Catholic Relief Services Visits Manhattan College to Promote Awareness, Aid for a Developing Afghanistan
Katie Meyer
Issue date: 4/12/06 Section: News
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Afghanistan is a nation located in the Middle East and is bordered by Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China. According to the United National Human Development Report, Afghanistan is currently the world's sixth poorest country. Despite its beautiful terrain and abundant resources, it is a nation that remains undeveloped because of its unstable political infrastructure, as it is still recovering from over two decades of armed conflict.
CRS asserts, "Our mission in Afghanistan is not just to help people survive. Catholic Relief Services works to create stable livelihoods and build a healthy and hopeful future for tomorrow."
The speaker, McNeil, studied agricultural economics at Michigan State University and began working for CRS in June 2003. She has since been fortunate enough to translate her education into practice by implementing small-scale, women-based food programs in Herat, Afghanistan, as well as programs that help improve literacy and numeracy in the developing nation.
McNeil continually emphasized throughout the lecture that CRS's programming are long term projects that will hopefully boost the economy, as well as empower the Afghani women behind the projects. She explained that food processing is the most successful program. McNeil told her audience "It is a powerful experience for all of us involved."
Throughout the lecture, McNeil and Safi made a point of clarifying many negative cultural misconceptions about Afghanistan. McNeil explained that under the Taliban regime, women were horribly oppressed and expected to always remain in the home.
This, however, is not indicative of Afghani culture either before or after the Taliban. Many Afghani men, particularly shopkeepers, are very supportive of the Afghani women who are working in food processing. McNeil affirms that CRS, along with other aid groups, are working with the people of Afghanistan to get society back to the way it was before the regime.