Last to Eat, Last to Learn by Pashtana Durrani

Author:Pashtana Durrani
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Citadel Press
Published: 2023-12-22T00:00:00+00:00

9

WITH A COLLECTION OF GOVERNMENT STAMPS in hand, I now needed to secure the tribal backing for the project. Government approval merely made my NGO official, but without the tribal endorsement, my effort to educate girls would be just another import with a short shelf life.

Community involvement was the only way to ensure a lasting change. Tribal life was the only constant in our lives for centuries and, if approached the right way, it didn’t have to stand in opposition to progress nor modernity. Being a closed system, it simply required a change from within, a change that was a result of reckoning, not dictated or imposed. I thought I was well-placed to start the ball rolling. I belonged to the tribal system; I wasn’t an outsider trying to prove it wrong. If anything, I wanted to prove that the outside world was wrong about us and challenge the perception that rural areas are populated with people who stayed illiterate by choice. I knew firsthand that wasn’t true. They wanted to learn. They didn’t lack the will; they lacked the way.

Trailing my father to tribal meetings my entire childhood came in handy. I could get easily get access to the leaders. I didn’t really know what to expect, but cockily, I thought I’d be ready for whatever questions come my way.

I went to see a tribal leader deep in the Kandahar Province as a litmus test. He received me at his home, and if he was uncertain about the purpose of my visit, he didn’t show it. This wrinkled, bearded man sitting across from me was probably the only person within a ten-mile radius that could read or write.

I was nervous for the first time. Ministry meetings made me defiant and angry; it was easy enough to forget about being nervous. Here, however, there was none of it. No hostility, nothing to get angry about. The stakes felt higher. My palms started sweating.

Tea was served, we exchanged pleasantries. I’m always proud when I manage not to anger anyone early in a conversation, so I saw that as a positive sign. I answered all his questions about my father’s well-being at length, and then I explained why I was there. “I know there is no girls school in your village and there is no way for girls to get an education.” He nodded.

“I head an NGO”—saying those words out loud still felt strange—“and the idea is to make basic education available on tablets. I would like to use them here, in Kandahar Province. That way, girls could get an education even if they’re not able to go to school.”

I explained that none of it was imminent; I was still waiting for the tablets to be delivered. But when they were ready, I would like to distribute them in his village. From there, I launched into explaining the technical aspect of it all. “The tablets are solar-powered, and you don’t need the internet. Everything girls need is on the tablet already!” Over and over, I kept highlighting the ease of use.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.