The Times Advocate, 2005-01-12, Page 2020
Exeter Times -Advocate
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Bringing sight and life back toMghanistan
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
ZURICH — "These are
wonderful people. I've
worked in Africa and in
Asia but Afghans have a
special place in my heart.
They're people that want
to get ahead and get on
with life and want to
work for it."
Afghanistan has been a
part of Carol Gingerich's
life since 1972 when she
went with the Mennonite
Central
Committee as
a volunteer.
She was
seconded to
t h e
International
Assistance
Mission
(IAM), work-
ing in the
Noor Eye
Institute in
Kabul as an
administra-
tive assistant.
In 1975 the
Christian
Blind Misson
took over
support of the
group.
IAM has been in
Afghanistan for nearly 40
years and has 150 people
in the country working to
help build every part of
the society, from eye and
health care, to improving
lives with education,
small loans and partner-
ship enterprises.
IAM is also involved in
professional training of
physicians, drug analysis,
physiotherapy, english
language and medical
publications.
Gingerich of Zurich
spent the next nine years
in the country before two
of the groups' workers
were murdered in 1981
as the country suffered
under the Russian inva-
sion.
Following the murders,
the volunteers were with-
drawn from Afghanistan
and Gingerich returned
to Canada where she was
married, before returning
overseas with her hus-
band to Ethiopia until
1991.
Returning to Canada,
Gingerich worked at the
head office until 1999
when she again applied
for overseas work.
With the Taliban in
power in Afghanistan, the
Christian Blind Mission
was unwilling to send
volunteers to the country
and Gingerich was sent
to Pakistan.
With the events of
Sept.11, 2001, Gingerich
was brought back to
Canada.
In February 2002, she
returned to Peshawar,
Pakistan before moving
on to Afghanistan, where
she has been ever since
before returning to
Canada recently for med-
ical reasons.
With her experiences
overseas, Gingerich said
they have made her
appreciate Canada even
"Canada i
best coun
the world
wonderfu
country.T
Canadian
passport i
best passp
the
wo rl d... re
speaking t
nothing t
complain
CAROL
more.
"Canada is the best
country in the world...it's
a wonderful country. The
Canadian passport is the
best passport in the
world...relatively speak-
ing there is nothing to
complain about.
"And I've had the best
of health care here since
I've been home anyone
can get anywhere in the
world. Within 10 days
that I was home I had an
operation, which is a mir-
acle in
itself...and
Exeter is great.
The Exeter
health care
system is won-
derful."
After over 30
years experi-
ence overseas,
with many of
them in
Afghanistan,
Gingerich said
there is now
hope in the
country.
"I think it's
wonderful the
Americans are
there. The peo-
ple are happy...America
is bringing civilization
back to that country and
they are keeping the
peace. And the
Canadians as well."
Gingerich described
what it would be like in
Canada if the Taiban
were in power, with men
forced to grow beards
and wear a certain uni-
form, no television or
radio and women unable
to work or go to school.
"But if you have no
power and no money and
you are poor, you can't
fight this. So the
Americans came in and
toppled the Taliban and it
was a good thing in my
opinion."
Despite their defeat,
Gingerich said there are
still a lot of Taliban
around who have shaved
their beards and blended
in with society.
With unemployment
such a problem in the
country, men are willing
to work for the warlords.
"It's called survival. You
need money to live."
After decades of war,
the country has gone
back a 100 years, accord-
ing to Gingerich, from
where it was in the
1970s.
"The muslims there are
more moderate, and
they're not like Iran, or
Iraq or Saudi
Arabia...They are a dif-
ferent class of people."
Exhausted by the wars,
Gingerich said the
Afghans just want a nor-
mal life.
"Number one, they
need work and they need
peace...But to have peace
you need justice...Hamid
Karzai is trying to bring
justice to the country and
the people that have been
wronged."
Afghanistan remains a
conservative society, with
around 50 per cent of the
s the
try in
...it's a
I
he
s the
ort in
latively
here is
0
about.
GINGERICH
women still wearing the
covering called the
chadri, younger women
aren't wearing it as
much.
"It's going to take time
to get rid of it in the city
and of course everyone
still wears it in the vil-
lages."
As well as lifelong
friends she has made in
Afghanistan whom she
still keeps in touch with,
Gingerich has also helped
three families in Pakistan
who were refugees from
Afghanistan come to
Canada. They are now
living in Kitchener.
"You can't help every-
one, you can only help a
few families and that's all
you can do. But you can
make a life and differ-
ence for some of these
families."
As witnessed in the past
weeks with the disaster
in southeast Asia,
Gingerich said technology
has changed the way non
govermental organiza-
tions (NGO's) do business,
since they are able to ask
for and receive donations
almost instantly.
Despite the widespread
destruction and poverty
in the country, Gingerich
is hopeful for the future
of the country.
Reconstruction is
speeding ahead, trying to
overcome the problem of
a generation of Afghans
who have left the country
or were never educated.
"There still are some
educated people of
course, but they are
starting at square
one...but there are lots of
things that are changing
for the better. People
have hope...even the poor
have hope that things will
get better because they
have memories of their
grandparents talking
about when times were
better. And they're hop-
ing it will be better in
their time as well...but
it's a challenge, a huge
challenge, and it is called
commitment."
Carol Gingerich of Zurich, recently returned from volunteer work in Afghanistan,
holds up a chadri, which women were forced to wear under the Taliban. (Below)
The scale of destruction from 30 years of war in the country is widespread.
(photo/submitted)
Gingerich shops for used clothing for needy families
in a market in Kabul. (Above) While not required by
law anymore, around 50 per cent of women still
cover completely. (photos/submitted)