Reference :
V-P-AF-E-02510
Date :
21/08/2016
Caption :
Kabul. Portrait of a physiotherapist who works for the ICRC orthopedic centre's home care programme.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
It was in 1990, during Afghanistan’s civil war that this 20 years old woman was walking past a house in the Karte Seh district of Kabul and saw a notice pinned to a door. She had just completed high school and was thinking about her future. The paper, which had been put there by the ICRC was for a job vacancy inviting people who were interested to work in their Karte Seh hospital, to apply for training. She jumped at the chance. Thus began a 27 years association with the Red Cross, for whom she works as a physiotherapist. She is also a fully trained nurse. In 1992, with front lines blocking movement across Kabul, the running of the hospital was handed over to the Ministry of public health although it still received substantial support from the ICRC. Thereafter, she worked for the Ministry of public health but always kept in touch with the ICRC and in 2007 she came back. Today she works in the orthopaedic centre’s home care programme. Of the dozens of paraplegics whom she visits regularly, many are the victims of traffic accidents, or domestic violence, or have congenital maladies. Others have become paralyzed as a result of the ongoing conflict in many parts of Afghanistan. It is these patients that linger in her mind when she thinks about her long career with the ICRC. “It is impossible not to have patients,” she says carefully after some moments of thought. “But I wish we would not have to have patients because of war.”
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
4912x6549
Orientation :
portrait
Colour/B&W :
colour
