ACAP assistance for cluster munitions victim - and he measures us up!

As this blog makes clear, I have been working closely with the Afghan Civilian Assistance Program (ACAP) – a USAID-funded program that helps civilians who have been injured or who have lost family members in conflict. One of the ways that ACAP helps civilians is by providing them with vocational training. In Herat we met individuals who had, for example, been trained as tailors and as make-up artists.
This tailor had lost a leg when he picked up a cluster munition in a park in Herat. He received help from ACAP so that he could set up a tailor’s shop. He was a lovely man – soft-spoken and easy to smile. Because of his work, he was now able to provide food to his mother and sisters and he was deeply grateful for this improvement in his family’s life.
He insisted on making both Erica and me a shirt… So we had to be measured up and the materials chosen for us… We all broke out in giggles as he measured around our waists and then (horror) the chest area. We must have made his day!

Cluster Munitions Survivor and Campaigner

We talked today with an incredible 18-year old man, Ahmed, who had both his legs blown off when he was 10 years old. He was out at a picnic with his family and his cousin picked up a piece of metal he found on the floor. He realized too late that it was probably dangerous and threw it away – but it exploded and killed the cousin and severely injured Ahmed.
Ahmed told us that he was taken to the hospital and put on the pile of dead people. But his uncle came and saw that he was actually still alive. “But I think the doctor thought it was better to die,” Ahmed explained to us, “there is a view in Afghan culture that it’s better to be dead than to try to survive with no legs.”
Ahmed was in hospital for months. When he finally recovered, he tried to return to school. The teachers at first refused to allow him back in the classroom. “They said that they couldn’t manage with me there – they asked how they would take me to the toilet.” Ahmed, however, insisted and pointed out that Afghanistan had many people with disabilities and that they couldn’t simply be excluded from schools and public places. Ahmed then began to campaign for the rights of people with disability. He has attended conferences in Ireland, Norway and France. He intends to the visit the US later this year. He is campaigning for Afghanistan to sign the anti-landmine treaty and to ban to use of cluster munitions. “I am a clear example of the way cluster munitions destroy the lives of civilians,” he told us. “Innocent people should not have to suffer like this.”

Herat

Erica and I arrived in Herat today – what a beautiful city!! There are pine trees lining the street and open green spaces. There are football teams playing in wooded areas – such a welcome change from the dust of Kabul and the tension of Kandahar!
We hope to talk to some people who were injured by landmines and cluster munitions – the area around Herat was heavily affected by cluster munitions so there are a significant amount of people missing limbs. We’ve also planned to talk with the Italian PRT (provincial reconstruction team – Italian military working to build projects to help civilians) and with soldiers working to provide humanitarian aid in Royal Command West. We’ll be busy!