Why is the pace of reconstruction in Afghanistan slow?

It is important to understand that when the destruction of a country is so complete, improvements will be at glacial speed. Over a period of 30 years, hospitals, schools, universities, irrigation systems, farmlands, parks, entertainment centers, museums, art galleries, libraries, and more have been destroyed. Systems that make up civil society and run things: education of children, fire and water departments, communication, garbage

clearance, banking; all severely damaged. Over two million people are dead. One out of five Afghans has left the country. Thirty percent of households are headed by unskilled women or boys under the age of 15. The remaining population includes a high percentage of people with severe physical disabilities, and 70 percent of the people live on less than a dollar a day.

But all of this destruction pales in comparison to the horror when the person we are depending upon to rebuild the country is a shattered human being, a shadow of what was once the legendary proud Afghan. This is where hope starts to falter and fear sets in, when aid workers like me begin to realize that the fundamental instrument needed for a successful reconstruction - an adult Afghan that can think critically, exercise leadership, effectively solve problems, negotiate, manage etc. - is badly, even severely damaged.

What does this mean? I will focus on three qualities that are difficult to find in large quantities in Afghanistan. First is a person's ability to believe in and plan for the future. Sarah Chayes, author of the book The Punishment of Virtue, says that Afghanistan has become a nation of citizens suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD. It is all in the "now", as if the mind is unwilling to believe that peace might finally come.

Trust represents the second quality sorely lacking in Afghanistan. A culture known for its legendary loyalty to each other that comes from centuries of tribal structures and blood marriages has broken down completely. A friend of mine calls his country "a nation of agents". He tells me that the last 30 years has seen the Russian invasion, followed by civil war, the Taliban and now, international troops. Men have been and continue to be rewarded for "telling on each other" for so long that brother no longer trusts his own brother.

The third quality lacking in today's Afghanistan is critical thinking. These are the set of skills that allow us to solve problems, assess risk, negotiate, create effective presentations, and write a proposal - skills that are critical to speedy and successful reconstruction. As another friend said: "It takes six months to build a house, and six seconds to destroy it." Afghanistan has experienced 30 years of six seconds. I will leave it to you to do the math.

People will blame corruption, not enough aid, lack of security - the list goes on. However, all of these obstacles can be navigated if enough skilled and emotionally whole human beings reside in a nation. In the US, we have seen that those areas with sound "human resources" can jump back on their feet quickly after experiencing complete devastation cased by tornadoes, floods, droughts, etc.

The question then that begs to be asked is: how do we move forward? How do we get to the point where we focus less on humanitarian and more on reconstruction? I believe the answer lies in the belief that Afghans do have the skills, and that we can develop more effective partners in the reconstruction effort by acknowledging the skills Afghans do have, understanding and respecting their culture, and working within these contexts to help Afghans help themselves.

We must acknowledge that Afghans have the potential to be good leaders and problem solvers. Most Afghans older than 35 have exhibited strong leadership and problem-solving skills while moving their families over and over again to escape war, seeking refuge in a camp, then either moving back to Afghanistan or seeking asylum in a foreign land. Not surprisingly, these same skills developed in crisis tend to lose all translation in the work environment. Our challenge is to create an environment of trust and encouragement, enabling Afghans to exercise good judgment without feeling threatened by "internationals".

We must believe that, just as we would address "at risk neighborhoods" by balancing security with opportunities, the same applies in Afghanistan. We cannot delay reconstruction in the country's most troubled regions until every aspect of security risk is addressed. Since the adults are so badly scarred, we need to invest heavily in the children. No doubt, the children are the future leaders of Afghanistan. The three sectors that need to be nurtured heavily are: primary, secondary and higher education for boys and girls. This effort includes building schools; training teachers; introducing modern curricula in science, math and English; and providing adequate supplies of books, stationary and laboratories.

Another sector needing immediate attention is agriculture. Afghans are skilled farmers. Thirty years ago, the country was self-sufficient in food, even exporting excess supply. Now, Afghans lack the technology to reclaim the land devastated by proliferation of landmines and chemical warfare. Finally, Afghans need opportunities for people with low levels of modern skills. This sector includes vocational training, construction-related jobs, loans for small businesses, and creation of businesses and markets for women to operate out of their own homes.

Admittedly, establishing security remains critical. However, revitalization of the sectors mentioned above cannot represent a mere fraction of the effort being spent on security. No one, not even the greatest of world military powers, has been able to conquer the people of Afghanistan. With help to get back on their own feet, Afghans can look after themselves and rebuild the lives they have lost over the past three decades.

So how should we go about this revitalization effort? Aside from sharing money and international expertise, we internationals must not fail to operate within the Afghan cultural context. Otherwise, the reconstruction effort will fail. This reality requires us to dig deep into ourselves and find a never drying well of love, compassion, patience, genuine respect, and a belief that we can learn as much from them as we teach.

Afghans are extraordinarily hospitable and friendly. One never needs to call before visiting, and you can always count on tea, cookies and other goodies. Guests are honored in a way that leaves most people speechless. Questions that are considered personal to us are routine to them: What does your father do? Are you married? How many children? How many siblings? All of these questions can come up in the first half hour of a conversation. We need to maintain this behavior. We need to make the effort to know personal details about the Afghans we work with.

Afghans are frighteningly generous. Hardly a minute lapses between the completion of a scarf and the gifting of the finished product to another. Children share a bag of cookies as easily as we count one, two, three. We need to make an effort to exhibit that kind of generosity. It is routine and normal in their culture. For example, we cannot come into a meeting room with a bag of chips and start eating because we missed lunch. Afghans are horrified by this behavior! They would rather starve than not share their own bag of chips.

Afghans are very hard-working and quick studies. We should give Afghans the opportunity to do a job while we exhibit the patience to overcome hurdles of language, lack of computer skills, etc. Let us walk that journey with them to understand the level of difficulty, and use the experience as an opportunity to build mutual trust and respect.

Afghans are family-oriented. I do not anticipate the need to teach a class on work-life balance! Instead of looking down at Afghans for leaving work promptly at 4:30pm, et us learn from them how to honor the importance of family in our lives.

Finally, let us remember that we are guests. We are here because we want to help but we are being paid very well. let us not cop an attitude.In a culture that values hospitality to the point where a fther killed his own son for dishonoring a guest, we should behave as good guets. We can then become friends, developing into a great team that works together in the reconstruction ieffort.

I believe that if we do this, all of those hidden skills, lost confidence and self-esteem will come roaring back. I have seen this happen as I have worked ith enightened and seasoned internationals experienced in working in conflict zones. I hope you can come to Afghansitan to learn for yourself, and bringback with you a compelling and altnerative vision for how to lead the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan.