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GREATEST PERSON
OF THE WEEK
HUFFINGTON
12.09.12
COURTESY OF LT. LAUREN LUCKEY; JAMIE HOPPER (TATTOO)
Afghanistan, rearing the children
of the country’s future, Luckey
hoped to impart the influence
that comes with being a woman
in a position of power, a foreign
concept to some.
“I wanted them to see a strong
woman — [that] there is something else out there,” Luckey tells
Huffington. “If you never see it
you never know what’s out there.
They’ve never seen a female officer before me.”
Luckey chats candidly about
her experiences and goals in a
way that makes it simple to understand her success in leading
a Female Engagement Team in
Northern Kunar in Afghanistan,
bringing the women of the village
into her confidence.
FEMALE ENGAGEMENT
“At first they’re very hesitant,”
she recalls of the women. “There’s
this stigma if they’re seen with
an American, seen talking to us,
they’re going to get killed.”
Luckey worked on gaining their
trust, meeting them frequently
at clinics and schools to teach
them about healthcare and personal hygiene. But when she saw
a chance to empower them within
their households, to “have some-
thing over” their husbands, Luckey did not hesitate.
Enter the unlikely characters in
Luckey’s story — two ex-pro surfers from California who founded
an organization called Waves For
Water, which makes small water
ABOVE:
Luckey holds a
child
at a clinic.
CENTER:
Getting water
from the river.
BELOW:
Luckey’s
tattoo.