Afghanistan Projects

Nursing Course at Ghor Provincial Hospital


Afghanistan is plagued with the second highest infant mortality rate in the world, and more women die from complications surrounding childbirth there than in any other country. Global Partners wants to help change that. Qualified nurses are key to the improvement of the health care delivery system throughout the county. Remote, impoverished Ghor Province has never before had a program for training nurses in the province, resulting in far too few nurses and midwives to turn the tide.

Following meetings with the Ministry of Health in Ghor Province and the Ghor Provincial Hospital administrators and physicians, a 10 month Basic Nursing Course was initiated by Global Partners to train workers with beginning skills for the hospital and clinics in the province. The funding for initial supplies and equipment for the course was provided by a grant from the Lithuanian government, and primary instruction was provided by a Global Partners Registered Nurse / PHD, with several decades experience in training nurses in the USA.


Plans for the course were advertised in the provincial center and an admissions exam, followed by individual interviews were conducted in late February. The course started in early March with 25 students (4 female and 21 males) divided into two classes. A graduation ceremony was held on December 8, 2010 with 23 students (3 females and 20 males) receiving certificates. Planning is in the initial stages for continuing the course into a second year for these students so they will qualify to take the official Ministry of Public Health exam for nurses in Kabul.

Facts About Afghanistan

  • Area: 652,230 sq. km.
  • Borders: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
  • Arable Land: 12.13%
  • Natural Hazards: Earthquakes, droughts, flooding
  • Population: 29,835,392 (July 2011 est.)
  • Urban Population: 23% of total population (2010)
  • Infant Mortality Rate: 149.2 deaths / 1,000 live births (#2 in world)
  • Life Expectancy at Birth: 45.02 years
  • Literacy (age 15+ can read and write): 28.1% (Male: 43.1%; Female: 12.6%)
  • GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 USD (2010 est.)

More About Afghanistan:

The population of Afghanistan is about thirty million. Pashtuns are the predominant ethnic group in Afghanistan, comprising forty-two percent of the population. Other ethnic groups include the Tajiks (twenty-seven percent), Hazaras (nine percent), Uzbeks (nine percent) and other minority groups such as the Aimak, Turkmen and Baluch. Dari is the official language of the government. However, many other languages are spoken in Afghanistan, including Pashtu, Hazaragi, Uzbek, and Turkmen. Religiously, Afghanistan is over ninety-nine percent Muslim, with an estimated eighty percent Sunni Muslims and an estimated nineteen percent Shiite Muslims.

Read a brief history of Afghanistan

Today, Global Partners works alongside the United Nations and many other international NGOs to provide essential development and support. Afghanistan's infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, and water sanitation, is in poor condition. Medical care is lacking, especially in rural areas. This results in a national life expectancy of only forty-five years, the second highest infant mortality rate in the world, and the highest rate of maternal mortality. Furthermore, the educational system is struggling to recover after decades of war; less than thirty percent of men are literate and only about thirteen percent of women. Cultivation of poppies also remains a significant concern, as Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium. Although there has been a great deal of reconstruction in the past ten years, much, much more is needed in order to alleviate poverty, provide adequate health care, create economic opportunities, and educate the next generation.