One success story is AURAT, a civil society organization that is focused on the empowerment of women. Larisa Epatko of the PBS News Hour posted this summary of AURAT's mission and accomplishments.Read it here.Our group of journalists met with leaders of the organization in Islamabad, as well as several women who were brought in from remote areas to tell their personal stories of how US aid has helped them. A few of them are pictured, above.
The big picture, according to AURAT, is that public education has increased awareness of domestic violence and made it more acceptable for women to receive education and vote. Grants for recovery from the floods that have devastated Pakistan in recent years have been channeled through the female in the household, as well as micro-business grants that help women become self-supporting so that they can send both their daughters and their sons to school. For me, he most memorable story came from Saima Anwar, a young woman who is the first practicing female attorney in the troubled Swat region, with legal training made possible by US aid. She helps women assert their land rights and file complaints about domestic violence. I asked her why such a progressive woman would continue to cover her face in traditional Muslim fashion. I saw the fire in her eyes as she replied," I wanted to show you can do anything, even if you cover your face."Our Pakistani journalist colleagues had mixed feelings about the impact of US aid. Islamabad broadcaster Aneela Khalid Khan said the challenge for the US is to "win the hearts and minds of the people." Geo TV's Mehboob Ali, who covers the Swat region, said flood victims in Pakistan are grateful for the US aid they have received. "It does work," he said, "it does change the opinion of the people." Karachi-based Dawn TV producer Hafsah Syed complained, "Pakistan is a country of beggars." Like many Pakistanis, she called for an end to the "transactional relationship" in which the US rewards Pakistan for good behavior and takes away aid for behavior the US doesn't like. As I write this it's happening again: the doctor who aided the CIA in confirming the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden was sentenced to 33 years in prison; in response, the US congress has cut aid to Pakistan by $33 million. Another tricky issue is the requirement that any US aid project must be identified with the logo identifying the contribution of "the American people." There have been instances of Taliban fighters targeting brand new clinics or schools because of the logo. On the other hand, how can the US win hearts and minds with beneficial projects if no one knows the US taxpayer is footing the bill? Finally, there's the confusion between military and humanitarian aid. If the US helps build a road through a strategic area, does that benefit the military or the villagers who can now get their products to bigger markets? Probably both, but the Taliban targets the road anyway.
The United States has been a huge contributor to the Benazir Income Support Program, or BISP. US taxpayers have paid in more than $2 billion since 2009. The money is parceled out to Pakistan's poorest families, who would be scraping by on about a dollar a day without BISP benefits. Our group took a tour of the program headquarters in Islamabad, with vast rooms of clerks and computers to take registrations and handle complaints.
