Reportage from Kunduz river area

I have recently spent some days in Kunduz region. My husband’s employer Landell Mills asked me to visit their other project in Afghanistan – Kunduz River Base Project – to take photos and to write a reportage about the situation on ground. It is a fresh approach. Usually the organizations in Afghanistan communicate, using formal language: one can find many reports, figures, and schedules on Internet. But there is almost no information available, from individual point of view. I liked the idea; so I gladly traveled to Kunduz.
First day I visited village Aqtepa (I was there in before in October of 2006) to see the new irrigation canal construction works. Second day I spent on wonderful green hills of reforestation area near Khanabad. Third day was the saddest. While I had a nice meeting with the village elders surrounding Changarok in Baghlan province, there was a suicide bomber attack at Kunduz bazaar. Lots of people – three German military troops, but Afghans as well – were killed. On last day I visited some small villages in Takhar province, to see small pistachio trees that have been planted on deep hills.
It was a good trip from Kabul to Kunduz and back as well –we bought tut (mulberry) from children in Khenjan. We traveled safely over Salang pass, covered by great snowcap on the top. We saw new power masts on the way – there is hope that next winter electricity will be imported from Tadjikistan. But I saw a reminder of the spring flood as well: on the way back of Salang to Kabul all bridges are gone and some houses as well.
It takes some time to finish my reportage. I hope that when my reportage is ready, Landell Mills will place it on Internet and everyone can read stories and see images about the development in Kunduz river area.
PS. Welcome to read the reportage on website http://www.krbp.blogspot.com/