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In Afghanistan, the Women Economic Empowerment Rural Development Project (WEE-RDP) is a national program that empowers rural Afghan women to mobilize into self-help groups.

These groups help their members access financial services and start small businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, self-help groups have also provided critical support for health and livelihoods.

The self-help groups help fight misinformation, train communities on how to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus, and provide loans for medical expenses and livelihood assistance.

BAGRAMI DISTRICT, Kabul Province On a sunny June afternoon in Qale Ahmad Khan village, the streets were deserted, unusual in Bagrami district, which is located just a short 30-minute car ride from downtown Kabul, Afghanistans capital and most populous city.

The silence is only interrupted by a lone sweet seller whose calls from his bicycle draws a few children from their homes into the street to buy a treat from their favorite traveling salesman.

Usually, on any given summer day, the streets would be busy with lifegrocers hawking ripe melons, motorbikes and cars shuttling to and from Kabul city.

But in the summer of 2020, silence had fallen over Bagrami district, as it had in villages and cities around the world. Storefronts shuttered and families remained at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While local lockdowns have been vital to stem the spread of the virus, they have had far-reaching social and economic consequences.

In Qale Ahmad Khan village, a group of 10 women gathered in a small room to hold their weekly self-help group (SHG) meeting. The agenda is always focused on the latest issues, whether it be savings and loan coordination or female empowerment. Most recently, the group has been focused on COVID-19 and solving community issues caused by the pandemic and its preventive measures.

In times like these, many in the community have turned to their local SHG,which was established in January 2019 by the Womens Economic Empowerment Rural Development Project (WEE-RDP). Operated under the Ministry of Women Affairs (MoWA), the project is a national program that empowers rural women by helping them to mobilize into SHGs, open small businesses, and access financial services.

Life-saving Information

In Kabul province, WEE-RDP has set up over 700 SHGs in Bagrami, Estalif and Chahar Asyab districts in Kabul with more than half in Bagrami district alone. To date, 36 SHGs have been set up in Qale Ahmad Khan, a village with a population of over 8,000.

As the pandemic spread, WEE-RDP responded to new community needs, through the SHGs, training 429 women and 129 men on COVID-19 preventive measures in Bagrami district in the first round. We have received trainings on how to social distance, use mask and gloves, and the benefit of different nutrients [in fruits] such as lemons, cherries, and oranges on the immune system, says Rahila Nazari, 41, a mother of five.

The training was especially valuable to Rahila when her husband fell ill with COVID-19 in June 2020. She applied what she learned from the training to properly quarantine her husband and keep herself and their children from being infected while he recovered at home.

Over the course of 2020, 54 awareness programs on COVID-19 have been carried out and 856 people trained in Bagrami district on how to social distance and wear masks and gloves, according to Hamidullah Kaliwal, 28, a WEE-RDP Field Coordinator. In all the three districts, 1,260 people (828 women and 378 men) received COVID-19 awareness during this time.

Sustainable Solutions for the Community

The SHG not only provided Rahila with vital information, it also granted her a 2,000-afghani ($26)* loan to help cover her husbands medical expenses. For 14 consecutive days he had fever that had left him motionless, and we didnt have any money to admit him to a hospital, says Rahila. So, I took the loan from the self-help group and bought him Paracetamol, cherries, lemons, oranges, and other fruits and made juices for him.

After her husbands recovery, they were faced with another dire problem. With businesses shut down due to COVID-19, Rahilas husband, a construction worker, had no work and no way to earn a living to provide for his family. I didnt have any money to feed my children, she recounts. I had only 60 afghanis [77 cents] to buy just bread for breakfast.

The SHG threw Rahila a further lifeline by helping her secure another loan and form a plan of action. I borrowed 2,000 afghanis and bought a bicycle, Rahila says. [My husband] uses the bicycle to sell goods like dishwashing liquid and powder and snacks to other residents. The plan proved a success as many people preferred not to leave their homes during these uncertain times and were happy to have a delivery service of these small goods. I am thankful to the SHG that has helped me and my family. My husband now earns 300 afghanis [$3.90] a day, which Rahila says is enough to cover their daily expenses and repay her loans in weekly installments.

Rahila says that she would have been in a difficult position without WEE-RDPs aid. If we didnt have this program in our village, we would have had to either take loans from neighbors or sell whatever we had at home for my husbands treatment.

She is grateful that the WEE-RDP came to their village and taught them that saving can create a huge difference in their lives. We didnt know much about saving at the beginning, we were spending all the earnings without giving any further thoughts about our future, she says.

Kaliwal reaffirms WEE-RDPs positive impact on the women in Qale Ahmad Khan village. We have been successful in creating a mentality among the women that saving 20 afghanis [26 cents] per week can [help] solve big problems in their lives in the future, he says.

By encouraging women to participate in society and involving them in decision-making at the local level through SHGs, communities like Qale Ahmad Khan have been able to implement targeted, sustainable, and appropriate solutions to solve community issues.

WEE-RDP promotes womens economic empowerment by encouraging and aiding financially sustainable and self-managed community institutions, which aim to improve household incomes, foster sustainable enterprises, and increase access to finance and markets. WEE-RDP will be implemented in 76 districts across all 34 provinces in Afghanistan by projects end in June 2023.

WEE-RDP is funded by the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), a multidonor trust fund managed by the World Bank on behalf of 34 donors, and International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Groups fund for the poorest countries.

*U.S. dollar equivalents are based on the exchange rate $1 = 77 afghanis (December 2020)

Read more from the original source:
Afghanistan's women self-help groups on the COVID-19 front lines - Afghanistan - ReliefWeb

A mixture of scepticism and misinformation perpetuated on social media has slowed an already under-resourced vaccination campaign in Afghanistan.

By Ruchi Kumar

Mohammad Rahmani is not a COVID-19 denier. He wears a mask and practices social distancing. But the 24-year-old software engineer from Kabul, Afghanistan is deeply skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines. Online videos created in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, then uploaded on social media have convinced him that SARS-CoV-2 and the vaccine that protects against it are part of a large conspiracy to reduce the global population.

This kind of scepticism is common within Afghanistan, where very few residents even follow basic public health guidelines. Local physicians lament that many people mistakenly believe the COVID-19 threat is already over or that it has been greatly exaggerated. They fall for rumours like the virus will not affect Muslims, said Mohammad Sarwar Firozi, a physician and administrator within the Afghan Ministry of Public Health. There is very little awareness, and people dont realise that this virus can kill you and is killing Afghans.

In fact, COVID-19 skeptics could point to the governments statistics, which suggest just over 2,800 coronavirus deaths have occurred in the country of 38 million people. But the government has likely undercounted; a survey backed by the World Health Organisation found that roughly 10 million people nearly one third of the countrys population had been infected with the virus as of last summer. According to Firozi, 40 to 50 percent of SARS-CoV-2 tests in Kandahar Province are coming back positive. The percentage is particularly high for individuals returning from neighbouring Pakistan, which is experiencing a new wave of infections.

In February, India donated half a million doses of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine to Afghanistan as part of a diplomacy effort. Tragically, not long after making the donation, India suffered one of the worlds worst coronavirus outbreaks, and it is now experiencing vaccine shortages despite being home to the worlds largest producer of vaccines. (The way to hell is often paved with good intentions, wrote one former diplomat in The Times of India.) A second, slightly smaller batch of vaccines arrived in Kabul in March through COVAX, the World Health Organisation-backed programme designed to distribute vaccine doses to poorer countries.

But a mixture of scepticism and misinformation perpetuated on social media has slowed an already under-resourced vaccination campaign. As a result, doctors and officials contacted by Undark say vaccines that are desperately needed in India may soon expire in Afghanistan. The Afghan government denies this charge. Ghulam Dastagir Nazary, director of the Afghan Ministry of Public Healths immunisation campaign, confirmed that the country received 500,000 vaccine doses from the Indian government that were due to expire on 4 June. But, he said, they have already been utilised.

Of the first doses we received, we have so far administered over 80 percent, acknowledged a senior health official working on the countrys immunisation campaign. However, he shared an internal tally of available vaccine in one government department alone that showed more than 5,000 doses set to expire on 4 June. In addition, the vaccines donated through COVAX will expire on 15 July. The health official spoke with Undark on the condition of anonymity out of fear of government reprisal. We wont be surprised if they are wasted simply because people are not convinced, the official said, showing stocks of unused vaccine vials to Undarks reporter in the Afghan capital.

Afghanistans vaccine rollout started out well, said Nazary. The Ministry of Public Health prioritized health care workers, security forces, journalists, and teachers and demand was huge. But then interest tapered off after reports that the vaccine had been paused in some European countries due to a rare but potentially associated side effect: blood clotting. (The European Medicines Agency has since determined that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks.)

These legitimate reports of possible side effects soon gave way to misinformation and false rumours, said Nazary, and the countrys vaccination rate was reduced to almost zero for some weeks. In response, the government is undertaking a crisis communication management plan, he said. The Ministry of Public Health is asking other ministries, as well as the media, for help promoting the vaccine. Immunisation has also been opened to all adults, not just essential workers.

In Afghanistan, vaccination is voluntary, and Afghans must proactively seek vaccination from medical centers. Currently, with vaccine doses from India and the WHO, the country has enough to cover 3 percent of its total population, said Nazary, but health officials are struggling to administer even this amount to the public. Yet Nazary denied that there is any expected wastage: We only have 75,000 doses remaining across the country, he said, and they expire in mid-July.

When Undark showed Nazary photographs of vaccine vials with a 4 June expiration date, he insisted that no such vials exist inside the country. He did, however, say that some wastage is inevitable as part of any COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

The anonymous official who showed Undark the soon-to-expire vaccine doses agreed that some amount of wastage is to be expected because each vaccine vial contains eight to 10 doses and an opened vial is good only for a very short period of time. If a physician opens a vial but only sees, say, six patients that day, some of the vaccine will go to waste. But this type of wastage is different from what hes witnessing in the capital: vaccines at risk of exceeding their shelf life, even before theyve been opened.

In contrast to the many vaccine deniers in the country, some employees at the various government departments administering vaccines are putting together leftover shots to make whole doses and taking them to their families, the health official shared. Each vial usually has a little left over even after the 10 doses are administered, he said. Government employees are combining the leftover drops to create a full dose, then taking it to their families. They are treating these vaccines as precious lifesavers, he said. And that is how it must be, because wasting these precious lifesaving drugs that were gifted to us by India even though they needed it more is criminal.

Firozi agreed: It would be a grave injustice if these vaccines get wasted, especially when people in the donor country are suffering. People should be motivated to take these vaccines, and make Indias sacrifice worthwhile, he added. Not taking the vaccine when you have the opportunity to is an oppression to yourself and the society.

Many Afghans remain unconvinced. If the vaccine really works, then why is India givingit away to us for free when thousands of them are dying on daily basis? asked Ghulam Farooq, a 29-year-old civil servant from Kabul who has also refused to take the vaccine. He reasons that if the vaccine really worked, then India its largest producer would not be in the position it is in today.

Farooqs decision to abstain from the vaccine also arrived from claims of alleged side effects, including infertility and impact on sexual performance. I am still young and I got married only four years ago. I have two kids and I am planning to have at least a couple of more kids. I cant risk that, he explained. Anyway, this whole corona thing is propaganda by the West.

These types of conspiracy theories are rife in much of Afghan society, and range from the vaccines being a CIA project to track and target Afghans to a widespread but mistaken belief that the vaccine was made with ingredients that violate Islamic law, a serious issue in the Muslim-majority country. The claims of CIA interference and its resulting impact on immunisation campaigns have a precedent in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the United States government did, in fact, use a hepatitis B vaccination drive to track Osama Bin Laden.

In an attempt to reach a wider and largely devout Muslim population, the public health ministry has enlisted the help of prominent religious leaders to dispel some of the rumours swirling around the vaccine. After years of living in conflict, Afghans are susceptible to fake information because we tend to believe the worst, explained Mauvali Ehsanul Haq Hanafi, a religious leader who had joined the Afghan governments campaign to spread awareness of the vaccines. I have come across people with no medical or religious knowledge who are spreading wrong information that the vaccine is haram, or un-Islamic, he said, adding that their information was based on rumours. (Spreading rumours is considered sinful in Islam.)

Firozi went one step further and blamed rumour-spreaders for the COVID-19 deaths in Afghanistan. People who are spreading misinformation and influencing others to not get the vaccine are responsible for the lives we lose on a daily basis, he said. They will be answerable to God.

On the first day of Ramadan last month, the Ministry of Public Health enlisted the leadership of the countrys Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs to take the vaccines in front of the media to dispel the myth that the vaccine could impact the practice of fasting during the most holy month for Muslims.

As a deeply religious and conservative society, it isnt uncommon for Afghans to devoutly follow the words of religious leaders and community elders. Hanafi attempts to use his influence to convince the people to take the vaccine by delivering sermons, talking to other religious leaders, and using social media to encourage Afghans to get the shots. He says he is often challenged to respond to misinformation, particularly related to claims questioning the religious soundness of the vaccine. I once heard from a person saying that the vaccine consists of pork ingredients, which are forbidden in Islam, he said. I know there is no evidence to this rumour. Another person believed that because the vaccine is produced by a non-Muslim, it can have a negative impact on a believers faith.

In response, he explains that the virus does not see if one is a Muslim or a non-Muslim. There is only one thing it targets and that is the human body. Hanafi says he urges all Afghans, including religious leaders, to stop the spread of misinformation.

The anonymous official blamed the government for creating an environment of mistrust that allows such conspiracies to thrive. The leadership of the government, specifically his excellency, the president and his deputies, should have taken the vaccine in front of the media in order to convince the people of its effectiveness," the official said. "Other world leaders did so; that is how you earn your peoples trust.

Hanafi agreed, adding that the government could have done more early in the vaccine rollout. They could have used the voice of those who people listen the most to, who will be most effective in convincing people; instead they ran the campaign with artists and singers, he said referring to the choice of campaign ambassadors endorsing the vaccine. Hanafi believes that employing community elders, security officials, and more religious leaders to address concerns of the community would have been more effective. It would be grave negligence if these vaccines are wasted, he added. Islam is against wasting.

However, his appeals fail to resonate with those like Farooq, who believes that his faith will protect him better than the vaccine. I believe that if I survived so many wars, it is unlikely that this corona will kill me, he said. I have faith in God, and I know God will protect me.

Ruchi Kumar is an Indian journalist currently working in Kabul, Afghanistan, focusing on news stories from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. She has been published in Foreign Policy, The Guardian, NPR, The National, Al Jazeera, and The Washington Post, among other outlets.

This article was originally published on Undark. Read the original article.

See original here:
Donated by India, COVID-19 vaccines languish and may expire in Afghanistan amid misinformation, scepticism - Firstpost

The youthful faces look back from the Remembering Our Fallen towers, a mix of uniformed portraits and smiling snapshots of more than 5,000 lives cut short by the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

One tower in the traveling monument to America's post-9/11 military dead looks slightly different, the photos arrayed on a deep blue background instead of white.

The blue-backed pictures are of 183 young men and women who returned from battlefield deployments to hugs and kisses from relieved parents and spouses and kids then weeks or months or years later, suffering from often invisible pain, they took their own lives.

The monuments creators, Bill and Evonne Williams of Patriotic Productions,call it the PTS tower, for post-traumatic stress. They dont use the word suicide.

Its heartbreaking to look at that tower, Bill Williams said. All of them are hard, but that one is the hardest.

Tom and Donna Nicholson of Gretna saw the towers again at the event this past weekend in Omahas Old Market, and they know that feeling well. Their son, Marine Capt. Kevin Nicholson who died Sept. 2, 2014, after four deployments to Afghanistan in five years is on the blue tower.

To see all the faces, the beautiful-looking people, Donna said. I think, What a loss. What a waste.

Remembering Our Fallen is one of the few war memorials that honors warriors who succumbed to PTS alongside those who died on the battlefield.

Candy Martin, former president of American Gold Star Mothers, is an Army veteran whose son was killed in combat in Iraq in 2007. She agrees that those who died of PTS deserve recognition, too.

We recognize that they died in service, or as a result of service, said Martin, who marched in Omahas Memorial Day parade Friday, along with the Nicholsons. Its not how your child died. We focus on continuing the service that their sons and daughters didnt finish.

We recognize that they died in service, or as a result of service, said Candy Martin, who marched in Omahas Memorial Day parade Friday, along with the Nicholsons. Its not how your child died. We focus on continuing the service that their sons and daughters didnt finish.

During the 2010s, the Williamses had created 14 traveling memorials for individual states with portraits of those killed in post-9/11 combat. From time to time, Evonne Williams said, they would get queries from Gold Star parents about including their sons and daughters who died of PTS.

When they created the national Remembering Our Fallen memorial towers in 2017, they created panels for PTS deaths as well as deaths in training accidents.

The top of the first blue panel describes post-traumatic stress: Debilitating anxiety occurring after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event; symptoms can include flashbacks, emotional detachment and jumpiness; bio-chemical changes in the brain and body.

Ross Wimer, 32, of Omaha served four years in the Marine Corps and deployed with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment famous as the Darkhorse battalion during a brutal 2010-11 deployment to Afghanistans Sangin province. The unit lost 25 dead and had 200 wounded, a higher rate than any other unit during the war.

Many Darkhorse veterans, Wimer said, have been afflicted with survivors guilt. Over the years, suicides have mounted.

Ive honestly lost count, he said.

Members of his unit reach out to one another for buddy checks, an informal way to keep tabs on fellow veterans who may be in trouble.

Wimer does see a distinction between those who died in battle and those who died later, at home, but only a slight one. Hes glad the Remembering Our Fallen towers recognize both types of casualties of war.

Its great that Bill and Evonne are doing this, he said. Their heads are in the right place.

The Williamses do not contact families of veterans who have taken their own lives because suicide remains a highly sensitive topic, but they will add the names and photos of those who died from the effects of PTS if families request them. Six of the deceased on the PTS panels are from Nebraska.

To be included in the memorial, the veteran must have served after Sept. 11, 2001, and they must have served in a combat zone.

They get lost. Their service feels like it does not count, Evonne Williams said. They deserve this.

Last years Department of Veterans Affairs annual suicide prevention report counted 6,435 veterans who took their own lives in 2018, the latest year for which statistics were available.

The numbers have risen about 6% since the Department of Veteran Affairs started counting suicides in 2005 an unhappy trend, but a far smaller increase than the 47% increase in all adult suicides in the U.S. during the same period.

In the years since, there have been aggressive campaigns by both the military and the VA to prevent suicides, and to make it easier for veterans to receive treatment for post-traumatic stress.

Still, in 2018 veterans were slightly more likely than other Americans to die by their own hand. Veterans represented 8% of the U.S. adult population but 13% of the suicides.

Well over half of the veteran suicides last year were among vets over age 55. The 18-34 age group had the smallest number of suicides (874) but the highest rate.

Tom and Donna Nicholson had no idea the pain Kevin was in when he visited them in July 2014 for what turned out to be the last time.

We were glad to have him home. We tried to do special things, Donna said.

He was only 31. They didnt see it coming.

Over the years, he had grown more subdued compared with the cheerful youth Donna described as very independent, very smart. He was active in their church and liked to memorize Bible verses, and he built models and rockets in 4-H.

Kevin graduated from high school in 2001, attending Kansas State and the University of Nebraska-Lincolnbefore transferring to the University of Nebraska at Omaha and graduating in 2007.

While at UNO, he became interested in the military and joined the Marines. He arrived as the Corps ramped up its operational tempo to support two simultaneous wars. He deployed for seven months to Afghanistan, then came home for 12 months before returning to the theater four cycles in five years.

He was pretty proud of what he did, but he never talked about it, Tom Nicholson said. They felt awkward asking, so typically they didnt.

As the deployments ground on, Donna noticed Kevin seemed distant.

I noticed changes in his eyes. There was something about his stare, she recalled.

Donna called him in mid-August 2014, just to visit. She asked him what kind of things he would like her to include in the next care package she sent him.

The conversation still disturbs her.

He just told me, I always send him junk, she said. It was hurtful I dont think he really meant it. I think he was not in a good place.

Two weeks later, the doorbell rang at the Nicholsons' Gretna home about 6 oclock one evening. Donna answered.

Three men in uniform stood on the porch.

Donna knew instantly what that meant, but she was confused. Kevin was at home in North Carolina, not in Afghanistan. She shouted her husbands name.

I knew something was wrong, Tom said.

The rest hurts too much to talk about. Tom remembers numb shock, a sense of going through the motions while planning a burial.

That was the worst week of my life, Donna said.

Learning how Kevin died hurt. It left questions, but they drew support from family and friends, and their church.

I called our siblings and others and told them what happened, Tom said. You cant just pretend he fell out of a tree.

The sun sets over headstones at Omaha National Cemetery.

They came to accept that their son suffered invisible wounds, devastating ones.

Bodies get injured arms, legs. The brain gets injured, too. You just cant see it, Tom said. You dont find out some things until its too late.

The Nicholsons also found comfort in support groups like the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which has special groups for those whose loved ones took their own lives.

It helps being with other families who know what theyve gone through, and to tell his story. They were happy to join in Fridays Memorial Day event, which included a concert, parade and giveaways.

I just try to focus on things that bring happiness, Donna said. I dont think theres anything wrong with being happy.

The way Kevins life ended, Tom said, Is just a small part of a big picture. Id like to think that its not the biggest part of the picture.

I look at all the good he did. He served our country, Tom added. What more would he have done?

Kevin Nicholsons picture is right there on the first of the blue panels, in the top row.

One photo shows him in full battle rattle at a base in Afghanistan, eyes hidden behind dark shades and a gloved hand resting casually on the grip of his M-16 rifle. In the other hes standing in a driveway, dressed in polo and khakis.

In neither picture does he smile.

But above Kevins photos is a message:

May these Warriors, at last, Rest in Peace.

The number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255.If you are a veteran in crisis, or a person concerned about a veteran in crisis, dial the number and press 1 to connect with the veteran crisis line, available 24 hours a day. Additional information can be found at http://www.veteranscrisisline.net.

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Specialist 4

Years in service: 1968-1969

Where served: Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Specialist 4

Years in service: 1968-1970

Where served: Vietnam

U.S. Navy

Highest rank achieved: Chief Petty Officer electricians mate

Years in service: 1940-1946

Where served: Pearl Harbor survivor, Asiatic Pacific, Bikini Atoll

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: T-5 Corporal

Years in service: 1943-1945

Where served: Pacific theater

U.S. Air Force

Highest rank achieved: Major

Years in service: 20

Where served: Thailand, England, Panama

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Army Transport Able-Bodied Seaman/Corporal

Years in service: 1944-1946 and 1950-1952

Where served: England, Germany, France during WWII; Okinawa, Japan, during Korean War

U.S. Navy

Highest rank achieved: Seaman 1st Class

Years in service: 3 years

U.S. Air Force

Highest rank achieved: Technical Sergeant

Years in service: 1972-1992

Where served: Osan Air Base, South Korea

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Sergeant

Years in service: 1970-1972

Where served: Vietnam

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Colonel

Years in service: 30

Read more from the original source:
Traveling war memorial honors veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who died by suicide - Fremont Tribune

Gold Star family honors memories of soldier son killed in removal of deadly IEDs.

BUFFALO, N.Y. This particular Memorial Day in 2021 carries even more meaning for Gold Star families who lost loved ones during their military service in Afghanistan. That is because US troops, who first entered that country after 9/11 20 years ago, are set to withdraw under President Biden's order by a deadline of this September 11th.

The New York Times now reports that the timetable for that pullout has been accelerated and may be completed by early July.

2 On Your Side spoke with the family of a Western New York soldier who died there and a fellow veteran for their perspectives on this pullout after two decades of combat in that still troubled part of southern Asia.

In the Monuments Garden at the Buffalo Naval and Military Park it's known to some as the "A and the I" - Afghanistan and Iraq Memorial.

David and Kim Whipple know it as a place to honor Blake, their 21-year-old son, who was a fun-loving, generous Williamsville East grad who once gave a coveted Backstreet Boys concert ticket to a sick classmate.

David Whipple described his son this way, "He had a smile that really would lighten up a room."

But Blake also stunned his parents in 2009 with a very serious decision to enlist in the Army. "He said 'I just felt like I wanted to do something that's bigger than myself.' And this was a good way to serve our country."

After training Army Specialist Blake Whipple of the US Army's Tenth Mountain Infantry Division at Fort Drum was deployed to Afghanistan's Ghazni Province.

He was able to speak briefly with his parents after arriving at his base in Afghanistan. Whipple recalls, "What he said was it is so amazing. He said this is such a beautiful country and yet so dangerous."

And now he was given a dangerous assignment. Whipple was tabbed as a combat engineer who could help with construction projects. But he was also assigned to a "sapper" unit clearing IEDs or improvised explosive devices set by the Taliban for a roadside ambush.

David Whipple and his wife Kimberly remember discussing it with their son.

"We asked him 'route clearance' is that what we think it is? He goes 'yeah - those guys go out and find the IEDs," David Whipple said. "And uh... I remember both my wife and I were just - took our breath away. Because we knew it was so far away from what we thought he would be doing and we knew how dangerous it was."

Whipple says his son simply responded this way.

"He said look - it's my job and um.. the country needs me to do it and I'm goin over there and I'm gonna do my job."

Whipple added, "The thing that hits you right in the face is the kid that just left not that long ago from home is now a man and a warrior. And couldn't be prouder of him."

On November 5, 2010 Specialist Whipple died as an IED exploded as he tried to dismantle it. His dad now reflects this way, "I think it's always about wanting to do something that was rewarding, that was bigger than himself and something that was helping not only himself but the country."

So now with US troops withdrawing from Afghanistan, the Whipples are pleased the troops won't be at risk there any longer. But there's that question to a family who lost their son there - was it worth it?

David Whipple points out, "They helped the people out and they made a difference in their lives. And I do think it was worth it. And do I get a little concerned about the withdrawal - I do. Because I still think that the Taliban and those have the ability to do harm."

Then the view of an Iraq war veteran who with his daughters last week cleaned the 'A and the I' with reverence. Dan Frontera, who helped build the memorial and knows those Gold Star families says it is time for our troops to come home, but he recalls that Afghanistan mission had a double purpose.

"To push back the Taliban, to get Osama Bin Laden," Frontera said. "But they also established schools, they built roads, and they educated children - educated little girls who were not allowed to be educated. So our presence - will always be there. And the presence of Afghanistan will always be with every single one of the troops, every one of these families who was there."

Read more:
Memorial Day reflections as US pulls troops from Afghanistan after 20 year mission following 9/11 - WGRZ.com

After more than 40 years of conflict driven by local, regional and supra-regional interests it is only fair that the people of Afghanistan finally achieve lasting peace and escape the poverty that affects more than 80 per cent of the population. The current situation in Afghanistan is challenging and the prospects of peace remain distant. But many including those here in Pakistan are willing to take some risks to promote a negotiated political settlement between the government of the Republic and the Taliban. Both sides will ultimately have to make concessions in the interest of peace and security in Afghanistan.

Looking at the necessary elements for a lasting peace in the war-ravaged country, I deem there to be one which merits particular attention: the pursuit of a neutral Afghanistan, a proposition that may very well be a prerequisite for security and stability in the country. Here, I cannot help but remember what happened in the heart of Europe after Napoleons defeat, when in 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, the map of Europe was redrawn. For more than 15 years, Switzerland had been occupied by the young French Republic and eventually absorbed into the Napoleons Empire. Hence, the victorious anti-France Alliance wanted to avoid new problems from arising in this strategic region holding the Alpine passes. The aim was to ensure that Switzerland would no longer take sides in any future conflicts between its neighbours, and that its territory would not be used to harm any other country.

Moreover, when the Great Powers at the Congress of Vienna formalised Switzerlands permanent neutrality which had already been a longstanding, self-declared practice for centuries they also undertook to respect it: active neutrality on the one hand, and a guarantee of its respect by the regional players (Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia, Russia, etc) on the other. So when looking for a solution for peace in Afghanistan, isnt it a good time to also reflect on this historical example?

However, what would this mean for Afghanistan? To begin with, all Afghan parties to the conflict should ensure that Afghanistan and its local components will not take sides in disputes between their neighbours for instance, between Pakistan and India or between China and India. But, above all, it implies a commitment by the regional powers and the international community to not interfere in Afghanistans internal affairs anymore. This commitment could manifest itself in the shape of a solemn declaration by all states in the region as well as the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to guarantee the territorial integrity and the neutrality of Afghanistan.

The realisation of a neutral Afghanistan may be a painstakingly long process. Nevertheless, based on our own experience in Switzerland, this is quite a successful formula that could perhaps also benefit the aspired peace in Afghanistan. Bear in mind, Afghanistan has followed a policy of neutrality in the past, notably from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2021.

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Pursuit of a neutral Afghanistan: the Swiss way - The Express Tribune