government will help,” he said.
Asked what CAI might be able to do to help, since government help has thus far not been forthcoming, he suggested a boundary wall, a“ social mobilization committee” from CAI- Afghanistan to talk to villagers, and providing food for students. But ultimately, educated young women, role models, are best motivator.
“ People of this area don’ t know value of girls’ education because they see benefits of that,” he said.“ Once we finish one class of girls all the way to class 12, then they will see changes.”
As the conversation continued, Naqibullah cited another factor: a resurgence of Taliban in the area. As he explained, his voice was drowned out by the U. S. military helicopters flying overhead from nearby Bagram Air Force Base.
By the time he left the school, Karimi was clearly frustrated. As he drove along the road that was actually a dried-out river bottom, he said,“ This was the first school for girls ever in this region. Most villages in Pashtun areas,
“
This kind of work requires patience and persistence. it will take one or two generations of girls’ education to really see the big change.
— Greg Mortensen
Boys far outnumber girls atBoys far outnumber girls at the Musakhil Girls ' Primary School because parents are reluctant to send their daughters to classes that combine boys and girls.
they are only allowing girls’ school in home. So this was a new idea for this village. They say if CAI could pay for more teachers, bring female teachers, and provide all materials, books, stationery and food, girls might come back to school. But all that costs money.”
He sighed and looked out the window.“ It is very difficult to work in Afghanistan.”
RIPPLE EFFECT? Problems such as those at Musakhil School may be vex-some, but they are not insurmountable, Mortenson said.
“ This kind of work requires patience and persistence,” he said.“ It will take one or two generations of girls’ education to really see the big change. My father taught me to think in terms of generational changes where I grew up in Tanzania. That’ s why I don’ t even wear a watch. Even though CAI has been here 13 years, we’ ve just started, and our sights are on the next two generations, and beyond. In America have instant texting, six-second sound-bytes, two-minute football drills, annual budgets, and four-year presidential cycles, but here success will come in generations.
“ Troops and other NGOs are leaving en masse, but CAI or the local infrastructure we’ ve established will stay put. I remain optimistic. The more than 100,000 children in CAI’ s school are a bright light for decades to come,” he said.
CAI also remains firmly entrenched in
Pakistan and Tajikistan, he said, where the future is equally uncertain.
As Afghanistan’ s neighbors, these countries worry about what might happen in the months ahead after international troops draw down. Will Afghanistan’ s“ evil twins,” as one commentator called them, of drug trafficking and religious extremism continue to ripple outward?
Looking north into Central Asia, Joshua Kucera, a long-time writer about the region for EurasiaNet, says pinning all the region’ s problems on Afghanistan is wrong. The most recent threats to Central Asia’ s security actually have come from within.
“ When we talk about stability in Central Asia, everybody wants to talk about Afghanistan and the Taliban and spillover,” Kucera said at a recent roundtable discussion.“ And yet what are the actual sources of instability that have appeared? We have border conflicts between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, we have internal conflicts in Tajikistan in the Pamirs, we have labor revolts in Kazakhstan, we have ethnic pogroms in Osh. All these [ are ] things that don’ t have to do with Afghanistan.”
TAJIKISTAN The people of Tajikistan’ s Pamir region— like residents throughout the regions where CAI works— insist on hospitality and go above and beyond to welcome guests. It is impolite to refuse an offer of tea, which almost inevitably
20 | Journey of Hope C E N T R A L A S I A I N S T I T U T E