From Health to Peace in Afghanistan – the Story So Far

This is an unusual story of working from health toward peace in a country particularly severely affected by multiple wars. The work to be described has been carried out during several phases of war in Afghanistan – the end of the mujaheddin wars, the invasion by the United States and its allies, and the current guerilla war in the south of the country. The story exemplifies the merits of holding to an informed vision of peace while beginning work in mental health, of seizing opportunities to act at increasing levels of political influence as they arose, applying knowledge of peace processes whenever possible, and of working with a team with high levels of knowledge in both health and peace.