16 OCTOBER 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL World Vision said 15 million people in the country will face acute levels of food insecurity this year, with 2.8 million of those in the “emergency” category— one step away from famine. The World Health Organization also expressed concern about Afghans’ lack of access to basic health services. ADST Launches Afghanistan Project Two years after the evacuation of Kabul began, the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) hosted a fireside chat with eight former Afghanistan USAID mission directors at DACOR Bacon House in Washington, D.C. During the Aug. 16 discussion, participants shared powerful insights and reflections on their times in Afghanistan, comparing their experiences and lessons learned. Panelists included Bambi Arellano, Jim Bever, Craig Buck, Tina DooleyJones, Earl Gast, Herbie Smith, and Ken Yamashita, with Bill Hammink as moderator. The event was co-sponsored by the USAID Alumni Association. In opening remarks, Hammink praised USAID Afghanistan mission leadership for “delivering enduring development results in a war zone” amid “ever-changing priorities” over the course of America’s longest-running war. Bever described the experience of achieving one critical goal from his tenure: construction of a 300-mile highway between Kabul and Kandahar through terrain overrun by al-Qaida and Taliban operatives and replete with landmines. In 2003 his team completed the road two weeks ahead of schedule and under budget, significantly bolstering not only infrastructure but also health programs. “Afghan women were dying in droves during childbirth,” he recounted. “Our standard was: can we get a woman who is bleeding to a place within four hours—generally the time it takes to bleed to death—[where she can] get the right treatment?” The new road, known as Highway 1, made this possible. A panel of USAID mission directors participates in ADST’s fireside chat on Aug. 16. ADST (Continued from page 13) AFSPA afspa.org/openseason afspa.org/disability afspa.org/dental Clements Worldwide Clements.com/fsj FEDS Protection fedsprotection.com McEnearney Associates McEnearneyPM.com Property Specialists, Inc. PropertySpecialistsinc.com Richey Property Management RicheyPM.com/foreignservice State Department Federal Credit Union sdfcu.com WJD Management wjdpm.com
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