Policy and Structure

This Community Development Policy aims to mobilize and empower the Afghan community to exercise its powers in decision making in order to promote its development, commensurate with the progress of decentralization. The policy is formulated in response to the challenges the community still confronts: 

extreme poverty, illiteracy, a culture of deference to authority and the widespread use of traditional farming methods which constrain significant sustainable development. In this policy, the ACCRO envisages a community that is organized, self-motivated, hardworking, forward-looking, and has the ability to exploit local potential with innovations geared towards sustainable development. The mission of the Community Development Policy is to “ensure effective and sustainable participation of the community in its own development, in order to achieve poverty reduction and self-reliance based on the sustainable exploitation of available resources”. The objectives of community development are multi-dimensional, embracing the three main spheres of development: Agriculture, economic and social. The main guiding principles for policy implementation are: grassroots community participation, exploitation of local potential, promotion of commerce, continuous improvement, enhancing a culture of transparency and accountability and common benefit. Finally, the policy clarifies the legal and institutional framework of community development and the performance framework for continuous monitoring and evaluation of community development indicators. 

1. Justification for a Community Development Policy 

1.1 Introduction The Community Development Policy was adopted by the Afghanistan Community Relief and Rehabilitation Organization (ACRRO) in March 2021 with the overarching goal of “ensuring effective and sustainable participation of the community in its own development, in order to achieve poverty reduction and self-reliance based on the sustainable exploitation of available resources”. The Community Development Policy promotes the engagement of the Afghan community in actions to:  

Analyze their environment;  Define their individual and collective needs and problems;  Define their individual and collective potentials;  Design individual and collective plans to meet their needs and solve their problems in a prioritized manner;  Implement those plans by drawing from the resources of the community;  Add to those resources if necessary, with support services and resources from government or private organs or any other stakeholders outside the community;  Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the plans;  Sustain the activities and make them productive. 

1.2 Progress An assessment of progress in implementing the Community Development Policy in the first phase of decentralization shows significant achievements. Community development administrative structures were established from the Cell up to the District level. The policy contributed to the establishment of Community Development Committees (CDCs) through democratic elections and the development of District Development Plans (DDPs) that reflect the prioritized needs of the population. The DDPs provide a sound framework for resource mobilization from government and development partners and mesh with the core national development strategies – Vision. 

1.3 Challenges Inadequate food is a particular problem with the majority of poor Afghan living in rural areas. Poverty still prevails, although at a decreasing rate, and Afghanistan remains one of Asia poorest countries. And 70% of the Afghan population are still poor, while 80% survive in conditions of extreme poverty. Multiple factors contribute to this situation, including low agricultural productivity, leading to poor yields for major crops, population pressure on arable land, poor agricultural marketing in rural areas, rural unemployment and underemployment, lack of savings and investment in rural households and weak environmental conservation practices. Afghanistan still faces enormous challenges stemming from its turbulent history and the 40 years’ war. The genocide swelled the ranks of vulnerable groups such as widows or women whose husbands are was in prison; recently freed prisoners; unskilled and unemployed youth and people with disabilities; and created new ones, such as households headed by children; landless farmers; elderly people taking care of their surviving relatives who are minors. The four decades leading up to the genocide saw much of Afghans socio-cultural capital destroyed. These are all areas where the Community Development Policy can make a real difference. 

1.4 Opportunities Despite these challenges, the community development policy builds on the following specific opportunities: Strong will and support by donors: The first phase of decentralization policy implementation has been strongly supported at the community level, as well as by communities and other stakeholders including development partners. The ACRRO has steadily shown strong commitment to the implementation of the decentralization policy by reinforcing people’s participation and involvement in decision-making processes and development interventions. Increasing capacity at the grass-roots level. Improved Coordination Mechanisms: ACRRO has developed and reinforced mechanisms for coordination and harmonization of interventions in decentralization implementation. They include the cluster mechanism at central level and the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) at local level. The relationship between JADF and the Community Development Committees (CDCs) also reinforces LG capacities to assess, plan, implement, monitor, evaluate and harmonies development vision and plans. Community Development Policy integrates these new developments as well as reinforces and streamlines the legal and institutional framework for the purpose of improving cross-sector coordination and implementation of community development initiatives. The policy also aims to institutionalize a better process of monitoring and evaluation to ensure better evidence-based policy-making. 

2 Vision, Mission, Scope and Objectives of the Community Development Policy: Community Development Policy aims to mobilize and empower the Afghan community to exercise its powers in decision making in order to promote its development, commensurate with the progress of decentralization. The policy, among other things, takes into account the challenges the community is still confronted with extreme poverty, illiteracy, environmental degradation, widespread use of traditional farming methods, a culture of deference to authority and weak collaboration which all constrain development. 

2.1 Vision and Mission In this policy, the ACRRO envisages a community that is organized, self-motivated, hardworking, forward-looking, and has the ability to exploit local potential with innovations geared toward sustainable development. The mission of Community Development Policy remains to “ensure effective and sustainable participation of the community in its own development, in order to achieve poverty reduction and self reliance based on the sustainable use of available resources”. 

2.2 Scope and objectives Community Development is essentially about building the capacity of the community to solve its own problems. The objectives of community development are thus defined multi-dimensionally, embracing the three inter-linked spheres of development: economic, social and agriculture as outlined in the table below. 

Key Community Development objectives Examples of activities and outputs ;

Economic Development Individual and community promotion of commerce and income generation Building community/shared productive assets; manpower, natural resources, infrastructure Co-operative income generation – agriculture and off-farm activity plus access and accountability of finance Community engagement in ecosystem rehabilitation and conservation 

Social Development Community access, maintenance and monitoring of health and education services Community access and participation in sports Community access and participation in cultural events Community access and participation in spiritual development Community access and participation in social welfare assistance / responsibility (in kind or cash) for vulnerable citizens 

Good Governance Community leadership and engagement in leadership development Community participation in monitoring and evaluation of service Community participation in monitoring and evaluation of service delivery, utilization of public resources and service delivery innovation Community participation in assuring internal security 

The policy provides a framework that is relevant and adaptable for both rural and urban communities. Implementation Framework for the Community Development Policy This chapter is divided into two sections. The first outlines some guiding principles for Community Development and demonstrates how different processes and programs contribute to achieving the economic and social objectives of the policy. The second articulates the organizational and legal framework for implementation of the policy and contributing programs. 

3.1 Principles guiding the implementation of Community Development The guiding principles for the Community Development Policy include: Community participation: Local communities hold the key to sustainable development. They have the capacity to take charge of their own development and hence their effective participation is indispensable. Common benefit: Communities should invest in projects which are productive and beneficial to a large proportion of the public employment and contribute to the improvement of the lives of the most deprived. Exploitation of local potential: Communities should first deploy locally available socio-economic and cultural resources, including mobilization of capital and savings to solve their problems, and seek external resources to build on these and fill the gaps where necessary. Enhancing a culture of transparency and accountability: Active oversight of all development programs by communities at various levels. Autonomous management at local government level: Local governments need to be given the space they need to manage their own community development programs within the national frameworks. Further fiscal decentralization, including enhancing local tax collection will facilitate this process. The role of partners should be complementary and aimed at empowerment, guidance, follow up and harmonization of procedures. Promotion of Commerce: Income poverty afflicts much of Afghan society. Therefore promoting a culture of commerce and encouraging commercial activity individually or collectively at the community level is a core principal of the community development policy. Collaboration between sectors and partners: This will promote efficient integrated community development. 

3.2 Community Development Processes Community development draws on the traditions, norms and rules that underpin how people relate with one other, these are further explained in the paragraphs below. 

3.2.1 Social Mobilization: The process creates opportunities for people at the community level to interact with one another, share views and create institutions of their own which assign duties, benefits, responsibility and authority. The role of ACRRO in the process is as an enabler (not as a patron), providing an environment for the socio-cultural rights and obligations of citizens towards one another to be reinforced. The process puts into operation the principles of citizens’ participation through local collective action and seeks to strengthen democratic processes and governance starting from the people’s aspirations, abilities and traditions. 

3.2.2 The process involves trained facilitators assisting the community to do the following:  Determine household poverty profile as they themselves perceive it;  Examine / determine the causes of poverty and its consequences;  Draw up the social map – i.e. names of the heads of households, their social categories, the development infrastructure, materials of each house etc.;  Identify and analyze the problems facing the community and determine priority problems to be addressed first;  Plan the activities and resources required to address the prioritized problems;  Put in place a system to manage the identified collective action(s);  Submit action plans to evaluate whether the retained strategies are the best to solve identified problems;  Elect the management committee which will approve the execution of projects earmarked for collective action; 

3.2.3 Data on the all the problems identified and prioritized, solutions proposed and outcomes are aggregated at cell, sector and district level and used to inform wider Government interventions for community development and for lesson learning. 

3.2.5 The Social Mobilization process facilitates a range of other community processes and services at the community level. These include:  Mediators – who voluntarily work to improve community self-governance by resolving disputes and conflicts? Education fund – community contribution to education for destitute children.  Extension services – community support for good farming practices – agriculture and livestock development. 

4.1 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework M&E of the Community Development Policy will align with the calendar and mechanisms put in place for specific programs at the community level and community level contributions to district and national level when carrying out M&E for community development program. The objectives of the M&E framework for the Community Development Policy are to:  

Engage the communities in monitoring and evaluating their own development;  

Enhance community results-based management;  

Ensure all the dimensions of community development are being addressed;  

Share lessons learned with key community development and decentralization stakeholders;  

Progressively monitor sustainability of achieved outputs. 

They will analyses the data on a regular basis, annually and with the participation of community members and structures and the District Council. The analysis will be central to formulate measures to remedy any areas falling short of delivering on the policy objectives. They will analyses the data on a regular basis, annually and with the participation of community members and structures and the all programs. The analysis will be central to formulate measures to remedy any areas falling short of delivering on the policy objectives. 

1.1 Purpose 

The purpose of the Personnel Policy is to set down the policies, conditions, rights and obligations of ACRRO employees subject to their performing of the duties and responsibilities in their respective job descriptions. From the time of contract, each employee will have access to this policy, so that he/she can adhere to it with full knowledge and information. The policies described below may at any time be subject to modification if the Board of Members of ACRRO deems it necessary. In such cases, employees will be fully informed of the changes made. 

1.2 Categories of Personnel 

All personnel working for ACRRO are classified into following types:

1.2.1 Employees 

Employees designate salaried individuals are given ongoing assignments, either part-time or fulltime, and are paid on monthly basis. They will be contracted on yearly basis subject to periodic evaluations and performance assessments. They will have the responsibility towards the day to day functioning and/or in any one of more ongoing/prospective projects of the organization. All the employees of the organization are classified into Management Category, Professional Category and Support Categories. 

1.2.2 Consultants 

Consultants are professional experts hired by ACRRO on short-term basis only for the completion of specific tasks and assignments related to NGO or one or more of its projects. Separate and limited contracts, defining their job description, timeline, deliverables, reporting procedures and payment details will be issued to consultants. They will be paid on daily/monthly/weekly basis depending upon the nature of their assignment. They will not be considered as full-time or part-time employees of the organization. 

1.3 Personnel Files 

The Organization maintains personal files for each employee. Personnel File are maintained for each employee of ACRRO Organization. These personnel files contain confidential documents and are managed and maintained by Human Resources staff 

1.3.1 Personal Records: ACRRO maintains personal records of all employees. During appointment of the employee the photo copies of qualifications and experience are collected along with their joining report and they will be kept in their files. 

1.4. JOB DESCRIPTION 

The Human Resource Generalist manages the day-to-day operations of the Human Resource office. The HR Generalist manages the administration of the human resources policies, procedures and programs. The HR Generalist curries out responsibilities in the following functional areas: departmental development, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), employee relations, training and development, benefits, organizational development. And employment. The Human Resources generalist is responsible for all or part of these areas: Recruiting and staffing logistics, organizational and space planning performance management and Improvement systems, organization development, employment and compliance to regulatory concerns and Reporting, employee orientation, development and training, employee relations, employee safety, welfare, wellness and health, Employee services and counseling. The Human Resources Generalist originates and leads Human Resources practices and objectives that will provide an employee- oriented. High performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality. Productivity and standards, goal attainment, recruitment and ongoing development of a superior workforce. The Human Resources Generalist coordinates implementation of services, policies, and programs through Human Resources staff: reports to the Human Resources Director and assists and advices the organization about I Human Resources issues. 

1.5. Job Candidate Evaluation Form 

This form enables our staff members, who are participating in the interview process with ii candidate, to assess the individual's qualifications. I he format provides a method for comparing the interviewers' impressions of various candidates. The questions also provide guidance about the type of skills mid potential contributions the interviewers should be assessing in each candidate they interview. This format allows us to customize the questionnaire with any additional assessments which are necessary for the pertinent position. Over time, we will develop customized questions for every position you commonly fill. Even in the short term, provide some guidance to the managers and other interviewers about which questions each interviewer is responsible for asking. As an example, when recruiting ORW. the selection committee should have the responsibility to assess the individual's ability, his or her aggressiveness, and other specific work requirements. The Human Resources Director may want to assess the candidate's cultural fit with both questions and observations about how the candidate treated staff. A peer will want to know HOW the candidate works in a team environment, how the candidate handles rejection, how the candidate gels leads and how me person might fit as a coworker. By sharing questions and responsibility across interviewers, we will learn more about the candidate, discover whether the candidate "fits" for the organization.

1.6. Appointment Letter and Staff Orientation 

1.6.1 Appointment Letter 

Any personnel employed with NGO will be issued an appointment letter prior to his/her employment by NGO. The appointment letter will officially announce his/her position within the organization, the place of assignment and the effective date of employment. The appointment letter will carry annexes, specifying the employee’s job description, terms of reference, salary and benefits and other relevant terms of employment. 

1.6.2 Probationary Period 

A probation period of three months shall apply to all new employees from the date of hire. Exceptionally, the probation period may be extended to six months. In case, if a new employee fails to perform in accordance to expectations of NGO staff/board, he/she will be given a notice, terminating the contract at the end of the probationary period. 

1.6.3 Staff orientation 

All new employees will get an orientation about the organization’s mission and strategies, its structure and the staff within it, the policies and conditions of employment, the internal rules and regulations, etc. 

1.6.4 Remuneration 

ACRRO believes in attracting and retaining a qualified and effective workforce through a system of payment that is both appealing and fair. All employees ACRRO are entitled to salary, depending upon their skills, qualification, experience and as per the guidelines of funding agencies. Salary will be mentioned in the appointment letter. 

1.6.5 Working Days and Hours 

1.6.5.1 Working Days 

ACRRO will follow a 6 days a week working schedule from Monday to Saturdays and Sunday considered non-working day. Unless otherwise specified, NGO will observe the same public holidays as those prescribed by the Government not exceeding 12 days a year. The President will prepare a calendar of public holidays not exceeding 12 calendar days at the beginning of each fiscal year and circulate it to all staff. 

1.6.5.2 Office Hours 

The office shall open from 09.30 am in the morning till 05.30 in the evening. All employees are expected to complete 8 working hours daily. There will be one hour lunch-break 

1.7 Travel Rules & Regulations 

1.7.1 Travel 

Staff members may be asked to travel away from their usual workplaces on authorized missions. The policy on payment of travel allowances adopted NGO applies to all employees regardless of job category or status. It also applies to the consultants, when mentioned in their agreement. After reimbursable expenses are made, the person making an expense claim shall use the appropriate forms available. The expenses will not be reimbursed if proper justifying documents (original receipts) are not attached except for per diem. Eligible expenses include: 

1.7.2 Mode of Transport 

ACRRO will pay only surface transport as far as possible, i.e. Train/bus. If any individual is using personal vehicle for NGO related work, they can be reimbursed the actual fuel cost based upon the mileage. Some maintenance will also be awarded if required. However, the private transport must be shared by more than one NGO member or employee. 

1.7 Leave and Holidays 

1.7.1 Leave All employees of NGO are entitled to 12 working days off as paid leave per year. This leave is accrued monthly at the rate of 1.5 working days. 

1.7.2 Holidays 

All employees are entitled to 12 days of paid leave due to public holidays. Public holidays are specified in advance by the President in consultation with staff members. Employees who are required to work on public holidays are entitled to compensatory day off. NGO will keep records of number of hours/days worked by its employees on public holidays. Request for compensatory leave shall be substantiated with this record and approved in advance by the President. 

1.8. Absences 

(1) An employee who is unable to come to the office is required to notify the office of the reason for his/her absence. 

(2) Unauthorized absences are grounds for disciplinary action. The following procedures shall apply: 

I. An employee that has been absent for two consecutive working days without notice nor explanation shall be personally sought of by the President. He/she shall be asked to put in writing the reason(s) for his/her absence. 

ii. If, after seven consecutive days of absence, the employee continues to fail to give any explanation of the cause of his/her absence, the employee will be considered to have resigned from his/her position 

iii. In cases where the employee cannot give any satisfactory answer to the cause of his/her absences, in the judgment of the President, the employee may be subjected to disciplinary action. 

1.9 Staff Movement 

(1) Assignments and Transfers According to project needs, any employee can be transferred temporarily or permanently to any location where NGO conducts its activities. A permanent transfer to a new place of work that includes a new job mandate shall result in a contract renewal. 

(2) Interim positions and promotions An employee may be called on to temporarily perform a job in a higher category. That does not automatically give him the right to the salary and benefits of this position. However, after a reasonable amount of time, NGO shall reclassify the employee in the category of the new job or return him/her to his/her former duties. An employee who receives a promotion can be required to complete a trial period in the new position. If the trial period is successfully concluded, the employee will be reclassified in the new job category and at a salary scale level higher than his former position. If the trial period is not satisfactorily completed, the employee will be reinstated in a position at the same level as his former position. 

1.10. DISCIPLINE (Progressive Discipline) 

Progressive discipline is a process for dealing with job-related behavior that does not meet expected and communicated performance standards. The primary purpose for progressive discipline is to assist the employee to understand that a performance problem or opportunity for improvement exists. The process features increasingly formal efforts to provide feedback to the employee so that he or she can correct the problem. The goal of progressive discipline is to improve employee performance. The process of progressive discipline is not intended as a punishment for an employee, but to assist the employee to overcome performance problems and satisfy job expectations. Progressive discipline is most successful when it assists an individual to become an effectively performing member of the organization. Failing that, progressive discipline enables the organization to fairly, and with substantial documentation, terminate the employment of employees who are ineffective and unwilling to improve, Typical steps in a progressive discipline system may include these. Counseling the employee about performance and ascertain his or her understanding of requirements. Ascertain whether there are any issues contributing to the poor performance that are not immediately obvious to the supervisor. These issues are solved, if possible. The employee will be verbally reprimanded for poor performance. Written warning will be given to the employee, in an effort to improve employee performance. Providing an escalating number of days in which the employee is suspended from work. Start with one day and escalate to five. Ending the employment of an individual who refuses to improve. 

1.11. Employees Termination 

1.11.1 Conditions for Termination Employees shall lose their jobs under any of the following conditions. 

(1) Voluntary Resignation i. Personnel wishing to resign from post may do so by giving a resignation letter to the Executive Director stating the reasons for resignation and effective date of the same. Three months of prior notice is required for such resignations. 

ii. The date in which the resignation letter is received at the NGO office is considered the date on which notice of resignation is given. Failure to provide sufficient notice may be ground for forfeiture of all accrued employee benefits. The employee will be relived If anybody gets Government job, any other job for which they get more salary than what they are drawing now, If the health condition will not permit to work and on production of medical certificate, any other genuine cause the organization believes, if get married not willing to work. If they will not full fill the above conditions the employees will be relieved after repaying two months of salary to the organization. 

(2) Redundancy of the Position Depending on the nature and volume of its operation, NGO may declare certain positions redundant. Persons occupying those positions will therefore be forced to be separated from NGO with proper notice. While doing so, NGO will give at least 2 months’ notice in advance. 

(3) Termination with Cause Grounds for employee termination are the following:  

-Continuing inefficiency and gross negligence of duty.  

-Fund embezzlement.  

-Misuse of office equipment, and other properties.  

-Repeated unauthorized absences and leaves .

-Intoxication while on official business or within office premises.

-Unauthorized disclosure of official information. 

2.1. Fund Receipt 

2.1.1 Sources of Funds 

ACRRO receives funds from the following sources:  

Project fund.  Membership fees.  Income from short term professional services and consultancy assignments undertaken by NGO.  Grants Donations received from philanthropic organizations and  Individuals.  Grants received from Government 

2.1.2 NGO Core Fund The following are identified as ACRRO core programmer: 

A. NGO’s administrative expenses (house rent, utilities, administrative officer, and peon). Any programmer coming to NGO must allocate some funds to support this core programmer. 

2.1.3 Signatories to Check Books The President of ACRRO, its Treasurer will be signatory to NGO’s checks. Money can be released by the signatures of two signatories. 

2.1.4 Types of Accounts The following three types of accounts will be maintained by ACRRO: 

(i) Central Account All income accrued to NGO will be deposited in the Central Account. The President, and Treasurer are authorized to operate the bank account. Two signatures of these officials will be required for fund disbursement. 

(ii) Savings Account NGO will keep fixed deposit savings account for its trust fund. 

(iii) Petty Cash Fund A petty cash fund is kept to cover payments not exceeding Rs.5000. The Accountant/Office Administrator will handle this account and is to be liquidated every two weeks. The President and/or Treasurer will ensure proper handling of petty cash fund through surprise checks from time to time. 

(iv)FCRA Account All the foreign contribution will be deposited in this account. The President and Treasurers are authorized to operate the bank account. Separate program wise accounts are maintained. 

2.2. Fund Disbursement All payments be made either by check or cash. 

2.2.1 Payment by Check Crossed checks will be issued for all the payments 

(i) Payment for Purchases Payment against purchases exceeding 1000 shall be made by check. Payments for Staff Salaries  Payment Calendar Staff salaries are paid within seven days following the completion of the month. Single bank statement and single check will be sent to the bank with the name and account numbers of staff members for depositing their salary in their respective accounts or if a Individual are not having bank account they will be issued individual checks.  

ii. Staff payroll Staff payroll (salary sheet) is prepared by the Accountant as the basis of payment. The staff payroll contains information on the employees’ basic salary for the month, allowances if any, deductions and net salary payable. The staff payroll is checked by the Treasurer and approved for payment by the President.  Advance Pay Advance payment will not be given to the NGO’s employees. For travel purposes, NGO employees shall be given cash advances for expenses covered on official trips. Request for cash advances is prepared by the personnel concerned, recommended by the Treasurer or Project Director and is approved by the President. All cash advances for travel are to be liquidated within a week following the completion of the trip.  Tax Deduction at Source NGO will deduct tax at source where applicable as per Government rules.  

v. Professional Tax deduction Registered with Government for the deduction of professional tax. Renewing registration every year. Professional Tax deducted from the staff and paying to commercial tax department. 

b. Payment for Contractual Services Payment for contractual services is done through check disbursements. The schedule of payment depends on the Terms of Reference (TOR) agreed upon by the personnel concerned and NGO. Payments are covered by a Request for Payment Form prepared by the accountant and approved by the President. 

2.2.2 Procedures for Fund Disbursements 

• All requests for payments are to be made using the appropriate forms. 

• Requests for payments are to be properly substantiated with bills/receipts and essential documents. 

• Requests for payments are prepared by accountant and submitted to the President for checking and approval. 

2.3. Book Keeping and Recording 

2.3.1 Book Keeping The recording system of ACRRO financial transactions allows to monitor bank balances, status of funds receipts and expenditures, and a comparative statement of budget vs. actual expenditure on a regular basis. NGO will maintain records of fixed assets, petty cash disbursements, supplies, inventory, the use and maintenance of office equipment. 

2.3.2 Accounting The following sets of financial reports will be prepared by ACRRO: 

A. Quarterly financial reports will be prepared for review by each Individual project manager of NGO’s specific projects as well as of its core activities. This quarterly report will be reviewed by the Board of NGO. Financial reports to donors will be submitted as prescribed in the agreement between donors and NGO. 

B. Annual Balance Sheet and Statement of Income and expenditures will prepared for each financial year. C. Separate Annual balance sheet and statement of Income and expenditures will be prepared for the foreign contributions. 

2.4. Auditing Books of Accounts of NGO shall be audited annually by an independent auditor appointed by the General Body. NGO may hire internal auditor in order to streamline its accounting systems and procedures. 

2.5. Formation of Committees The following committees are constituted for different program activities:

i. Program Committee 

ii. Financial Committee 

iii. Purchase Committee 

4.1. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to control and reduce the communication cost in an effective way. Telephones are the most convenient and fastest mode of communication but for long distance communication, they are expensive. There are other modes for fast communication such as courier, fax or e-mail. And out of these, e-mail is fast and more affordable. NGO prefers to use e-mail for out of station correspondence to reduce the communication costs. Telephones can be used for local calls and in emergency for national & international long distance calls. Internet service at the office can be used to download and send email and to conduct work-related research. 

4.2. Guidelines ACRRO provides the following guidelines to its staff to control telephone use. 

a. Telephone users are requested to keep their conversations short in order to keep the cost down and to keep the lines open for other people in and outside the office that need to use the telephone. 

b. In general, employees should avoid using phones for non-official calls and are encouraged to use STD/ISD facilities available outside the office. However, the non-official calls will be billed to employees at prevailing rates. To keep track of such calls, a record sheet is provided to each employee working in the office in order to make it easier to remember to record the long distance calls (STD / ISD). All long distance calls should be recorded on this sheet along with all required information and submit to the finance division each month. 

c. In order to minimize communication costs as much as possible, email should be used rather than fax or direct long distance calls. 

d. Copies of all in-coming and out-going official communications (Fax, letters sent or received) should be filed. The employees sending / receiving important e-mails should be responsible to print and file such e-mails. A copy should go in the central file system. 

e. Efforts should also be made to keep fax messages short and to send long documents by fax only in urgent cases. 

f. Regarding international phone calls, the need for the official call should be discussed verbally with the President, unless exceptional circumstances make this impractical. 

6.1. Purpose The purchase of goods and services is necessary for the smooth operation of the organization. The aim of the internal control system for the supplying of goods and services is to ensure orders are handled by individuals having skills in evaluating what purchases are required from suppliers offering the best deals, to ensure purchases made do not exceed the budget provided and to ensure purchased goods and services conform with the quantity and price specified in the order. 

6.2. Methodology ACRRO shall follow certain methods in purchasing goods, equipment and services required for the needs of the organization or its projects. Use of competitive bidding shall be a priority practice. The first criterion in choosing a supplier shall be the lowest bid. However, if a supplier does not provide the required level of service or an adequate guarantee, then other criteria shall also be considered. NGO shall specify in the purchase file the reasons the lowest bid was not chosen. 

-For purchases of single item up to AFG: 10000/-, Quotation is not required. 

-For the purchase of more than one item up to AFG 20000/- quotation is not required 

-For the Purchase of item above AFG: 20000/- to 5 00000/- Three quotation are required. 

-The purchase file shall contain all the documents pertaining to each transaction, i.e. the purchase requisition, quotations, contact information of suppliers purchase contracts or orders, invoices, delivery slips and any other pertinent documents. 

6.3. Purchases Employees making purchases as part of the project activity or organizational work shall follow these mechanisms: 

a. Requisition form The employee requesting a purchase fills this form, has it approved by the President and sends it to finance division. 

b. Order form The finance division issues the order form, after it is signed by the President. The concerned employee or the finance division will make the purchase successful on the basis of the order form. 

c. Delivery slip After the purchase has been made, a delivery slip will be issued by the finance division for the supplier, who will sign it and give it back to the finance division. 

7.1. Elements of the Performance Evaluation System performance evaluation system is composed of three main stages that generally take place over a period of a year: 

7.1.1. Performance planning The performance planning stage enables employees and supervisors to come to an agreement on what is to be accomplished during the year and how it will be carried out. The following procedures and tools are used to facilitate this stage: 

a) Job description or list of duties Each employee must have an up-to-date job description defining the purpose of the work and the responsibilities involved. 

b) Setting of objectives For each key responsibility associated with a position, at least one objective should be established for a particular period. The objectives should be clear and quantifiable, and the assessment criteria should be mentioned. c) Individual action plan The individual action plan is a planning tool used to specify the steps to be taken to achieve the objectives set beforehand. The action plan should be prepared jointly with the immediate supervisor. It may also involve new initiatives facilitating improved productivity or personal capacity development. 

7.2. Performance Monitoring and Management Staff performance and productivity should be managed on an on- going basis throughout the year. The following elements among others are involved. 

a) On-going Supervision This means taking the time to observe, examine sources of difficulty and seek solutions. 

b) Regular Communication This involves regular exchanges so that employees can receive feedback about their performance and receive the necessary supervision. 

c) Periodic Evaluation This involves formal, scheduled meetings between an employee and supervisor to discuss activities carried out, end results and the adjustment of the action plan and objectives, if necessary. A minimum of one meeting every six months is suggested to ensure satisfactory results. 

7.3. Annual Performance Evaluation: The annual performance evaluation is the analysis, based on documentation from previous stages of the process, of an employee’s work record. The evaluation addresses two fundamental questions. The first relates to the past and involves verifying what was accomplished qualitatively and quantitatively during the year. The second relates to the future and consists of identifying means to be considered to ensure the employee continues to grow and develop. The performance evaluation form should include all the sections needed for the evaluation. This includes a section relating to performance evaluation in relation to the objectives established at the outset and in relation to the responsibilities of the position, a section that specifies or targets what is needed for the employee’s development and finally a section allowing the employee and the evaluator to express their comments and affix their respective signatures. The form should also include a performance level classification and a definition of each of these levels. The annual performance evaluation does not have any financial impact on salaries. It is first and foremost a tool to evaluate the employee’s performance and take remedial action if necessary. 

7.4. Bond: As part of the staff and organizational development activities, ACRRO may at times decide to send a designated staff person for trainings and/or further studies both abroad as well as at local level. NGO will bear the full/partial costs of the trainings/studies for this. However, the designated staff sponsored for the trainings/studies is required to sign a bond with NGO that requires him/her to complete the full tenure of working with the organization.