A trip to Kush

One lesson learned from this trip to the field is that when afghans tell you it is near, it is never near! Our destination: two villages in Kush district where CRS newly constructed hand-pump water points. Our objective: to test for drinking water quality.

Testing for water quality requires that the first sample be analyzed within 6 hours after collection. With this in mind I asked Basir if the villages are near the CRS Kush district office and if the villages are near each other. “Very near” he answered, furrowing his brows for emphasis. The drive from the CRS Kush district office to the first village took us 1 hr and 35 minutes. The drive from the first village to the second village took us 45 minutes. Ha....very near indeed!!!

The trip to the field was to support Basir as he conducts water quality testings on 4 water hand-pumps. He did the 3 days technical training and this was to be his first opportunity to apply what he’s learned. He did the testing and shows it to me for confirmation. You can see his confidence building up as he progressed with the testing.

With Basir doing all the work I was free to take pictures. I’ve always wanted to shoot peoples faces. Individual portraits history, life and personality. Most the pictures I took were of boys and men because the girls and women would scamper away as soon as they see my two male companions. Still curious, they peer from the safety of their homes, watching the excitement our presence and incomprehensible activity has caused.

Click on Kush to see the Afghan portraits.