PRT strives to provide brighter future to youths in Qalat

Published Aug. 27, 2008
By Staff Sgt. Tammie Moore
AFCENT News Team

QALAT, Afghanistan -- The Airmen and Soldiers deployed to the Zabul provincial reconstruction team have a deployed life that is probably a bit different than many of their fellow servicemembers.

Their primary mission takes them off their small compound in Southeastern Afghanistan into local communities where they work directly with community leaders to discover sustainable projects that directly improve resident's quality of life.

Since 2003, those deployed to this PRT have been working to build bonds in the local community by forming relationships with key leaders, village elders and contracting construction work through local companies to help stimulate the economy.

"It is important to work with the local contractors because they are really tied into the community -- they can make things happen, especially if you get some influential contractors who are tied into the different tribes and the government," said Air Force 1st Lt. Adam Lazar, PRT civil affairs engineer. "It really is a delicate balance between who you choose and your success. If you choose the wrong contractor, your whole project can just be at a standstill because he is working in a different tribal area or does not have the connections in the area to get he project going."

The team, which arrived here in March, has been working a large project designed to help provide a brighter future for youths in Qalat - they are overhauling the local boy's middle and high school campus. The undertaking, primarily funded by the Commander's Emergency Response Program, was selected based on the impact it could have on the community.

Members of the PRT had numerous conversations with the locals and government officials to determine what assistance they could provide. This summer, the PRT facilitated the installation of a well, electrical upgrade and provided a month of food subsidies for students. Current construction on the grounds includes adding a sewage system to the year and half-old school complex.

The scheduled campus improvements also include the construction of a dormitory, allowing the student body to double to 1,800, all housed on the grounds. The CERP is investing more than $1 million into improvements at the campus.

"Our emphasis here is to push education in the local community," said the lieutenant deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La. "This project and others like it are legitimizing the Afghan government to the locals as well as showing the government's support to the people."

Another key piece to the work being done on the school grounds is a complete overhaul of the soccer field. This project came about after PRT members watched a large tournament take place on the school's wavy, dirt field littered with large rocks.

"There were about 600 people at the game and there was no seating," said Army Sgt. Steve Wentzel, PRT civil affairs specialist deployed from the 451st CA Battalion at Pasadena, Texas. "We were told other teams hated playing there because the field was uneven. So we took our ideas for a new stadium to the Afghan Department of Education, and they loved it."

The new stadium will have a leveled field, five-tier seating, locker rooms, bathrooms and space for vendors. The stadium, located on the campus, will be not only be used by students but for city games and governor's events, as well.

The soccer stadium's location on the school grounds also provides the youths something to do in a secure environment, said Lieutenant Lazar, a native of San Antonio, Texas.

As the team travels to the school periodically to review construction progress, they are often greeted by students who circle around them curiously. The PRT's presence on the campus not only allows them to monitor construction but also reinforces their commitment to the community.

"Education and recreation are key aspects to a child's life," said Sergeant Wentzel, a native of Allentown, Pa. "This project will affect the children in such a positive way, allowing them to learn and grow while having fun with friends. It can create such a positive future for so many children."