Linda Norgrove: A daughter’s legacy to Afghanistan

THE parents of aid worker Linda Norgrove have returned from a visit to Afghanistan, where their daughter was killed, and here they speak to Alistair Munro about their experiences

IN THE 18 months since their daughter’s untimely death in Afghanistan, John and Lorna Norgrove have devoted their energies to establishing a charitable foundation in her memory.

Yesterday the couple from Lewis spoke for the first time of an “emotionally draining” visit they made to the war-torn country to see for themselves some of the projects funded by the Linda Norgrove Foundation, named after the aid worker killed during a botched rescue attempt in the remote Dewagal valley.

It was the first time Linda’s parents had been back to a country they last visited as carefree newlyweds in the 1970s. This trip was very different, a journey to the place they lost their beloved daughter, who was taken hostage while working for an international aid agency in 2010. Linda was killed by a grenade thrown by an American soldier during a failed attempt to free her.

Speaking from their home in the village of Mangersta, Mr and Mrs Norgrove described their visit last month as “healing but sad” and immensely valuable.

When they arrived in Kabul, the couple went to see projects which help women and children that the foundation has supported, as well as organisations the charity could help in the future.

Mr Norgrove said: “It was a bitter-sweet visit, both healing but sad. It was good to see the work that we have been able to help. We are seeing something good come out of something so tragic. What happened to Linda was so negative, but it was great to be able to create something positive out of that. You must be positive, as that helps the healing process.”

He added: “We could not believe the change in the country since our visit there as newlyweds in the 1970s. Until you see it, it’s difficult to appreciate the scale of the military operation in the country. In 2011 the cost of the war was $103bn and aid $15.7bn. This equates to around $20,000 per Afghan family per year in US spending alone.

“By contrast, a teacher heading up this notional Afghan family might receive $20 a week, if he gets his pay at all. This imbalance inevitably exacerbates corruption.

“That’s why we are so determined to make sure the Foundation only funds projects where we know the donations people give us will make a real difference on the ground. We want to fund small projects with low overheads and visible results.”

Mr and Mrs Norgrove visited the Afghan Educational Children’s Circus – a groundbreaking project that uses entertainment to educate children on issues such as land mine awareness and drug misuse. “That was really great. The work there is really beneficial,” he said.

Since it was set up shortly after Linda Norgrove’s death, the foundation has provided £9,135 to feed children and tackle malnourishment in Afghanistan.

“This is a really inspiring project and it was great to see kids singing and dancing, escaping from such a battle-scarred neighbourhood with razor wire topping every wall,” the father said.

The Educational Children’s Circus is one of a number of projects that have received funding totalling more than £50,000 in the latest round of grants from the foundation.

Other projects that the couple visited included a women’s safe house where counselling for abused women, such as women released from prison, on the run from murderous families or acid attack victims, is provided by an international Non-Governmental Organisation. .

The couple also visited a Children’s Medical House where families from remote areas could stay while their ill youngsters were treated for conditions such as burns and heart surgery.

They met with UN officials, a lawyer who deals with wrongfully imprisoned women and a prosthetics hospital.

“We saw many people, including many of Linda’s friends and work colleagues. It was emotional at times for all of us,” said Mr Norgrove. “We saw projects which we will consider to support. We are looking at providing scholarships for young Afghan women to go to university, as well as doing more at orphanages.”

Linda, 36, worked for the agency Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) and oversaw an aid project designed to create jobs and strengthen local Afghan leadership and economies in vulnerable areas.

She was ambushed while travelling to a remote area of the country and taken hostage. She died during a Special Forces night-time raid.

Her parents never apportioned blame for the incident, preferring instead to focus on the good work their daughter carried out during her time in Afghanistan, a country she grew to love.

“Our daughter believed in Afghans,” Mr Norgrove said.

“Linda’s comment to whingeing colleagues was always: ‘You can leave if you want, Afghans can’t.’”

Rosy future

The primary goal of the Linda Norgrove Foundation is to help women and children affected by the war in Afghanistan.

The emphasis is on providing education and incomes for women, as the charity believes these are most likely to create a positive lasting change.

Around 40 per cent of the Afghan population is under the age of 14 and one in five adult women have been widowed, which is why the foundation chooses projects that will benefit the women and children affected by decades of conflict.

The charity has provided £9,496 for a truck of emergency supplies – food, clothes and equipment – to a struggling orphanage in Faizabad, north east Afghanistan.

It has given £15,000 to finance a medical and midwifery programme in the Wakhan Corridor of north-east Afghanistan. Medical treatment will be provided in 15 villages in this area, and vaccinations given for various conditions such as polio and measles in 28 villages.

It provided £1,200 for a set of warm clothes for each of the children in the children’s home in Kabul and winter curtains and wood to help keep their rooms cosier over the cold winter months.

A total of £11,025 was used for the provision of furniture and equipment for a Transitional Care Centre, a “safe house” which provides protection and rehabilitation for abused and exploited women and children.

Toys have also been sent to the residents of a children’s home in Kabul to provide sensory stimulation for disabled kids, while footballs, cricket sets and eggs were despatched for children from a home for widows in Jalalabad.