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Before & After
USAID helps a Kirkuk community revitalize its outdoor market
Restoring a Market and a Community
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Photo: USAID
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BEFORE - A major outdoor market in Kirkuk lost business as its infrastructure degenerated. Potholes filled the road and fetid water collected around the stalls, breeding bugs and attracting rodents. Although families still frequented the market, shopping had become an unpleasant burden and a health hazard.
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Photo: USAID
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AFTER - Today, women and children walk comfortably down the market’s newly paved streets, their shoes no longer treading through puddles and mud. Working together, USAID and the local community paved roads and installed a drainage system, revitalizing the market and returning it to the central role it had always played as the hub of neighborhood life and business.
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The al Korea market in Kirkuk had fallen into disrepair. Once the center of the community’s economic life, the market had degenerated and become unsanitary.
USAID responded by helping the community revitalize this important business center. Together, USAID and local residents paved the market road, installed new sidewalks, and dug a drainage canal. The local community contributed over $10,000 to this $60,000 project.
Today, people of all ethnicities and religions purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, and even used clothing at the market. It is now an attractive local gathering spot that makes shopping safer, pleasant, and fun.
USAID’S program works with local leaders to determine a community’s needs. With nearly 4,000 projects implemented to date, these communities are learning to achieve their goals by utilizing democratic tools.
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