EveryMother's Day: Letter from Pakistan

International Rescue Committee —> Letter of Gratitude from Pakistan

A Letter of Gratitude from from Ken Burslem,
International Rescue Committee Representative, Peshawar, Pakistan

Thanks so much for your kind kind Mother's Day message. Out here in Pakistan/Afghanistan we do appreciate anyone thinking of us and our program— and in particular for the people we're trying to help — and your thoughts and support are much appreciated.

This is a very interesting stage in that our work is now reaching something of a high point on both sides of the border. As you have probably heard,repatriation is a major task as tens of thousands of Afghan families are considering returning home.But just what sort of home they're going back to is a very disturbing question that we must help them answer. Will it be safe from both mines and ethnic strife? What state are their villages in? Is there water and do they have enough food for the first few months? Are they immunised? Are there medical facilities nearby and will there be schools for their children? Just some of the questions we ask and some of the problems we try to help them solve.

Of course there are tens of thousands more refugees still here in Pakistan who do not want to go home yet —they believe it's too dangerous or they have no way of making a living there, of having the facilities and safety their camps offer. So they are still in the huge camps we help to run close to the border.

For the people in Afghanistan itself, our work ranges from helping to feed thousands who are still desperately poor and suffering from the war and drought —to encouraging others who are strong enough to start small businesses. Some are being given emergency food to help them survive the next few months,others are being supplied with seeds, fertilizer, seedlings, wells are being sunk and irrigation channels cleared to help them get their farms productive.

Education is a formidable but wonderful opportunity —especially in a country where female illiteracy is running at over 90percent. IRC has been running schools for both genders here in Pakistan for years now —and in Afghanistan we worked with other agencies to help open the schools for some 2 million children last month. For Afghan women,banned from education by the Taliban, this was a wonderful moment. Education for women is vital but so too is their safety and we have a very active protection unit working to defend their rights in camps, villages and towns —and also a female health education project.

For the most vulnerable Afghan refugees IRC works towards long-term solutions, including resettlement abroad. So there's a lot of work to be done and I hope you can imagine how\ grateful we are to know we have friends in spirit sharing the challenge with us. As someone who devoted most of his life to another career,I am fairly new to this humanitarian agency life. And I am still overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and dedication of the mostly young people involved in this often harsh, sometimes dangerous— but hugely rewarding work.

I will let as many as I can know about your Mother's Day thoughts and I am certain they will return the wishes of you and your friends in Sherborn with deep thanks. If ever you feel inclined to hear more about our doings here in this turbulent part of the world,I hope you will send us another of your welcome notes,
Best regards