I now have an inseparable identity as Afghan Prem or Captivity Prem, thanks to my captivity in Afghanistan for 8 months and 20 days.  Did I deserve the prayers of thousands of people all over the world and the risky, continuous, hard and united labour of the Negotiation Team on the ground and the Crisis Management Team through skype for my release from captivity? God has been so generous to me and I am grateful.

 

I landed in Afghanistan in August 2011 and left in February 2015. In the beginning I struggled due to not knowing the language and the restricted freedom of movement. But the children of Sohadat understood my broken Dari and, much more, my non-verbal communication. Annual Children’s day celebrations brought me closer to them. My regular interaction, evaluation and planning meetings with the staff, partner NGOs and the community helped to enhance quality education not only in Sohadat but in all the JRS programs in Heart and Kabul provinces. My single visit to Bamiyan and Daikundi provinces is evergreen in my mind, and the contribution of JRS Afghanistan in those very remote but deserving provinces deserves appreciation. I am so touched by many things: the special option to serve the most deserving Hazara community and girl children; building up local staff capacity by arranging studies in India; networking with the government for infrastructure facilities; and the unassuming and simple lifestyle of the Jesuits without vehicles, barbed wire fences and guards for protection. We could do so much for the people of Afghanistan thanks to the generous donors, committed local staff and continuous and guiding presence of Fr Stan.