July 8, 2009
i have started a non-profit organization. it is called 'dollar-a-day' and has its own website: click here!
i have decided to launch this site as a first step in formalizing my work in Faryab. while my main focus in the coming 14 months will be completing my PhD, i will continue to engage with Ahmadabad and hopefully other villages, using donated funds to strategize with Afghans to address the root causes of vulnerability in this region. i am planning to raise more funds to undertake more of this important work in Faryab in the coming years.
my blog posts from this page, for the time being, will be listed on the new dollar-a-day site. from there you can conveniently subscribe to an RSS feed.
the 'chipin' widget is still available on the new dollar-a-day site under the 'take action' tab, so you can continue to donate funds in this manner. my Kabul Bank details are also available upon request.
so, i ask you to continue working with me on this journey in the coming months and years. your support, financial and otherwise, has been immensely meaningful. let's keep it going!
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Update: June 7, 2009
The well has been assembled. The final depth is 34 meters with 13 meters of water. It was at 39 meters last week, but because the gravel hadn't been collected by the village on time, the last 14 meters or so collapsed and had to be re-dug. The deepest we could go upon re-digging was 34 meters. But this should be fine and provide water for many years to come.
The apron will be constructed by a local mason and, with any luck, water should be flowing in about a week from now. Unfortunately I won't be able to see it first hand as I am leaving for Mazar and Kabul tomorrow.
Photo 1: Group effort to install the rods.
Photo 2: The well assembled with just the apron remaining to be constructed.
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Update: June 1, 2009
Things are moving along swiftly. I delivered the well materials to Ahmadabad on Saturday. All materials were provided free of charge from the Faryab Department of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. According to my calculations, RRD's support has a minmum monetary value of $360. Though they provided us with a handpump, I found it to be a bit old, and so decided to purchase a new one of very good quality for $120. This includes a one-year guarantee in writing by the shopkeeper against any damage or malfunction. The old handpump can be kept in the village as a backup should the new one break or need replacing.
The well casing is being installed today, along with part of the handpump. The piping, rods and rest of the handpump will be installed on Wednesday. An apron and drainage system will be constructed over 2-3 days, possibly complete by early next week.
Garden irrigation:
I visited Ahmadabad on Saturday to deliver the well materials and took the opportunity to check out how the new engine pump and piping is being used in the gardens. On Friday about 10 household gardens were watered using this system and all appears to be working quite well. I was impressed with the quality of the piping and the pump itself.
Photo 1: Boys in the village with the materials we carried from RRD in Maimana along with the new handpump.
Photo 2:
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Second update for today:
Great news! The well's water is sweet!! This is a triumph! The men tasted it this morning (after lowering a glass down the shaft, taking some water from the depths and letting it settle in the glass overnight), and were delighted to find that it was not salty. So this is drinking water they can use! When the well is complete we will have a bottle of it tested in Maimana.
But today is a day for celebrating...I wish you all could have seen the smile Mahmah Sahdiq's face as he told me the good news this morning.
Also, Mahmah Sahdiq purchased the materials for the irrigation system today and is carrying them back to Ahmadabad this afternoon. On Saturday we will see how it is working. The total cost of the irrigation system was US$538...more than expected, but still worthwhile as the piping and pump are of the highest quality was purchased. Also, a friend of mine here in Maimana gave news of he and his family's kind donation, so this expenditure will not dig too much into the funds planned for the animal husbandry project. I am pleased that we were able to react quickly and effectively to a pressing need that arose from recent events, and am confident that this irrigation system will continue to serve the women and men in the village for years to come.
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Update: May 28, 2009
Water! The well is now 29 meters deep and has struck water. So much water that it keeps rising inside the hole. The contractor is relatively confident it is good water, but some men were going to test it last night and this morning. The digging is becoming more difficult and the contractor does not think he needs to go much deeper due to the volume of water coming in. So, all seems fine, and hopefully by this weekend we can send the materials out and get this well running...
Another development: The severe flooding from a few weeks ago destroyed one of the main streams running through the village with the result that now more than half of the households cannot irrigate their gardens. This is crucial as now is key cultivation time--two weeks from now it will be much too late to start productive gardens. So, some of the men spoke about pumping water uphill to the gardens of those households who were using the stream. They need an engine-driven water pump and approximately 150 meters of 3-inch pipe. Obviously the household gardens are of great importance, not least for family nutrition, so I jumped into action and requested that the men come to Maimana for the next bazaar day and get 3 different quotations for the material they need. If the price is reasonable (should be US$250-300), then we'll go ahead and do this--I can provide them the funds on the spot and they can carry the materials back with them immediately and get those gardens irrigated.
Photo 1: The well-digging machine.
Photo 2:
A household garden prepared but sitting dry as no water can be directed to it as the irrigation stream has been destroyed and is under repair.
Photo 3: The lower stream from which they will pump water uphill to the household gardens.
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Update: May 24, 2009
Today's news: The drilling is ongoing and current sits at 22 meters. No problems encountered so far. I plan to travel there on Wednesday, and by that point they should have hit water of some sort...
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Update: May 19, 2009
A very kind engineer did us a big favour and stopped by Ahmadabad yesterday on his way to monitor some work in another village. The drilling machine has arrived and is set up--work was to start either today or tomorrow.
Here is a peek:
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Update: May 16, 2009
Today the well-drilling machine was due to arrive in Ahmadabad. The contractor came by to explain that he will transport it today or tomorrow, and upon hearing this some men in the village worked to take down part of the wall in order to enable access to the well site from the small road (photo below). I intend to return to Ahmadabad within the next 5 days to see how the work is going, and I will request an engineer to go and monitor the progress at least twice during the drilling process.
My female research assitant and I had a very interesting conversation with a group of about 15 women and young girls about basic hygiene and water sanitation. As many explained their children were often ill with diarrhea, we discussed the best ways to prevent diarrhea (hand washing (with soap) before eating or feeding children and after using the toilet; covering food; boiling water before drinking; keeping water clean in covered containers). We also discussed some effective methods to treat diarrhea (homemade oral rehydration salts, drinking water from boiled rice, and eating yogurt). This was not new information to everyone and the conversation was quite open and interactive, involving both women and men. The premise here is that they will, inshahallah, soon have access to clean water. One of the main benefits to come of this, other than reducing the burden of water collection, is improving the health of the village, particularly the children who are more susceptible to the long-term impact of chronic diarrhea.
The solar panels are working well and everyone seems happy with them (photo below). I am slightly concerned about Hajji Ahmad taking one to his home for his own private use, but I will have a chat with him about that when I see him next. The idea is for the families to share them around, and perhaps Hajji Ahmad is just having his turn first...I will clarify.
The women are requesting goats and cows that they use use for milk and yogurt to feed their children. They also want to make money from animal husbandry. I really like this idea and they seem to have a good plan:
1. Get some goats;
2. Hire young shephard boy to bring them to the mountains during non-winter months for feeding;
3. Rotate use of milk among involved households;
4. Sell the new born males in the bazaar, keep the young females for future husbandry;
5. During winter months, rotate care of animals among involved households.
I would also add to this that they should have dedicated land for growing goat/cow feed (alfalfa, etc) so that they have a backup to the mountain plan.
Preliminary investigation reveals that a young calf can cost USD $250 and goats can range anywhere from USD $40 to $60.
Photo: The gap made in the wall to enable access to the well.
Photo: The highly acclaimed solar mats in use!
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Update: May 12, 2009
I made it out to Ahmadabad yesterday. It was truly great to be back and see everyone there again. However, most people did look a bit worse for wear. The heavy rains and a very large hailstorm has worn them down. The hail has destroyed most of their gardens, meaning they have to dig everything up and reseed. The elders say they have not seen a storm like this for 20 years. More than frustrating for people in the area, not only Ahmadabad, who have been praying for rain for years, only to have it arrive in such a devastating manner.
Some good news: I arrived in Ahmadabad with two 4.5 watt solar panels that I purchased while away. These technological marvels are designed for trekking--they are lightweight, flexible and very durable. They have a tiny current inverter installed in one corner and the whole mat rolls up into a 3-inch tube approximately 30cm long. They come with three different plug-in attachments: battery charging clamps, a multi-plug, and an insert for car chargers (ie., what you would insert in your car's cigarette lighter). Each solar mat will charge a mobile phone in about 1 hour, and a 12-volt battery can also be charged, as far as I understand. The men were pleased with this as they no longer have to travel to another village just to charge their phones. Also, they can charge batteries and thus have lights in their homes. While obviously not a complete solution to their lack of electricity, I am pleased that these solar mats can provide them with part of a solution at no cost to them.
I will provide photographs of the solar mats in use after my next trip there.
I finally had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with a group of 10-12 women and young girls from the village. My female research assistant came with me and we had some very interesting and productive discussions about potential livelihood activities. Without a doubt, however, their first priority is electricity. It will cost around USD $35,000 to provide solar power to each household--an amount that far exceeds my budget, obviously. Here, I have 2 options that I can see:
1. Raise the funds required to provide solar energy to all families (this option is riddled with problems, not the least of which will be technical).
2. Mobilize people in all villages along this main road to lobby the government to extend the power lines in this direction. There are at least 20 - 25 villages along this road which represent a minimum of 2000 - 2500 households, upwards of 15,000 individuals. It should certainly be in the government's interest to provide this basic service in this area (this option is also riddled with problems, not least of which will be political).
Photo: Alfalfa patch destryed by Saturday's hailstorm (may be hard to see, but the alfalfa should be much higher and growing straight up, not in a muddled mess as you see here).
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Update: May 10, 2009
Despite the best attempts, I have not yet made it back to Ahmadabad. The rains have been so heavy and so frequent that the river is impassable. I have made telephone contact with one of the elders, though, and they are aware that I have returned and am eager to get down to work.
Also, the provincial development authorities here have confirmed they will provide all the materials they can for the well and that they should be available any time.
The very good news: With the help of the provincial development authorities we have found a contractor who will dig the well for almost half the price of our other quotations. I have learned that the other contractors were taking us for a ride, despite seeming so charitable. It does indeed pay to have certain people in my network on contacts...
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Update: May 6, 2009
I'm back! And very happy to be so, I must say. My time away was enjoyable, but I immensely enjoy my life and work here in Maimana. I am spending the next day or so sorting out vehicles and interpreters and hope to head back out to Ahmadabad on Friday or Saturday.
I have returned bearing solar panels of a special sort--details to follow.
Stay tuned--many updates to follow!
In the meantime, enjoy some photos from our drive through green, green Faryab the other day (taken from a speeding Prado...):
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Update: March 28, 2009
We had another sunny day for a morning’s trip to Ahmadabad.
The agreement with the landowner was signed with six witnesses. A 30m2 area (5m x 6m) was demarcated by ash and a small ditch was carved out to indicated where the wall will be. The agreement stipulates that the landowner cannot, at any time, claim ownership over the well or any of its parts, nor can he at any time demand payment for water. The land and the well are for public use and must remain accessible to all people living in Ahmadabad at all times.
I brought two engineers with me today, both of whom have experience with wells in this part of the district. They think the selected site is good: not too close to the limestone hills (might not be salty) and not too close to the river (area will not flood). However, they suggested that I seek quotations from other contractors before signing anything. As highly recommended as this contractor comes, and as kind and professional as he has been thus far, I think seeking other quotations and potentially lowering the overall cost is a very wise move.
I may have been moving forward a touch hastily due to my desire to get the work started before I leave. The men in Ahmadabad agreed that this would be the best way. They say that have waited 50 years or more for drinking water—another month will not make any difference for them.
So, the work on the well will start in early May when I return. A bit disappointing, but we are all fine with this.
I am off to Kabul today, and am sad to be leaving Maimana, even if only for one month. That said, I am looking forward to a change of pace and scenery. A break of any sort is always welcome.
This two-month stay here has been excited and insightful, thanks largely to those of you who have provided feedback and support for this awareness- and fund-raising campaign. It has been a busy and challenging, but wholly worthwhile journey. I very much look forward to putting your donations to good use in the coming months…It will be a pleasant, if demanding, distraction from my ongoing PhD research…!
Photo 1: Enjoying the digital camera with the boys.
Photo 2: The view on the way from Ahmadabad to Maimana.
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Update: March 24, 2009
I had a great day. I headed out to Ahmadabad for almost the whole day, and I am pleased to provide you with some updates as well some photos below:
The well:
1. A site for the well has been decided upon! After much animated deliberation, the well will be drilled on private land that borders a quiet road in the village. Women will not have a problem accessing this site (ie., it is not on the main road or in front of the mosque), and it is centrally located for all households. It was agreed that the village would build a perimeter wall around the well, separating it from the privately-owned land. The landowner has agreed to provide the land for as long as the well has drinkable water, and we will draw up a document together that he will sign agreeing to free, communal and equitable access.
2. The contractor needs to be negotiated with to reduce his transportation costs which currently seem entirely unreasonable. I will work on this in the coming days with some of my engineer friends. The contractor’s brother came with us today and I must admit that he did not seem to have the enthusiasm his brother did when we met last week. I am sure this can all be worked out, and I am (perhaps overly) optimistic that I can have a contract signed by Sunday, the day I leave for Kabul.
Solar energy:
3. We decided to provide solar energy to the two mosques in the village while I seek funding to provide solar energy to each household. According to the information I have been provided by an NGO working on solar energy in another district, a household-level project of this type in Ahmadabad will cost over USD$33,000. Thus I need more time to find more funds, but this will feed into a larger, holistic vulnerability mitigation plan I am co-developing for and with Ahmadabad (more on that to come in another blog posting). Providing solar energy to the two mosques will enable the men to access electricity as they need it. There was even talk about sharing the solar panels around households from time to time. They assured me that they would do this in an entirely fair and equitable manner….we’ll see.
The main point is not necessarily that they will finally be able to charge their mobile phones within their own village (which is a legitimate concern given the ubiquity of mobile phones and their central role in communication within and between villages), but that they will have a chance to familiarize themselves with this solar technology before potentially introducing it to each household. This can be done for under USD$1000. Of course, there is a big discussion to be had here about how this plan entirely excludes women as they are not allowed in the mosques, but I’ll ask you to have confidence in my ability to ensure that women will indeed benefit from these inputs in the long term. They are eager for electricity in their homes, and I will do my best to see that this happens soon, one way or another (again, more to come later on the ‘wider plan’).
Livelihood strategies:
4. Over a delicious lunch of meat soup and hearty wholewheat bread (still warm from the tandoor), we had some very interesting discussions about long-term income generation. In the past several households kept livestock which provided them income from wool, milk and meat. Due to the drought which brought unsuitable grazing land and increasing fodder prices, all of the animals in the village were sold for very low prices. Even the two bulls featured in a previous blog post were sold soon after my visit last November. We were discussing how we could best revive animal husbandry as a livelihood activity so that it could benefit the village as a whole in the long term. More to come later on this as well….
Photo 1:
Measuring the site for the well.
Photo 2: Men and boys demarcating the site for the well (imagine they themselves are the perimeter wall, with the property owner in the center indicating the well itself).
Photo 3: Where we parked ourselves after lunch for more discussions.
Photo 4: Some of the young girls of Ahmadabad.
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Update: March 23, 2009
Good news: I have a private car and driver booked to take me and my interpreter to Ahmadabad at 08h30 tomorrow morning. The trip will cost $30, which is much lower than the going rate in the bazaar. Don't worry--these transportation costs will not come out of the donations you have so kindly provided!
I look forward to having more news (and hopefully photos) of progress to share with you all tomorrow afternoon or evening.
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Day 30:
Saal-e Naw Mubarak!
Last day…of both the 30-day campaign and the Persian Solar year 1387. I am eternally grateful that we can play a role in ensuring that 1388 is the beginning of a brighter future for a small number of Afghanistan’s vulnerable population.
Sincere thanks to those of you who have donated to the campaign. I am inspired by the generosity of those of you who have contributed—I wondered when I began this if I could raise even $1000. The positive response has been overwhelming to say the least. The total thus far is $2521.
The ChipIn widget will remain active until the end of March so that you can continue to donate over the next 10 days.
I had every plan laid to go to Ahmadabad today, but a logistical problem snuffed out that idea. This is a shame as the contractor was here, ready to go, I had my interpreter ready to go, and I was up and ready to hit the road at 8am. However, like so many things here, for some apparently inexplicable reason, we had neither vehicle nor driver to take us. This, despite arranging everything three days ago. Thus is life and work in Afghanistan. Even the best laid plans…
I hope to head out to Ahmadabad early this week, but may, unfortunately, have to pay a premium to hire a private vehicle to take me out there. Relying on the kindness of friends is putting a sever dent in the progress I can make during my time here. I am leaving the country for one month in under two weeks and want to get the well started before I go (I can than have an engineer oversee the work while I am gone). So I am trying to get out to Ahmadabad at least twice in the next 10 days, so I may have to pay $40 per trip, which seems quite high, but one else can one do?
To celebrate my last day living on $1 I had dinner with Maimana’s resident German family. Though I would have loved to really dig into the meal, I found myself full after only a few bites of the rich meal which included tuna, home-grown swiss chard, pasta and eggs. Even one piece of Swiss chocolate for desert did not seem appealing. I think it will take some days for me to reacquaint myself with my former appetite!
Stay tuned: I will continue to post to this blog as the work in Ahmadabad continues.
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Day 28:
The day started with a hardy breakfast (18 Afs) of two boiled eggs, an orange and another apple (the 2nd in one month). Lunch was rice and beans, a handful of greens, a bit of bread and an orange (23 Afs). All of this protein carried me through the afternoon until dinner when I had a good pile of ahshak (a tortellini-like creation), a bit of salad and a few bites of bread. I will go to bed feeling full and satisfied, though my stomach may disagree with all of that pasta—I am quite unaccustomed to such a thing (I normally do not eat wheat pasta at all).
2 days to go!
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Day 27:
I ate an apple today. I couldn’t resist—it was sitting atop a pile of pears and oranges and was calling my name. I’m afraid to say that it probably cost approximately 7 Afs, but with a very basic breakfast and lunch, this has not put me over my $1 limit.
I had a very useful chat with a gentleman who is an expert well driller. He has drilled over 300 wells in different districts in Faryab and currently has wells being drilled in the Qata Qala area, not so far from Ahmadabad (that his machinery is already there is crucial so as to avoid paying quite expensive transportation costs). He has agreed to travel with me to Ahmadabad on Friday to discuss with the people and decide on a drilling site. It is not only crucial that we hit sweet water, but that the well be situated in a place that is acceptable for women (ie., not near the main road, not in front of the mosque) and easily accessible by children.
After this we can determine exactly what will be donated in kind by the provincial development department and can then determine the cost of the well per meter drilled. I will discuss with the men of Ahmadabad about providing the unskilled labour required so that a) we can save money, and more importantly, b) help ensure the people of Ahmadabad realize they are owners of the well and its operation and maintenance (we do not want them to treat the well as a gift, but rather as a resource, the construction of which they themselves contributed to, and the functioning of which they will always be responsible for). Ensuring that the people of Ahmadabad have a very strong sense of ownership over this well will involve further mobilization and facilitation on my part over the coming months. They must be involved in all aspects of this project, from planning to implementation to monitoring.
We have had an additional $240 donated today, bringing the grand total to almost $2400! Great work…keep it coming!
3 days and counting…
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Day 26:
I am pleased to inform you that we have raised almost exactly $2100! Over $700 of this is coming from within Afghanistan through bank transfer or other means and so is not shown in the ChipIn counter adjacent.
If only we could raise another $1000 in the next 4 days…. The fun that could be had in Ahmadabad over the next months, bringing not only drinking water, but proper culverts and solar energy to these people who have been entirely neglected by everyone else. The more I discuss with them, the more we all realize the potential for future livelihood activities to ensure they will no longer be so vulnerable to any hazard that comes their way (such as drought, flood, pests, etc). We could have so, so much fun strengthening their livelihood strategies through things such as micro-finance, livestock rearing (they currently have zero livestock), and so on.
Please donate! This is truly a unique opportunity to have direct impact on vulnerable Afghans. You are not paying for any overhead costs at all—100% of your donation goes directly toward meeting the priorities of the people in Ahmadabad.
Today was a better day—I had slightly more energy and managed to eat a bit more protein. I am learning that sprouted mung beans are fantastic on many fronts—protein, vitamin B and as a digestive aid. Kababs were prepared tonight for everyone else in the house, and it did take a fair bit of willpower to keep myself from indulging. I am glad I did have the willpower, though, as I would have had to pay dearly in the few remaining days for such an indulgence.
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Day 25:
Today I was running low on time due to many meetings and visits, so I had a small breakfast without any protein (bad idea) and a lunch of oily rice and a few greens (again no protein, bad idea). Dinner was better—some lentil soup with sprouted mung beans and some fresh salad. I am now tired after a busy day and not quite enough nutrition. I snacked on some dried plums which were yummy but lacking. And I have a hacking cough that has been keeping me from sleeping well for a new nights now. So I do apologize for this brief blog entry, but I am too tired to have anything particularly interesting or insightful to say.
Five days to go…
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Day 24:
Apologies for not posting yesterday.
I must admit that I am getting rather bored with this diet of limited variety. I’m eager to splash out on more expensive fruit (apples, pears) and on some yogurt. I also wouldn’t mind a kabab from my favourite restaurant here in town. Their delicious kababs are priced at 90Afs (approx $1.80), so this is really out of my price range this month. I wonder if Afghans living on less than $1 per day get bored with the options available to them. How many mung beans can one eat before getting totally fed up? Maybe you don’t think about it that way if you just have no other option…
I had a great visit to Ahmadabad today. We talked more about their priorities and the top three remain drinking water, culverts and electricity. One man whispered to me that the women really want electricity—I will hopefully soon find out if this is true for myself. I am struggling to find a female interpreter that has the time to travel to Ahmadabad with me—this is a difficult task as English-speaking Uzbek women are highly employable and all have at least one job, not to mention large families to take care of. The men are working on drawing village maps for me and have agreed, after some delicate facilitation on my part, to encourage some of their wives and daughters to create their own map of the village. We agreed that I will return on Friday and will do my best to bring an engineer with me so that we can determine a suitable site for the well.
An interesting development arose when Hajji Ahmad asked me, jokingly, to bring from Canada a machine that does not require electricity that he can use to charge his mobile phone (he is always having to travel to the next village to charge his phone in a shop). We all laughed and then he said, again intending to be funny, that he should use the power of the sun to do so. I was stopped dead in my tracks by this comment. Why would we provide hydro-power to a village that has almost no water during the dry season? Isn’t solar energy much more suitable? It must be sunny over 300 days per year in this area (plus we know that you don’t even need direct sunlight for solar panels to charge batteries). What I need to find out is not only the initial cost, but the cost of potential repairs or part replacements to ensure that such an undertaking would be sustainable in the long-term (ie., they need to be able to fix problems and pay for repairs themselves or the whole idea would be a waste of time). I have an engineer friend here in Maimana who is powering his house with solar energy—I will have a chat with him this week to get some information.
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Day 22:
I am very pleased to announce that His Excellency Mohammed Ehsan Zia, Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development has donated to the campaign on behalf of MRRD. The Afghan government’s continuing support of this campaign and project, both in kind and financial, is very much appreciated.
As far as food goes, today was a pretty standard day: An egg, 3 oranges, 2 bananas, only a bit of bread (the wholewheat had been eaten by some of my housemates…ahem), approx ½ cup of chickpeas, 1 cup rice, 1 cup salad and a bowl of vegetable soup. Oh, and I had a small piece of cake this morning in celebration of someone’s wedding engagement. I’m feeling somewhat unsatisfied due, I think, to a lack of protein, so I may munch on a couple of walnuts momentarily.
I did not get out to Ahmadabad today because my government sidekick, if you will, was whisked away to a somewhat last-minute inauguration ceremony in another district. Perhaps tomorrow we will get there, perhaps Saturday—I’ll of course keep you all posted. You will all soon see, as I have learned to accept over the years, that much patience and forbearance is required to undertake a project in Afghanistan.
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Day 21:
Today I was interviewed live on CBC Radio’s Maritime Noon (http://www.cbc.ca/maritimenoon/). Costas, the host, asked about the rural context here, and I talked about the problematic combination of drought and unstable rural livelihoods in a post-conflict context. We talked about the international focus on Afghanistan’s south compared to the lack of awareness of the situation in the north and about the increasing frustration being felt here that, despite the relative peace, most of the international attention continues to focus on the violent south. When asked about how Afghans here in the rural area perceive me and the work I’m doing, I explained how I have been working here intermittently since 2005 and am thus familiar with men and women in some villages. It is quite rare that a foreigner comes to the north of the country to conduct research independent of any INGO or government department. It can take time, but people have so far warmed up quite well to my research undertakings here. Of course, I also explained that I am raising awareness and funds to provide support to a highly vulnerable village.
Thanks to the CBC's Maritime Noon for the opportunity to discuss this campaign and raise awareness throughout the maritimes about this relatively peaceful region of Afghanistan.
Now, back to food:
For the past 2 days I have been enjoying some homemade bread brought for me by Daud, our cook, from his neighbour. Homemade bread here is made with coarse wholewheat flour from Afghanistan, whereas as bread bought in the bazaar is made with white flour from Pakistan. I have tried to stay away from the white bread, but it is immensely satisfying when one is rather hungry (especially when warm and soft from the tandoor). Thanks to Daud and his kind neighbour (who absolutely refuses to take payment of any kind), I can now enjoy a smaller quantity of the hardy wholewheat version which is more filling and much more healthy.
I am still calculating the cost of this bread into my daily total even though I am not actually paying because I should be paying for this—and hopefully I will be able to at some point.
Today’s $1:
In total today I ate an egg, 3 oranges, 2 bananas, one wholewheat bread, 2 cups of cooked rice, 1 cup of salad (with some tomato and green onion), and a bowl of lentil soup. Not bad at all for one dollar—and I am not going to bed hungry tonight. I seem to be adjusting, finally.
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Day 20:
10 days and counting!
Let’s have a big push for funds over these last 10 days. To meet the $3000 mark by March 20th we need to raise $200 per day. What a relatively small amount of money—I believe there are enough of you out there keeping up with this campaign that if you each put aside $2 per day for the next 10 days, we could easily raise $2000 that remains. Such a small amount of money that is highly valued here in this remote area.
Good news! I can get more bang for our dollars. The provincial development authorities here have agreed to collaborate with me on this: they will provide some materials for the well (casing, piping), thus bringing our expenses down significantly. This means that I can do even more with $3000 than planned. Perhaps we can consider culverts or other projects, depending on what comes out of discussions with the women of Ahmadabad.
The government has never done any work in Ahmadabad—this will be a first. I am quite happy that, through these campaign funds, I will be able to initiate government work in this village and to help restore peoples’ confidence in their provincial government. At a recent meeting in Ahmadabad, Hajji Ahmad expressed how disappointed his people were with their provincial development department, the head of whom is from the same area of Pashtun Kot, has not paid attention to their needs.
Increasing the provincial government’s legitimacy and effectiveness in the eyes of Afghans is a worthy cause in itself and certainly encourages me to raise more funds for more collaborative projects.
For those of you currently in Afghanistan: I have access to an account at Kabul Bank—please get in touch with me for details to make a deposit to this account (and thus avoid the Paypal fees).
I must again reflect on the limitations of this 30-day experience. My struggle with hunger, fatigue, and a bit of a cold pales, of course, in comparison to the experiences of those living on less than $1 per day for months or even years. I have been fortunate be invited several times to friends’ houses for meals at which I have enjoyed bulking up on protein. My daily activities do not require much physical exertion beyond walking 5 minutes to the bazaar for groceries. Thirty days is hardly enough to experience malnutrition or any resulting illness, thus I have not had to pay for medical attention or medication of any sort. I have not included transportation, education or fuel in my $1 per day—these items would put severe strain such a budget and, over time, would severely impact the amount and quality of food that could be purchased. I am indeed in a highly privileged position.
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Day 19:
Thanks to those of you who have quickly responded to my call for more funds! The response has been positive, but keep it coming…!
Today was a public holiday celebrating Prophet Mohammed’s birthday. I finally found time to pay a fabulous visit to a friend’s family, whose parents, sisters, brothers and children I all adore. I had a small bowl of a traditional dish made on this holiday—it is made of wheat, chick peas, mung beans, rice and dried mutton, all cooked for about 3 hours in a huge pot over a fire. It was delicious and filling. A lunch of salad, spinach and some more meat followed.
Thanks to this delicious lunch, I had more than enough energy to run a photography workshop in the afternoon and stretch my legs a bit in the early evening (though I think most of my energy came from spending time with one of my favourite families). Dinner was a salad with carrots, onion and raisins and some sprouted chick peas. I finished the day off with an orange. I didn’t come close to spending $1 today due to my invite for lunch.
If all goes as planned, I am heading back out to Ahmadabad tomorrow afternoon—more details about wells and culverts to come…stay tuned!
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Day 18:
Happy International Women’s Day!
I have had a brief discussion with some of our in-house engineers here and have learned that drilling a well in rocky land will cost $84 per meter (all inclusive, such as pump, casing, etc). That means, if the men of Ahmadabad are right about needing a 30m well, it will cost $2,520.
So, my friends, dig deep. Please continue to spread the word about my 30-day campaign and help me raise funds to provide drinking water to Ahmadabad. It’s clear that if we don’t do this, no one will. This is a unique opportunity for you to have direct impact on a highly vulnerable village in a remote area of Afghanistan. Due to my connections, I have access to this area in which no other international agencies (or even the Afghan government, for that matter) are now working—please work with me to capitalize on this opportunity to directly bring positive change to a village.
Whether or not they finally decide on a well, it is obvious that we need to raise far more than the initial goal of $1000. I’m now aiming for $3000.
Today, on this International Women’s Day, I had a very normal breakfast of an orange, a banana, a boiled egg and some bread (18 Afs). Lunch was a couple handfuls of oily palao which, for once, I found wholly unappetizing (10 Afs). I enjoyed the post-lunch fruit selection of an orange and a banana. Dinner was a delicious bowl of vegetable soup, some salad, sprouted chickpeas and an orange (23 Afs), bringing the daily total to 51 Afs, or just about $1.
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Day 17:
Apologies! I haven’t been able to post in recent days to due a combination of a bad internet connection and being occupied during the evenings.
Over the past three days I have been able to eat meat three times due to an invitation to a friend’s house and a colleague delivering some mutton to our guesthouse as a gift. Plus yesterday was my birthday and my dear friends here organized a feast with all the delights I cannot normally afford: kabab, salad (with olive oil…!) yogurt, apples, and even some beer. I went to bed full and content.
But on to the important bits…
I visited Ahmadabad village three days ago—we had to delay the trip by one day because the river, which is normally quite low and quiet easy to cross, was quite high after the heavy rains. I met with the village arbab, Hajji Ahmad and about 25 other men and boys. The discussions that ensued, however, included mainly Hajji Ahmad and 3-4 other men who seem to be key players. It is important that I return with a female interpreter to meet with some women next week.
After much discussion and many questions from me, they decided that their immediate priorities are:
1) 30m well for drinking water; and
2) constructing culverts that were destroyed by the flooding.
The men claim that Ahmadabad has never received any assistance from either the government or any international agencies. They explain that they are vulnerable to any and all disasters (which is an interesting point I will surely focus on in my research). It is true that it is the only village in the area that does not proudly display a sign indicating a project implementation by an INGO.
Well:
Families currently send women and children to a village higher up in the mountains to collect water. They take donkeys and water canisters for this one-hour round trip. One young boy, Sayed Noor Mohammed, explained that he goes everyday and brings back 10 gallons of water for his family of 7-8 people. They use this water for drinking and cooking only—not for washing clothes or anything else. He explained that they boil the water before drinking because they know this will make it safer. I am very interested in facilitating a community-led sanitation initiative with them.
Culverts:
The culverts lost to the flooding were old and basic, made with wood, and were far less sustainable than those constructed with concrete in other villages. Proper culverts of high quality construction will be able to withstand flooding and ensure that donkey-drawn carts and vehicles can continue to travel between the farmland, village and markets. After assessing the cost of the well and determining if funds remain, we need to decided which culverts are most important.
I emphasized that the operation and maintenance of any inputs are the long-term responsibility of the village members. When asked how they would manage to ensure the inputs kept working for many years, they explained that they would pool funds as a community to ensure that repairs were paid for by the community as a whole. I also explained that the labour required to construct the inputs would have to come from them and that they would thus own the rights and responsibilities for all future operation and maintenance. I will continue to make this point clear in upcoming discussions and we will further outline an O&M plan.
Next steps:
1. Speak with women in Ahmadabad next week
2. Ask engineer to assess cost of 30m well
3. Identify key culverts and assess cost
4. Raise more funds!
Photo: Some of the men and boys who attended our discussion which took place out on this field.
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Day 13:
South Faryab is flooded. It rained all last night and by this morning several villages in Almar and Qaisar districts were flooded and shops on a normally parched riverbed in Maimana were almost completely washed away. Flash floods are not uncommon here, but it had been 3 years since the last one. They used to occur every year, so people are telling me. I arranged to travel to Ahmadabad today, but the river we would normally cross without problem is much higher and thus impassable. While the rains bring problems to some, they bring relief to others. I will soon find out how the rain has impacted the livelihoods of those participating in my research.
A hardy breakfast of an egg, bread, a banana and an orange kept me going through a car breakdown, a meeting and a shopping trip through the bazaar before lunch. A small salad and some rice left me hungry by 4pm when I devoured an orange, lamenting the 3 hours remaining until dinner. I nicked some bites of dinner as it was cooking on the stove, then ate a whole bowl of dahl, some bread, and a potato. I think I went over budget today by 15Afs—I will have to cut back tomorrow and the next day.
Some photos from this afternoon of the relative 'swelling' of the Maimana river and of people trying to protect their stocks (water levels were much higher in the morning, so I am told):
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Day 12:
It is raining here today—good news. Everyone here loves the rain—spirits pick up and everyone comments on how nice the weather is. A kind gentleman who drove me home from a meeting today declared the drought over. I’m not sure who else would agree with him, but I do know that everyone is ecstatic over all the rain we’ve been having. It has rained on average 2-3 per week since I arrived—I have not ever, in my time here, seen so much rain in Faryab.
I was invited for more palao at lunch with a dear friend at UNAMA—my enjoyment of the meat was surpassed only by the wonderful company and conversation. Delicious and free, but not very nutritious—I barely ate half of the plate. I was back on track at dinner with a small green salad with tomato, cucumber, sprouted mung beans, garlic and lemon juice. I topped this off with a small potato’s worth of chips and a few spoonfuls of dahl and find myself entirely satisfied. The daily total is 45 Afs.
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Day 11:
Wow—the 11th of this 30-day campaign day is upon us. Time is flying by. I headed out to Qaisar district centre today to take part in the Youth Development Centre inauguration with several friends from ACTED. The Royal Norwegian government is funding a 3-year project with a large youth component which includes, among other elements, the construction of dedicated youth centres in each of Qaisar, Almar and Kohistan districts. It was a grand day, both in terms of the ceremony and the weather. Sunny and warm with a slight breeze. It was great for me to be back in Qaisar, one of my favourite Faryab destinations, after 3 ½ years. It is now spring in Faryab and many hills are various shades of green, and almond trees speckle the landscape with their beautiful white and pink blossoms. The rain and snow this winter has turned Faryab green for a few weeks—goats, sheep and horses can be seen happily grazing on the hillsides. Hopefully this will be enough water for farmers to work with—I will learn more of the agro-pastoral livelihood situation in the coming weeks.
Today's food:
I grabbed an egg, bread and some fruit before heading out this morning. Was glad I did as lunch came quite late, around 2.30pm. However late, this lunch, which fed over 200 people who attended the ceremony, provided me with some much-needed protein from the delicious mutton palao. Dinner was a small green salad, some stewed aubergine and some inexpensive minced beef in a tomato sauce. I am feeling full and satisfied for the first time in a long time. Today’s food, excluding my free lunch, cost somewhere between 45-50 Afs. The free lunch was really an energy booster, particularly since it allowed me to splurge on more meat at dinner!
Photos:
1. The green carpeting much of the hills in Faryab for a brief 2-3 weeks.
2. Me making my way up the hill to enjoy the almond tree blossoms.
3. Me, on our way back into Maimana, with the city laid out behind me.
4. Such an enjoyable day could only end with the most spectacular of sunsets, captured below from our rooftop.
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Day 10:
Apologies to those of you following me on a daily basis—our internet connection was down last evening and so I could not post. I felt quite tired yesterday and even like I was coming down with a cold by later in the evening. Food for the day included oranges, bread, mung beans, rice and a bit of chickpea salad.
Today I am feeling better and had a hearty breakfast of 2 eggs, an orange and a banana. Oh, and 5 almonds. I indulged because I know I am invited to a friend’s house for lunch. This afternoon I found some absolutely lovely salad greens in a young boy’s wheelbarrow, so I purchased enough to make a salad for the 4 of us who are living together in the guesthouse. The salad for four, with some tomato, onion, cucumber and sprouted mung beans cost me 22 Afs (approximately $0.45).
I am very happy to report that the total funds raised through this campaign so far are:
USD $830
This total is higher than that indicated on the ChipIn counter adjacent as I have donations coming my way through other means (ie., direct from Kabul or via a bank transfer).
Thanks so much to each of you who have donated! I will be meeting with people in Ahmadabad village later this week and I will let you know what comes of our discussions.
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Day 8:
Breakfast, an egg, bread, orange and banana set me back 22 Afs. I soaked chickpeas for dinner tonight, the cost of which were calculated in last week’s tally (which may explain why I ended up slightly over budget). Lunch of rice, a handful of greens, one carrot and an orange plus my light dinner brought the daily total to 49 Afs.
After several requests, I am happy to share with you my ‘recipe’ for the salad which is pictured below in a previous diary entry. However, the composition of this salad often comes down to what is left over or cheaply available in the bazaar, so the contents will change from time to time:
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for 4-6 hours then boiled for approx 15 minutes
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped (skin on)
1 handful of fresh coriander
1 handful of salad greens
1 small onion, chopped
lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
Let chickpeas cool slightly. Toss and serve.
I looked at myself in the mirror today (it’s a rare event in a house with only one mirror) and was shocked at how pale and drawn I seem. My hair is drab. For the first time I thought that it may be possible that I will become ill through this experiment. Then I wondered if I would have enough money to but medicine should I require some. Of course I would—I actually have far more than $1 per day. But how do those who are actually living with or less than $1 per day buy medicine should they need some? Perhaps their family and social networks come into play here, or maybe they borrow money, or maybe they go without. This is no doubt part of the reason why Afghanistan has the world’s 2nd highest maternal mortality rate, with 1,600 out of every 100,000 pregnant women dying each year.
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Day 7:
The feedback from yesterday’s interview with The World has been wonderful—thanks to those of you who have been in touch to offer support. I had another interview today for Radio Free Afghanistan (Radio Afghanistan Azadi) which aired in Dari and Pashto several times during the day:
I overspent today: 58 Afs. I under-calculated the amount of money I had to spend on dinner and thus mistakenly ate too much! This will no doubt negatively affect my daily average for the week.
The weekly tally: 378 Afs
Daily average: 54 Afs
This is bad news—I am way over budget. If I continue this way I will have no money at all for the last 2 or 3 days of the month. So, I will have to compensate for this by having a daily average under 50 Afs for the next week or more.
Time to tighten the purse strings….
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Day 6:
I had an interview on Public Radio International’s programme The World (www.theworld.org) this evening and was able to highlight the need for increased international media attention on the struggles facing Afghanistan’s northern region.
Link to interview: http://www.theworld.org/node/24709
I highlighted how ongoing drought has wrought havoc on what were already largely weak livelihood strategies in the immediate post-Taliban period. Drought for one year may mean a failed crop—drought for 2 years or more means less income to buy agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizer or food for the bulls that plough the land. It is a crippling cycle that households in most communities in this northern province of Faryab are currently stuck in.
My $1-a-day experience is illuminating—I am discovering the challenge of finding nutritious food that I can afford that has enough protein to make me feel full.
But as challenging as it is for me, I have this so much easier than most. First, I am only living like this for 30 days. Second, I do not need to worry about the longer-term implications of this. Access to medicine requires funds—if living on less than $1 per day, how to afford medicine when you must also pay for energy for cooking, heating? What about clothing? What options do you have to prepare your home for the harsh winter? Paying for your childrens' education?
We discussed my latest meal: boiled rice, handful of greens, 2 carrots and some lentil soup – not at all bad, except that I really wanted some fruit and yogurt after the meal, but both are far too expensive.
I also explained why I am doing this: So much international attention focuses on Afghanistan’s south, counter-insurgency, and violent conflict. The crippling poverty of the north caused by drought, rising food prices is largely unknown to the world. I wish to bring this to the world’s attention, so people realize that there is a very large section of Afghanistan living with relatively little violent conflict but fighting their own battle against poverty.
For example, a village leader I have met has been facing the daily reality of only having enough money for 2 meals per day has been doing so for two years while likely living on far less than $1 per day. Of course, the longer this poverty continues, the worse the situation gets as access to medicine, energy for heating and cooking, transportation, marriage dowries, education, becomes virtually impossible over the longer term, particularly when food prices continue to rise. One year ago, a loaf of bread cost 10 cents, now it is 20. Thus my 30-day self-imposed experiment is barely the tip of the poverty iceberg. Nonetheless, I am very glad it is garnering attention and turning eyes and ears toward Afghanistan’s north.
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Day 5:
I may have overdone breakfast: An egg, part of a friend’s omelette (thanks CT!), bread and an apple has set me back 25 Afs, approximately $0.50. I suppose I was hungry. I had leftovers from dinner and two oranges for lunch to compensate for this irresponsible overspending. Dinner was potato salad. Daily total: 51 Afs, just under the line.
One thing I am learning about myself is that I am a hoarder. Or maybe just selfish. Call it what you will, but I find it very difficult to convince myself to share food when I know I have so little. Where I would normally, for example, offer one of my few walnuts when a visitor arrives, I instead hide the precious protein-filled gems from view and keep them for myself. I am now even more humbled by and in awe of the incredible generosity of the rural poor, not only in Afghanistan, but in most poverty-stricken areas around the world.
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Day 4:
My dinner last night took 45 minutes to cook over a gas stove. The $1 per day allotment does not include gas which, although not terribly expensive (I am told a 20lb gas bubble can be filled for $6), is a sizeable cost for a nuclear family of average size (7 individuals). Thus I am ‘using’ resources that cost more than $1 per day, but because the gas used to cook my food is also used to cook for a full compliment of office staff, it is virtually impossible to calculate. Thus I am not including these costs in my $1, but it is vital to understand that fuel for cooking (be it gas or wood) is a necessary cost that draws heavily on the financial resources available for food.
Breakfast (bread, banana, 3 walnuts…and no gas required!), lunch (leftover dinner, some rice, an orange, a banana) and dinner (chickpea salad—below, looking quite indulgent, if I do say so myself, and I only needed gas for about 15 minutes to soften the pre-soaked chickpeas ) cost 50Afs, or just under $1. I might be getting the hang of this…now I just need my body to adjust to the shock of taking in such a relatively low number of calories!
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Day 3:
It is sunny and warm in Maimana today. The sky is clear and I can see the snow-covered mountains in Kohistan from our rooftop. They loom over the light-brown foothills that surround Maimana. My trip through the bazaar this morning was particularly pleasant as shopkeepers were more eager than ever to have a chat—it almost seems that the beautiful weather has brought more smiles with it.
Today I splashed out: I had a lovely and fresh green salad with a tomato and ¼ of an onion, as well as one potato made into chips. The tomato and onion were left over from the earlier shopping trip and the greens cost me 15 Afs, some of which I will also used for dinner tonight.
Breakfast was filling, but unfulfilling: a boiled egg and bread. I also had a small orange and a walnut.
Another small shopping trip for ½ kg of rice (25 Afs) and 50g of fenugreek seeds (20 Afs) which seem to be about twice the price I would pay in Canada. I am told by my friend Daud who is a cook that this is the normal price for fenugreek seeds—surprising as they are grown here in Faryab province, apparently.
Dinner of mung beans and rice was lengthy in preparation and quite uninspiring overall.
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Day 2:
I woke up hungry, but not too hungry. One egg, ¾ of a round of bread and a banana will keep me going until lunch time (approximately 17 Afs or $0.34).
The rest of the day was an excellent example of how social capital can really make a concrete difference in how one accesses resources. I was invited out to lunch AND dinner, so I did not come even close to spending $1 today. This means I have more money to keep for later in the month, or I could decide to splash out tomorrow, maybe on a bowl of yogurt or an apple. This is one of the many stark differences between my contrived experience of living on $1 per day and the imposed experience of most Afghans—it is probably not so common that rural, poverty-stricken individuals and families are invited as guests to enjoy free food. This is one aspect of rural life with which I am not so familiar—beyond engagements parties, weddings and funerals (which often draw heavily upon the limited resources of the hosts), do rural Afghans enjoy being invited by friends and family? Do they have access to social networks that will support them in their time of need? If they do, I am certain that they do not often enjoy such generosity as I saw today.
I wonder if this will be a continuing challenge for me throughout this coming month? Will I have to actually turn down invitations to more accurately experience the hardship of living on $1 for a few consecutive weeks?
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Day 1:
So, today is the beginning of this 30-day journey.
Breakfast was 1 banana, ½ of a round of bread and 1 boiled egg. Total cost = 15 Afs or roughly $0.30. Lunch was rice (approximately 3/4 cup before cooking), ½ of a round of bread, some stewed pumpkin and an orange. I have had approximately 1 thermos of tea which uses ¼ cup of green tea leaves, which, by the end of the first week, will cost around 10 Afs.
The daily tally:
2 bananas: 10 Afs
1 bread: 10 Afs
1 egg: 5 Afs
3/4 cup rice: 10 Afs
½ cup pumpkin: 3 Afs
1 orange: 4 Afs
Total: 42 Afs
I snacked on a banana just before lunch (not sure why I couldn’t hold out for another hour…). Bananas here are about half the size of a an average banana one would find in a North American or UK supermarket, and they are delicious—packed with flavour and probably many more vitamins than their counterparts grown on huge plantations in Central America. These are grown in Jalalabad or Pakistan and thus do not travel quite as far as those I normally eat in London which have come from Costa Rica (though they would be organic and fair trade…).
After lunch I realize that I have only $0.20 to spend for dinner. I have soaked about 1 cup of chickpeas which I will make into a cold salad with tomato, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper. This protein-rich meal will probably only cost about 5 Afs which will leave me enough for another orange or banana for desert. Oh, and I may eat a carrot or two this afternoon which will amount to approximate 1 Af.
In fact, I had a great surprise tonight. Jawid’s family cooked some qabuli palao for us and our Kabul guests staying with us at the guesthouse. So I enjoyed some lamb and delicious palao and saved most of my chickpea salad for lunch tomorrow. I am sure this will not be the last time that having access to social capital will save me from hunger and an otherwise somewhat boring dinner.
I think I am quite fortunate that my daily routine here in Maimana is relatively static. That is, I do not have any manual labour at all: I don’t do laundry, wash dishes, or clean the house. Even when I have guests over all the preparations are taken care of. The bazaar is only a 5-minute stroll away, so my daily shopping trips do not require much energy. I, unlike so many rural Afghans who must struggle through rain and snow for hours to bring their goods to the bazaar to sell, have quite a lazy life that makes consuming a small amount of calories much, much easier.
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Day 0:
Yesterday I went shopping in preparation for my first day of living on $1. I thought it wise to start off with what I imagine will last me 4-5 days, maybe even a week. Though I still have more shopping to do tomorrow, here is how I have begun:
1kg Chickpeas 65 Afs
1kg Mung beans 35 Afs
½ kg raisins 40 Afs
¼ kg tomatoes 12 Afs
½ kg carrots 7 Afs
Total: 159 Afs = USD $3.06
So, as it stands now this food must last me 3 days. This would be easy if this was all I had to buy—I will still need rice, eggs, bread, tea, oil, hopefully some fruit (oranges are in season!) and spices. I will see tomorrow how the rest of the weekly shopping trip fairs.
As the story about my campaigns spreads throughout the office here, many do not believe that I will be able to eat for $1 per day. I tell them that this is part of the point I am trying to make—to make public the fact that over half of the Afghan population does not have enough money to eat three healthy meals a day. I want to experience and share with you my reflections of living below the poverty line for a fixed period of time. I am fortunate to have the opportunity and the affluence to choose to live like this for such a short period—most Afghans do not have this choice.
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I will live on USD $1 per day for 30 days while in Maimana, Faryab Province.
"Why?" you ask?
THE PROBLEM:
Few people have a chance to witness the increasing poverty and vulnerability currently being felt by Afghans in Faryab province. Faryab is a northern province located between Badghis to the west and Jowzjan to the east. Reaching the provincial capital Maimana requires a 5-hour drive west from Mazar-e-Sharif.
I am one of the few foreigners who have spent time in Faryab province. I have, intermittently over the past 4 years, become familiar with a rural population silently suffering drought and increasing food prices while the world's attention focuses mainly on Afghanistan's southern provinces. The current drought began in 2004 and its impact is being dangerously exacerbated by rising food prices and collapsing job markets. The global financial crisis is truly global.
According to UN OCHA, half of the Afghan population lives on less than USD$1 per day.
And so, to raise awareness of the dire situation in Faryab and the stark reality of poverty and food security facing so many Afghans, I will live on USD $1 for food per day for 30 days. USD $1 is equal to 47 Afghanis (Afs) or roughly GBP 0.70, and is set as the international poverty line.
I will document my experiences of living on this small daily sum so that you can also better understand the daily struggle faced by so many people. It is crucial that action is taken to mitigate this crippling food insecurity and that the people of Afghanistan's north secure sustainable livelihoods.
As reported by IRIN in February 2009, "High
food prices, drought and conflict have pushed about eight million of
the country’s estimated 27 million people into high-risk food
insecurity."
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO?
1) Donate! Funds raised through this campaign will go to provide livelihood inputs to a particularly vulnerable village in Pashtun Kot district of Faryab Province. As I describe in a previous blog post , this village has, for a variety of complex reasons, been excluded from development programming and is experiencing severe food and livelihood insecurity. I have met with several people in this village, including the arbab (head of the village) who himself has barely enough food for two meals per day. Most households cannot plough their land as they cannot afford to feed the bulls who pull the plough. They also cannot afford the seeds to sow. The National Solidarity Programme will begin in this village later this year, but until then, this grouping of 100 or so households is in dire need of some basic agricultural inputs. As I write this, they have already suffered most of their way through a cold winter. I will work with them to identify their priority needs over the next year.
2) Be aware, be vocal, raise awareness! Talk about this issue--Afghanistan is more than how it is constructed in the media. The drought is affecting many more people than is conflict. Policy platforms need to be more holistic and extend beyond counter-insurgency. Human security should be the focal point, not only state security. The more we talk about this and raise awareness, the more we realize that Afghans in the widely conflict-free zone of the north are suffering greatly, the more we can convince politicians and organizations to take action.
3) Network, publicize! Provide links to this blog on your own blog or website. Send this link out to your networks and contact lists. Get this campaign out into the public consciousness through the media.
OTHER LINKS:
A Humanitarian Action Plan was launched by the UN on February 3rd:
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82718
PHOTOS OF AHMADABAD, PASHTUN KOT DISTRICT, FARYAB PROVINCE
