Empowering Returnees, Strengthening Communities, and Building Sustainable Futures
TYPE: Civic Empowerment • Climate-Smart Livelihoods • Youth Development • Women’s Empowerment • Legal Support • Community Resilience
IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: January 2026 – 30 June 2027 (18 Months)
GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS: Herat Province, Afghanistan
DONOR: CISU – Civil Society in Development (Denmark)
GRANT HOLDER: Rebuild Aid Forening (Denmark)
LOCAL IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO)
TARGET GROUP: Youth, women and forcibly returned Afghan families from Iran and Pakistan, with particular focus on vulnerable young people, women, female-headed households and individuals lacking legal documentation.
Project Overview
Afghanistan continues to experience one of the world’s largest return movements as thousands of Afghan families are forcibly returned from neighbouring countries. Herat Province serves as one of the country’s primary reception areas, where many returnees arrive with limited resources, uncertain legal status and few opportunities to rebuild their lives.
Young people and women are among those most affected. Many struggle to access education, employment, legal documentation, civic participation and safe spaces for learning and community engagement. Climate change, prolonged drought and limited livelihood opportunities further compound these challenges.
To address these interconnected issues, Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO), in partnership with Rebuild Aid Forening and with financial support from CISU, is implementing the From Return to Resilience programme—an integrated development initiative that combines civic education, climate-smart livelihoods, legal assistance, digital inclusion and youth leadership.
Rather than addressing a single problem, the project adopts a holistic approach that strengthens people’s capacity to rebuild their lives, participate actively in their communities and develop sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Project Vision
The project is founded on the belief that resilient communities are built when people possess knowledge, rights, skills, opportunities and confidence.
Through integrated learning, practical training and community engagement, the project seeks to transform vulnerability into resilience by enabling participants to become active contributors to their families and communities.
Humanitarian and Development Context
Thousands of Afghan families continue to return to Afghanistan after years of displacement in neighbouring countries.
Many returnees arrive with:
- Limited financial resources
- No sustainable source of income
- Missing legal documentation
- Limited access to public services
- Weak social support networks
- Reduced educational opportunities
- Poor digital access
- Limited participation in community decision-making
Women and young people often experience additional barriers resulting from social norms, unemployment and restricted opportunities for education and civic participation.
At the same time, Herat Province continues to experience increasing environmental pressures, including prolonged drought, water scarcity and declining agricultural productivity.
These overlapping challenges require integrated solutions rather than isolated interventions.
Youth Resilience Hub
At the centre of the project is the establishment of the Youth Resilience Hub.
The Hub serves as a safe, inclusive and community-based learning environment where youth and women can participate in educational, social and livelihood activities.
The Hub promotes:
- Learning
- Dialogue
- Community participation
- Innovation
- Personal development
- Skills building
- Social inclusion
The model creates an environment where women can participate safely within culturally appropriate community structures while gaining access to learning opportunities that may otherwise be unavailable.
The Hub is designed not only as a training centre but as a long-term community platform where participants build networks, exchange experiences and develop local initiatives.
Civic Education and Active Citizenship
The project strengthens participants’ understanding of citizenship, community engagement and peaceful participation.
Training includes:
- Civic responsibility
- Rights and responsibilities
- Community participation
- Local governance
- Volunteerism
- Conflict prevention
- Dialogue and cooperation
- Community problem solving
- Leadership
- Social responsibility
Rather than focusing on theory alone, participants work together to design practical community initiatives that respond to local needs.
Peer learning encourages participants to become community facilitators capable of sharing knowledge with others.
Climate-Smart Livelihoods
Climate resilience forms a central pillar of the programme.
Participants receive practical training in environmentally sustainable livelihood approaches that are adapted to Herat’s changing climate.
Topics include:
- Climate-smart agriculture
- Water conservation
- Efficient irrigation
- Drought-resistant farming
- Soil protection
- Home gardening
- Renewable energy
- Solar technologies
- Small-scale food production
- Sustainable natural resource management
Training combines practical demonstrations with entrepreneurship, enabling participants to transform environmental knowledge into sustainable income opportunities.
Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment
The programme supports participants in developing small businesses and income-generating activities.
Training includes:
- Business planning
- Financial literacy
- Budget management
- Marketing
- Customer relations
- Business registration guidance
- Value chain development
- Digital entrepreneurship
- Online marketplaces
- Product development
Participants receive guidance on identifying locally appropriate business opportunities that can continue beyond the project period.
Digital Skills and Innovation
Digital inclusion is essential for improving access to education, employment and markets.
Participants develop skills in:
- Basic digital literacy
- Internet use
- Online communication
- Mobile applications
- Digital marketing
- E-commerce
- Online learning
- Job searching
- Social media for business
- Digital safety
These skills strengthen participants’ competitiveness and improve access to future economic opportunities.
Mobile Legal Support
Legal identity is fundamental for accessing rights and public services.
Many returnees lack:
- Tazkira
- Birth certificates
- Marriage certificates
- Educational documentation
Without these documents, families often face difficulties accessing education, employment, banking, humanitarian assistance and government services.
SUAO therefore provides mobile legal assistance that includes:
- Information sessions
- Individual counselling
- Documentation support
- Application guidance
- Referral to government offices
- Administrative follow-up
The project helps restore legal identity and improves participants’ access to basic rights.
Women’s Empowerment
Women’s participation is integrated throughout the programme.
The Hub creates safe opportunities for women to:
- Build confidence
- Develop leadership skills
- Learn new professions
- Access digital education
- Participate in community initiatives
- Build livelihood opportunities
- Expand professional networks
Activities are designed in ways that remain culturally appropriate while expanding opportunities for participation.
Diaspora Mentorship
One unique component of the programme is the involvement of Afghan professionals living abroad.
Through Rebuild Aid’s network, volunteers and specialists provide:
- Online mentoring
- Career guidance
- Professional coaching
- Technical advice
- Digital learning
- Knowledge exchange
This creates meaningful connections between Afghan communities and the diaspora while expanding access to international experience and expertise.
Community Participation
The project promotes local ownership throughout implementation.
Communities contribute through:
- Local consultations
- Community dialogue
- Volunteer engagement
- Peer facilitation
- Youth initiatives
- Women’s groups
- Community learning activities
Participants become active partners rather than passive beneficiaries.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
The project integrates a comprehensive MEAL framework throughout implementation.
Monitoring includes:
- Baseline assessments
- Participant registration
- Attendance monitoring
- Learning assessments
- Outcome monitoring
- Community feedback
- Activity observations
- Follow-up visits
- Beneficiary satisfaction surveys
- Documentation of lessons learned
Learning is continuously used to improve programme quality and adapt activities according to participant feedback.
Accountability to Participants
SUAO is committed to transparency and accountability throughout the project.
Participants receive information regarding:
- Programme objectives
- Participation criteria
- Available services
- Training schedules
- Rights and responsibilities
- Feedback mechanisms
- Complaints procedures
- Confidentiality
Participants are encouraged to share ideas, concerns and suggestions through SUAO’s Complaints and Feedback Mechanism.
Feedback contributes directly to improving programme quality.
Expected Results
By the end of the project, participants are expected to achieve:
- Increased civic participation
- Stronger leadership skills
- Improved legal identity and access to rights
- Better digital competencies
- Increased climate resilience
- Improved livelihood opportunities
- Stronger entrepreneurship capacity
- Greater social inclusion
- Increased confidence among women and youth
- Stronger community cohesion
- Expanded volunteer engagement
- Greater resilience among returnee families
Long-Term Impact
The programme aims to generate lasting benefits that extend beyond the project period.
Communities are expected to benefit from:
- Stronger local leadership
- Improved social cohesion
- Increased community participation
- More resilient livelihoods
- Better adaptation to climate change
- Greater economic inclusion
- Improved legal protection
- Stronger youth engagement
- Increased opportunities for women
- Sustainable local learning networks
The Youth Resilience Hub itself is intended to remain a community resource that continues supporting local initiatives after the formal project concludes.
Partnership
The programme combines the complementary strengths of both partners.
Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization leads implementation in Afghanistan through community mobilisation, local coordination, training delivery, legal support, monitoring and institutional engagement.
Rebuild Aid Forening provides grant management, donor compliance, technical support, quality assurance and coordination with CISU.
Financial support from CISU enables long-term investment in local civil society, resilience and sustainable development.
Sustainability
The project is designed with sustainability at its core.
Rather than creating dependency, it strengthens people’s knowledge, skills, networks and opportunities.
Sustainability is supported through:
- Capacity building
- Community ownership
- Peer learning
- Local facilitators
- Youth leadership
- Women’s participation
- Climate-smart practices
- Entrepreneurship
- Digital inclusion
- Institutional strengthening of SUAO
By the end of implementation, the programme seeks to leave behind stronger individuals, stronger communities and stronger local institutions capable of continuing positive change long after external funding has ended.