Farewell My Kashmir

At the peak of the emergency response in Kashmir MSF Holland had operations out of four locations (Muzaffarabad, Hattian, Lamnian and Leepa), employing over 50 expats and three hundred national staff. Since the end of winter MSF has been gradually winding-down its operations. We said farewell to Lamnian in June and Leepa in July and by early October anticipate that there will be only five expats and less than a hundred national staff remaining. The plan is that by the end of the year we will have exited the region entirely.

There is still a lot of work to do in Kashmir, both in terms of rebuilding the homes destroyed by the earthquake and in providing support to the approximately 30,000 people still living in tents. Fortunately, there are other NGOs and agencies that specialize in this type of work, allowing MSF to hand-over its responsibilities. Such is the project lifecycle for MSF.

Leaving these locations is a bittersweet process. It’s most difficult for the national staff, as they have worked hard, learned a lot from being part of an international team, and become accustomed to earning above average local salaries. Finding comparable employment elsewhere is unlikely, although some do land positions with other NGOs, thanks in part to their recent work experience. For the rest, although they knew from the beginning that the job wouldn’t last forever, its understandable the sadness they feel as our planned departure approaches. The expats have the challenge of trying to ensure an efficient transition, while dealing with the disappointment of both the national staff and the people we have been providing services to.

Last week I spent three days in Muzaffarabad, which was likely my last time in Kashmir. The office, once crowded and alive with frantic activity is now oddly quiet. The place is filled with the memories of those who have long since departed. Some of their photographs are still tacked to the wall, but their faces and names are known only to the few national staff remaining from the emergency phase and to me.

On my return journey to Islamabad I stretched-out in the back of the ambulance and listened to some tunes on my IPod. I gazed out the rear window at the passing scenery - the Jhelum River and the green mountains towering above - and soaked in my last memories of Kashmir.