The Mercy Corps Blog

Blog Post Posted November 25, 2008, 3:34 pm by Bob Ham

Changing lives

Syeed Masom kept refilling my bowl with delicious scoops of thick, creamy yogurt that he makes and sells in a Kabul bazaar. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

I have been back on U.S. soil for a few days now, preparing myself to tell the stories of the many people that I met during my journey through Pakistan and Afghanistan.

People have been asking me a lot of questions about the trip that I took, but the one that sticks out most for me is possibly the most obvious one: "Did this trip change your life?"

In many ways, it did. It was humbling to see firsthand the resilience of the people in these countries who have been living in poverty for their entire lives. When you meet them, you wouldn't guess that they were living in want. They find ways to make do with what little they have, and accept life on its terms.

This isn't to say that they don't want change. In many cases, they might not have seen any viable alternatives. But they leap at the chance to lift their living standards by working with Mercy Corps on projects like growing fruits and nuts or raising poultry. Their dreams are simple — clothes for their children, more food for their tables — and they are proud when they see these aspirations realized.

I was also struck by how many Afghans and Pakistanis were willing to share their precious resources — food, tea, time — with an unknown visitor. I think of Syeed Masom, who invited us into his home in Kabul and quickly placed bowls of thick, creamy yogurt in front of me and Miguel. Masom earns about 2000 Afghanis, or $38, a day selling this yogurt in the local bazaar. Even though each ladle he spooned out for us meant less income for him, by the time we were merely a third of the way through our bowls, he filled them to the brim once more.

I'd like to think that I already appreciated what I had and was wiling to give even when I had very little. But meeting the gracious people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, who live out these ideals every day, made me realize how much I still have to learn.

Most of all, my life has been changed simply due to the fact that my worldview has been expanded greatly. I hadn't left North America since a high-school trip to Scotland. So I feel fortunate to be among the few who've visited a part of the world that's undergoing such intense political strain and conflict, not to mention one recovering from natural disasters. I was able to see with my own eyes the devastation of last month's earthquake in Pakistan, as well as the first sprouts of a field of pistachio trees that will help a farmer in Afghanistan support his family for years to come.

So yes, hearing their stories and seeing their lives up close have left an indelible mark on me. I can only hope that I have been able to convey some sense of that in this journal, and in future stories on the site. I thank the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan for allowing Miguel and me into their homes — and I thank you for taking the time to read about this journey as it unfolded.

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Blog Post Posted November 18, 2008, 2:21 pm by Bob Ham

Full and Contented Babies

Perveen shares a bowl of suji, a hearty mixture of milk, flour, and oil with her young daughter, Angel. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

To the outside observer, the mushy mixture of milk, oil and flour — called suji — doesn't look terribly appetizing. But you'd never know it from the way it was being devoured by the 20 young children packed into a small room of a clinic in Pakistan's Hazara Town.

The children and their mothers are here to take part in a Positive Deviance Health Clinic. This 12-week course, run by Mercy Corps, is meant to help dangerously underweight children put on some much-needed pounds, and help their moms learn more about healthy cooking and good nutrition by highlighting best practices in the community.

(The positive deviance approach tries to "identify and optimize existing resources and solutions within the community to solve community problems," rather than try to solve problems using external resources, according to the Tufts-based Positive Deviance Initiative.)

Angel was encouraged to attend this clinic after a visit to her local doctor. "She was very weak and was not doing very well," says her mom, Perveen, about the 14-month-old's health at the time. "Very low weight."

Since joining the clinic, Angel has gained almost six pounds, and there are no signs of weakness in her bright smile. "She is really happy now," beams Perveen. "She is so calm during these sessions."

The Positive Deviance Health Clinics emphasize a balanced diet of grains and vegetables and protein-rich items like beans that will aid a baby's normal growth. The clinicians also focus on UNICEF's "16 Key Family Practices" related to health and hygiene.

This two-pronged approach is already making an impact, as evidenced by the gaggle of contented babies cooing at their mothers through mouthfuls of hearty spoonfuls of suji.

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Blog Post Posted November 17, 2008, 11:50 am by Bob Ham

A Country of Contrasts

Pakistan's Oct. 29 earthquake spared no home in the village of Ahmedoon. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

In the few days that I've spent in Pakistan, I've been treated to some startling contrasts: the relative modernity of Islamabad with the crumbing houses and desperate conditions of Ahmedoon; the mild afternoon of Quetta that quickly turns cold when the sun dips behind the Koh-Murdar Mountains; a day of chilly, wet weather in Muzaffarabad that is followed by summer-like temperatures the next.

The contrast is most noticeable in the voices I've heard. The hopeful tones of the dozen women sitting in a semi-circle, huddled over hand-cranked sewing machines that they are using for the first time, gave way to the worried voices of earthquake survivors, who fear their children won't survive the winter in flimsy cotton tents.

It's been hard to get a good grip on the real Pakistan. I've been moving through the country so quickly — running from the north to the south in a mere three days, meeting beneficiaries and making field visits along the way.

The biggest thing that has stood out so far is the contrasts — most recently the freshly paved road that winds through the hills outside Islamabad and ends in the piles of rubble that once were homes to upwards of 30 people.

Late last month, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Quetta, the provincial capital of Baluchistan, killing 150 people, injuring hundreds more and razing thousands of buildings.

At the end of the paved road I met the residents of Ahmedoon — one of the areas affected most by the tremor — who were feeling the same contradiction I saw that day. Earlier that afternoon, Pakistan's prime minister presented a check for 500,000 rupees to be spent on the recovery efforts.

"We have no way to take this to the higher authorities," said village elder Nazir Ahmed between sips of sweet black tea. "What happened to us is God's will, and we have to work towards tomorrow. But we need shelter today and we need the government to help."

What holds true for all regions of Pakistan is the selflessness everyone exhibits, from the drivers who pack their cars full of complete strangers to the health workers who spend six days a week helping treat people with tuberculosis and earthquake survivors in villages far from their homes.

Pakistan has tremendous challenges ahead, but seeing these everyday acts of compassion makes me hopeful for its future. I can only hope the people who live here feel the same.

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Blog Post Posted November 14, 2008, 7:20 pm by Bob Ham

Finding Value in 'Dirt'

Nineteen-year-old Ambreen Bibi holds a bowl of wild capiscum, a chili-like plant that runs wild in her village. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

The people of Lawasi Tarari had no idea that there was money to be made in the plants that grew wild in their gardens and communal areas.

"To us, it was like dirt outside," said Haji Khalid Mehmood, an elder in this small village in the heart of Pakistan's Muzaffarabad District. "We would cut them down like weeds."

Many of these plants they used to toss aside are highly valued for their medicinal properties. Mercy Corps brought this to the attention of the villagers in the months following the 2005 earthquake. Now they are earning upwards of 4,000 Pakistani rupees (around US$50) a month by picking and selling wild thyme, zytho xylum (an additive for toothpaste) and other plants that they see every day.

Leading this campaign is 19-year-old Ambreen Bibi, an industrious young woman chosen to lead the village collector committee because of her hard work and advocacy on behalf of others.

"My neighbors and family all collect these plants and give them to me," she says, pointing to an aromatic bowl of wild thyme on a table. "I take them to the market for them, get the money and then share the profits with them. I make sure everyone gets their share."

It is a rare show of confidence for this village to put this responsibility in the hands of a female. But considering the results (her village has earned 70,000 rupees, or around $870 U.S., in a year and a half) and Ambreen's ability to encourage others to join in, it makes perfect sense.

"I even have my grandfather helping me now," she says, hiding her smile behind her shawl. "Until now, if an old man and a small child tried to work together, nothing would get done!"

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Blog Post Posted November 13, 2008, 9:45 am by Bob Ham

Q&A with Director of Programs Jeff Shannon

Jeff Shannon, Mercy Corps Afghanistan's Director of Programs. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Before Miguel and I left for Pakistan, I had a chance to sit down and chat with Mercy Corps Afghanistan's Director of Programs, Jeff Shannon. He updated me on the programs going in the areas of the country that I was unable to visit, as well as giving me a glimpse into what Mercy Corps' hopes for the Afghan youth and families with whom we work.

All of the programs that I visited were in the northern provinces of Afghanistan — what can you tell me about the programs we have in the south?

Much of our work is an effort to put information into the hands of the people. In Helmand and Kandahar, we are arming farmers with the various standards that they will need to adhere to so they can export their fruits and vegetables to other parts of the world. For example, there are these little green raisins that grow out here that are huge in India but most farmers export them without cleaning them and with stems attached. Because of that, importers will only pay a fraction of what these farmers could get.

We are also implementing a pilot program that will give farmers in these provinces text updates on the market price for crops — so they can get the best price for what they have to sell. We are still trying to figure things out like how they register for specific updates in certain areas. As well, we are worried that if too many farmers get the same information and they all show up at the same market, that could drive the cost down and it wouldn't be worth it.

What can you tell me about the agricultural high school work we are doing in those provinces as well?

Basically, our goal is to have an agricultural high school in each province in Afghanistan. For right now, we have schools in Baghlan, Helmand and Kandahar. Many of these schools are falling part or have been destroyed, so we are working to rebuild the basic infrastructure. Those schools were also using materials that are twenty to thirty years old. We are partnering with a Czech organization called People In Need and Purdue University to help train teachers, develop better teachers' manuals and learning materials, as well as getting the students better textbooks.

Are we working on anything else for Afghan youth?

Yes, we are starting a Junior Leadership Program that will work towards mapping out a career for young Afghans. We're not only working in high schools, but also setting up training and mentoring programs with manufacturing and agricultural businesses, so that by the end of the training period these businesses will have a pool of skilled labor to pick from. These kids need a purpose. Without it, they'll turn to the things that are right there — drug production, the Taliban or other criminal activities. We want to give them skill sets that will help them understand community and having a sense of belonging. We need to train the next generation before we lose them.

What do you see Mercy Corps moving towards in Afghanistan?

We need to help Afghans meet their immediate needs while still allowing them to work towards their own future. Take our reforestation efforts, for example. We are giving these farmers in Takhar pistachio trees to plant on these hills where the soil quality has been compromised by [other kinds of] trees getting torn out and used to heat their homes. By giving them these trees, they can not only start earning money by harvesting these nuts, but by taking care of the trees, the soil will start to improve and we'll see the entire area thrive.

We want to make sure, though, that we aren't creating dependence. We need to help them with these projects but then slowly remove our support, so they can rely on themselves. We want them to get to a point where they don't need us anymore.

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Blog Post Posted November 12, 2008, 11:41 am by Bob Ham

Bringing Microfinance Home

Nasrin in her small bakery, resting after a long day of baking bread and pastries. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Nasrin's home is only one of thousands of square clay and concrete residences in Shkadara District that dot the hills above of northern Kabul. But inside her austere house, one room stands out. Inside this 15-by-15-foot space, Nasrin is helping her family thrive by baking dozens of flatbreads each day.

"Sometimes the fire is so powerful," she says, showing off her hands, blackened and toughened by years of reaching into her below ground oven, "it burns the hair off my arms and face."

The heat doesn't bother Nasrin though, especially when it helps support her four children. She knows the fires that cook the 100 or more pieces of naan and bolani each day wouldn't burn without Mercy Corps' help.

Her small bakery exists thanks to small loans from Ariana Financial Group, the microfinance institution that Mercy Corps helped establish in 2003. In the years since, Ariana has helped over 80,000 impoverished Afghans establish or expand a small business.

With this cash in hand, the 45-year-old mother of four is able to buy flour and wooden spatulas and help cover the cost of replacing her oven once a year.

Nasrin is on her fourth loan with Ariana. With each one, both her business and her home life have improved. Today she's able to ship more of her breads to be sold at a nearby bazaar. And the profits paid for a cow and for her eldest son's wedding.

She's also planning on expanding her business by setting up a second oven, which will allow her daughter to help with the baking as well.

And she is telling everyone in her neighborhood about Ariana, including her neighbors — three women taking advantage of the pleasant weather to prepare a new purple and gold comforter, known in Afghanistan as a le haf, for sale at the bazaar.

"For this one, we can usually get around 2,000 or 2,500 Afghanis [about USD$50]," says 40-year-old Khanmgol, methodically adding new threads to the design alongside her friends Shah and Maida.

All three have received loans from Ariana to purchase thread and fabric for these comforters — traditionally given as wedding gifts — and are splitting the profits. The added benefit is that the work goes much faster and is, in Khanmgol's words, "much less boring because we have someone to talk to while we work."

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Blog Post Posted November 10, 2008, 10:52 am by Bob Ham

Running Water Uphill

Agha Mohammad stands atop a reservoir that will help feed his pistachio trees on the hills above his farm. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Agha Mohammad sits crouched atop a square concrete reservoir filled with over 20,000 gallons of water, still bemused at the fact that it is there, tucked into the hillside above his family farm.

"When they told me about this," he remembers, "I thought it was ridiculous. 'What do you mean you're going to take water from down the hill and bring it up here?'"

What Mercy Corps meant was to help Agha irrigate his vast array of hillside pistachio trees by bringing the water directly to them, easing the irrigation burden on the farmer and his family.

To do this, staff with our Catchment Development Program installed a hydraulic ram pump that uses the water pressure from a fast-flowing stream nearby to send it through a plastic tube up the hill, feeding the reservoir.

Now, instead of using one his donkeys to haul unwieldy containers of water up the hillside, all he has to do is turn the tap at the base of the reservoir and — voila — his orchard of pistachio trees is watered.

"I'm really excited about this now," Agha says, picking stray bits of grass out of the water. "Even my cousins who live nearby are so impressed that they are thinking of installing their own."

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Blog Post Posted November 10, 2008, 9:41 am by Bob Ham

How Obama Plays in Afghanistan

We were driving through the desert Wednesday morning while Obama spoke in Chicago's Grant Park, but we watched the replay on CNN that night in our Kunduz hotel room. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

The world is buzzing about the U.S. election results, and Afghanistan is no exception. When we arrived at Mercy Corps' Kunduz office on Election Day, everyone there was quizzing us on the Electoral Vote count, and what states Obama was winning or close to it. In the days since, I've broached the subject with everyone from a group of young hotel employees to a trio of farmers in the hills east of Kunduz. Everyone had something to say about it.

"We hope that he will increase assistance to Afghanistan," said Syeed, a wheat farmer in Burka Province. He and his companions were happy about Obama's pledge of financial support to their country. "We will support anyone who says they will bring that kind of help to our country."

Many Afghans were elated about Obama's Muslim heritage, even if Obama himself is a Christian. "Simply having those roots in his family is big for us," said Enyatullah, one of our waiters at a Kunduz hotel. "Our religion has been seen as so terrible in the United States."

I was sure I'd hear at least some concern about Obama's pledge to send more U.S. troops to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Surprisingly, though, that's one of the reasons people said they were thrilled with Obama's election. Amanullah Amin, a civil engineer I spoke to, was convinced that Obama "will attack the roots of terror in the country. There is a saying here: If you want a clean river, don't go to the middle, don't go to the end — go to the source."

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Blog Post Posted November 9, 2008, 10:33 am by Bob Ham

Afghanistan's Sporting Life

The object of buzkashi is for a member of two competing teams to pick up the carcass of a decapitated calf or goat from the ground, carry it around a flag, and return it to a circle in front of the judges. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Weekends fall on Fridays and Saturdays in Afghanistan, and our stalwart guide Zalmi decided this weekend was the time for us to take in some local culture here in Kunduz.

Our first stop was in a huge sandy clearing in the southern part of the city, where thousands of people had turned out for a game of bozkashe. This ancient sport involves dozens of men on horseback vying for possession of a headless, limbless calf carcass.

The rider with possession of the carcass has a couple of different ways to score points: ride as fast as he can carrying the calf to a green flag at the far end of the playing field, or go to the other end of the field and drop it in the middle of a circle known as a "vat" or the "Circle of Justice." All the while, the carcass-holder has to fend off the other competitors, all of whom carry small whips to beat their opponents or scare off other horses if and when the calf is dropped.

It's a surreal sport, but rather thrilling — especially when a rider really picks up steam and tears away from the pack, visibly straining under the weight of the carcass he's hauling. The sport can be a little scary, too, since there are no real boundaries to the playing field. The action came very close to our vehicle on more than on occasion.

Wrestling is one of Afghanistan's most popular sports. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Next we drove into the city proper to attend a pahlwani match. This is another age-old sport that is essentially a form of wrestling. Two competitors are pulled from the throng of people ringing the muddy field, put on a special garment, and then attempt to strike each other around the shoulder blades or drop the other to the ground.

The fighting, while quite restrained by Greco-Roman standards, had moments of surprising fierceness, leaving many competitors gasping for air after a particularly heavy throw.

We sat on the field to watch and — as you might imagine — drew a fair amount of attention. Mohammad Anwer, a pahlwani trainer, made a point of coming by our spot on the ground to welcome us. At one point, he even pushed to have Zalmi get me in the ring for a round. Tempting as that might have been, I thought it best to try to avoid an international incident or, at the very least, a broken bone to carry with me for the next 13 days.

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Blog Post Posted November 7, 2008, 10:36 am by Bob Ham

Humbling Humanity

Daud Shah, 33-year-old farmer from Takhar, returned from taking refuge in Pakistan to find 40 Taliban soldiers living on his farm. What happened next was a beautiful show of humanity. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Today we were in Takhar, a farming province in northern Afghanistan near the border with Tajikistan. It's home to some of the frontlines for pre-2002 battles between local forces and the Taliban.

The scars of the fighting are visible throughout the area — particularly along the highway, where the landscape is spotted with long plastic poles adorned with green, red and yellow flags. Each flag represents a person who was killed at that particular spot. Far too often, the poles are bowing under the weight of these flags, as bombing campaigns killed families and communities en masse.

It's a sobering reminder of how this area has suffered at the hands of this conflict. Amazingly, though, the people in this community are ready and willing to forgive and, more importantly, move forward.

Daud Shah exemplifies this spirit. The 33-year-old farmer was forced to leave his home in Takhar due to the fighting, fleeing with his wife and eight children to Karachi, Pakistan. Daud and his family returned four years later when the fighting subsided, only to find some surprising guests on his farm: 40 Taliban soldiers.

Daud was somehow able to subdue them. He took their guns (he turned some into the Afghan government and sold the rest to support his family) and kept them as prisoners for four days.

Here's the part that positively staggers me: When Daud decided to release these soldiers, he gave each of them a small sum of money to aid them in their journey home.

Today we're helping Daud by giving him tools to increase the yield of his peach orchard — shovels, saws, scissors — and connecting him to buyers.

He admits that capturing and disarming the Taliban fighters was a vengeful act on his part, fueled by his anger for all the harm they have caused to his friends and neighbors. But that soon gave way to a beautiful show of humanity for his fellow Afghans. We could all learn a lesson from Daud. I know I did.

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