Making a Difference in Afghanistan

Sarah Chayes was a correspondent for NPR. When I recently learned that she had left her job at this prestigious news outlet in 2002 to live in Kandahar, Afghanistan, I was shocked. However, as I listened to her interviews on NPR (with Ms. Chayes on the other end of the microphone), it all made sense.

Frustrated that the real stories of what was happening inside Afghanistan were not getting released by the media (including NPR), she left journalism to join a non-profit organization, Afghans for Civil Society (ACS), run by President Karzai’s brother, Qayum. The organization is involved in economic and institutional development within Afghanistan and strives to return Afghanistan to a peaceful, productive, and democratic society.

Her recently published book, The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban, provides an insiders look at Afghanistan as experienced since the fall of the Taliban and during her years as an expat. It explores the role of the U.S. military and its tangled relationship with the warlords, al-Qaeda, and local politicians. In short, it’s the untold story she wasn’t able to release as a news reporter.

Kudos to Ms. Chayes for following her heart into a dangerous environment and reporting the truth to the rest of the world. Not only is her work through ACS extremely important, but she has managed to share the stories of the Afghani people and government with the rest of the world without the censorship-like feedback she received from NPR.

See her photo gallery here.

Another interesting development in Afghanistan is creation of the Afghan Wireless cellular network by the Ehsan Bayat Family. This wireless network is enabling more communication both within the country and to the outside world.

Happy Travels!