL USAID AF
SUBJECT: NANGARHAR KUCHI DIRECTOR: THE KUCHIS NEED 
HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  The Nangarhar Provincial Director of the Kuchi 
Directorate said in a January 27 meeting that the main 
problems facing the Kuchi people are: 1) lack of education, 
2) insufficient healthcare, 3) lack of potable water, and 4) 
lack of grazing land and veterinary services for livestock. 
The director also said that the Kuchis had received little 
support from the central government, despite having 10 
members of Parliament. 
 
KUCHIS LACKING IN EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Nangarhar Director of the Kuchi Directorate Aseel 
Jan Niazi asked for Embassy assistance in obtaining aid for 
his people.  He said that the Kuchis of Nangarhar were facing 
several severe problems, including: 1) a lack of schools; 2) 
a lack of potable water in the form of pump access to wells; 
3) very few clinics or mobile clinics that service the Kuchis 
directly; and 4) lack of grazing land for livestock. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  On education, the Kuchi nomadic lifestyle posed 
challenges for providing educational services.  Even for 
those Kuchis who stay in Nangarhar, there was a shortage of 
educational facilities for Kuchi children.  For example, the 
province had only one small, temporary primary school to 
serve the whole of the population, an estimated 300-400 Kuchi 
children. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The Director suggested that the best solution for 
the Kuchis would be mobile schools that could travel with 
them during their four-month yearly migration.  Kuchi camp 
sites are often well away from urban areas due to the need 
for room for their livestock.  Use of the local schools in 
the areas to which they traveled was not practical. 
 
HEALTHCARE 
---------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  On healthcare, Niazi said there was only one 
mobile clinic in Nangarhar Province to serve the Kuchi 
people, despite the fact that Kuchis live in 19 of 
Nangarhar's 22 districts.  Niazi asked for help in obtaining 
more mobile clinics.  Of those 19 districts, the majority of 
Kuchis live in four districts: 1) Bati Kowt, 2) Kameh, 3) 
Sorkhrud, and 4) Pachiro Agam. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  According to Niazi, the Kuchis lack potable water 
because of their nomadic lifestyle.  They don't have regular 
access to well water, and frequently draw their water from 
ditches and canals around urban areas.  That water is 
frequently contaminated.  The Kuchis, he said, would like 
assistance in digging wells in Nangarhar. 
 
PASTURE LANDS 
------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The final major problem facing the Kuchis, 
according to Niazi, was a shortage of grazing lands during 
their migration, and veterinary services, in general.  Kuchis 
had adequate livestock, but lacked fodder or grazing space 
during their migration because the lands they crossed were 
claimed by other tribes.  This led to occasional conflicts. 
Niazi asked for help in obtaining either food or right of way 
to Kuchi bands passing through other areas to their summer 
quarters. 
 
RELATIONSHIP WITH CENTRAL GOVERNMENT 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  The Kuchis, according to Niazi, do not have a good 
relationship with the central government.  He had "not seen 
anything visible" from the central government, despite the 
fact that the Kuchis have 10 members of Parliament to 
represent them.  Niazi said that Kuchi MPs only serve in the 
Wolesi Jirga (lower house), though the constitution requires 
that the president appoint two Kuchi representatives to the 
Mishrano Jirga (upper house). (There are in fact two Kuchi 
members of the Mishrano Jirga - Bulqis Kuchai of Faryab, and 
Haji Nazar Mohammad of Baghlan.)  Kuchis are excited to 
participate in this year's elections, now that they 
understand their importance.  He estimated that 30,000 - 
40,000 new Kuchi voters had registered in Nangarhar in 2008. 
 
¶9.  (U)  COMMENT: USAID has been preparing an assessment of 
Kuchi needs to properly plan a way of rendering assistance to 
them.  Conducting the assessment during the winter season was 
impracticable.  The assessment will begin in the spring. 
WOOD