So you may have noticed that the interface on my blog page has changed somewhat since the last post and there seems to be a lot more going on. Well, let’s just say that I’ve been fiddling around with the Blogger tools and found some pretty interesting stuff. Not sure if I’ve done too much and made the site look somewhat cluttered. So, I’d really love some feedback on what you think of the site.
Anyway, it’s passed 11 PM on a Tuesday night here in Islamabad and surprisingly the power hasn’t gone out. Usually, the regular load-shedding schedule dictates that power goes out in my Sector between the hours of 11:00 PM and 12:00 Midnight. I guess someone forgot to pull the plug at the power station. But hey, I’m not complaining! In fact, it’s nice to be able to relax and listen to some good jazz music on iTunes radio web cast, whilst sipping on cognac. Thus far this seems to be the perfect end to a long day…
It’s been almost 1 ½ weeks since I returned from my work visit to Ethiopia. The week following my return was just absolute hell catching up on a mountain of work that landed on my desk the day I returned to work.
My trip to Ethiopia on the other hand, was just heavenly. You would have read about my journey to Ethiopia, with the unexpected upgrade to Business and First Classes on Emirates. The picture slide-show I posted has some pictures of the journey and my brief stay in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia. Although the journey was part of the fun of getting there, for once, the destination proved to be so much more joyous and fulfilling.
Setting foot on African soil once again after being away from the continent for about 1 ½ years, I felt a sudden burst of joy in my heart that’s really inexplicable. It was as if I was coming home again – a feeling I’ve somehow never really encountered going back to my home country or anywhere else for that matter… well, maybe when I lived in Boston, but this was magnified several times. I suppose there’s something about Africa that once you’ve experienced it, once you’ve been bitten by that “bug”, a bond is established between one’s self and the soil. Africa has a kind of “realness” to it - an authenticity -that’s unlike any other. The people of this land possess a generosity of spirit that makes you feel at home. Amidst the great need that exists in many parts of the continent, the people somehow exhibit a desire to share from the little they have and that perhaps is truly one of the most humbling experiences that creates a bond between a weary traveller or visitor and the people and the land.
The weather in Addis Ababa and the town of Debre Zeyit, about 50 km away from Addis, where the training centre I was going to be staying was simply divine. The average temperatures that ranged from 13 C to 15 C (55 F to 59 F) was a welcome respite from the 45-50 C (113 – 122 F) weather I was experiencing in Islamabad, Pakistan the week before.
The workshop itself was quite intense and there wasn’t much time for anything else, but it was 5 full days of productive learning. Whilst I cannot quite claim to be an expert on preparing European Union (EU) concept notes and proposals, I certainly learned a lot about them and some of the skills are certainly applicable to funding calls by other donors, be it DfID, CIDA, USAID etc. The workshop also focused on strategies to pursue work related to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) in our respective countries.
The other major benefit of participating in this workshop was that I got to meet some amazing people who are not only passionate but exceptionally brilliant. They came from India, Nepal, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia as well as Germany and Belgium. We had more colleagues scheduled to participate in this workshop from Tanzania, Mozambique and Burkina Faso. Unfortunately due to some visa-related issues, they were held back at Bole International Airport in Addis and were denied entry into the country. The fervent efforts by the organization’s staff to help secure entry for these folks were in vain and the Ethiopian authorities refused to even grant them a transit visa for temporary entry. This incident served as reminder to all of us on the importance of having the appropriate information and clearances in advance before embarking on any travel.
I have to say that one of the highlights of this trip was that I was able to hang out with folks from Uganda and Kenya once again. I must confess that after 5 days of continuous interaction, I found myself slipping into former patterns of speech that I’d picked up in Kenya. :-)
Although there wasn’t much time for sight-seeing and hardly any for shopping – a point of contention for some participants, we nonetheless were able to visit a couple of lakes in Debre Zeyit and check out the area surrounding our training centre. Seeing as it was World Cup season, extra effort was made to catch as many matches as possible. Unfortunately, the euphoria that came from Ghana’s victory over the US in the World Cup match (see previous post) did not last as Ghana was unceremoniously defeated by Uruguay in the following match. That was certainly a mood-buster for almost all of us in the group.
During this trip, I had the opportunity to visit one of the local youth associations in Debre Zeyit that was supported by the organizers of this workshop. The primary aim of this youth association was to promote awareness on Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) issues amongst their community. The centre has counselling services as well as a small library. They also support two (2) income-generating activities, one of which is quite extraordinary and very different from the usual income-generating activities that most development workers are familiar with. This particular group goes round to the local bars, clubs and hotels and sell condoms to the patrons of these establishments. Although free condoms are available in the government health centres, these youths do surprisingly well – they sell approximately 12,000 condoms each month in this relatively small town!!
The young people from this association also have a mobile dance troupe that performs at weddings and other functions in the area. We were privileged to have this group perform for us on the eve of the workshop’s conclusion. These kids are just absolutely talented and vibrant. Watching them perform with full of life and passion re-affirmed my belief in the potential of every child in this world and it inspired me to say a prayer for these kids that they will have all their needs met and have all the opportunities that they so rightly deserve. It also inspired me to want to work for the realization of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) that sets out the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of children worldwide, thus seeking to create the most conducive environment for them to achieve their fullest potential. As a side note, whilst I believe firmly in the rights and potential of children, I am still not a fan of having kids within 50 yards of my personal space, especially on air planes and closed spaces!! I maintain that I love children as a concept!
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and I now find myself back in Pakistan. Although, I know that there is a purpose for my being in this part of the world at this particular period, I nonetheless have left my heart in Africa and hope to make it back there some day to work in that part of the world. In the meantime, I hope to fulfil my purpose and mission where I am right now and have a positive impact in the lives of the people here.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Hurray for Mother Africa!!
I begin this post on a highly jubilant note of Ghana’s 2-1 victory over the USA in the World Cup Football match…. What a poignant moment this is for me as I am currently sitting in the CIP Lounge of the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad, waiting to board my plane for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! Although I haven’t really been following this World Cup religiously, I am nonetheless ecstatic over this game in particular. Here’s to Africa! I suppose I can say “I Left My Heart in Africa”
It has certainly been some time since my last blog update. Time has flown so quickly and it has already been 2 months since I arrived in Pakistan. Much has happened in these last 2 months and I have been absolutely swamped with work. The process of getting acquainted with my program and all the minute details has certainly been quite challenging and I still have some ways to go before I become 100% familiar. I’ve had the joy of writing, editing and finalizing several proposals on a range of projects from women’s empowerment to youth development (encompassing education, health and human rights) to projects that focus on democracy and minority issues.
I was supposed to have visited our offices and programs in Afghanistan earlier this month, but was forced to postpone this trip indefinitely. A certain television station in Kabul ran some false news on air earlier this month and implicated the organization I work for along with another international NGO. This led to security threats being leveled at both organizations and we were temporarily forced to suspend our work in Afghanistan. We have filed formal complaints to the Afghan government through the Afghan NGO consortium and are currently waiting to formal results of the investigations to be released. This incident is a classic case of irresponsible journalism as the media outlet in question manufactured false news and implicated innocent groups and subsequently placed the lives of many in grave danger. The station director himself admitted in an interview with the New York Times that they had no proof and just randomly picked our names from the phone book. As of this date, we are still in the wait-and-see mode on whether we can resume our operations.
Moving along to the present day, I am en route to Ethiopia for a training/workshop/meeting on Reproductive Health. This workshop/training/meeting is also supposed to help build our capacity to respond to European funding opportunities. Of course, this essentially means that I am going to have a lot more work on my hands when I get back to the office. However, I am excited about this opportunity and am looking forward to learning more on issues surrounding reproductive health and having my capacity to respond to European funding opportunities, notably EU funding calls expanded.
Much as I love travelling, it would seem that travelling always comes with some sort of drama with me. If you recall my second blog post, where I was heading for a field visit in Sindh and encountered a rather nerve-wrecking experience getting onto that flight. Well this time around, the drama came in a different for. I was initially scheduled to fly out to Addis on Monday, 28 June 2010. However, on Friday evening, just as I was about to leave the office at 6:30 p.m., I receive an email from the workshop organizer saying that Ethiopian Airlines had cancelled the last leg of my outbound flight from Dubai (DXB) to Addis (ADD). Of course, the rest of that evening was spent juggling phone calls and emails reviewing alternate options for my travel. Thankfully, they were able to get me on another flight on Emirates all the way from Islamabad (ISB) to Addis via DXB. Unfortunately, I had to leave 1 ½ days earlier on early Sunday morning at 3:40 am. This of course means that I effectively needed to leave my place late Saturday evening, which was what I did and ultimately find myself here at the airport, typing my blog entry. The silver lining in this entire episode was my eventual discovery that my outbound flight was booked on Business & First Class! It’s nice to have access to the business class lounges and not having to fork out extra $$$ for it. Of course, my return flight will force me back to Sardine class (also known as Economy). Alas, I’m going to try to be grateful for little blessings and not get too demanding… I am ultimately excited to be setting foot on African soil once again and am eagerly looking forward to it. As I said in the beginning of this post, I’ve certainly left my heart in Africa and it’s wonderful to be going back again!
On that note, I bid you adieu for now and hope to write more soon. Cheers!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Turbulent times in Pakistan: Violence & Censorship
Ok folks, so it's Thursday evening (May 20, 2010) and I'm writing this post from the library in CWS' Karachi office that has been turned into my bedroom for the night. I came down to Karachi this morning for a series of meetings today and tomorrow. As soon as I arrived in Karachi, I found out there were clashes between two political factions yesterday – the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – better known by its acronym MQM and the ANP – Awami National Party. No one really knows what triggered the clashes but apparently there were targeted shootings around the city that killed approximately 23 people and Karachi is under a semi-lock down. More details are in this news report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8693681.stm). One of the shootings happened in the Saddr district of Karachi, which is where our staff guest house is located.
In light of this, my office refused to let me return to the Staff Guest House and instead converted the library into a temporary bedroom so I could spend the night here. So this is my second time in Karachi where I've been confined to closed quarters – the last time was due to my run-in with malaria and this time for security concerns. So far I haven't really had a great experience in Karachi….hmmm… This is really unfortunate as I can see myself liking a city like Karachi, with all the hustle and bustle that comes with it, though I can certainly do WITHOUT the ridiculous heat and humidity here. It was 39 C (102 F) when I arrived at around noon. In any case, I am certainly looking forward to returning home to Islamabad. I still find it ironic that I keep referring to Islamabad as "home"… In fact, I think I've developed a certain "Capital City Superiority Complex" and get defensive when people from Lahore and Karachi refer to Islamabad as the "dead city", which in fairness and in comparison to Karachi and Lahore, Islamabad is relatively quiet.
Anyway, the other big news story here is the government of Pakistan's decision to ban Facebook and YouTube. See report on BBC World News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10130195.stm). The ban on Facebook started yesterday because a group of people had planned for a online contest on Facebook to get people to draw images of the Prophet Mohammed. The excuse for the banning of YouTube was that it was spreading sacrilegious content. Needless to say that I find this ban utterly ridiculous as it is a violation of freedom of expression and information. I understand and respect the sensitivities of people with regards to images depicting the Prophet, who is revered by Muslims worldwide. However, I strongly believe that there could have been alternative measures taken to state their protest rather than ban the whole site. Additionally certain links on Wikipedia and Flickr have also been banned. Obviously this entire incident has generated a lot of mixed reactions on all sides of the argument. Now I have my opinions on this subject but I will refrain from stating them here as I do not wish to engage in this controversy. Plus I don't want my innocent blog blocked by the Pakistani government, thereby depriving me further of my access to the world. This fiasco has certainly shown me how dependent I am on Facebook. The internet – e-mail and Facebook have become so integral to my daily life that they are as natural as breathing for me. So needless to say that I am suffering from this forced deprivation!
Well, that's it for today. Till the next time….good night and good luck…
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
This pesky thing called Malaria…
Greetings folks:
It's been almost 2 weeks since my last posting and much has happened in that time. I'd intended to write an update much sooner but was unable to for reasons which will be explained here. So my last posting was that of my journey to one of our project sites in Mirpurkhas district in Sindh Province, which is approximately 3 ½ hours northeast of Karachi. I was supposed to have stayed in Mirpurkhas from Sunday (2 May 2010) through Wednesday (5 May 2010), visiting the various project sites in Naukott and Umerkot (two sub-divisions of Mirpurkhas), after which I had a meeting in Hyderabad and then head back to Karachi for more meetings the rest of the week.
Alas none of this came to pass as during my first site visit on Monday, I started feeling nauseous, feverish and was about to faint. I thought it was a heat stroke as the heat was beyond stifling that Monday. The temperature range that day was somewhere between 43C and 45C (109F-113F). Alas, it turned out to be malaria. This would make it the 2nd time in 2 years that I've come down with this nasty illness. The last time was in Kenya in 2008. Anyway, my office had me promptly sent back to Karachi on Tuesday, after I got the results of the blood test in Mirpurkhas, where I got treatment from one of the urban hospitals and spent the rest of the week resting in the staff guest house there.
This was my first experience with the Pakistani health care system and I have to say that the difference between the rural and urban health care systems could not be further apart. In Mirpurkhas I was taken to the "best hospital" in the area, which was a mission hospital – St. Teresa's Mission Hospital as opposed to the public hospital. Of course, when I first entered the grounds of St. Teresa's, my first thought was "has the construction on this building been completed?" The facilities seemed minimal and I was grateful not to have to be admitted there, though I have to say that the doctor who examined me did inspire some confidenceJ and I am extremely grateful for that. Upon getting back to Karachi, I was immediately taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital, which is supposed to be one the premier medical facilities in Pakistan. This hospital was massive in size and seemed pretty modern in terms of the facilities it had. I was impressed. The Aga Khan name was familiar to me as I recall that the Aga Khan Foundation also runs very good hospitals in other parts of the world, including in Kenya – in Nairobi and Kisumu. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the cost of outpatient consultation and medication at Aga Khan. I learned later that the Aga Khan foundation that runs numerous education, welfare and medical facilities globally provides affordable and even subsidized healthcare for the poor. . Having said that however, this experience nonetheless illustrated the vast differences in quality of life experienced by both the rural and urban folk in this and many other countries across the globe.
Although the trip to Mirpurkhas was cut short abruptly, thankfully I was able to complete at le
ast the 1st day's visit. I had the privilege of meeting with the women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and the Farmers Resource Centres (FRCs) as well as check out the new Earth Boxes, which we introduced not too long ago. Earth Boxes allow for planting of fruits and vegetables (albeit a limited quantity) that requires little watering. It's basically a self-irrigated form of planting. This form of planting is particularly useful in this part of the country as it is extremely dry and has been experiencing an extended period of drought. It also doesn't help that the irrigation water that is supposed to be channeled to the small farmers at the end of the line doesn't get to them due to the larger and more influential landlords (many of whom are residing abroad) exert their influence and take more than their share of water for their farms and orchards. As a result, the small farmers' crops die sooner and this affects their livelihoods and subsequently the welfare of their families. Needless to say that the road ahead is a long one in terms of ensuring food security and sustainable livelihoods for the communities in this area.
Come Friday, I started to feel a tad better and decided to come "home" to Islamabad as planned on Saturday. Unfortunately this episode with malaria was soon followed by severe stomach cramps and diarrhea that lasted me almost a week. I'm still on medication but am feeling much better. Ironically, all 3 of us who were in Mirpurkhas from my organization fell ill, with one of who also came down with malaria and the diarrhea, and the other who skipped the malaria but ended up having to be hospitalized when we got home to Islamabad because of the diarrhea. Thankfully we're all much better now but needless to say, this was one hellish visit for all of us.
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