Something good in the news

This last weekend I was listening to PRI's "The World" report and heard a story that made me smile. I wanted to share it with you becuase not only does it relate to my work here, but it gives us a little bit of hope in what continues to be a tumultuous situation in Afghanistan.

The report was about the U.S. Marine mission in Afghanistan. While there is usually not a lot good to be said about what is going on there, this story is quite an exception. The U.S. Marines in Afghanistan are using what they call FETs or Female Engagement Teams as part of their civic mission to rebuild the country. These teams consist of 2 to 3 women who go into towns and villages and talk with the people, find out what the community needs and help them create it. Since the teams are small and are made up of women they are looked at differently than other American forces. As females, they can gain access to the women of the country, which is something pretty much no one else can do since the women are very much confined to the home, and carefully protected by their male family members. The women are a huge part of the society, but often overlooked in all the policy-making, law creation and government rebuilding that is going on. Going into the homes of Afghan people is really the only way to get in touch with these women, see what life is really like and what the people truly want and need.

The project they highlighted in the broadcast was that of two women Marines who worked together with a community to open a school. The idea was that the school would be open to both boys and girls. On the first day a few students arrived, both boys and girls, but the grils went home at mid-day because of pressure from community members and fears of the families. While that doesn't sound like a great success story, it actually really is. These women Marines were able to, in cooperation with a community, open a school and invite young boys and girls in. This town previously had no school, and had these Marines not been there it is unlikely any school that would have been built. Any school that was built, would almost certainly not have welcome girls. The girls may not be attending school right now, but other students are and the project raised awareness and got people thinking about girls' education.

The fact that the US Marines are taking this approach in their initiative to rebuild Afghanistan makes me really happy. I have a really hard time with the idea that the US has so many troops, spends so much money and uses so much force in foreign lands, so to hear that there is an effort to work WITH Afghan people to help them rebuild is really inspiring. I think it's fantastic that women soldiers are connecting with women civilians and listening to their ideas for development. Rebuilding a society is impossible if the people of that society are not intimately involved in the process. Development of any kind is impossible without that kind of partnership. I hope that these type of missions continue and expand, and it sounds like the Marines might think there's something to the idea of a Peace Corps...cooperative grassroots development makes countries more stable and creates, therefore, a safer, more peaceful world.