It was this experience that firmed her resolve. What was she doing here? She didn’t need to do this, should she just go home? A lesser person would have. Rosemary however, found a home, a new job, and her purpose. She had done so much, learned so much. She was still useful. She knew it.
There aren’t many women that live alone in Afghanistan. There aren’t many that drive cars (only foreigners), and almost no one keeps dogs as pets. (They are considered too dirty). This is the life of Rosemary in Afghanistan. She doesn’t quite fit in, but it’s ok, and that just might be part of her purpose.
She lives by example. She takes great pleasure driving her car a few minutes out of her way everyday past the all-girls school. “If those girls can just see a woman drive a car, then they will know it can be done.”
Rosemary’s new job is training women to be politicians. She works with women who have been elected to provincial councils. Since the fall of the Taliban, and the reorganization of Afghanistan government, women must hold one quarter of the seats in the national government and one-third of the seats in the provincial or local governments. “Some of these women have never spoken a word in front of a man, let alone disagree with him, so the first step is to just get them to speak.
“This is going to be a long process, but the people of Afghanistan want so much to be at peace.”
All her passion and experience has come full circle. She has no plans to leave, much to her mother’s chagrin. But half of her, unfortunately, expects political turmoil to force her out. In the meantime, she is there to teach, to lead by example, to help. She calls it just A Little Help. If you would like to donate, visit A Little Help.
By Carolyn Kane
Related Story: For Love of Afghanistan
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