Majority of residences in Kabul, Afghanistan have been damaged

Originally published in the Cumberland Times-News in April 29, 2005

Editor’s note: Phil Smith, a 1963 graduate of Ridgeley High School, moved around the United States until the mid-1990s when he became a consultant in developing countries. His work has taken him to Kazakhstan, Russia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Currently residing in Moscow, he has kept journals of his travels. The following are excerpts from those times.

Kabul, Afghanistan Nov. 2, 2002
Life here is difficult for the local people. About 80 percent of the homes in Kabul were damaged during the last ten to fifteen years. Some areas in the city that have been totally destroyed. I have met a couple of families in the city.

The first is the family of one of the translators. Azim is the oldest of five boys in the family. And he is the only one working. He earns $30 per day and works six days each week. When he helps us on Fridays with the trips to the mountains or tours around the city, he doesn’t get paid. We do give them money for the food for the picnics and they (the translators and drivers) keep what they want of the leftovers, of which there are plenty. Or we buy their lunch if we are around the city. He is a graduate of the local university and understands English very well. Before working for this project, he worked for the BBC. Azim is married with two children.

The weather is turning cold. The guest house has no central heat. The resident manager decided not to fix the central heat. He has instead installed small wood stoves in each guest room plus the living areas. He thinks that we need to have more of the Afghan spirit and experience. I think I had enough of the Boy Scout experience when I was a teen-ager.

January and February 2003

After lots of discussion, Marina agreed to come to Kabul for this second trip. Part of my discussion with Marina about her coming on this trip was the quality of the guesthouse where I stayed during my first visit. When we arrived in Kabul, the project manager had decided to put us in a separate guest house that had previously been occupied by the first project manager. We walked into the house and immediately knew we had a problem. No heat, bad lighting, and the place had not been cleaned.

During the first two weeks, there were lots of repairs and the house was cleaned to the local standards. That is not to say it meets the standards of anywhere else in the world.

The fridge died. There was no water pressure and only a 300 gallon tank for use in the whole house. The electrical system only had one phase and it didn’t always work right. Some of the space heaters didn’t work. There is no central heating system in the house. Wood stoves were installed earlier in the living, dining and family rooms on the first level. There were also two installed in two of the four bedrooms on the second floor. The plumbing in the three bathrooms didn’t work correctly. The master bath has two sinks. One had hot water, the other had cold water. When asked how these were to be used, the locals didn’t understand the problem.

Marina and I visited a local family. There is one family with five children and the sister (whose husband died when he was run over by a speeding vehicle driven by Taliban members) with her daughter. They live together in a three room flat. The rent is $120 per month. Only one person works and she earns $40 per month. The father of the five kids was a photographer but has no work. I don’t know how they manage. We helped them with some money to cover the costs of some new clothes for the religious holiday that starts on Feb. 9 and runs for a week.

We will return to Moscow via Dubai on March 4 for a two week break. Then I will have six weeks left on my contract with the London firm. Marina hasn’t decided is she would come back.