Day 7, Wardak Province with Dr. Roshanak; Kabul Soccer Stadium

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Today we traveled to Wardak province, about a 2 1/2 hour drive west of Kabul. We met Dr. Roshanak, one of the province's members of Parliament. She was profiled in a recent Washington Post article. Dr. Roshanak is an OB/GYN physician by trade, and despite her legislative duties, she still maintains a practice a few days per week in her home province.

Dr. Roshanak began her education in Afghanistan, and completed her residency in Pakistan, during the time of communist rule. When the Taliban took over, she returned to Wardak province to serve the people. She refused to wear the burka, telling the Taliban that if they could show her where in the Koran it said that women must wear burkas, she would wear seven burkas; they needed her services, so they left her alone.

We went with Dr. Roshanak to a girls' school in Wardak that was recently opened by Afghans for Tomorrow, an NGO founded by Afghan-Americans. The books for the students had just arrived, and we watched as these girls were given their first schoolbooks. The girls were excited and happy. They treasured the books that they were given (unlike American students, who often groan!)

We lunched with Dr. Roshanak and her cousin, Massoud. They were quite gracious, answering questions for over two hours on subjects ranging from healthcare to education to civil rights to politics and world affairs. She was quite emphatic that the greatest need of Afghanistan was to quickly educate its people. Only 14% of women are literate. It is still quite dangerous for girls to attend school in many parts of the country. During the construction of the girls' school we had just visited, someone had gone in and mined the school; afterward, armed guards had to be hired to guard the school 24 hours a day, during its construction and continued operation.

When we returned to Kabul, we went to the Kabul soccer stadium. During the time of the Taliban, thousands would gather here each week to witness public executions, amputations, and floggings. The stadium has been renovated and there are now signs around the complex touting the Afghanistan Olympic Committee.

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Photos

Road to Wardak
An hour of off-roading, bumpy fun!

Comments

[Clyde]

Hey!
Looks like it was an awesome trip! Glad to see you had a good time...