Due to two long decades of conflict, the polio campaign only began in 1997. However, inadequate rural health structures and a lack of access to many of the villages hindered the programme requiring a new approach. The Afghan Red Crescent Society's community based volunteers provided the answer. The real merit of the volunteers lies in the fact that they are all chosen from within the village itself, and are trained with other volunteers from neighbouring villages. This contact and trust with the village residents means that a difficult subject such as immunisation can be more easily tackled and opposition overcome.
People are suspicious, because they lack knowledge.
At the end of ten days, they have a practical and oral exam to ensure they have understood the course contents. Then they travel back to their villages with a first aid kit containing gauze, elastic, bandages, slings and scissors, ready to deal with the villages' accidents, of which there are many. I knew his arm was broken, but I'd learnt how to keep it stable with a splint and a sling until he reached the clinic, which is at least a day's ride away on a donkey. All the basics are covered on the course. Things that may seem basic to most, but which can prove lethal in Afghanistan, where most of population live in isolated rural villages hours away from the nearest spartan clinic.