Afghan women eradicating polio Dr Fariba, Provincial Polio Officer in Kabul
“I’ve been doing this job for over 13 years now. I’m married with two kids. I used to work in Mazar in different local clinics, and gradually got promoted to where I am today,” says Dr Fariba.
“I’m on the selection panel to find good polio workers, and I try to get qualified females to join, because it’s really important to have more women on this programme. Parents usually talk to women more openly and respectfully, which makes our work easier. As a woman and mother, I get easy access to speak to families, and sometimes, it helps to convince them to vaccinate their children. Finding good female workers is very difficult though, if they show interest at all.”
Dr Fariba, a provincial polio officer in Kabul, knows the back lanes of Kabul like the back of her hands. She has walked these streets for many years now, in scorching heat and freezing cold, ensuring that her team of supervisors and vaccinators visit houses and no child is left behind.
