From the Field - Life as a Female Aid Worker in Afghanistan

Posting below a message from Holly Ritchie, a friend who works as an independent development consultant, focusing on markets and development in Afghanistan.  Her message describes what it's like to be a female aid worker in one of the most dangerous countries in the world:

"Life for a female foreign aid worker in Afghanistan used to be considered something of a bonus.  We were often (jokingly) called the 'Third Sex' because we can enter both the female and male sections of the community.  In so doing, though, we can gain a critical and unique perspective of both sides of the extraordinary Afghan culture, and challenges and opportunities in local development.

These days, sadly, it seems to be more of a hazard.  Recently, three female aid workers were shot dead in their car south of Kabul, a female Canadian journalist was kidnapped, and a British woman was murdered on her way to work in the city centre.

Message continued after the jump:

It is far removed from my first few carefree days in the country.  Four years ago, I traveled extensively across the beautiful North and West of Afghanistan with the agency I worked with - often into remote areas where foreigners are rarely, if ever seen.  I loved it.  And I never felt threatened or nervous, but rather intensely privileged to get out of, or off the notorious 'Kabul Island', and feel and breathe the real Afghanistan.  I was able to obtain a more nuanced understanding of the complex situation, and the diverse needs of its people - so imperative to appreciating their day-to-day struggles, and designing appropriate humanitarian, and development interventions.

Whilst on these field missions, I visited isolated communities often cut off from the most basic facilities - roads, water and sanitation, and electricity.  With NGO support, they were proudly endeavouring to take an active role in their own development through the establishment of local Community Development Councils under the government-led National Solidarity Programme.  I also stumbled upon extraordinary achaeological sites such as the 1,000-year-old Minaret of Jam in Ghor province in the West of the country, and old Buddhist monastery ruins in the north, which gave me a profound appreciation for the country's rich cultural and historical heritage.

Two years ago, the situation began to radically change.  And the Kabul riots in 2006 marked a sharp turning point.  I happened to be on an evaluation mission in the North East in a province called Badakshan.  We were told that we could 'abort' our trip as tension levels rose across the country.  But in our desire to get the job done, we opted instead for a strategy of extreme low profile.  This was the first time that I deemed it necessary to wear the all-encompassing burka, like my female Afghan colleagues - and as they often do, for security reasons.

Over the next several months, frustratingly - for my Afghan and international colleagues alike - we saw a gradual escalation in both violence and corruption, particularly in the south of the country.  Often criminal acts went unreported, and a culture of impunity began to persist.  Humanitarian space was duly squeezed - and ultimately reduced to less than 50 per cent of the country, as it stands today.

These days, as an independent development consultant, I still travel across the Northern ('safer') parts of the country but not without taking some extreme precautions - checking on the latest security advice from the vast array of security personnel, reviewing the relationships / reputation of the NGO that I will be visiting, and always preparing for plan B.  I now also rarely travel without the 'security' of the burka, at least by my side.

It is certainly a changed Afghanistan.  But for some of us, we are just in too deep; and are just too keen to continue what we've started to considering moving on.  The special relationships that we have made with the unique and long-suffering Afghan people seem to be worth the risk.  It will be a long and difficult road ahead for sure, with several twists and turns to navigate.  But I still firmly believe that we can proceed and strive for improved livelihoods, rights and democratic values if the appropriate levels of support can be channeled - and sustained - to both the Afghan government, and people alike.  We need to be in this for the long run."

[Photo of women walking in burkas in Kabul]