Eye Catching Change

Each time I complete an international assignment in a developing country my perspectives and beliefs change a little. Change is inevitable with exposure, experience and exchange involving new cultures and extraordinary economic and social realities. As we have all witnessed, change occurs in many ways. Here are four that have recently caught my eye:

1. The Organic Growth: creating change that begins and is sustained from within – it is scrupulously homemade, created with ingredients that require no explanation, instructions or special tests. It is the least invasive and the most welcomed, comparable to a smile on a tired face.

2. The Cosmetic Cover-up: creating a layer of change that unintentionally or intentionally hides what is not changed and perhaps the cause for dragging you down. It would be comparable to painting the visible part of an iceberg pink and believing that the remaining 90% located under the water is also wearing pink.

3. The Magic Code: Same input – same output. Change will happen when the input is different. Less food - less weight; more spending - less savings; less cold - more heat; less stress – better digestion. It takes a magic code to build commitment to change the input and meaningful outputs to keep it going.

4. The Boiled Frog: According to Dr. Linda Duxbury, one of Canada's leading workplace health researchers, if a frog jumps into a pot of boiling water it will jump out. But if a frog is sitting in a pot of room-temperature water with the heat turned up gradually the frog will remain until it is too late to escape. Gradual change – good or bad – is sometimes unnoticeable to the senses – and this sometimes can be a bad thing regardless of whether you are a frog or not.

Photo: Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris), California Coast, March, 2008

Happy International Women's Day!

This is a tribute to all women who through their generosity have contributed to other women's development; but mostly to the millions of courageous women around the world who have improved their lives by working with them.

Visit: http://www.internationalwomensday.com.

Walk on By

Their dress is as unique as their culture. They all have a story to tell and we too often walk on by.

Engaging Minds

This morning I woke up with the sound of helicopters hovering just above our heads. It made me think of the opening to the TV program, M.A.S.H. – but without the background music. Indeed, there is a constant buzz of insecurity fluttering in the psyche of people in Kabul.

Non Governmental Organizations (NGO's) have played an important humanitarian role in Afghanistan - and yes, helping people to forget about overhead helicopters is part of it too. By November 2003 there were more than 1,600 NGO’s registered with the Government of Afghanistan and the number has been steadily growing. Their mandates range from producing jobs to overseeing production; from building bridges to restoring buildings; and from exposing smiles on concealed faces to resealing wounds from exploding land mines.

In recent discussion with colleagues and friends, I have been introduced to a couple of NGO’s, both of which have a book describing a story about Afghanistan:

Turquoise Mountain Foundation: Led by CEO, Rory Stewart Turquoise Mountain specializes in urban regeneration, business development, and education in traditional arts and architecture. They seek to provide jobs, skills, and a renewed sense of national pride to Afghan men and women. Book: Places in Between by Rory Stewart at Amazon.ca

Kabul Beauty School: Created by Deborah Rodriguez, born and raised in Holland, Michigan, the school provides a haven for women to share their stories, heal, strengthen and carry on. Her book describes what it takes to launch and run an NGO in a war torn country. Book: Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez at Amazon.ca

Photos taken in Kabul in 2008

Capturing Hearts

With three weeks left working in Kabul and the uncapping of St. Valentine’s Day around the corner, I cannot help but share my craving for family and friends in Canada. Back at home where temperatures have reached the -40 C, sending heaps of warm loving thoughts is quite timely and a great way to workout the sags and swells of the heart.

To no surprise, working overseas for prolonged periods can be heart wrenching for the international worker, regardless of the degree of harmony and attraction existing between the people, the work and the international worker. Thankfully, there are several computer aided telephony options and of course the internet to keep in touch.

Still, international workers stationed in Kabul have found many other ways of coping with the separation from their families and the isolation caused by the frequent restricted mobility alerts. Some internationals partake in a Kabul “Hash”, some play Frisbee in secured areas, learn how to read, write and speak Dari, pursue their distance learning programs; while others workout at gyms located in their guest house or local compounds. There are also evenings for card players; trivia question night, karaoke competitions, and the odd shopping excursion on Chicken Street.

By having more freedom and involvement with community based grass roots projects, some internationals working for Non Governmental Organizations have the opportunity to expand - quite gracefully - the breathing space available in Kabul. (to be continued)

Photo taken by Sophie Swire February, 2008.

Springing a Meltdown

The Meeting Chart

For the Good of the Country

On my first assignment in Afghanistan in 2004 I met a high spirited Afghan expatriate who had been given a central role in the government’s civil service reform. His young family had remained in the US while he was running between donors and government, dancing his way through project deadlines and stepping in as translator when business couldn't take place otherwise. With 9 and half hours ahead of his home town, he would “Skype” his family daily very early in the morning and end his day quite late in his office working on a few select pet projects. On rare occasions he would agree to attend a picnic just outside Kabul with his close friends. Only then would he take the time to relax a bit. Shortly after the last plate of food had been emptied and carried away, he would sit back on his cushion and have a cigarette or two with his green tea. It is at about that point when he would somehow find a brilliant place in the conversation to say: “For the good of the country!”

I often think about the commitment and energy displayed by the people who work for Government organizations in Afghanistan. In Kabul, an entire department will often be given a small office to accommodate its employees. Many of these offices have no heat, no cabinets to put papers, very few free chairs, no computers, little lighting, broken windows and no guarantee of electricity. Yet, everyone in that department will begin their work week Saturday morning and end it Thursday afternoon to enjoy their 1 and a half day weekend. Yes, it is indeed an honor to work with these people against all odds for the “good of the country”.

The Journey

On occasion, we have colleagues who share their experiences working in the more secluded regions of Afghanistan. Panjsher (The Valley of Five Lions) is one of 34 provinces in Afghanistan. It is known for its valley which joins the eastern and western borders of the province. Home for more than 300,000 Afghans Panjsher has the potential of becoming a major center of emerald mining as well as a unique experience for those who enjoy the awe inspiring peaks of the Hindu Kush.

In the months of January and February this region is marked by extremely cold temperatures. Nevertheless, you will find that people walk in sandals with no socks, throw snowballs with no mittens and wear the traditional light cotton pants. It would appear that living in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan not only requires extreme resourcefulness but also remarkable resilience.

In effect, it is truly bewildering how the Afghans manage to cope with this harsh climate and the poverty that surrounds them. The experiences shared by my colleague of the people living in Panjsher is but a simple wintry example of how very little we understand these people and their ability to survive. Clearly, a journey in this country only truly begins once you understand that you don’t.


Photos taken by Mr. Robert Aguirre January 20, 2008.

Taking the Plunge

Most of us have heard of interval training – especially at this time of year when gyms are filled with people who seek to lose the extra pounds amassed during the Christmas season. Wikipedia defines interval training as repetitions of high-speed/intensity work followed by periods of rest or low activity. Interval training is not just for people who wish to get fit or lose weight – but also for organizations who wish to progress or eliminate inefficiencies.

Oftentimes organizations intuitively adopt interval training approaches to development. It is as though people need to catch their breath between “high intensity” periods of change in order to whet desired results. The period of rest or low activity most often occurs between getting on the plank and taking the plunge; or more specifically, between the development work and the implementation.

An interesting true story was shared recently demonstrating that continuous long term high intensity change can be quite counterproductive. A Senior Official of a prison department made a public commitment to move inmates to a new prison on a specific date. Although the construction was not completed he stood by his promise and relocated the inmates to their new abode. Unfortunately, the Correctional Officers could not tell the difference between the hammering of construction and the hammering of inmates pounding a hole. Guess what happened next….


Photo: Taking the Plunge - Scuba Diving in Cancun 2007