President/Ceo
CurrentIn 1993, founded Joint Development Associates International (JDA), a US nonprofit 501(c)3 with the ultimate goal of bringing transformation to Central Asia. In 2001, headquarters were established in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan. JDA has worked in northern Afghan provinces with more than 200,000 farmers teaching improved farming methods and helping establish more drought tolerant crops, including mung beans, canola and safflower, and new varieties of rice and wheat and integrating mechanization through the use of two-wheeled tractors. JDA has also participated in the training of farmers in weed control, seed selection, conservation agriculture, land laser leveling, hygiene/nutrition, and kitchen gardens, among other activities for the RADP-North program funded by USAID. JDA has also established programs like the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) education program. Our WASH initiative raises awareness on potential water borne diseases and teach thousands of women and men about sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, water purification, first aid, family planning, alcohol, substance abuse and STDs. More than 30,000 women and 3,000 men have received training in hygiene & sanitation. As part of the WASH program, JDA works in communities to provide fresh water sources by digging and drilling wells, installing filtering systems and rehabilitating water systems. Since 2009, 107 water wells have been drilled thought out 70 villages, providing clean water access to more than 160,000 people. In addition, 61 wells have been repaired and 250 men trained in hand pump repair and maintenance. In 2017, JDA was registered in Iraq. Our work currently involves rehabilitating homes and helping Iraqis rebuild their lives through livelihood opportunities in agriculture field training and rehabilitation of green houses.
