I've had a number of conversations with a number of people where the question, "what do you do?" came up repeatedly. When talking about Together for Afghanistan the simple, yet broad answer, is we help people in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. To which the next question seems quite predictable, "so what do you do?"
The whole point of saying "help" instead of getting specific is to say that we will do whatever is necessary to better the people in need, but it is terrible unspecific at the same time. So I've had this question on my mind for the past few weeks, how do I get more specific?
Perhaps getting specific can be to look at what we are already doing. Right now we are focusing on helping the poor start small businesses so they can have a stable income, which for unemployed in impoverished areas is huge. We set up offices with advisers who will help provide information to potential small business owners and actively recruit villages to start co-ops to give jobs to people.
Perhaps getting specific could be to tell a story. Last winter in Afghanistan there was a huge avalanche that hit a village and destroyed many of the home and killed close to 20 people, yet because it was in such a remote area the government did not respond to this disaster. No organizations went to deliver food, no tents were taken to the homeless. No one visited and just showed that they cared. In a good world this would not happen in the first place, in a tolerable world we would at least help everyone, but it seems wrong when some people are apparently worth more than others. So what do we do? We will go to villages like this and at least do something.