Community governance

The level of economic and social development in the rural parts of Afghanistan is very low. Conflicts, corruption, and mismanagement in the administration result in local communities enjoying extremely limited opportunities to effect change. People are powerless, geared to survive, and cannot claim their rights against authorities. They often find it difficult to carry out the measures they think are necessary.

Women and persons with disabilities are groups that have traditionally not been included in joint decision-making. It is therefore part of the SCA mission to strengthen these groups’ participation. Their representation in both self-help groups and community-based organizations (CBOs) is important as these bodies must reflect society at large. These CBOs provide the opportunity to influence and participate in decisions concerning the community’s future, for groups that are usually excluded too.

To achieve the required change, efforts have been coordinated in several areas. One of the main areas is providing support to CBOs to facilitate local development planning and service delivery. Capacity building support is provided in participatory development planning, targeting and selection, participatory monitoring, and social audits to improve CBO performance and delivery of services to target groups. In addition, SCA strengthens the capacity of CBOs to manage community conflicts that may arise because of social, cultural, and natural resource disputes. We also strengthen the capacity of CBOs to advocate for their legitimate needs and rights through capacity building of local change agents, creation, and sustenance of dialogue spaces, and build alliances and partnerships with other actors.

Livelihoods and Resilience

SCA conference: Afghanistan beyond humanitarian support – navigating challenges and opportunities

News SCA is organising its biennial international conference in Stockholm on 30th November, 2023. The conference will gather experts, policymakers, civil society, and academia to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan.

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan strongly condemns the desecration of the Holy Quran

Press release The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) strongly condemns the desecration of the Holy Quran that took place in Sweden today. We are saddened and appalled by the incident, carried out by man of Iraqi origin outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm. Desecration of the Holy Quran is a despicable display of Islamophobia and hatred. It […]

SCA partially pauses activities following IEA directive

Press release On July 11, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), the de facto authorities, issued a directive suspending “all of Sweden’s activities in Afghanistan”. Consequently, some activities of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), have been paused. SCA stands firm in its commitment to support the Afghan people and will do its utmost to secure the […]

Statement on the de facto authorities of Afghanistan suspending Sweden’s activities.

Press release The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, SCA, is seeking dialogue with the de facto authorities of Afghanistan to clarify if the directive of July 11 to suspend all Sweden’s activities in Afghanistan will affect our organization. SCA is a non-governmental organization established in 1980 as a solidarity movement, from people to people, to support Afghans’ right […]

SCA condemns the continued closure of girls’ schools in Afghanistan

News For a second school year, secondary schools in Afghanistan have opened without the presence of girls.

Statement on the decision to ban women NGO workers in Afghanistan 

News The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) is profoundly concerned by the recent announcement of the de facto authorities (DFA) that women are no longer allowed to work with national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Afghanistan. Following only four days after the suspension of women’s rights to attend higher education, the ban on women NGO […]