Roshan Community

The problem: In Afghanistan, malnutrition is a common problem, especially among children in returnee camps and street-working children.
 
 Our solution: We provided over 40,000 meals packs each month, and supported street-working children by reintegrating them into the formal school system and offering vocational training.

Our partners: We work with various Aschiana centers and emergency shelters for IDPs

The problem: Limited access to cheap and quality healthcare services.
 
 Our solution: Through Roshan Community’s inaugural project, fees for expatriate patients are used to subsidize costs for Afghan Nationals. Paving the way for other companies, Roshan was the first company in Afghanistan to provided its employees private medical insurance. The Roshan Clinic has also hosted a variety of health and dental workshops over the past decade to support improved quality of life and care for Afghans.

Our partners: Aschiana, Afghanistan Demain & AFRANE. Dental and health workshops: Hosting topics, including education on clean water, diarrhea, and tuberculosis were developed by MSH/REACH/USAID. Afghan Medical Health Insurance: Lifecare international. 

The problem: Limited access to affordable, quality healthcare services in remote and rural areas.

Our solution: Our solution: The telemedicine project connects hospitals with Roshan’s broadband technology to facilitate the rapid delivery of medical solutions. Through video conferencing, specialist are able to diagnose and treat illnesses in rural areas of Afghanistan and provide training sessions for the new generation of Afghan doctors. The goal of this service is to provide remote tele-radiology, e-learning, hospital management, nursing education and specialized clinics. This technology enables specialists to diagnose illnesses, provide proper treatments, medical education to doctors while they work, and access to health services for patients in villages. Also, this technology reduces the cost of travel for patients, employees and health workers. Currently, a network of medical centers in Kabul, Bamiyan and Badakhshan are connected to each other as well as to the Agha Khan University Hospital in Karachi.

Our partners: Government of Afghanistan, the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi, Aga Khan Health Services, the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) in Kabul, FMIC, CISCO, Bamyan Hospital, Faizabad Hospital, Cisco Systems and other telecoms suppliers.

Water Wells 

The problem: Lack of clean and healthy drinking water in Afghanistan.
 
 Our solution: We started with the creation of 2 water wells in 2006, which currently support 1000 families living on the outskirts of Kabul. To date, we have built 70 wells that provide clean water to over 100,000 people.

Roshan’s Innovative Technology Feature (Health): Watertracker

The problem: Lack of clean and safe water in Afghanistan.

Our solution: Using an interactive voice recording (IVR) solution, we created the Watertracker phone service, which allows illiterate Afghans to call in from rural areas and check the status of their local well or report a fault. Between 2010 & 2011, 1000 well communities were trained in using Watertracker. As a result of the service, nearly 30 wells have been restored. 

The problem: in the Autonomous Province of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.

Our solution: At a low proposed tariff rate, we supported the creation of a transmission line from Khorog in GBAO to Bahshor village in Afghanistan, which now supplies electricity to 360 households, the local hospital, the government building, and more throughout the year.

Our partners: The Aga Khan Foundation for Economic Development and PamirEnergy. AKFED developed a pioneering subsidy scheme for PamirEnergy that ensures a minimum 'lifeline' monthly supply of power is provided to households at one of the lowest rates in the world among privately owned utilities.

Playgrounds:

The problem: Afghanistan, a country that has been suffering from war and social problems for decades, has a limited social space where it can support the community and provide a platform for children's development.

Our solution: Recognizing the importance of playing in the growth of self-confidence and social skills in children, Roshan creates playgrounds in strategic areas, which can be used as a venue for the gathering of different ethnicities in Afghanistan as well. These playgrounds eliminate social barriers and provide a safe environment for children to play and grow together.

School Construction

The problem: When we first started operations in Afghanistan, we visited a school with seven dilapidated blocks and one purpose-built block. Many of the 7,000 school students were studying in shifts in tents.

Our solution: Roshan community had invested in the construction of a large modernization that had 24 classrooms and a playground equipped with. Till now, we have invested in many schools.

Our partners: AKF, etc.

OLPC: 

The problem: Afghan children are deprived of the resources and tools they need to compete in the global economy

Our solution:OLCP is designed to improve the level of learning by presenting two-way versions of curriculum content and providing guidance and suggestions to schoolchildren. More than 3,600 children and teachers have benefited from this project in the provinces of Baghlan, Herat, Kabul, Jalalabad and Kandahar.

Our partners: OLPC, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT), and USAID’s Afghanistan Small-and-Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED).

The problem: Lack of educational material and shortage of trained teachers in rural areas to support children’s intellectual, social and moral development.
 
 Our solution: Roshan community had acquired the rights to publish children's educational TV programs, which are currently being broadcasted internationally. These programs are dubbed in Dari and Pashto, which are made available through local TVs throughout Afghanistan.

Sports: 

The problem: Afghanistan, a country that has suffered from war and social problems for decades, has few social spaces to support the community and provide a platform for young people to grow..

Our solution: Roshan is a proud title sponsor of the Roshan Afghan Premier League, which brings together millions of Afghans to cheer for national pride and unity, while bonding over football matches. RAPL’s fourth season in 2015 was the most celebrated event to date, reaching over 10 million fans across the country. In 2010, we had also partnered with the NGO Skateistan to promote skateboarding and self-expression throughout Afghanistan.

The problem: A nation torn apart by decades of war and social tensions, Afghanistan suffers from a lack of social spaces that support community and foster youth development.

Our solution: Roshan Community built the indoor Youth, Sports, and Social Development Center. With separate areas for boys and girls, the center provides a safe space for 800 children and teenagers in and around Kabul to exercise and socialize with extracurricular activities. It is also a space for games, presentations, and seminars for community and social development. So that they can exercise and participate in extracurricular activities

D-Light

The problem: After decades of war, Afghans lack the proper infrastructure to improve their earning potential and quality of life.

Our solution: Roshan had collaborated with D.Light to replace dangerous kerosene lamps in households with durable, solar-powered lanterns. The lanterns improved children’s ability to study effectively at night, increase the income-generating potential of their families, and overcome the severe lack of infrastructure in the country.

Our partners: D-Light

The problem:Afghans are deprived of the resources and tools they need to compete in a technology-based global economy.

Our solution: Roshan community uses containers equipped with durable solar panels, to create online learning centers that have laptops and other communication equipment. These centers are held locally and by the people who were given these equipment to meet the needs of local areas. Users of these centers are able to get their hands on technology, trade, and communicate with their family and friends from far away.

Roshan/Cisco Systems: 

The problem: Afghans lack the tools and resources to compete in a tech-driven global economy.

Our solution: In 2007, Roshan teamed up with partners to support an initiative aimed at preparing students for networking and IT-related careers in the public and private sectors. Providing higher education tools in engineering, computer science, and other related fields, the initiative supports the education of 600 Afghan students across the country.

Our partners: UNDP and Cisco System

Roshan’s Innovative Technology Feature (Education): Teacher Consultation Line

In collaboration with partners, Roshan Community developed a distance, mobile-learning model, which allows greater access to quality secondary education for Afghan boys and girls. The educational content falls within the framework of the visions of the Ministry of Education.

Our partners: Saba media TV, CHA, Butterfly-Oxfam Novib and Ministry of Education.

Alternative Livelihoods Program

The problem: Due to decades of conflict, women are vulnerable, especially in rural areas, where opportunities to generate income are limited.

Our solution: In 2009, Roshan Community started supporting CARE’s Humanitarian Assistance for Women of Afghanistan (HAWA) project. The project provided livestock for vulnerable women to earn a living through them.

Our partners: CARE

WPCOs

The problem: Due to decades of conflict, women are vulnerable and have limited opportunities to generate an income. 
 
 Our solution: Roshan launched a telephone booth project for women, through which women will be provided with the opportunity to start a business. Through this project, the Afghan AID will nominate women to the first microfinance lending bank in Afghanistan (FMFB-A) so that women can get loans and start a business. For each WPCO operator, a discount package will be provided. This package will include a mobile phone, SIM card, antenna, charger, 12500 contact units and an official Roshan PCO signboard. The WPCO operator will use a portion of the profit to pay back her microfinance loan and to buy more units of airtime. Each time an operator from the project purchases more airtime, she receives an additional 60% credit. This added discount is to ensure profitability, and maximize the earning potential of the women. Although the operation of a WPCO does not in itself defeat poverty, it provides a stable and sustainable source of income, which enables women to climb steadily out of poverty and provide better living conditions for their families.

Our partners: AfghanAid & USAID.

The problem: Due to decades of conflict, women are vulnerable and lack safe spaces to meet in public.

Our solution: Roshan Community built the Shahrara Garden, a women-only gym facility that supports community and capacity- building, by encouraging healthy and active lifestyles for women and girls.

Roshan’s Innovative Technology Feature (Commerce): Malomat

Malomat is a national price information system providing farmers, traders and wholesalers with access to commodity information in 14 provincial markets. Using a mobile phone, farmers were able to access real-time market trends, either through Short Message Service (SMS) or Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology. The Malomat service was available to farmers in Dari, Pashto and English. IVR is a particularly important feature in Afghanistan, where 70% of the 

Roshan community is the program that won the Corporate Social Responsibility Award (CSR). Roshan community worked in partnership with the Afghan government, NGOs and other institutions to enhance their impact while at the same time benefiting from the specific skills of each of these sectors.

Recognitions received include

• SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION AWARD, ASIA COMMUNICATIONS AWARDS, JULY 2014
• MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANY OF THE YEAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, CSR PROGRAM OF THE YEAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA AND CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR, STEVIE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AWARDS, NOVEMBER 2013
• SUSTAINABILITY COMMERCIALIZED, ETHICAL CORPORATION'S RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS AWARDS, AUGUST 2013
• CSR PROGRAM OF THE YEAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, STEVIE AWARDS OCTOBER 2012 
• BEST COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, TELECOM WORLD ASIA, APRIL 2011 
• BEST CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CONTRIBUTION, TELECOM WORLD AWARDS MIDDLE EAST AWARDS, NOVEMBER 2008

A large part of our activities will not be possible without long-term partnerships. We will continue to work with our old and new colleagues to implement projects in Afghanistan. Through our company, we will continue our activities to provide welfare assistance to the people in need. By cooperating with other institutions, we can increase our impacts both in terms of quality and in terms of capabilities. 

At Roshan, we believe that contribution can be made at any form, and no help will be considered unimportant. With this view, we have created Roshan Brings Roshani (RBR) scheme. The RBR gives Roshan’s staffs and its partners the ability to donate their skills, equipment, trainings and donations to the social programs we support.

Please contact socialprograms@roshan.af if you are interested in partnering with Roshan Community or making a contribution to support our projects.