What happened in Afghanistan in 2002?
Return of Refugees - The most striking change in 2002 has been the return of almost 2 million Afghan refugees despite the dangers of continued fighting, landmines and drought in different regions. Endless streams of refugees were visible on the main road from Pakistan to Kabul in the spring and summer, returning after 20 years of exile in trucks piled high with household goods and roof poles. The newly arrived refugees had high expectations both of the new government of President Hamid Karzai and of the international community. But in a country ruined by decades of war rebuilding will take time as well as money. Some of the refugees have been disappointed. There is a tremendous housing shortage in the main cities; half of Kabul is still in ruins; and in villages near the Taliban front lines it is still dangerous to walk because of unexploded mines.
Back to School - Another positive change has been the daily sight of children with school bags and uniforms going to school - under the Taliban regime girls were not allowed to be educated. Some children have missed 6 years of school and it is a common sight to see a primary school class full of teenagers who are trying to catch up. The eagerness of these students despite the lack of basic facilities, books, chairs, desks and blackboards is impressive. Many children in the refugee camps had access to schools for the first time [Afghanistan has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world] and Afghans learnt that education could improve the economic prosperity of the family. It is heartbreaking that many of the disabled children that SGAA helps cannot go to school because of the distance. In rural areas, it may be a five-mile walk to school and only the fittest children will be up to it - certainly not those with callipers or wheelchairs.
Security - Parts of Afghanistan continue to be unsafe due to rivalry between local mujahideen commanders. It is hard for people who have lived by the gun for 24 years to put them away. The government in Kabul has only limited control over these commanders as it is still training a national army and police force. So local communities and aid organizations working in other areas of Afghanistan do not have complete security, which makes rebuilding the country more difficult. Some Pushtuns in rural areas say it was safer under the Taliban. In one sense this may be true. But the Taliban murdered thousands of non-Pushtuns in the northern half of the country and are considered by President Karzai, himself a Pashtun, and many others to have failed disastrously as a government. President Karzai, however, is well aware of the danger from renegade Taliban and other dissidents and has repeatedly asked for increased international military support.