Mountain Echo

Issue date: 2/14/07 Section: News

Bebe and Sarah

Two women from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) traveled from Afghanistan to the United States for a week long trip. They came to the Mount to speak about their project to rebuild Afghanistan.

Sarah Bowers, manager of the CRS education program, is a United States citizen working abroad. Bebe, who is a native of Pakistan, can now speak four languages, including English, and is the manager of the women's program. Both women now work in Harat, Afghanistan.

The lunchtime presentation on Monday, Feb. 12 in the Mount Café, focused on presenting the truth about life in Afghanistan and described some of the programs and methods being used to help the people there rebuild.

According to a slide in the presentation, "Afghanistan is the sixth poorest country; in need of long term generous support by individuals and governments the world over to help the Afghan people build the foundation and means for greater stability and quality of life."

In order to work to better the way of life in Afghanistan, these two women from CRS along with the help of many others in their organization and other NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), focus on aspects of life for the Afghan people and work with the people in order to help them help themselves, especially in this time of rebuilding with the new democracy. They also try to focus on some of the more rural areas of the country that may be overlooked by the government at this time.

CRS tries to focus on areas of life, such as healthcare, education, economics, and general well-being of the people. Bebe spoke of her work with the women in the country. She explained how she works with women's issues and the high burden of household work. She also spoke about how women do not always have permission to leave their homes and share their ideas and skills. Many suffer from illiteracy and have little access to health care. Bebe and other CRS workers take these issues and try to find a solution.

Unlike some other organizations, CRS tries not to just give the people material things they need, but rather teach them how to do things and get along on their own.

Some of the work Bebe performs for the women includes facilitating Self-Help groups, where women can gather, share ideas and skills, solve problems, generate income, save money, and make new ideas. They also work together to collect dry yogurt in the spring season in order to sell it in the winter season at higher prices.

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