2005-08-01

 

Living Conditions in Afghanistan

Life has changed a lot for most Afghans since the Taliban was removed from power. During the Taliban regime most people were jobless, producing a very small economy. Foreign investors, as well as national investors, saw no benefit to invest their interests and money into a country that had so many economic, as well as political and social problems. However, after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, life has become considerably better for most people. This is due to growing peace and stabilty in the country. Most educated people who were jobless during the Taliban regime are now working in government organizations, foreign organizations, and the private sector. Some people are busy working in private businesses. Other people who are illiterate are now working in the construction field or making their own small businesses.
Life has also changed for me and my friends. Now most of my friends who were jobless work in different organizations. Other friends who were not able to continue their educaton under Taliban regime have gone back to complete their high school education. Some of them are now in their first year of college, and they are very happy in their new and changed lives. Everybody works hard and everyone is busy with new jobs and life situations.
Most young boys and girls are learning English; most schools offer English courses after regular school hours. Everyone now understands the importance of English (the international language). Many people learn English and computers to get a better job.
Some well educated people who graduated college but do not speak English, or understand how to use computers, cannot find a well-paying job. Other people who only have a high school diploma, earn better money then some university graduates, because they understand English and computers. This has shown the people how important it is to understand the English language and computers to gain a job easily in foreign companies and government organizations. Now, many older people with a university education are taking english and computer classes to keep their position at work, or to gain a better job. In some English calsses there are young boys and and girls learning English next to adult men and women; age is no factor in education and learning. Some people think it's strange for a 45 year old man to learn English. I personally think education is important for every age; there is no age limit for education.

Many new and modern markets have been built in downtown Kabul. Some of these markets are from 8 to 12 floors high. At some of these markets you can find clothes, shoes, and cosmetics. Other markets specialize in motor parts, electronics, and computer parts. A few markets are very modern and famous in Kabul City. The most famous market is named "Roshan City Tower", Kabul City Center; which was inaugurated last month, and its the biggest one. Here you will find internet facilities with power 24 hours a day and lift facilities.
The reconstruction process is going a bit slow - this is because of Afghanistan's still-weak economy. The Kabul-Kandahar Motorway is a big sucess in construction here in Afghanistan. Almost 50% of the construction work of the Kabul Paktia Motorway is complete. This motorway is very important for tansportation between Kabul and the southern provinces of Afghanistan. Work on the Kabul-Jalalabad motorway is also in progress. According to planning officials, the work on this project will be completed in 2007.
We are making progress in every field, but it will take time to reconstruct our entire beautiful country.

Comments:
Waheed, your contribution to our knowledge of what's going on in your country is invaluable. Thank you for continuing to keep us informed.
 
Waheed, I am so happy I found your blog. Many Iraqis blog but you are the first Afghani I have found. It is important for people of all cultures to have this type of exchange in order to learn more and to extablish friendships. I am an American woman who has watched the progress in Afghanistan and am thrilled that women and girls may now be educated. Please keep writing.
 
Sounds very positive. A big reason the economy is still a bit weak is the work necessary of infrastructure items like the roadway. As those things get squared away, watch your economy take off.

Hmmm... that many people learning English and computer skills. In a few years, as Indian outsourcing shops starting getting expensive, watch for outsourcing shops cropping up in Afghanistan. (I'm looking at setting up one in Uganda in a few years, another recovering economy filled with English speakers and increasing computer skills.)
 
Infrastructure is like every other economic resource. In a given economy, the addition of a specified resource will follow a rule of diminishing returns. I would guess that the most important inputs for Afghanistan right now are peace and widespread education. Always address the bottlenecks; glorious projects can wait. The highways are important, but you can't forget that this kind of infrastructure is vulnerable to attack. You don't want to put all your eggs in one basket.

The Soviet economy was unproductive because of too much central control. Lots of idiots with grand ideas were running the show. Corruption is a result of the system, not a cause of it. Capitalism works because people buy only what they want and people make only what they can sell. The most successful places, Hong Kong, Singapore, have the least amount of regulation and other forms of government "assistance".
 
Waheed,
Some good news indeed from you as the MSM seems to be fixating on the "resurgent" Taliban and the
Opium Poppy/Heroin problem.

Commentators, debate all ye want about Infrastructure, but let's hope there is more and more of it in Afghanistan and the country becomes Prosperous and a Model for Democracy in Central Asia.
 
Please see this for a possible solution, if you can find anyone that can come over to the US for a few days, or who can stop in Tulsa for a few days before going over to Afganistan.
 
So many blogs and only 10 numbers to rate them. I'll have to give you a 9 because you have a quailty topic.

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Hi, my name is linchen and I used to have problems meeting up with daily financial demands. In fact, I lost all self confidence at some stage and
 
The progress that has been made in Afganastand is something the mainstream medea seldom reports on.

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Hi cheers Waheed this is been really use ful for school. You see I'm doing a school speech on Afghanistan and how the war has affected everyone and I just needed that little bit to finish it off. And I found it! Cheers again and keep safe in Afghanistan. :)
 
This information sure helped for my school project
 
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