Should politics and travel mix? Having recently read Rick Steves Travel as a Political Act **, if traveling to enrich the mind and spirit, it’s inevitable politics will play some role. For me, travel isn’t always about sleeping in lush beds and lounging by pools sipping cocktails (although that’s nice). It’s about experiencing, broadening my horizons, and making connections with people which is part of the reason I traveled to Kabul in March 2006. And traveling to a war-torn country means politics will play a role.
An opportunity with Global Exchange came about to visit Kabul** and reading The Kite Runner inspired me to see firsthand what was happening. A blog was kept at QKG’s Afghanistan during my journey. Sometimes I’m still amazed I made the journey especially with daily reports of intensifying violence and casualties.
Immediately below is a slide show of Afghanistan’s youth and her future. Nearly four years later, I wonder what these young people are doing. Morbidly, I wonder if they are still alive.
And below the slide show is an article I wrote for the Tallahassee paper Apalachee Tortoise for the February 2007 issue. A common message I heard during my journey was, “We have been forgotten.” Afghans were thankful the U.S. entered in 2001 however they felt abandoned because most troops were soon deployed to Iraq and the job was not finished. Bringing in more troops should (in theory) finish what the U.S. started.
So yes, I’m happy President Obama is sending more troops into Afghanistan, I just hope it’s not too late.
Empowering Women is Key to Afghanistan’s Reconstruction
Feb. 2007
“Afghanistan will haunt you.” When these words were repeated during my 10-day visit to Kabul, I didn’t understand the meaning. A year later, I still struggle to comprehend the trip as images of Afghanistan haunt me.
I’m not in the military nor do I work for the government. I’m an average American citizen believing in an equitable global community. Opportunity led me on a small delegation to learn how women are making change in a post-Taliban society last March. Global Exchange, a human rights group, coordinated the trip.
Upon returning home, I see my world differently and relate it to my Afghanistan experience. Most memories are triggered upon seeing American teenagers and knowing they have optimistic futures.
I recall the day visiting a school supported by Afghans4Tomorrow. Someone believing girls should not attend school attempted to burn it down a month prior. Walking the scorched hallway to distribute books, Dr. Roshanak Wardak, Provincial Governor of Wardak, proclaimed, “If they try to burn my school down 100 times, I will rebuild it 101 times.”
Excitement was in the air when we reached a classroom. Girls crowded around us to receive their brand new textbooks. Their eyes were bright and smiles wide.
This scene would have not played out between 1996 and 2001 while the Taliban were in power. During that time, women were forbidden to work and could not be seen. Girls could not be educated. The Taliban mandated women to wear burqas, a large, shapeless covering hiding the entire body. A narrow webbed area provides limited vision. Women were publicly beaten if they exposed any part of their skin, even an ankle.
Afghanistan’s government has launched a plan to advance the status of women and education is the key to the country’s success. The Taliban relied on ignorance and illiteracy to remain powerful. They misused the Qur’an to enforce laws, saying it mandated women to be hidden. With most of the country illiterate, not many could challenge what they were told.
Educated women successfully challenged the Taliban. While sitting on her cousin’s living room floor, Wardak said, “I told them [Taliban], show me where it says in the Qur’an I need to wear a burqa. I will wear seven burqas if you can show me.” Respecting Islam, the only covering she wore was a head scarf and claims never wearing a burqa.
Five years following the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and billions of dollars later, the country’s women continue to be among the worst off in the world. The literacy rate of Afghan women is 14 percent. Forty percent of Afghanistan’s girls attend school and most drop out. The average age of an Afghan bride is 14 years old. Life expectancy of an Afghan woman is 42 years old.* According to the Afghanistan Human Rights Organization, current issues affecting women are forced marriages and domestic violence.
Empowerment evolves from education. I witnessed an example of education’s success at the Oasis Salon, owned by Debbie Rodriguez, an American woman who ended up in Kabul during the U.S.-led war. She and other Westerners founded the Beauty School of Kabul.**
The Beauty School is supported by fundraising and donations throughout the world. Each student (women only) attends the school for three months on a full-scholarship. Upon graduation, she receives a kit with the tools she needs to work. Students and graduates train and work at Debbie’s salon.
It may seem frivolous to care about hairstyles while the wore-torn country is struggling to survive, but a hairdresser makes cash gratuities. Her husband does not know how much money she is earning. As a result, husbands have learned if they want the money, they need to respect their wives.
The Taliban are no longer in power and women are no longer required by law to wear a burqa, yet, Kabul’s dusty streets are dotted with blue, flowing burqas. A memento of my trip is a used burqa. I hope it belonged to a woman who was confident to live without it, akin to the women of the 1960s burning their bras.
I pass along a message from the people of Kabul. They asked me to share this with you and our government: “We don’t want to be forgotten.” I ask, will you forget?
Ways to help:
Several organizations assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, these three mentioned in the article:
Afghans4Tomorrw: A non-political, non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan. Builds and supports schools to educate girls. Most girls missed out on education during the Taliban and it is common to see an 18-year-old girl in a first grade class.
Beauty School of Kabul: Empower a young woman through sponsorship.
Global Exchange: Participate in a delegation to Afghanistan.
*Statistics from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs
**FTC Disclosure: Selecting hyperlinks indicated with “**” results in revenue.
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