When Abdul Jabar returned home to Mahigir village in Bagram district after six years as a refugee in Iran, earning a living was a priority. But, though Jabar labored over crops of grapes and tomatoes on his small patch of land, he could not sell his produce. The road that linked his village to the nearest town was rutted and dusty, and few vehicles plied the route. Without transportation, Jabar's crops - the fruit of his labor -were left to rot in the fields.

Now, since the road has been graveled and repaired, Jabar is able to take his crops to market. What was once a bumpy two-hour ride to Kabul has been reduced to half the time. And, the provincial capital of Kapisa province as well the neighboring districts of Tagab and Nijrab are now just a half hour ride away. Jabar is finally able to earn a decent sum from his land and his efforts are no longer wasted.

Jabar has also been able to earn some much-needed money for the family by working on the labor teams that repair the road. The extra income has helped many young people to tide over difficult times, especially after the local textile factory closed down during the civil war. Jabar hopes that one day soon a new factory will come up to help him and others like him to earn a steady living aside from what their small patches of land can yield in the short summer months.

Seventy year old Sayed Ahmad lives with his two sons and their families in Mahigir village in Bagram District. During the war, Ahmad and his family were forced to leave their home and flee abroad to safety. The family spent five difficult years in refugee camps in Peshawar, Pakistan. Longing to return, they were finally able to do so once the Taliban were ousted. Sleeping under tents for the first few months, Ahmad and his sons worked night and day to rebuild their house and coax a living from long-abandoned fields.

Starting from scratch was not easy. The family's small holding of 1 1/2 hectares of land was their only source of income. But, with bad roads, they had to rely on outside traders to come to them and buy their produce cheaply. Also, it was almost impossible to take a seriously ill person to a Kabul hospital in time for treatment.

The new road has changed their lives completely. Many vehicles now use this road and farmers can take their grapes, turnips, tomatoes, coriander, and leeks to Kabul markets themselves where they fetch a higher price. Families can also take sick members to the hospital at any time of the day or night. And, those with government jobs can now commute to Kabul every day.

However, still more needs to be done, says Ahmed. Factories are needed to provide jobs, more clinics are needed, and the villagers will be happy to see the roads paved, and irrigation systems improved.

Sixty five year old Ainuddin is all smiles as he talks about the changes in his home village of Wali Khail in the heart of Kapisa province. Ainuddin has reason to be happy; there is peace in the country, he has a steady job, and all his children are settled. For the past 30 years, Ainuddin has been working as a gardener in Kapisa's agriculture department. His five sons and their families all live with him, and his six daughters are married.

Ainuddin and his family were one of the few who braved the shelling, looting, and instability of the war years in Afghanistan. Kapisa was caught in the midst of the heaviest fighting with the Taliban, and while the family moved further away to escape the worst of it, they never left the country altogether.

A new concrete bridge now spans the broad valley that divides the province in two. Before this bridge was built, melting snows would flood the valley every year, cutting off Wali Khail village from Kapisa's provincial capital for three months. Villagers had to wait for the waters to recede to cross to the other side. During these months, children stopped going to school, people could not report to work, and food ran short, and health care was not accessible. Since the new bridge has been constructed health facilities, schools, hospitals and markets are easily accessible.