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Afghan NewsAfghan NewsAfghan News June 2011

Embassy of Afghanistan: Tokyo, Japan

Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie along with a delegation of Afghan residents of Japan visited Fukushima City to bring 530,000 yen in funds, along with drawings by children in Bamiyan, hoping to provide fur-ther material and spiritual support to the pre-fecture in the aftermath of the March 11th disasters and the ongoing nuclear problems. The funds come from the 1,851,000 yen gath-

ered from Afghan residents of Japan.

On May 20th, a delegation including the Am-bassador, members of the Embassy of the Is-lamic Republic of Afghanistan, and Afghan residents of Japan also visited Ibaraki Prefec-ture in order to bring supplies to evacuees

from Fukushima prefecture.

Inside this issue:

Latest News Select Health Facts

(in honor of Tokyo Uni-versity’s June 28 forum on Medical Human Re-source Development and Health System in Afghanistan)

The delegation to Fukushima was made up of Ambassador Fatimie, Mr. Jafar Ahmad-

yar, Mr. Haji Hussein.

In the delegation’s meeting with Hon. Gov-ernor Yuhei Sato, Ambassador Fatimie ex-pressed deepest condolences on the im-mense loss of life, damage to property, and the problems that have since affected the people of Fukushima. The Ambassador ex-pressed the solidarity of the Afghan people with the citizens of prefecture and presented the Hon. Governor with the artwork and the support funds. In turn, the Hon. Governor expressed his appreciation for the support and said that he values the relationship be-tween Japan, and in particular Fukushima,

and Afghanistan.

(Continued on page 2)

Latest News Pg.1-3

An Interview with Hirofumi Shibata

Pg. 3

Recipe Corner Pg. 4

5,500 nurses are active nationwide; another 1,200 are enrolled in related educational pro-grams at government and private institutes - in a related issue, by the end of 2009, Afghanistan had successfully reached its goal of implementing 34 midwifery training pro-grams nationwide There were 25 cases of polio in Kandahar last year but only one case this year Between 2002 & 2009 there was a 38% reduc-tion in Maternal Mortal-ity Ratios, unreleased reports suggest even greater progress in 2010

Ambassador Fatimie, Afghan delegation meet with Hon. Gov.

Sato of Fukushima, Hon. Deputy Mayor Katahira of Fuku-

shima City, deliver funds, drawings by Bamiyan children

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Afghan News, November 1010

contributed to the ever-lowering infant and maternal mortality rates, among other positive health indicators. Presenters at the event included Mr. Yoshitaka Inagaki of JICA’s Human Development Department; Dr. Ahmad Fawad Pirzad, Director of Kabul Medi-cal University’s Education Development Center; Dr. Takuya Adachi, a Visiting Research at the University of Tokyo’s International Research Center for Medi-cal Education (IRCME); Dr. Hirotaka Onishi, a lecturer at IRCME, and Dr. Khaled Reshad, medical doctor and spe-cial advisor to Their Majesties the Em-peror and Empress of Japan.

National Rural Industries Develop-

ment Program Begins In Balkh The National Rural Industries Develop-ment Program was launched in a cere-mony in Balkh Province earlier this month. The program aims to improve living standards in rural areas and pro-vide health, social, and cultural services, and to construct roads and work on drinking water. The first phase will ad-dress the Dehdadi, Nahr Shahi and Khulm districts of the province.

Education sector continues to enhance

reach

Construction began earlier this month on two new 12-room school buildings in Ghazni province, one for Imam Qaem Bakawel High School and the other for Al Biruni Girl’s High School, with the assistance of the United States. In Jalalabad, the corner stone of Majbor Abad High School was laid the head of the provincial education department. The school is being built with the assis-tance of the World Bank and furnished with the assistance of the Turkish gov-ernment. Upon its completion within a year it will accommodate 12,000 stu-dents. Nearby, Nangarhar high school was also completed after two years of work. Eight more schools will be com-pleted in Nangarhar province within the year. Four new buildings were constructed and inaugurated in the Sangcharak dis-trict of Sar-e Pol province, one each for Shams Boys Middle School (10 class-

rooms), Arfaan Girls Middle School (10 classrooms), Topkhana Middle School (four classrooms), and Khoram Faza Girls Middle School (four class-rooms). Construction has begun on a new 30-classroom school building for the Us-tad Fakiri Suljuki High School in Herat with the assistance of an Amir from the United Arab Emirates. A founda-tion stone laying ceremony was held with the participation of Herat’s pro-vincial governor, Daoud Saba; com-munity leaders, teachers and students. In Kunar province, a new 12-room building for the Marawara district mid-dle school was inaugurated. The school features solar electricity as a primary system. The construction project was funded by the American Provincial Reconstruction Team The residents of Namazgah village, Keshim district of Badakhshan donated 8 Jirbs of land to Badakhshan’s De-partment of Education - the land will be the future site of a Teacher Training College. In related news, 11,000 students of Kabul University through the initiative of Club Sabz (Green Club) this month voluntarily gathered and cleaned nearly all of the surrounding university area. A “Day of Irrigation” has been also been organized to care for all plants in the university and city streets.

Bidding underway for Hajigak mine

Bidding is underway and will continue until August for the right to exploit Hajigak iron ore mine in Bamiyan province. Those submitting bids in-clude a consortium of Indian steel makers organized by Steel Authority. Hajigak has the world’s largest iron ore deposits with estimates showing that it might contain ore worth as much as US$350 billion, allowing for the potential to generate around 10 million tons of ore a year. H.E. Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani has said, “the development of Hajigak will involve major infrastruc-

(Continued on page 3)

Following the meeting with the Hon. Governor, the delegation was warmly welcomed by the Deputy Mayor of Fu-kushima City, Hon. Mr. Kenichi Kata-hira. Ambassador Fatimie also ex-pressed condolences to the Hon. Mayor and pledged that Afghans would stand beside and pray for the people of Fuku-shima. The Hon. Deputy Mayor con-veyed, on behalf of the Mayor and the people of his noble city, sincere grati-

tude.

Ambassador Fatimie, Mr. Luqman

attend the 11th International Re-

search Forum for Medical Education,

entitled “Medical Human Resource

Development and Health System in

Afghanistan,” at Tokyo University

Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie and Mr. Sayed R.A. Luqman, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, at-tended the 11th International Research Forum for Medical Education at Tokyo University on June 28th. The theme of this year’s forum was “Medical Human Resource Development and Health Sys-tem in Afghanistan.” Ambassador Fatimie provided opening comments to the event, first of all ex-pressing deepest condolences for the tragic loss of life and damage to prop-erty and infrastructure due to the disas-ters of March 11th. The Ambassador then offered sincerest gratitude for the University and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for orga-nizing the event, and also, on behalf of the Government and people of Afghani-stan, to the Japanese Government, JICA, and the noble people of Japan for providing generous and selfless support to Afghanistan’s reconstruction, devel-opment, and peace process. Ambassador Fatimie in particular noted the crucial role that Japan and its people and agen-cies have played in support to Afghani-stan’s health sector since 2002, having

Afghan News, June 2011

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Afghan News, June 2011

ture improvements and will stimulate the local economy and improve the lives of the citizens.”

Oil Production Increasing

National oil deposits, located in deposits in Balkh, Jowzjan, and Saripol provinces, have been estimated at 1.8 billion barrels. Extraction has begun at four wells in An-got, containing an estimated 60 million barrels, and refinement into petrol, diesel and thicker fuels in happening domesti-cally as well. Other oil fields are ex-pected to start producing later this year. This year, fields in Saripol and Balkh provinces will be put out to tender for bids from international extraction firms. Currently 800 barrels a day is being pro-duced nationally, worth US$10 million a year in government revenues.

Youth Shuras Organized in Parwan,

Kapisa

The Ministry of Information and Culture recently organized two youth shuras in the provincial capitals of Parwan and Kapisa provinces to connect young peo-ple with elders and elected officials in a series of dialogues about the future of their provinces. Topics included the role of the government and the reconstruction of their provinces and country at large.

Latest Women’s Handicrafts Exhibi-

tion Held in Kabul

Coinciding with International Mothers’ Day, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs organized an exhibit for craftswomen to exhibit their handicrafts in Kabul. On display at the approximately 100 stalls selling Afghan products and 20 stalls selling Iranian products were a wide range of handicrafts, including jewelry, paintings, clothes, and carpets. Up to 50 officially organized exhibitions containing women’s handicrafts are cur-rently held yearly across the nation.

National Body Building Team Wins

Championship of South Asian Com-

petitions

Early this month, the national body building team won first place in the South Asian Bodybuilding Competi-tions held in Bhutan. The team, repre-sented by 10 athletes in 10 different weight classes, captured three gold medals, three silver, and one bronze. Teams from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka participated.

Afghanistan Wins U-13 AFC Cup

Football Festival

Early this month in Yazd, Iran, Af-

ghanistan won the Under 13 AFC Cup

Football Festival (South Asian Zone)

championship. The team had a 6-1

record in the eight-nation tournament

that included Afghanistan, Iran, India,

Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,

and Bangladesh.

Interview with Mr. Hirofumi

Shibata of Chikuma Interna-

tional Exchange Office in

Chikuma, Nagano

Due to Mr. Shibata’s efforts, the small

town of Chikuma has become a center

of friendship between Afghanistan and

Japan. Hosting visits from Afghans on

a yearly basis and through Mr. Shibata

and the Chikuma International Ex-

change Office’s efforts, the size of the

friendship is not equal to the size of

the town, but to the size of the resi-

dents’ hearts.

How did you become interested in

Afghanistan?

I became interested due to my position as a Buddhist monk since Buddhism originated in Afghanistan. There ex-isted highly civilized ancient culture in Afghanistan 2000 years ago, as you can see in the remains of ancient Bamiyan architecture. Also, at that time I had become very worried about what were increasing conflicts in Af-

ghanistan, such as terrorism and the Taliban regime. How did you then become involved

with Afghanistan?

I thought about international support; I was able to meet the Afghan Chargé d’Affaires in Japan at that time and I had friendly relations with the [Japanese] Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs, so I basically had an invitation to help support Afghanistan, which led me to establish an NGO. Why did you open your Afghan sup-

port office in Chikuma city?

Actually, there is no particular reason I opened the office in Chikuma city. My personal interest led me to estab-lish the place and when I looked for volunteers, there were about 10 people interested in participating. It continued to grow from there. What is your overall goal and how

will you relate it to Afghanistan?

The goal for now is to establish a sis-ter city relationship between Chikuma City in Japan and Parwan City in Af-ghanistan. My wish is for these cities to understand each other, not to have only one-sided support, but a mutual cultural exchange. Contact Mr. Hirofumi Shibata and Chikuma International Exchange Of-fice/ Local Afghan Office at 026-272-5019 / 245 Oazainariyama, Chikuma

city, Nagano 〒387-0021

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 13, 14, 15: Fashion Show

Rooms 23, Yoyogi Stadium, 10:00—

18:00

Rooms hosts two large fashion shows

a year in which various designers and

producers create a small room that

visitors can enter into to see clothing

and feel the designers experience.

This year, the Afghan room, which

will showcase traditional designs and

modern designs by Afghan designer

Zolkhaya Sherzad, will be the main

feature of the event.

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Embassy of Afghanistan in Tokyo 2-2-1 Azabudai, Minato ward, Tokyo, 106-0041 Tel: 03-5574-7611

Fax: 03-5574-0195

Website

www.afghanembassyjp.org

Contact Us

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions regarding this newsletter or the Embassy, please send an e-mail to the embassy’s Public Affairs Officer, Jason Pratt:

pratt@afghanembassyjp.org

Afghan News, June 2011

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊Abdul Rauf Lugali’s kitchen＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ The Embassy chef, who is nicknamed “Baba-jan” (or uncle) will offer an Afghan recipe from his kitchen to yours each month. This month we feature a food that is a traditional appetizer, Osh Pyozee (stuffed onions)

材料材料材料材料（（（（6666人分人分人分人分））））

Ingredients (serves 4 people) ・8 pieces of chicken (4 legs and 4 thighs or 1 whole 4-pound chicken cut

into eight pieces)

・1 1/2 Tbsp coriander seeds ・2 tsp whole black peppercorns

・1 tsp cumin seeds ・6 cloves garlic, peeled

・2 inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced ・3 Tbsp vegetable oil

・1/4 cup water, or more as needed ・2 Tbsp lemon juice

・1 Tbsp hot paprika (you can add some cayenne if you like)

・1 1/2 tsp salt ・1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

・Thinly sliced red onion for garnish (optional)

・Wedges of lime or lemon for garnish (optional)

Preparation 1.Remove the skin from the chicken and rinse under cold water, then pat

dry with paper towels. Place the pieces in a baking dish large enough to

hold them side by side in one layer while you prepare the paste.

2.Heat a large skillet over medium and add the coriander, cumin seeds,

and the black peppercorns. Toast for 2-3 minutes shaking the skillet

occasionally. Let cool then transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice mill

and grind them into a powder.

3.Combine the ground spices in a blender or mini-chopper with the garlic,

ginger, oil, water, lemon juice, paprika, cayenne if desired, and salt.

Process to a smooth paste, adding water if needed so that it is just

pourable. Add the cilantro and pulse to the mix.

4.Using your hands, spread the seasoning paste over the chicken pieces to

coat on both sides, then cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for

4-6 hours or more.

5.To cook in a pan: spray or coat a large saute pan with oil and put over

medium high heat. Place the chicken pieces in the pan close to each

other but not touching. Put a lid on the pan. Remove the lid and turn

the chicken every 3-4 minutes for the first 12 minutes. Then turn the

heat down to medium and cook, covered for another 10 minutes or so.

6.Transfer the chicken legs to a serving platter and serve immediately

garnished with onion and lemon as desired.