provincial council . “ When the wood structure burned , the walls fell down . That was during heavy fighting time when Taliban came and destroyed everything in the district . Now the area is in control of local and border police and ANSF and all school teaching is in homes .”
Asked if the elders really believe they could protect a new school from a similar fate , Rashidi said , “ Yes .”
“ Nobody knows more about this area than us ,” said Ghulam Allah , who grew up in Barge-Matal and finished his education there 36 years ago . “ We are from that place and we know the situation .
“ Also in Kamdesh , security no problem . Inside village where we build , government has control . There is a valley and across the river , that part is totally under control of the Taliban . Sometimes they put checkpoints on the road around Kamdesh , but not inside ,” he said .
The need for a school in Kamdesh , south of Barg-e-Matal , is very real , said CAI advisor Christopher Kolenda . The village has no school at all , and the fighting all around the area is intense .
“ The majority of the population that turned against the local Taliban and their al Qaeda supporters in 2008 are still fighting them today — without any American and very little Afghan government support since October 2009 ,” Kolenda wrote in a July blogpost about the region .
Fighting , suicide bombings , and land mines have wiped out entire families . “ Their homes and crops have been devastated ,” he
Abdul Hanan , a Nuristani businessman and elder , asks CAI representatives for a school for his village .
said . “ A recurring Taliban tactic is to close off the road in an effort to starve the population . The Afghan government efforts to address the problems are inadequate .” But it ’ s the kind of project CAI excels at . “ I think we just have to find a way to do this ,” Mortenson said . “ It won ’ t be easy . It ’ s going to cost quite a bit and it ’ s going to take awhile to pull together , but this is what we do best . You can ask anyone . We ’ ve been at this almost 20 years and nobody but CAI has the public and private relationships to pull this together . We are going to need financial help from supporters , and much help from the community side , but we can support the Nuristanis ’ determination to build a better future for their children and grandchildren .”
LOCAL MATERIALS Because Taliban control the road , building materials can ’ t be brought into Nuristan , Mortenson said , “ but the Nuristanis have beautiful and strong local construction style . They use more wood than anywhere else in Afghanistan , combined with stones and cement . Only roof sheet need to be flown in by heli . Their local style is high quality .”
Nuristani construction has been put to the test in recent years , Rashidi said . “ When many rockets fired , it will not destroy the building , only make a hole .”
The elders are working on blueprints that would be acceptable by the ministries that oversee school construction , and a proposed budget . CAI is working out whether it has the funds to invest in such a project .
And there ’ s still the unresolved issue of exactly where a school or schools would be situated .
“ It would be better if someone from your office should go to Nuristan and you will know which area will be better for working ,” Rashidi said . “ But you must go by helicopter . Even ISAF , they do attacks by air .”
“ When do you want to go ? I will go with you ,” he said . y the local population . That could explain similarities with ancient Greece in Nuristani customs , dress , and physical appearance .
People : Ethnically homogenous , about 300,000 people ; also has a population of Kuchis ( nomads ), whose numbers vary in different seasons .
Language : Nuristani is spoken by 78 percent of the population ; the second most common is Pashayi , spoken by 15 percent . However , due to the extreme isolation , a language spoken in one valley may be largely unintelligible to a near neighbor in another . None of these languages are written and the literacy rate in other languages is low . Oral traditions testify to longstanding interaction between groups through the centuries despite language barriers .
Infrastructure : Only 2 percent of households use safe drinking water ; 62 percent of households have access to electricity , but there is no public electricity provision ; little access to safe toilet facilities ; and no roads in 73 percent of the province .
Economy : The entire population lives in rural areas . Main occupations are agriculture and animal husbandry . Wheat and corn is
grown in terraced plots because arable land is sparse . Women perform agricultural chores , often using primitive tools for cultivation . Men tend the goats and cattle . Some men are employed by logging or illicit gem mining enterprises . Gemstones ( rubies , emeralds , lapis lazuli , and superior-quality tourmaline ) are the region ’ s primary resource . Some logging is legitimate , some not , but all gem extraction is illegal by government restriction . Both are transported through Pakistan , funded by outside entrepreneurs who , as suppliers of the necessary capital and machinery , reap huge profits that are not fairly shared with local laborers . Also make honey . Handicrafts are predominately rugs and carved wood furniture .
Education : In 2008 , the overall literacy was 25 percent ; 31 percent of men were literate , 19 percent of women . On average , 47 percent of children between 6 and 13 are enrolled in school ; 59 percent are boys . Health : Clinics , but no hospitals .
Sources : U . S . Army ; Nooristan Foundation , the Joshua Project
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