Teacher's voice speaks with calm from Kabul
An MSP's former English teacher hopes to continue her work
Tuesday August 17
I have been watching the scenes from Afghanistan like everyone else - wondering in particular what fate awaits those who worked with the Brits over the last 20 years. They have been abandoned in a shambolic way - in the weeks running up to the troop withdrawal a concerted campaign to accelerate visas fell on deaf ears.
Amid the upset and chaos, I heard a calm, Scottish voice on the radio - Sam Mort works for Unicef in Kabul. Speaking from Kabul on Monday, she seemed to be planning to stay there. She said she hoped that Unicef would be able to continue their work, supporting the health and education of women and girls. “Maybe I am naive” she said “or maybe I am cautiously optimistic”.
I came across her again later that day on social media - Edinburgh MSP Ben Macpherson tweeted: “In 2001 Sam was my English teacher - now she is part of UNICEF’s team in Afghanistan, responding to this awful crisis. Hearing her speak about the ongoing aid response on BBC News was a rare moment of hope on a bleak day. Donate if you can” and he shared the link to Unicef emergency fund, which says they are on the ground in the country and can get emergency help to children.
Without knowing Sam, I felt the same way Ben did. It was impressive and moving to hear someone so calm in that situation. I looked her up on LinkedIn - she is Chief of Communication, Advocacy & Civic Engagement at UNICEF Afghanistan. Prior to that, for seven years she worked in the Comms office of Queen Rania of Jordon. Sam went to Kingussie High School and then to Stirling University where she qualified as a teacher. She did a stint with VSO in Eritrea and has worked for Unicef for a decade.
The way the news media works, we usually hear more from the people who are worst affected or most upset. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace tearing up on LBC was played wall to wall on Monday - the BBC news described him as having “broken down on air’ which was a clear exaggeration. If they exaggerate that - what else do they exaggerate? Maybe, however, it helped draw attention to the real issue - which is I guess that he feels ashamed of the way people who worked with the British have been treated. He probably feels his Government should have been better prepared.
But the situation in Afghanistan is more complex than the news agenda allows room for. Anybody coming fresh to this current situation might get the impression that the US invaded Afghanistan in order to educate women and girls. But of course, that was not what happened. A long and winding road led to this moment and it is unlikely that it signals the end of western involvement in the country.
People like Sam, on the ground in the country, may have reason to express such cautious optimism. I guess even Taliban fighters don’t want to lose their wives or infants to curable ailments so let us hope Sam and her team can continue with their work at least to some degree. At any rate, I have added a small donation to their fund and perhaps you may consider it too.
I like hearing reports from cautiously optimistic sources, without exaggeration and bias too. Thank you for posting and I have also added a small donation to UNICEF.