Ruralite Cafe: Published 02/21/02

By Lynn Hotaling - Associate Editor

Fairview students hear from Afghanistan

State School Superintendent Mike Ward, in the village of Chah-e Ab near Rostaq in northern Afghanistan near the Tajikistan border as part of a humanitarian mission, called home Friday and spoke with students at a dozen or so Tar Heel schools.

When the head of Social Studies at the state Department of Public Instruction asked if Fairview wanted to participate in the teleconference, social studies teacher Mary Slagle said she jumped at the chance because her seventh-graders' curriculum includes world geography.

"It was exciting to see the kids have that opportunity to hear from someone who is in one of areas they've studied," Slagle said. "It was a superb experience."

Watching the seventh-graders hang on Ward's every word proved Slagle's point. All sat still, eyes focused on the telephone in the corner, as the state superintendent answered questions about his experiences in Central Asia.

Just getting to the village was an adventure, Ward said. He and his group crossed into Afghanistan on a ferry powered by a tractor-driven pulley and passed through Northern Alliance checkpoints.

"It's been a remarkable few days," Ward told the children.

Though it was 10 a.m. when the superintendent's voice came over the speaker in Slagle's classroom, it was 8:30 p.m. in Afghanistan. Ward had spent the day helping to distribute food to hungry Afghani people before calling North Carolina via a satellite telephone.

To illustrate conditions where he was, Ward described his morning routine for his young listeners.

"I got up early so I could take a shower, which is done here by heating water on the wood stove and pouring it over yourself," Ward said.

Water is carried from a well, and heat comes from a wood stove, the superintendent told the students. People sit cross-legged on mats on the floor even to eat - a tablecloth is spread on the floor, and the food is placed on it.

"It's been awhile since I've seen chairs," Ward said.

Journeying to the nearby food distribution point presented another set of challenges. Ward's group went north in a four-wheel-drive Russian land cruiser to an area where people were facing starvation.

"The route to the other village was through a river bed about a half-mile wide," Ward said. "It was rugged and rocky, and we could see snow-capped mountains all around. When our route led away from the river bed, we had to walk the last part of the way."

People brought burros to carry their 110-pound sacks of wheat back to their isolated homes, Ward said. Each bag of wheat would provide flour for about a month. The wheat being distributed could be the difference in a family's "making it through the winter or not making it," he said. Ward then described a visit to the home of the village commander.

"Hospitality is very important to the people here - Tajiks - and they had prepared rice, partridges and flat bread for us," he said. "They also offered us horses to ride back to the vehicle."

As the teleconference progressed, each school asked Ward a question, and his answers provided a deeper understanding of life in Afghanistan. The superintendent was obviously pleased by a question from a student at South Davidson who asked how kids in North Carolina could help their counterparts in Afghanistan.

Ward said schools, which only operate from March through September, are very bare with no electricity or desks and few supplies. He encouraged Tar Heel students to put together student kits, with clipboards that could double as desks for students who sit on the floor, paper, pencils and crayons.

"Education is a great cure for the kind of hatred and violence that occurred on Sept. 11," Ward said.

When a student from Richmond County High asked Ward about the geography, he replied that he was visiting the mountainous Northeast and Chah-e Ab is in a high plains valley.

He described the mountains as somewhat barren and treeless and said wood is treasured in that area. People are so hungry that they are having to sell the rafters from their houses for firewood, even though they are precious, to get money to buy food.

"The mountains here are rugged, though other parts of the country have a landscape that is less dramatic," Ward said.

Ward described weather conditions as similar to those back home.

"The climate is not a lot different than what I left," he said. "Temperatures are in the upper 40s during the days, and it gets pretty cold at night."

To a question about whether the Afghan people are aware that Taliban and Al-Quaeda prisoners are in U.S. custody, Ward replied that people he's met know and for the most part are supportive.

"Keep in mind that I'm in the North - people here fought the Taliban for years. They're not sympathetic to the Taliban," Ward said. "They held a lot of prisoners in this area, and they released many who they felt were pressured into fighting for the Taliban. They did not release Al-Quaeda fighters from outside of Afghanistan."

When asked if the people he had met follow strict religious codes, Ward replied in the affirmative.

"These are Muslims, and they have strict customs," the superintendent said. "Even though there's no electricity, a battery-powered loudspeaker gives the call to prayer several times a day. In this area, though it was not controlled by the Taliban, there is still strict observance of the traditional role of women - they wear burquas and head coverings."

Customs are quite different, Ward said, but he has avoided major social missteps with the help of the head of the relief team.

"I've been comfortable to be among the Afghanis," he said. "They're very hospitable and very gracious."

Ward told students at Laney High in Wilmington that he feels "secure and welcome" and that walking through the village bazaar was "like stepping back in time."

"I'm impressed by the hospitality of the Tajik people, and I'm struck by the poverty. The average lifespan is 47 years. These people face incredible hunger due to war and drought." Ward said.

"I see malnourished children and tattered clothing, but I don't see poverty in their greetings or hospitality. They are generous in spirit," he said. "One small boy led his grandfather to the food distribution point. The grandfather was blind but strong enough to carry the wheat; the little boy was his eyes.

"I've seen a positive, friendly response to Americans," Ward said after he was asked how Americans are perceived since the Sept. 11 attacks. "The Taliban was oppressive, and happily there's a friendly posture toward Americans," he said. "I think a lot depends on the American response. That's why questions like 'What can school children do?' are so important."

Life in northern Afghanistan has changed in the past few months due to the lessened fear of armed conflict, Ward said in response to a student's question. The Taliban had pushed close to Chah-e Ab before the Americans entered the conflict. Just a couple of days before Sept. 11, a Taliban suicide bomber posing as a journalist assassinated the Northern Alliance leader, Ward said.

"People are much less anxious about the prospect of war and violence," Ward said.

Fairview's Rachel Stewman was one of the last to pose a question to Ward.

"What do you see as the most needed resource?" she asked in a clear voice.

"Food," said Ward. "Blankets and warm clothing are needed, but mostly food. There's a real danger of people starving, so food is the resource that's needed most right now."

Afghan children have been a pleasure, Ward said in response to another question. He described them as "always pleasant" and said the youngsters are creative and come up with their own games.

"Again, what we do long-term will have a great effect on the children," Ward said.

News from the outside trickles in slowly, said Ward in response to a question about the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

"With no electricity, there's not much access to news about the Olympics," he said. "The last I heard was what I heard before I left home."

Ward's telephone interaction with state schoolchildren was both informative and moving for Fairview students.

"The most interesting part to me was how the children have a simplistic life and don't get to go to the mall or movies," Stewman said. "And how deprived they are of food and electricity - things we take for granted."

"I thought it was sad they didn't have food, and the kids are getting sick," said Fairview seventh-grader Cody Bryson. "A lot of the stuff was surprising."

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