December 16th, 2024
Dear friends,
Two weeks ago, I told you about the environment in which our activities are taking place, i.e. about the policies of the Afghan government. There are very far-sighted and clever approaches there, but so far, they have not been able to prevail against the policies of Emir Haibatullah, the head of state of Afghanistan. The Emir is trying to restore the terrible conditions that existed during the first Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, because he believes that these are in accordance with Sharia law. Powerful intra-Taliban opponents of the Emir avoid open confrontation in order not to jeopardize Taliban rule and to avoid civil war, which the Taliban and the population fear.
The Taliban’s efforts to establish Afghan statehood have ensured the survival of the bureaucracy in the Islamic state. In Afghanistan, officialdom has permeated the monarchy, the republic, communism, civil war, democracy and now the Islamic state.
OFARIN’s personnel have adapted flexibly to the Taliban state and its bureaucratic excesses. We avoid confrontations with the authorities. We try to give the officials what they want – but no bribes. The officials know that we work successfully and correctly and respect the fact that we don’t want to make things too difficult for them. Our school classes in Kabul are often visited by officials. Some even speak of closer cooperation between OFARIN and their ministry.
In Khost, we have teamed up with the Afghan aid organization ODIA (= Organization for Development and Infrastructure in Afghanistan), with which we have excellent personnel relations. ODIA runs schools itself, among other things. We can now run classes under the umbrella of ODIA, which work under our name and according to our rules. When the contract between ODIA and OFARIN was signed, the person responsible for education in the province offered to provide OFARIN with a room in each of Khost’s state schools where we could run our own classes.
Such promises from higher officials should not be overestimated. In Khost, many people responsible for the school system have already been replaced. So far, OFARIN only has one boys‘ and one girls‘ class in Khost and no staff who can supervise other classes as trainers. We can’t set up many classes there straight away.
But we must ensure that our teaching program in Khost grows. OFARIN must live up to the praise it has received. The textbooks we use need to be revised. Our teaching program must be expanded so that in the foreseeable future one can acquire a basic education at OFARIN that offers all the academic prerequisites for a non-academic professional life.
We hope that the far-sighted Taliban will find a way to put an end to the Emir’s misogynistic policies. Then OFARIN must be prepared to play a major role in improving the education system. If any organization working in Afghanistan is capable of organizing good education, it is OFARIN.
Our planting of walnut trees in Khost is also exemplary. When we presented our plans for the Dzadzi Maidan area, the minister increased the number of trees to be planted to 40,500. Instead, we had to reduce our personnel costs. The area we are working in stretches over 5 to 6 square kilometers of mountainous terrain. A pit measuring 300 cm x 80 cm and 40 cm deep is created for each tree before the seedlings are planted in January. The dimensions in Dzadzi Maidan are slightly different from those in Tani, where we planted last year. The soil in Dzadzi Maidan is interspersed with small stones. This makes the work difficult.
We have to prevent cattle from being driven into the area. There will be men in the planting area for three years to ensure this. They also make sure that the pits fulfill their function as fluid reservoirs. They will replace seedlings that do not grow. In addition, 30 training sessions are held in the various hamlets in the planting area. The benefits of reforestation are discussed with the local population. We attended one such training course in Tani. They really “get something across” (there and back).
Creating tens of thousands of pits and then planting the small trees and later guarding the area and working with the inhabitants requires considerable organizational effort. The OFARIN employees manage this brilliantly. We have also seen other planting projects in Khost. They are all much smaller. After planting the seedlings, the name of the organization carrying out the work was always placed on a meadow with white painted stones so that everyone could read it. After that, no further attention was paid to the work. At most half of the trees grew.
Walnut-trees of OFARIN in November 2024 in Tani (Province Khost)
Thanks to the inspection of the planting area in Tani by OFARIN employees, it was noticed that in many places, trees were sprouting again that had previously formed a dense forest here. The reason for this was to keep the cattle away from the planting areas. The animals no longer ate the sprouting plants. Between the nut trees, many varieties of trees that used to grow here have a chance again.
This is going to be a jungle one day
The people understood that the ban on grazing was crucial for the regeneration of the forests. The tribes quarantined other grazing areas that once had trees that had been cut down, i.e. they no longer allowed livestock on these grasslands. The provincial agricultural authorities supported the whole thing. They quarantined more pastures and agreed to pay the guards who have to enforce the grazing bans.
An oak tree has sown here
In the very rugged planting area of Tani, sudden rainfall repeatedly causes flash floods in otherwise dry folds of mountain slopes. Our school classes in Kabul are often visited by officials. Some even speak of closer cooperation between OFARIN and their ministry.
In Khost, we have teamed up with the Afghan aid organization ODIA (= Organization for Development and Infrastructure in Afghanistan), with which we have excellent personnel relations. ODIA runs schools itself, among other things. We can now run classes under the umbrella of ODIA, which work under our name and according to our rules. When the contract between ODIA and OFARIN was signed, the person responsible for education in the province offered to provide OFARIN with a room in each of Khost’s state schools where we could run our own classes. Such promises from higher officials should not be overestimated.
In Khost, many people responsible for the school system have already been replaced. So far, OFARIN only has one boys‘ and one girls‘ class in Khost and no staff who can supervise other classes as trainers. We can’t set up many classes there straight away. But we must ensure that our teaching program in Khost grows. OFARIN must live up to the praise it has received. The textbooks we use need to be revised. Our teaching program must be expanded so that in the foreseeable future one can acquire a basic education at OFARIN that offers all the academic prerequisites for a non-academic professional life.
We hope that the far-sighted Taliban will find a way to put an end to the Emir’s misogynistic policies. Then OFARIN must be prepared to play a major role in improving the education system. If any organization working in Afghanistan is capable of organizing good education, it is OFARIN. Our planting of walnut trees in Khost is also exemplary. When we presented our plans for the Dzadzi Maidan area, the minister increased the number of trees to be planted to 40,500. Instead, we had to reduce our personnel costs.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year 2025.
Kind regards,
Peter Schwittek.