A Carlisle man has run for 24 hours to support a charity he works for that helps children in need in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mark Calder started his 24-hour run around Carlisle on Thursday, September 19, and said the idea for the run first sparked after his colleagues’ Afghan homes were lost in spring floods.
The aim is to rehouse these people and ensure more families have shelter for the harsh winter expected ahead.
Mr Calder, who works for both World Vision Iraq and Afghanistan in an advocacy and policy role, explained his work: “Children are the real focus of our programme, and we work to create environments in which children can thrive.”
He said recent extreme weather events, such as the spring floods, and a February snowstorm, have taken a large toll on the well-being of Afghan families, often displacing them and cutting off the supply of clean water and reliable food – with the snowstorm causing the death of multiple livestock, for example.
Foreign funding coming from organisations like individual governments and the UN, as well as other charities, is provided to groups such as World Vision to facilitate the application of aid, but the contrast in this between the two Middle Eastern countries Mr Calder works in is distinct.
“In Iraq you’ve got an internationally recognised government, and you can work closely with the authorities who use our experience as a humanitarian development organisation to work for the best.
“In Afghanistan you don’t have that, so it’s about working with other duty bearers like the UN or other donors, or with provincial authorities,” he explained but added that the country is ‘much safer’ after 2021 saw the usurping of the republic by Taliban rebels and an end to the conflict, despite there being ‘considerable risks’, namely sickening violence against women and girls by the new power-bearers.
The calming of territorial conflict has, however, made it possible to access previously-inaccessible areas to help people there.
Mr Calder explained the country as it stands now from his point of view: “I think people still think of Afghanistan as a warzone, but there have been some high profile developments since 2021.
“Despite this, a lot has been written of the challenges Afghan women and girls face, and a hunger crisis that has affected over 12million people.
“This doesn’t take into account the longer-term challenges facing Afghans like climate change.”
Thankfully, despite the misogyny of the Taliban government, World Vision has been allowed to keep female staff on board, a ‘crucial’ aspect for reaching girls in the nation.
The charity has also built clean water networks and are helping with education.
All this work is going on while international donors remain hesitant to pool funds into a regime they don’t recognise, and while they have their morals, it’s the children who suffer.
“It is possible to do an awful lot of work but in a geopolitical context, donors are not always enthusiastic in putting money into Afghanistan.
“While you understand their reticence, the biggest beneficiaries of donations are Afghan women and girls.
“In a sense, there’s a danger of punishing them twice – they’ve already suffered violations, and we’re in danger of seeing them punished again if international aid for Afghanistan isn’t supported.
“We want Afghans to flourish in their homeland, and that requires support in the context of 40 years of conflict.
“When the international community pulled out of the nation, it was the withdrawal of all long-term developmental aid which is a significant crop for the Afghan economy.”
It’s unlikely any readers have visited Afghanistan, and even if so not for leisure, but in an ideal geopolitical world it would make a fine holiday, with luscious views and a vibrant culture.
“The first time I visited it was breathtaking.
“The country is centred around this huge mountain range that has given Afghanistan its identity, it’s where the meltwater flows after winter and irrigates the fields – the mountains are seen to sustain the country.
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“When you’re there you see this extraordinary relationship between Afghans and their landscape, it’s a wonderful and diverse country,” Mr Calder explained.
He added, of Afghan society: “It’s living with the legacy of conflict and British engagement in the 19th century, it’s been at the crossroads of various disputes for much of its history, yet you forget that when you’re sitting with people over tea and food.
“They’re incredibly hospitable people, very thoughtful, and it’s an honour for me to be with them listening to their stories.
“For most Afghans I speak to, you realise there’s a relatively recent experience of immense hardship, sometimes bereavement, and they’re very generous with their time.
“It’s an incredibly culturally rich place to visit, but you cannot gloss over the challenges for women and girls, it’s now harder than it’s ever been.”
Fields are filled with landmines in some of the areas that experienced the worst conflict, such as Faryab in the northwest, yet children are still seen herding livestock there regularly.
“On the one hand it’s a pity they’re so poor that they’ve had to herd livestock at four years old and they’re hungry, on the other hand they’re able to get to the market where three years ago they wouldn’t have been able to do so.”
While the main territorial conflict is over, there are still violent threats from various non-state armed groups (NSAGs) to World Vision.
“Some are very extreme, they're not there every day and for most people it's safer, but as an international, you're always somewhat conspicuous.
“We invest in security to manage those risks as best we can, and most people have welcomed the work of NGOs, but sometimes they can get caught up in the agendas of NSAGs and we have to be careful around that.”
All this work relies on regular donations, and as such Mr Calder set off with an aim to raise £4,000 via Just Giving so his Afghan colleagues no longer languish in tents during the winter, of which £3,174 has been raised at the time of reporting.
To find out more, and to donate, click here.
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