the rain turned to hail . Then the sun came out ; temperature rose into the 60s . A few hours later , the wind roared back in , this time triggering an intense sandstorm . Then more dark clouds rolled in and it snowed for a little while . Just before dark , the sun came out and the dusting of snow instantly melted .
Weather is just a fact of life in the Wakhan . Most people have never known anything different . So they just live with it , especially the kids , skipping and laughing all the way home .
j 2 : 30 p . m . i
AFTER LUNCH OF CHOI ( salted milk tea ) and nan ( unleavened bread ) at home , Gul Bahar changes her clothes . Inevitably , her work clothes include something red — Wakhi women love red and it creates splashes of color against the barren landscape wherever there are women or girls working outside .
Some girls ’ chores fall along gender lines . Gul Bahar and her sister , for example , help their mother prepare tea . Darwaish admitted : “ I can ’ t even boil tea for myself .”
Wakhi culture is noticeably more egalitarian than that of other Afghan ethnic groups . Wakhis are Ismaili Muslims , led by Prince Karim Aga Khan , the 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims . They have a strong belief in economic self-reliance and in sharing one ’ s “ time , material , or intellectual
Women with no education are nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than women who had finished secondary school .
World Health Organization
wherewithal ” for the community ’ s common good , according to theismaili . org .
Still , the girls tend to hang back when guests come to call . On this day , Gul Bahar wanted to bring her sister , who was tending the animals , to meet the foreigners . But her father said , “ She could come , but there are wolves there and if she leaves the animals for even one minute the wolves will eat them .” It ’ s serious work .
Gul Bahar ’ s brother brings the tea tray from the kitchen to the guests . Tea consists of boiled eggs , nan , and choi . The salt is added by pouring the tea over and through a block of salt . “ Now we know to use iodized because we had so many health problems ,” Darwaish said .
Health problems in the Wakhan are a daily fact of life . Infant and maternal mortality rates here are among the highest in the world . Malnutrition , opium addiction , and dysentery contribute . Joint pain , headaches , and high blood pressure are common .
In addition to the ubiquitous colds — every child seems to be wiping their nose and coughing — Wakhis ’ chapped faces reveal the amount of time everyone spends outside , eking out a living : finding grazing pastures for the animals , collecting fodder , planting and tending crops .
For a long time , “ we didn ’ t have medicine or family planning ,” Darwaish said .
CAI supports two maternal healthcare workers , who operate home-based infirmaries in Wargeant and Sarhad . But both of those villages are a long way from Rurung . Operation Mercy used to have a small doctor ’ s clinic in Kipkut , about 10 to 15 miles away . But , like so many NGOs working in Afghanistan , Operation Mercy has decamped , closing programs and projects . The clinic is now empty , Wali Mahmad said .
But the clinic opened people ’ s eyes to what could be , he said . People know the value of having a skilled birth attendant present during delivery , for example . They know there are medicines that can help with heart and stomach problems .
“ We didn ’ t know before about having fewer kids ,” Darwaish said . “ But these days people know and are having fewer children .”
Education has helped , too . Students learn the basic science behind germs and teach their own families why it is dangerous to cook or eat with unwashed hands .
j 4 : 30 p . m . i
Gul Bahar , left , helps her mother and twin sister prepare boiled eggs and tea inside their home in the Wakhan Corridor .
AFTER CHORES , IT IS TIME FOR HOMEWORK . Dari and math are Gul Bahar ’ s favorite subjects , so she does those assignments first . Science , Islamic studies , history assignments – they come second .
Her mom is illiterate , so she ’ s not much help with lessons , Gul Bahar said . But Khushnuma has always insisted her children focus on their lessons and never begrudged them the time away from chores .
Dad , on the other hand , was educated to class seven in Bobo Tengi . “ There was a school there before the floods . I can read and write because my teachers were from Shognan ,” a place with a local reputation for the best schools . So he knows the value of education .
But he ’ s more inclined to help his son than
34 | Journey of Hope C E N T R A L A S I A I N S T I T U T E