REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Regional Development – The Kabul Media and Cultural Center provides:
• A host of media projects in the area of the written press, radio, video, photography, and movies • A place of networking and sharing for Afghan journalists and intellectuals • A training center offering access to state-of-the-art technology in the service of the media • A newsroom (Internet access, AFP wire stories).

The first Afghan media and cultural center in Kabul was created in June 2002. Following the success of the initiative, similar structures have been set up in seven of the country's main cities: Mazar-e-Charif, Herat, Kunduz, Ghazni/Bamyan, Jalalabad, Khost, and Kandahar.

Thanks to this network, Aïna's action has had an impact both locally and nationally:
• Promoting freedom of speech and a democratic debate at the regional level
• Fostering cultural life at the local level: training, exhibitions, library access, cultural events, discussion groups, urban movie theaters
• Action coordination supervised from Kabul
• Field surveys (e.g.: assessment of the current situation of the Afghan media)
• Managing the distribution of Aïna-supported newspapers
• Providing logistical support to international correspondents and teams working on reports and documentaries
• Hosting other NGO's working in the area of media and culture with a view to joining forces.

The following initiatives are in the pipeline:
- Increasing the number of women benefiting from Aïna's activities
- Extending center reach to neighboring communities by creating traveling units
- Improving services intended for organizations involved in community development programs.

Today however, Aïna's regional center activities were discontinued for lack of ongoing and stable funds.