The Streets of Kabul

I believe the streets of Kabul are amongst the most colorful ones I have ever seen. All the different cars that seem to drive on the road without any clear structure. I mean, they obviously have a purpose, but there are no road marks, or lines that show you where to go. But then again, there are not too many real roads here either! There are the main ones that have been restored after the war, but most of the 'roads' consist of sand and rocks. Anyways, next to the roads, on the 'sidewalks' you see lots of little shops as for instance bike repair shops, or shops where you can buy new tires for your car or a soda if you are thirsty. (Coca cola and Nestlé are the big companies that made it out here.) These shops are nothing more than little shacks where the shopkeepers sometimes live in too. You will also find dozens and dozens of pushcarts with bright colored vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, or fruits like bananas, oranges and melons. Behind pushing or dragging them along are husbands of the women who came up with the cash for these carts by becoming part of the Self Help Groups I'm studying here. Now there are opportunities for families to strengthen their economical position.
I know, it is kind of a short cut to go from the streets of Kabul to the Self Help Groups for women. But honestly, it ties all in together. Relief help, or international aid should not be about short term solutions. Quick fixes, as someone I met in Jerusalem used to say, are not the answer, because they don't help in the long run. And that is so true! Meeting women who are the poorest of the poorest, who, seemingly, have absolutely no future, because it all looks so grim and bleak, I want to do nothing more than just give all my money away. I don't even mind if they try to steal my camera or my recorder. But it will not help these women in the long run. It just fosters a hand out mentality and a culture of fatalism. No matter how grim or bleak the future of the oppressed women of Afghanistan seems to be, there is always hope because they are not dead yet. The war has not not destroyed them yet. And when these women come together in groups and learn of the strength and power unity can have, their unity can have, they can really transform their own family, their own community, and therefore their own future.
To some of you this may sound extremely philosophical or idealist, but I see it happening here. I know usually negative news reaches us from Afghanistan, but honestly, there are good things happening too, and not even by 'our' doing, even though we like to see ourselves as the knight in shining armor. (And no, even though it is for sale and for rent, I am not wearing body armor!). Anyways, check my pictures to see Kabul streets and the people walking/driving/riding them!

By the way, this is the link to my article in one of the Dutch national newspapers: ND.