From left to right, Haji Malik, Sally Goodrich, Katal Khan and Don Goodrich celebrate the dedication of the girls' school in April 2006. (Courtesy of Sally Goodrich)
Schooled by the Taliban
A mother's quest teaches us about Afghanistan's deterioration and the Taliban's resurgence.
BOSTON — Ever since that crystal clear fall morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Sally Goodrich has been on a journey.
It led her to Afghanistan, where she has spent the last several years reaching out to the very country where the hijackers who took the life of her son, Peter, were trained, funded and inspired. Hers was a long journey toward healing and then hope.
But last week it took a dramatic turn that reveals much about Afghanistan and how dramatically the situation there is deteriorating these days. It shows how aggressively and successfully the Taliban is reasserting control of life in every corner of the country.
It’s a turn that would leave a less hardy traveler on the road of life completely disillusioned, perhaps even bitter. But that’s not Sally.
Let’s start at the beginning of her journey.
On Sept. 11, Sally’s tall, handsome, fun-loving son, Peter, 33, was on board the second plane that went into the twin towers. He was traveling for his work as a software engineer.
After many months in the valley of despair that comes with losing a child, Sally caught a glimpse of sunlight that led her out of the darkness. She was pointed there by her late son’s best friend, a Marine, who was serving in Afghanistan.
From the war zone the Marine wrote to Sally, a reading teacher in the western Massachusetts town of North Adams, that Afghanistan needed her help as an educator. The students in the war-ravaged country, he informed her, desperately needed school supplies.
Sally answered the call. She began collecting school supplies everywhere she could and delivered them to Afghanistan. Her story touched many hearts. Eventually, she raised $250,000 and decided in 2006 to use the funds to build a girls' school in Afghanistan's Logar Province.
Rather than go in as Sally apparently did without networking with people already on the ground and working to build schools (the article doesn't really explain much about how this all developed), it would have been better to have gone in with an established organization. The Central Asia Institute, headed by Greg Mortenson, comes to mind. This is the private group whose origins and history are described in the book "Three Cups of Tea." Greg already suffered setbacks and cleared the way through hardship, hard work and strong relationships to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. https://www.ikat.org/
There's a lot of good to be done in the world, and I tend to think we'll get more done if we work together and avoid re-inventing the wheel.
We agree that the work done by the Central Asia Institute and Greg Mortensen is vital, as is the work done by other reputable international organizations like Care and the many countries that are responsible for building schools in Afghanistan, especially in the Pashtun provinces.
In September 2005 we were fortunate to have as friend and advisor, David B. Edwards, PhD., Professor of Anthropology and Afghan Scholar at Williams College, Williamstown, MA. Dr. Edwards linked us with then Deputy Minister of the Interior, Shahmahmood Miakhel. Both continue to guide the work of the Foundation.
The history of the construction of the school is in part detailed on our website: www.goodrichfoundation.org. In the fall of 2005, Dr. Edwards was concerned about the lack of coordination by aid agencies and other well meaning donors with the government of Afghanistan. Shahmahmood Miakhel addressed those issues. I traveled to Afghanistan three times during its construction in 2005 to observe the process and meet those engaged in the work: the local elders, the Logar provincial minister of education and the Afghanistan Minister of Education.
The following details are not on the website:
The school foundation was laid by the governor of Logar and the land was allocated through consultation with the community and department of education of Logar. The ministry of education provided a standard design which was being used throughout Afghanistan. There were three conditions that had to be met: The school would be a registered government school and it is. The community would donate the land and they did. Finally the school should be built according to standard design of the ministry of education and the Foundation complied.
From the beginning, the school and its construction were and continue to be supervised and monitored by the Department of Education of Logar. The school was inaugurated by Deputy Minister of Education. The village leader and his brother were part of the community and helped during its construction. Their role was important for the security of the school. The actual protection was provided by a police unit that is close to the school. This was critical. Otherwise this school might be destroyed as many have been in the south and in other Pashtun villages.
The construction process took nine months. As soon as the school was completed in January 2006, it was conveyed to the government of Afghanistan. My husband, Don, and I attended its formal dedication in April 2006 and I continued to visit it annually until November 2009 when it was deemed too dangerous. During the April 2006 trip, Shahmahmood Miakhel introduced us to a registered indigenous non governmental organization, WADAN, www.wadan.org, that has provided oversight and accountability for any subsequent small projects at the school.
The Foundation is one of a number of non-profit organizations in Vermont and New Hampshire working in Afghanistan that are subject of a research study by Jennifer Fleuri, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH. She is addressing the nature of sustained relationships with villages and individuals in Afghanistan overtime by these organizations.
It has been my great privilege to travel to Afghanistan seven times during the last four years. I have met many talented and dedicated Afghans and Americans working to rebuild the Afghans. This is a task that grows more difficult by the day. As well, we have in our lives and our home Afghan children studying here. These relationships, taken together, have given our lives meaning. We draw on their courage and hope for the future of Afghanistan.
Sally Goodrich
The Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation
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