Sarah Chayes
Rebuilding Afghani Civil Society
By: 11/11/2008
From the 2008-2009 College of Santa Fe lecture series:
Rebels, Reformers and Revolutionaries
Former NPR reporter Sarah Chayes left journalism in 2002 to help rebuild Afghanistan. Frustrated by the corruption and arrogance she encountered with US-backed aid organizations, she formed the privately owned and funded Arghand Cooperative—a soap and body oil company. The Arghand utilizes local fruits, nuts and herbs to create a sustainable economic model for employment, growth, and a viable alternative to the opium industry. Chayes discusses her experiences and her new book The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan after the Taliban.
