Konar Children

Greetings Again Everyone, Below is the link to a photo album filled with pictures of children in Konar Province. They don't require much explanation, but I want to note a few things. I believe I noted in a previous update the clothing common amongst the Afghan people. You will see here some of the incredibly bright colors worn by the children - in particular the girls. This is in stark contrast to the subdued colors worn by adults most of the time. You will also see that the children are typically working, "traveling" (often to or from school on foot), or just hanging out. There are virtually no playgrounds or parks that I have seen in Konar at which the children can play sports or just play (I am going to see if we can get some projects going for some of these). And, of course, most do not have many toys of any type with which to play. The thing that can seem most strange to us in America is the children working and being without direct adult supervision. Children we might not allow to cross the street by themselves are sent into the nearest village or city to pick up produce, oil, or other items. They walk by themselves to schools a fair distance away or to gather with friends or see relatives. You will also see girls - most likely sisters - holding and caring for younger children (though the girls don't appear to be much older than their charges). The closest picture I think I have to kids in America is one of several in a tree. You should also note that the children travel like the adults, which means without any additional safety precautions. They ride on the backs and fronts of motorcycles and bicycles without helmets; they ride in the backs of open trucks and cars and on tractors and wagons. I took one picture - which I actually think is in another album I'll be posting soon - of two children riding behind a man on a motorcycle; after we passed the motorcycle, my gunner told me there were three more children sitting in front of the man - that's one adult and five children on a motorcycle. Before being appalled, consider that in many respects Afghanistan is now where we were as a country anywhere from twenty to 200 years ago. Until their basic needs are met they are not going to be concerned about a lot of things we take for granted. It wasn't long ago in America - that is, when I was a kid (I don't want to hear any cracks about how long ago that was) - that bike helmets weren't worn, nor were seatbelts, and kids walking and playing away from adults was not that uncommon. The adults had to work a lot more and harder to put a roof over their heads and food on the table so couldn't be bothered watching the children constantly - and certainly couldn't affort daycare. That's where many Afghan families are now. And/or they have to put the kids to work in some manner. The good news is that most Afghans now understand how important it is for the children to attend school. There are several pictures of us dropping off school supplies and stuffed animals to kids; I'll have more of these as we have received a lot more supplies from many of you and I know more are on the way. The last thing I'll note is that many of the families are very large - both immediate and extended. We have met numerous Afghan men - younger than me - with eight to ten children ranging from five to early twenties and, in some cases, with grandchildren as well. That's not unusual. And families tend to stay close together so that the people around are all relatives, which helps with them watching out for one another. So enjoy these pictures and say a prayer for these kids. They truly hold the future of Afghanistan in their hands. Kevin