Day 107: Change

If there is anything that is going to impede the progress of our mission, it is the reluctance to change. Many of the ANA leaders have been in their positions for years, and have had experience that dates back to the mujahideen. Unfortunately, in their eyes there is no more room for improvement or there is no more energy to push for improvement. Lucky for me, there is now a new clinic director and he seems to bring a strong desire for change that I am all for...


Here is a picture of Captain Baryalai, he is the dental officer/pharmacist/physician assistant and sole English-speaking Afghan in the clinic. A bit of a renaissance man. One of our projects is to get him some dental tools to go with his new nifty dental chair. Unfortunately, dental readiness isn't a priority in the Afghan National Army.


The other project that we are working on is the putting together of a training classroom. As you can see, the classroom is a bit crowded with the desks and chairs all crammed into this tiny space. The clinic has several larger rooms which have been taken up by officers who are doing everything they can to not get kicked out. With the new clinic leadership (and my prodding), there is going to be a little reshuffling of the clinic space, and a larger training classroom may actually be a reality!


This last picture is a classic. Here is the former clinic director, Major Zahid, solitaire champion. Personally, I think he is a nice guy, but after being in the military for over 30 years, I would be burnt out myself with only video games on my mind:)

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13:23 NKJV