Afghanistan Peace Support Initiative

USAID/OTI/DAI
Grantee Final Activity Report

General Information
Grant Number:
Grantee Name:
Activity Title:
Period of Performance:
Author (name, title, contact details):
Report Submission Date
Activity Locations (include district-level
details)

Instructions: Please fill out each section of this report in detail. PSI is looking for thoughtful feedback
and analysis of the implemented activity including both positive and negative results of the activity. If the
format is cumbersome, feel free to use your own (keeping the section headings the same).

1. Activity Summary (Provide a detailed summary of the activity’s implementation, connecting the
concept through the completion of the activity. Describe the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN of
the activity. Did the activity go as planned? Where there changes in the approach throughout the
activity? Describe how the environment (political, environmental, social, logistical, etc.) impacted the
activity. Include any key participants, discussion topics, outcomes, dates, locations, and a description
of “the situation on the ground,” political analysis, and any emerging challenges.)
The Peace Gallery Exhibitions (PGE) were created in partnership with artists, universities, and the
Balkh Peace Council as part of the Peace Pen Art (PPA) initiative. The PGE aims to disseminate peace
emotions and raise awareness of women's participation in the Afghan peace process. Before the final
event, the five orientation sessions were conducted at different places in the provinces to guide the
artists about the depiction of peace through art and prepare them for the final event. The exhibition
took place on June 12th, 2021, in a hotel in the province. During the event, important guests made
peace-related remarks, and the 10 winning artworks were then revealed.
There were three rounds of selection in the program. The initial step was to collect 200 artists, both
professional and amateur. The second stage of the program was to choose 70 best artists out of 200
based on their artistic works and how well they described peace, and the third stage was to choose 10
best artistic works out of 70 and move on to the next stage of the program, which was the Peace Walk
and Billboard Installation.
2. Activity Outcome(s) (List the objective of the activity and answer the following questions: Do you
think the objective of the activity was achieved as intended? Why or why not? In what ways were the
objectives achieved? In what ways were they not achieved?
The objective of the event was to create awareness among the people about the importance of peace in
the country and role of youth in creating peace. We achieved out purpose of the event as the several
people attended and witness the exhibition that depict peace in the country. This will have lasting
impact on the minds of the people and will help in the peace process. The exhibition participants
endorsed the purpose of conducting the vent and highlighted the importance of peace in and the role of
women in community awareness.
For the entertaining session of the program, we planned a music show featuring a young guitarist. At
last, Women artists voluntarily performed a drama show, displaying peace value and message,
particularly, women’s role and rights in the peace process.

3. Lessons Learned & Key Highlights (In your view, describe important key takeaways and
highlights from the activity? List any important lessons learned throughout the activity. Include any
suggestions that you think should be replicated or carried over into other similar programs? Where
could the activity have improved?)
 [The importance of promoting peace consciousness and integrating various organizations in the
Afghan peace process. The event stressed the importance of art in communicating the sentiments of
the country's poor.]
 [The event raised the concern on the necessity of women participation in the peace initiatives.
Women's empowerment urges them to participate in efforts to promote peace.]
 [The role of youth and their community engagement is also necessary in building the long-term
foundation of peace in the country.]
 [The importance of artwork and painting in raising public awareness was also emphasized, as
visual depictions create a lasting imprint on people's minds. The artwork should be promoted for
the sake of promoting peace and prosperity.]
4. Beneficiaries (Please include a detailed description of the beneficiaries from the activity – both
direct and indirect. How many people attended in-person events: please be specific and reference
documentation on how you are estimating the number. Do the same for indirect beneficiaries. Please
include 1) total beneficiaries, 2) total female beneficiaries, and 3) total male beneficiaries. Include
details and analysis of any key participants and their impact on the activity.)
Direct Beneficiary Summary: The program was consisted of 3 rounds of selection. The first was to
gather 200 professional and amateur artists. These 200 artists got a chance to participate in the bringing
peace by sending message to people. These participants comprise of man and women, who were the
main beneficial of this activity. The women participation was very important, and it will have
significant impact.
Indirect Beneficiary Summary: The even also benefitted the people all over country in bringing
awareness among the people about the peace process and importance of peace initiatives.

5. Unintended Outcomes (Were there any unintended outcomes of the activity? Please include both
positive unintended outcomes and any negative unintended outcomes.)
Positive Unintended Outcomes: Unintended outcome include the people’s participation in such art
events is exemplary. This indicate that people are looking for bringing peace in the country and live
with prosperity.
Negative Unintended Outcomes: No negative unintended outcome was witnessed in the event.

6. Most Significant Change: (Reflecting on everything you have experienced, what do you believe has
been the Most Significant Change you have seen in yourself, your peers, or participants?)
The importance of the event cannot be ignored as it had significant impact on the people mind and the
perception. The event was successful in sending the message across the country that we love peace and
prosperity that was depicted through artwork and exhibition. The participants become aware about the
peace process and their engagement in bringing peace in the country. When these people will discuss
the about the event in their circles, the message of peace will be amplified across the country.
The exhibition also gave visitors an understanding of art as a means for marginalized people to express
their concerns and, as a result, as an essential component of the country's peace process.
Youth participation is inevitable, without which achieving long-term peaceful coexistence is
not possible in Afghanistan.
7. Follow-On Plans & Suggested Next Steps (What will occur in the post-activity phase, if
applicable? Based on learning, do you have recommendations for future activities or evaluation? What
next steps should be taken based on this activity, the lessons learned and implementation
environment?)
3D consulting in collaboration with artists, universities student and women successfully conducted the
event that created lasting impression on the people minds. It was highlighted that such event should
conducted from time to time and give people chance to participate and showcase their talent and
promote peace initiatives in the country.
8. Media & social media (How was media and social media used throughout the activity? Through
what mediums was this event covered? What was the information disseminated? Who were the target
audiences? How many viewers, hits, shares, likes, etc were captured from the media dissemination?
Who was the actual audience reached? How do we know? If media was not used, why not?)
The media had an important role in the PPA project's exhibition phase, which was designed to help
promote peace to local and national audiences. The event organizers extended an invitation to media
stations as well as reporters to chronicle the exhibitions' happenings. The event received extensive
media attention in order to reach out to the youth audience, who are the true ambassadors of peace. As
more individuals get access to social media, this may be the only way to do this. The highlights of the
event were posted on social media sites and websites so that more people could see them. When people
see the value of peace, they try to bring people together and engage in meaningful discussion; art is a
fantastic method to do this.
9. Risk Mitigation (Describe how the risk mitigation plan and risk mitigation measures were actioned
throughout the activity. What were the primary risk concerns and how were they mitigated? Where
there any lessons learned specifically with regards to event safety and security? Was there anything
missed by the risk mitigation plan, if so, how was it addressed? How did COVID-19 affect the activity?
What risk mitigation measures were put in place in consideration of COVID-19?)
The exhibition event had two severe challenges to face in conducting the event:
 Spread of Covid-19 Virus
 Taliban disruptive impact during the event.
Mitigation Strategies:
 Using WHO standards to reduce COVID-19 viral transmission, such as masks, hand sanitizers,
and ensuring a safe distance between participants, are examples of mitigation strategies.
 • Event staff inspected the audience and participants to guarantee they were not Taliban
sympathizers and would not disturb the proceedings.
 The security situation around the event areas was ensured tightly.
10. Grantee Performance (Please self-reflect and analyze your team and organization’s performance.
In what ways do you think your organization overperformed? In what ways do you think your
organization underperformed or were there areas you think could have been improved upon?)
The event was conducted successfully and was very helpful in creating awareness among the people
about the importance of peace in the country. It was with help of dedicated team that we were
successful in pulling off this event. We face so many challenges but despite that we were ready to face
the problem and contribute towards peace.
11. PSI Performance (PSI is always interested in constructive feedback to its own performance as
well. Were there any practices that you found particularly helpful? Was there anything that PSI could
have done better or improve upon?)

12. Photos & Other (Include any activity photos that you’d like to highlight as separate jpegs or pdfs
but include brief descriptions of each, below. Also, include any additional information you’d like to
provide that isn’t captured in the sections above))