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The pilots for our Pactec charter to Maimana, in Northern Afghanistan.
Luckily, the flight was
smooth as silk. Save works in a few provinces in the North, a relatively
safe and stable area of the country. |
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Mountains. Lots of mountains. |
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On a walk through the marketplace in Maimana, our first look at women in
the traditional Afghan burqa.
Taking pictures of women and children was a challenge. Sometimes they were
encouraging, but several times I was not allowed or discouraged. This is
actually a small part of a general street scene that I shot from the hip. |
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Here our Save security advisor, Guzman, gives us a briefing on the
dangers of traveling in Afghanistan. All-in-all the situation was quiet in
the section of the country we visited. |
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Donovan Cook and Sir Ben enjoy lunch. |
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Save the Children's logo. |
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On the road from Maimana to Belcheragh, we saw these holes. Much
speculation ensued. Lucienne finally explained the road had been
refurbished, and the workmen would dig these shelters to hold their food and
water for the day. I said "Really?" and she replied "Well, I just made it
up, but it sounds good." |
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The first of hundreds of derelict Soviet tanks we passed on our short
trip. |
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Rush hour on the road to Belcheragh. |
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We were told that these are called, I kid you not, "fat butt sheep". |
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Most of the dogs we saw had no ears, apparently to make them better
fighters. |
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This is a private home, hosting a health class run by volunteers trained
by Save. The girls are learning basic hygiene; this particular lesson was
about different types of worms and how to avoid them. At first I was not
allowed to photograph the girls. Then I was told "OK" by the Save contact;
but the interpreter said no. A negotiation ensued, at which point the girls
were told that I would take a photograph, and any uncomfortable should move.
About four (including the two older volunteer teachers) chose to move to the
side.
As I was preparing to take a picture of these adorable girls smiling up
at me, the damn interpreter said "No, he wants a picture of you working."
They all put their heads down, working away. The situation was tense enough,
I didn't argue and, disappointed, took this picture.
The children I saw in Afghanistan were brilliantly beautiful. Such
shining faces, so full of hope and wonder, like children everywhere, like my
own kids. I failed to capture that on film; you just have to imagine it. |
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A school being built by Save, to the specifications of the Ministry of
Education. Tremendous overkill for this village location, but
standardization has its value. Notice the wheelchair ramp. I don't mean to
make too light of this; Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined
countries in the world, and there are way too many people who need
wheelchairs. |
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A donkey on a roof. |
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Happy soap. |
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Long story about the license plates. Apparently the car licensing Tzar
in Kabul has required all of the humanitarian agencies to get new white
license plates for their cars. This requires a drive into Kabul and the car
out of commission for a couple of weeks. This "M" plate is in violation, but
out in the countryside bureaucracy often creeps at a an even slower pace. |
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Arriving in Belcheragh, we were invited to play in a volleyball game
with the local children. During the Taliban, the only sport that was allowed
was volleyball (figure that one out). Did they take their volleyball
seriously? Suffice it to say that the kids were taking most of us old farts
to school. A couple of exceptions: Donovan and Steve were pounding each
other at every opportunity... |
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Chip Duncan worked the sidelines with a Polaroid camera, a huge hit in
this country where pictures were outlawed during the reign of the Taliban. |
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We played until dark. Here is most of the gang in attendance. |
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That evening we were invited to dinner with the Governor of Belcheragh.
He gave each of the delegation members Tajik coats (the kind worn by Afghan
President Hamid Karzai), and Sir Ben was given an Afghan rug. Here Sir Ben
poses for after-dinner pictures with the Governor (to his right) and the
Chief of Police (to his left) and other elders. |