Sunday…it has certainly been a slow day, but will hopefully pick up soon.

So, there has recently been an influx of people into Khorog… on Saturday/Sunday, 3 researchers/interns from the IIS (Institute of Ismaili Studies) arrived in Khorog. If I recall correctly, 2 will be working with ITREC while one will be working with FOCUS. Additionally, on Thursday/Friday, 3 CIDA/AKFC Fellows arrived to work with FOCUS, MSDSP (I think), and IPD (Institute for Professional Development or something like that, which monitors/ensures quality teaching, I think). One more Fellow will most likely be arriving on Monday, and another one may come later on today. The three here so far are definitely very cool and fun to hang out with.

On Thursday and Friday, I was able to venture into the field (aka outside of Khorog). In particular, I got a chance to explore Shugnan beyond Khorog (Dehmiyona, Sizhd, and Kaklkhozobad) and Roshtkala (Sebzor, Parzuj, and Tirbar, in particular). The entire population of GBAO is somewhere between 200,000-300,000, with somewhere between 25,000-35,000 living in Khorog. Seeing as how GBAO is mountainous and the populations are very spread out, as you can probably imagine, most of GBAO’s population consists of subsistence farming and villages.

These field visits were certainly interesting and informative. Seeing as how the program I work with here in FOCUS deals with ensuring that schools are properly equipped to deal with earthquakes and the immediate results of seismic activity, the field visits consisted of visiting schools that were either being retrofitted or totally rebuilt in safer areas. It was quite interesting to see the negligence of previous construction projects as they pertain to local environmental hazards, and it was equally interesting to see some of the means by which these hazards can be avoided using FOCUS’s innovative means. It was also great to really get to see the village populations in the Pamirs and have an opportunity to not only have a glimpse (albeit somewhat superficial) of how they live but also dine with some of the local residents.

There were some particularly interesting components of these field visits that I want to highlight: A) the people in GBAO are incredibly nice and giving. Even if meeting you for the first time, they might invite you in to drink tea. Be forewarned, though, that this is rarely just tea…often, it is a HUGE, multicourse meal. This has been the case in every village I’ve been to thus far, which speaks to the kindness of the population. B) I have never in my life seen spring water quite as clear (or clean) as I have seen in GBAO. Granted, I haven’t been around many streams in my life, but that’s beside the point… Anyways, much of the stream water is glacial run-off, making it incredibly clean. Coupled with the natural filtering process that much of this water goes through while it passes over many small stones and pebbles, this stream water was certainly a very welcomed refreshment. (To give you an idea of how clean and clear it was, it took me multiple attempts to take a picture of the water, as it was so clear it wouldn’t show up very well on the camera…in fact, it is still quite difficult to see).

And finally, C) I now have a better sense of the relative nature of poverty. Poverty is a global problem that affects millions, indeed billions of people. But even then, poverty is relative. Perhaps I am making a pretty bold-faced assumption, but I would assume that many people in GBAO make less than the international poverty line. Even so, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the people here are suffering; they may not be living in the best conditions relative to the West, but they did seem quite content. I think the work of the AKDN certainly has played a big role in this, but I also think that their role was very strategic in nature; as I have seen, they don’t go into village in hopes of transforming the society to be more like a city in the West or reformulate cities based on some ideal operating model. Instead, they seek to improve the quality of life. The distinction here is important, as it does not assume that the people here inherently hate their condition and want to get out…instead, they try to improve their current situation, through, for example, better irrigation techniques, cleaner water, and the like.

Additionally, I have learned that poverty does not equate to depression. Though the people in GBAO may know that they do not have the same financial means as someone in America, for instance, they do not strike me as depressed or marginalized people. Poverty is also not always crying children and malnourished families. In fact, looking at poverty only through this narrow construct thoroughly restricts what may be considered poverty and marginalizes those who should otherwise be considered poor. I actually came across an interesting term for this depiction of extreme poverty from a friend of mine: poverty pornography. If you have a difficult time understanding what this term means, imagine one of those TV ads where an old to middle-aged man or woman comes on the screen showing crying kids, wasted babies, and extremely sick parents. They then solicit donations, usually through sponsorship for a kid.

These ads, while likely impactful as a means by which to raise money, are effectively a form of exploitation that seek out peripheral, emotive appeals to individuals in an attempt to pry funds out of the hands of well-meaning Westerners. And this exploitation is not restricted to just one or two organizations that engage in this poverty pornography; I see a very significant number of organizations doing this. In my opinion, this is likely why many people have such a singular image of poverty as conforming to this narrow spectrum of possibilities as seen through a single lens. In fact, poverty is much more than just the extreme (or at least “popular”) fringes. After seeing this hands-on, I have a much greater level of respect for AKDN and other NGOs who refrain from this exploitation.

Regrettably, though, I think that I have fallen into this exploitative trap through some of the volunteer ventures I have engaged in. My goal is now to seek out means by which to rectify the situation. I hope that, if nothing else, I can keep with me the knowledge that poverty is subjective, relative, multifaceted and multi-faced, and use this knowledge when engaging in further professional and volunteer engagements.