I presented the recommendations of the Governance training participants to the Technical Secretariat today in Kabul.  Afghan’s Technical Secretariat for the Water Sector is made of the following representatives:

The Governance Training Graduates below (with me as their facilitator/ trainer/ teacher) hope that their three pages of single spaced recommendations, following four and a half days of work, will have voice with the Technical Secretariat that has the power to pass regulations and suggest legal amendments to the Water Law to Afghan’s Parliament.

 

Tomorrow will be my last day of the Governance training here in Kabul with class ending about 11 am.  I will provide about a half hour of feed back to the Technical Secretariat at 2 pm.  The Technical Secretariat consists of all the in-line water ministries so will give me a chance to interact with some of the more important leaders of the Afghan water sector.

In a short couple of weeks, I made some great friends who shared the ups and downs of the tough side of development work and capacity building.  Uniquely, here, you live, eat and play with the people you work with so its a 24/7 relationship that requires that you really learn to trust one another for the simple things, like learning how to get in and out of a security vehicle, or walking down the street.  The Basics.

After work today, I headed with Glen to Spinney’s, which is the super market adjacent to the Compound, to purchase an Arabic calendar.  We are not required to take a security guard with us, but they are posted all along the route and radio each other to follow us on the short walk.

The Persian New Year starts this Thursday (spring equinox)  and is an official holiday in Afghanistan.  I thought this article on the New Year was especially enlightening:  http://www.tolonews.com/en/opinion/2190-qnawruz-1390-q-or-the-afghan-new-year–

Taqi, the translator that I have been working with, will take New Year’s holiday on Wednesday so I will not have a translator that day–though the plan is to train only a half day–and spend the afternoon with the Technical Secretariat, the highest level of agency organization including the main line water ministries and agencies.

I asked Taqui how New Year’s is usually celebrated before I read the article.  He said, “Everyone goes for a picnic!”  It’s still pretty dry, dusty and wintery here in Kabul, but likely there are green spots at lower elevations.

I will have to consider how to celebrate!  Likely, it won’t be a picnic unless it’s in the Compound.

In preparing to deliver training in Afghanistan, one of my concerns was being a Lutheran-Christian woman teaching Moslem men.  I wondered if I would suffer any prejudice? Or, if the men would direct their questions to the translator, instead of me?

I am pleased to report that every man both in and out of  class has treated me with the utmost respect. In fact, the teaching experience is extremely rewarding. My only disappointment is that only one woman attended my Public Administration class, and today the woman that had attended yesterday’s Governance class, did not attend today.

According to Moselm custom, men and women do not touch each other.  Instead, women, when greeted, put their hand over their chest with a slight bow.  I’ve noticed that some men will offer their hand in greeting, especially after a day or two of class.  I am taking that as a sign of respect and some acknowledgement of equality, whether or not it is meant in that way.  Glen told me that given two men from the Public Administration Class requested to continue with the Governance class attending every day, he knows that the trainings are being well received.

Perhaps, because I spent some time studying the proper way to dress in order to honor the culture here, and purchasing the appropriate clothing online, respect was returned to me.  Many of the men here at the compound commented favorably on my respectful dress.  To tell you the truth, it’s kind of fun dressing up everyday Afghan style !

On Friday (Holy Day), Elizabeth arranged for Paul, Galeb, Arzi, and I to go out to brunch and shopping at a local women’s artisan market in Kabul.  As usual, the entrance to security approved locations required a wanding, walk through a metal detector and a hand search through my purse.  Apparently, sometimes you are required to show your ID/passport, particularly where alcohol is served since special licenses limit the Afghans from serving alcohol to anyone who is Afghani.

At the artisan market, called Ganjina, the work is prepared by widows and is marked for non-negotiable pricing, which, of course, one is happy to pay.  The shop is behind walls and security, and unless you knew where you were going, you would never know how to find this special place.  The shopping experience is much less pressured than that on Chicken Street, and the prices reflect that consideration.  However, since Holy Day is also the guys day to play basketball here at the compound, Elizabeth and I had to rush through the shopping.  Nevertheless I managed to find some lovely textiles, jewelry and Afghan sling shot for my grandson!

The best think about the excursion was visiting a new part of town.  Elizabeth told me that some of the streets that looked particularly nice were rehabilitated by the Japanese development team.  Though as you can tell from a couple of pictures, the money didn’t always extend to to full length of the street, given the mud that we experienced!

Saturday through Thursday constitutes the usual work week in Kabul.  Between Saturday and Tuesday, we work at the Ministry where we have marvelous meals that are cooked for our team there in our own kitchen nestled between the offices and the bathrooms!  During my trainings our chef plated each meal–I should say we had two plates each!  Besides a wonderful Persian rice dish including raisens and nuts, there was fried chicken, lamb and beef!  All made in a tiny kitchen at the end of the hall. Back at the Compound we have our own kitchen as well.  Breakfast includes fresh squeezed orange juice, or made to order pomegranite juice, as well as to order eggs, omelettes, pancakes or french toast! Besides the made to order items, brunch on Fridays (Holy Day) includes bacon, sausages and other meats.  While at the Compound (we work from here on Thursdays), lunch was a “full meal deal” with mediterranean salad, fried shrimp, spagetti with meat sauce and two kinds of cheeses as well as cooked vegetables with cinnamon rolls for dessert (danish style so I still think mine are better)!  Dinner is similarly wonderful with two or three kinds of meat, usually a barbeque of some sort (lamb, chicken or beef), salad, vegetables, and dessert.  Last night we had chocolate cake!  With every meal Afghan bread is served which is a kind of foccacia–too dry for me especially when I have so many other wonderful choices.  Today, the cooks added garlic bread with the spagetti fare.  If I don’t gain five pounds, I will be surprised!  My bedroom is adjacent to the kitchen here on the Compound.  The door to my room opens onto the dining rooms which means that I can sneak out in the morning to grab a cup of hot water to make coffee from the VIA I brought.  The hot water is always available.  Tea is the national drink!  I just snapped a picture out my door and caught the cook’s assistant putting out dinner looks like bbq chicken!  Unfortunately, I will be taken out for dinner tonight—hopefully it will be better than the last time I went out where lasagne was served–which cost $10 and was not half as good as the food at the Compound. 

The streets were filled with hand carts today.  I wonder if the carts are manned by a certain ethic group as most look more Asian that other peoples on the street of Kabul.

A step up from the hand carts are the donkey carts hauling bigger loads.

Next up are bicycles and motor cycles.  In Afghanistan, a rug is used to cover the seat!  And a scarf is used instead of a helmet.

Dealing with traffic at the 4 pm rush hour requires an expert driver.  Luckily, our driver is young, patient and experienced in nudging the SUV into lanes and streets against all odds…even in the rain!  Perhaps a remnant from the British era, Kabul even has stands in the middle of the street for the traffic cop.

On our daily “site seeing” trip in the armoured SUV with the driver and Omar our armed body/security guard, I noticed a big blue building signed as an Afghan-Dubai Wedding Center.”  Omar told me that Afghan weddings include over 1,000 guests!  The party is traditionally paid for by both sets of parents, but because his father is only a poorly paid Physics teacher that he will pay for his own wedding.  Traditionally, the wedding couple receive their gifts a week or so after the wedding with money, gold, jewelry, or household items being the order of traditional gifts.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the “Wedding Center.”

Since weddings are a civil matter, the Mosque is not involved.  Typically the marriage license/certificate is obtained at the City Hall.  See below some of the mosques that we see on our typical drive back to the Compound.

Mohammad Taqui Amini acted as the translator today for the first day of the Public Administration class.  While we had about half of the 15 students than we expected, I believe that the class went well covering the basics of Public Administration.

Teaching in this culture and with a translator requires a bit more time and patience.  I also learned that the participants expected the professor to lecture rather than to discuss and share ideas.  Taqui informed me of his own experience in an Indiana University classroom for the first time explaining that he was completely taken by surprise when he was expected to respond to the professor’s questions rather than simply taking notes of a professor’s lecture.  He said, “Afghans are used to learning by lecture.”  Consequently, I tried to lecture more in the afternoon, though I found it very difficult to find just the right stopping place in order for Taqui to take on the translation to Dari.  In any case, the participants were very understanding and receptive despite my learning this new technique “on the fly.”

On my drive home with Omar, I learned that most of the fresh vegetables on the street at this time are grown out of Kabul.  Farmers bring their produce from the lower elevations and either sell them in existing shops, in temporary shops, or from their carts.  It’s from market to table even in Kabul.  

Travel from the EQUALS Compound to the Ministry of Water & Energy is about a 40 minute drive through Kabul City.  Our work hours are the same as the program staff whose transportation to and from the Ministry Offices is provided by the government.  I was told that the work hours change depending upon the time of year.

Our driver and security guard pick us up is an armoured SUV.  Pick up and delivery is door to door.  Only two of us can be transported at one time, and we must sit in the back seat behind the driver and security guard, both of whom are in camo and body armor.  Our security guard carries a big gun!  The doors are locked by the security guard, and he is the only one that can let us out of the vehicle.

As we leave the Compound, we travel first on a kind of internal road.  I can walk on this road between the buildings without a personal body guard.  Every few feet there is a big blue rectangular protection station with a square whole.  I imagine it is a kind of bunker.  Sand bags are also piled up at various corners.    Security guards are at the gates of each of our Compound buildings and along the road to the first check point.  There is a gate that is raised by the security guards and a sign in/out station.

As we leave the first gate on the Compound, we come to another security gate which is the entrance to our private street also guarded.  Leaving our private street, we go onto a public street, which is not really public, as only those with certain permits and authorizations can travel on it.  This public/private street is also adjacent to many of the embassys including the American Embassy.

From this public/private street there is another checkpoint and we are on the streets of Kabul City.  Even so, there are multiple checkpoints within Kabul City, which we stop at if summoned by one of the guards to do so.  We do not travel the same routes.

As you can tell from today’s photo gallery the ride is fascinating.  The backdrop of the snow covered mountains that surrounds the Kabul on all sides gives a tribal feel to this city of over 3.5 million people.

All modes of dress are worn by the women on the street from the burka to more western dress with a scarf.  According to our security guard, Omar, there are 3 types of burkas worn in Kabul, blue, white and black coverings.  The blue ones seem more noticable as we travel. My “boss” Glen, the driver, and security guard all complimented me on my culturally appropriate dress today.  I was very, glad I sought some guidance in Portland and took the time to order the tunic tops and head scarves online!

I will start teaching tomorrow so off to do last minute preparations!

Glen & I were escorted at 7:15 am through Kabul traffic to the Afghan Water Ministry’s Offices where we arrived a bit before 8 am.  After introductions to the local staff, we met with a basin director and later the Deputy Minister of Water to discuss our planned trainings that will begin on Monday.

Between our meeting, Glen told the staff that everything was “clear.”  I looked at him curiously, he reported “there was an incident near here at the Ministry of Defense about 9 am.”  I learned later from our driver on the way home that a suicide bomber on a bike caused the death of about 30 people.  Apparently, we were on “lock down,” at the Ministry, meaning no one was allowed to move until we received the “all clear” sign.  Glen said that the lock down was about 4.5 hours.  Interesting, the whole event happened without the least disturbance. I understand why Glen (the guy goofing around with the orange on his head) has a lot of trust in our security team.  It is deserved.

Many, if not most of the ministries or sections have their own kitchens and cooks.  The cooking staff for the water team made a fabulous lamb dish today with Persian rice along with a delicious soup and homemade Afghan bread.  It’s about dinner time here at the compound–and even though our food is very good, I can’t imagine that it will top lunch!

I took pictures on the way home.  As Glen pointed out, this is the only sight seeing we are allowed.  This picture shows the vegetable carts in front of the small, stall style shops along the road.  Gives “strip mall” a whole new meaning!

The most fascinating view on the way to and from work was the Kabul city ancient, historical wall to the south of Kabul at the tail end of the Kohi Sher Darwaza Mountain. This structure is believed to have been built in the 5th century. The wall of Kabul is made of mud, and is a staggering 20 feet high and 12 feet thick.  It creates a natural fortress which follows the mountain ridge in a sweeping curve down to the river.  Unis, the Deputy Chief, said that as a child he used to walk along the wall over the mountain.  At lunch, he also shared his story of living and growing up in Afghanistan during his early years, and the suffering that his family endured.  Out of the 11 brothers and sisters, only he and 5 others have survived.  His mother is still living and in her late 70’s so I have to imagine that Unis isn’t much younger than me.  His continued committment to Afghanistan’s development is amazing.

Another interesting site is the homes that are built into the mountains that we could view along the route.  I imagine them as a desert version of the housing Scott and I saw in the Greek Islands.  Imagine if they were painted?

We also drove through the old city along the Kabul River.  In this stretch the water is channeled through beautiful stoneworked walls.  The city was bustling as we returned home about 4 pm today.

 Enjoyed a quick one and a half hour trip with security to Chicken Street.  I didn’t take any street shots but it could be best described as a back street in China pre-Olympics except that the cement gutters were more like small six inch culverts that ran open between the walks next to the shops and the dirt street.  Glen (in the fur hat) helped me with the bargaining.  The most sophisticated shop owners were found in the carpet store where one could find museum quality rugs.  Beautiful!

Friday is Holy Day in Kabul, Afghanistan so the cooking and cleaning staff at the compound have the day off. We’ll have a brunch at 10 am this morning, but cold meats and cheese later according to the ex pats living here with me. The dining room is adjacent to my living quarters (bedroom with corner, window office and bath) so while I put up with a little extra noise, I have the boiling water (tea being the drink of choice), frig stocked with bottled water and sodas, and snacks including cold cereals, bread and peanut butter a door away. Luckily, COSTCO had Starbucks VIA on sale, and I stocked up, coffee being my personal drink of choice!

The jet lag (12.5 hours ahead) has subsided a bit. Up at 5:30 am today instead of the usual 3 am. Imagine it had something to do with being up late last night with Glen and Azad completing a two hour briefing! Glen said I looked like I was fading at 9 pm though we went until almost 9:45 pm.

At 10:30 am this morning, Glen arranged for a security transport so that we might enjoy a trip to “Chicken Street.” This shopping location is secure and a place to “haggle” for such things as carpets, azurite, and leather goods. We’ll be out for about an hour and a half. Should be interesting! I will take my camera though I don’t know if I will be allowed to take pictures?

It’s cloudy here today, the ground damp so it looks like there was a little rain last night. Snow flurries are predicted for the weekend. Sun is shining now.

Yesterday I accomplished work on my training materials by starting the Power Points for the Public Administration workshop. We are still in a state of flux as to when the classes with occur given we are still trying to build attendance. Azad made a call to a Minister last night to rally a few more people. I think we’ll start the Governance training on Monday so I need to spend the majority of my day on those materials and through the weekend.  This topic is much more interesting to me personally.

I am learning alot just by sharing meals with the group of ex pats living here on the EQUALS compound.  So many of these ex-pats are here with real committment to the people of Afghanistan with many making a real difference in individual lives.  The Afghan locals working here  have taken their wages to send their children to school, buy homes, and change their futures for the better.  As it is here, my experience is that development happens best one relationship at a time.

Safi Airlines required me to arrive at the Dubai airport 3 hours before my flight today leaving at noon–time to do additional reading in preparation for my governance and public administration facilitation! The flight from Dubai to Kabul was a little over 2 hours and now I’m another half hour time zone distant from Portland, Oregon–a total of 12 1/2 hours now ahead of Scott and Schroeder Law Offices Portland team.

There was a moment of hesitation as I boarded the plane today, thinking about what I was exactly preparing myself to do: Fly to Kabul, Afghanistan! Luckily, I didn’t miss a step.  Unexpectedly, the flight was closer to the ground than I expected so I saw the desert landscape along the way. As we approached Kabul for landing, the snow covered mountains surrounding Kabul were amazingly picturesque.  The “drop” into Kabul not as dramatic as expected.

“Pilgrims” security team met me at the airport. Inside Ahmad Shah greeted me just past passport inspection. The Kabul airport does not look that much different that Moscow’s airport looked in 1995 or so when I was there: dark with a lot of metal and marble floors! Ahmad Shaw helped me complete my registration card, and move the rest of the way through the arrival process inside the airport.

Once we left the airport, the sun was shining–a very pleasant day here, weather wise.  Crisp air—a few piles of snow in dark corners.  Wondered why I bothered bringing my Armenian down winter coat?

Walking me quickly across the parking lot, Ahmad Shah, delivered and quickly loaded me into the armored Humvee where Steven took over. Steven showed me the emergency procedures–including the panic button that was between he and the driver in the front seat. I sat behind him, a real body guard! Leaving the airport gates in the Humvee, Steven jumped out to retrieve his pistol which he was required to leave with the airport guards on entering. It took us about 20 minutes to arrive at the EQUALS compound where the security team gave me a tour and further briefing. They have procedures fine tuned for any kind of emergency including fire and earthquake. In security ops, there is a wall of screens monitoring the entire perimeter of the compound with 3 or more men watching the screens.

Following the security briefing, I met my long time family friend and expert hydrologist, Azad Mohammadi, who gave me a status of class preparations, dates, and other relevant details. He took me to dinner at the “mess hall” where shrimp, lasagna, and another dish with assorted vegetable sides were laid out. Nice to have meals together and meet all the people here working in the IRD project.  They have already invited me to play basketball, use the workout rooms (they have two), go bowling (yes in Kabul) and visit some shops—either with a body guard or with their approval, of course!

Glen Hearns, my supervisor on this mission, ate dinner with Azad and I advising us of the likely class size and potential learning structures. After dinner, Glenn and I talked longer about my work. Looks like the class with start Sunday or Monday with combined governance and public administration topics.

My apartment comes directly off the mess hall and common lounge area. It is very, very similar to the apartment I used at PA Consulting in Armenia. In fact, Kabul reminds me of Armenia with the marginal streets (paved on the main and unpaved every where else), garbage piled up in corners, half empty cement apartment buildings, open air shops sitting along the highway, and unfortunately the sad fact of war and poverty, people begging in and along the streets.

What wasn”t the same as Armenia, was all the security both up and down the street and at/in out compound. It sounds like tomorrow may involve a visit to the Ministry of Energy and Water which is where are official office site is located!

The history of Dubai begins in the mid-1800’s with a tribe settling here for fishing and pearls. Later organized as the United Arab Emirates, tribal leaders of the collected provinces worked together to build their future. Desalination plants now provide 97% of the water used in Dubai, a City whose wealth is moving from oil to an international business center.  Water attracts and Dubai Creek is no exception, attracting businesses from around the world.

Arrived in Dubai after a four hour flight from Portland to DC, a short layover, and a thirteen hour flight. Warm here at 83 degrees until the sun went down shortly after I arrived at my hotel.

The long lines as passport control (visa on the spot) gave me a view of a very mixed middle eastern culture with every kind of head dress and clothing. The majority of the women did not have their heads covered as a suspected that they would.  Many more men wearing full length robes (I need to learn the correct name for this attire) and white head coverings with braided black crown piece–perhaps that’s what the government people in Dubai wear?  Will learn more tomorrow.

On the landing approach, one views many mansions, obvious in the desert climate, with a swimming pool, lawns, palms, and impressive entrances. With advice from my Afghanistan security contact, Daryl made me reservations at the The Le Meridien, which as part of its club membership, sent a luxury car for my pick up at the airport, provided me fruit, sparkling water and ice in the room, and a happy hour (though I am not drinking alcohol during Lent).

Tomorrow, I will enjoy breakfast with my club membership, continue reading and preparing for the workshops on governance and public administration, enjoy one of the four pools, some sun, and take a short tour of Dubai (which I need to arrange).

While I slept pretty well on the ride from DC to Dubai, a shower and a horizontal sleep seems very inviting now!

Preparing for deployment for a USAID consulting mission to Afghanistan provides a few additional challenges than the usual international work. These included security briefings, determining and purchasing culturally appropriate clothing, and considerations of appropriate teaching methods.

The US State Department/USAID contractor that I am working for is IRD: http://www.ird.org/  My introduction toIRD came through Azad Mohammadi, my former expert witness for river modeling, and former City of Portland Water Bureau engineer.

Consultant to the firm, William F Schroeder, introduced me to Azad while we prepared for hearings in the Klamath Adjudication. Azad is now IRD’s Regional Director for the Mid-East.  To find out about some of the work that IRD is doing in Afghanistan check out http://www.ird.org/our-work/success-stories/recovering-from-loss-caused-by-conflict

John, IRD’s security chief stationed in Afghanistan, was extremely helpful to ease my concerns and perhaps some of the concerns of my family? I found the advice pretty consistent with international travel in general. A new helpful tip was a link to http://eurotalk.com/en/store/learn/dari/talknowdl/dl  which I will download in order to follow the security rule to memorize important local phrases in Dari!

As to “what to wear,” I met early on with women who were roommates with, friends of, or married into the conservative side of the Moslem faith and culture. I was also advised by men dealing with security and completing long term assignments in Afghanistan. Interestingly, the women and men had different advice. While the men said, “Just cover your head,” the women told me that I may be in danger of arrest for indecency if all my hair, skin from neck to wrist, and skin from neck to ankles was not covered! What to do?

Trusting the women on this and knowing that it will be easier to wear less than more, I searched the internet to complete some online shopping for culturally appropriate clothes. Confusion reigned! The clothing names, sizes, and how to wear the various items were all unfamiliar. Finally, I just “went for it” at” http://www.eastessence.com/ Later, I found out that I might have shopped in Portland, Oregon at http://www.al-ikhlas.com Maybe there is still time!

As to facilitation methods, I am expecting it will be a challenge. Not knowing the culture or my class make-up, I am still struggling with the workshop outlines in governance and public administration.  I have about a week to go before the actual workshops begin!  As my office manager, Ms. Daryl Cole advises frequently, “There is still time to panic!”   My Afghanistan IRD contact, Glen Hearns, the trans boundary water specialist has been working with me on SKYPE for the past month to assist me.  After arrival in Kabul, I expect that we will have intense work ahead of us.

Stay tuned!

With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York on 20-22 September 2010 to accelerate progress towards the MDGs Visit the Summit website!

Laura’s work with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) hopes to assist in reaching the MDG 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty & Hunger by increasing agricultural production in Armenia, a country which imports almost 80% of the food its people consume. Because of its continental climate, irrigation is essential to agriculture. The agricultural strategy and legislation that Laura is working on is targeting government reforms that will directly improve farmer access to sufficient irrigation supplies at a reasonable costs while seeking to be both financially and environmentally sustainable.

By a second trip in less than two months, Laura hopes to accelerate the government approval of the agricultural strategy and legislation to improve the irrigation sector in Armenia.

Alex Russin, MCC’s resident country director in Armenia, met with Laura Schroeder on Wednesday providing a status of he Armenian government’s adoption of agricultural policy and legislation.

Later, Laura met with Arusyak Alaverdyan, the World Bank Rural/Irrigation Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Unit for the Europe and Central Asia Region, to discuss the possible development of irrigation federations in Armenia. Ms Alaverdyan and the World Bank had previously been instrumental in developing Water User Associations in Armenia.

Approximately 27 hours after leaving the River House in Portland , Laura Schroeder arrived in Yerevan, Armenia. Armenia is in the Causus Mountain range with a continental climate much like that of eastern Oregon, southern Idaho and northern Nevada. Similarly, the climate dictates that water is THE issue when it comes to meeting the Millennium Challenge goal related to food security in this country.