MAZAR-E-SHARIF - The extraordinary work of a group of Afghan professionals, assisted by the United Nations, was marked at a photographic exhibition in Mazar-e-Sharif today.

Around 100 people, including students, representatives of civil society, journalists and UN agency officials attended the exhibition, which featured a collection of specially commissioned panoramic photographs measuring 4 metres wide.

Each of the nine photos contains three main scenes, highlighting key aspects of the professionals’ work in areas such as improved health care, de-mining, support for returning refugees and environmental protection.

The exhibition, which was the subject of a reception in the city a day earlier, was jointly unveiled by Shakiba Bagramwal, Dean of the Law College at Balkh University, and Nahid Abuakar, Head of regional office of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Mazar-e-Sharif.

In a speech at the event, Ms. Bagramwal said Afghanistan has faced many challenges that the UN has provided support in overcoming. “The UN’s positive and fruitful interventions have prevented deterioration of the situation in the country,” she said.

Two of the Afghan professionals featured in the photos – polio vaccination coordinator Rahima Ahmadi and women’s rights activist Magheferat Samimi – also addressed the audience.

Mrs. Ahmadi has dedicated much of her life to seeing Afghanistan polio-free. For the past 15 years she has worked in the Child Promotion Unit of the Provincial Health Department, with the World Health Organization (WHO), to carry out the country’s polio vaccination programme.

Mrs. Ahmadi and her team visit home-by-home, street-by-street, to ensure all children are immunized: “As a mother I never want to see a child paralyzed in her mother’s arms … We can prevent this disease with just two drops of polio vaccine.”  

The United Nations Children’s Fund works with WHO and the Afghan authorities in the polio vaccination drive.

Mrs. Samimi is a tireless human rights activist, especially in the field of protecting women against violence and assisting survivors of violence.

As Head of the Afghan Human Rights Organization in Jowzjan, Sari-Pul and Faryab, she reports on and intervenes in a broad range of rights issues, and is widely respected for her work as a mediator.

Her work on women’s rights includes forced and underage marriage, sexual abuse, abductions, imprisonment, torture, murder and suicide: “Our duty is to serve oppressed people, women included, who experience violence … We always help the oppressed.”

Along with viewing the exhibition, participants also took part in a quiz about UN history and work.

Following a showing in Kabul and now Mazar-e-Sharif, the photographic exhibition is scheduled to move to three other cities around Afghanistan.

The nine panoramic photographs featured in the exhibition, along with the profiles of the outstanding professionals, are available on UNAfghanistan.org.