by Andrew Chadwick, press officer

Three weeks ago, I listened while CARE Afghanistan staff members in Pakistan spoke to their colleague Dad Mohammad in Kabul via satellite phone. At the time, the city was under intense bombing. But Mohammad had stayed in Kabul to keep one of CARE's vital projects running.

Dad Mohammad explains why he endured fear and danger to keep CARE's vital water project running. © CARE 2001.

Although still precarious, the atmosphere in Kabul today is somewhat calmer. A few days ago, I spoke to Mohammad about the situation, and why he chose to stay.

What motivated you to keep working during the weeks of bombing?
I was motivated by my responsibility and the opportunity to continue serving the people, particularly in this difficult situation. No aid organizations were operating, the borders of Afghanistan were closed and almost all of Kabul's residents were jobless. They had nothing to eat, and without CARE's water project, they would have no water. Had we stopped the project, there would have been much misery for the people of Kabul.

The second reason I continued working is the core value of CARE to help people in very bad situations. If we stopped the project, it would be difficult for our office to remain open and work for the future. Keeping our office open and the project going provided an example for all staff in Kabul and the provinces.

Where was your family, and how did they feel about you continuing to work?
My family was with me in Kabul. They were very worried, but they also were patient and respected my decision to stay.

What is life like in Kabul at the moment, and what is the mood of your colleagues and other residents of the city?
Life in Kabul is getting better day by day, but still we are hearing about cars being hijacked, houses being robbed and people being threatened by armed gangs. Also, people are worried about the presence of so many soldiers on the roads and in residential areas. But most of the people who experienced the past regime are now happy.

What is the humanitarian situation in the areas where CARE works, and has it become worse during the past two months?
The situation has become much worse. No humanitarian organizations are operating like they were before the bombing.

What are your hopes for Afghanistan?
To be free and civilized, so the people can live in peace and freely practice our Islamic faith and beliefs. I am looking toward improvements for Afghanistan and its people.

What happened the morning after the Taliban left Kabul?
When I came to our office the next morning, some of our staff said that people were looting our warehouses.

I said to them, "Why are you waiting? Let's go rescue the warehouses." They said, "It's suicide. We cannot fight them. There are a lot of people, around 2,000." Then I took two colleagues and went toward the warehouse. Some other residents joined us to help. Eventually, our presence forced the looters to flee. We saved about 80 percent of the warehouse goods, which included food and supplies.

Kabul Water and Sanitation Project
After 20 years of conflict, Kabul's municipal water and sanitation service was almost completely destroyed. People were forced to rely on unclean water from unprotected sources, which resulted in regular outbreaks of hepatitis, cholera and diarrheal disease.

In 1996, CARE initiated the Kabul Water and Sanitation project. Today it provides 35,000 households with a reliable source of clean water. The project also involves constructing latrines, cleaning public areas and teaching health education. The project employs more than 200 staff members, including 23 women who do house-to-house health education.