Rural poverty, local governance and unemployment are three of the most critical issues currently facing Afghanistan and will remain significant challenges for some years to come. These issues are addressed in the MRRD Strategic Intent (1389-1393), which has been developed to contribute towards poverty alleviation by giving rural communities a comprehensive package of development services, and an enabling rural environment to achieve sustainable rural development. MRRD aims to facilitate rural communities across Afghanistan to become empowered and prosperous by shifting our strategic focus to rural infrastructure and economic development, local governance, institutional strengthening, and human capital development.