I've been in Afghanistan for 21 years. I work for the Red Cross and I'm a physical therapist. My job is to make arms and legs -- well it's not completely true. We do more than that. We provide the patients, the Afghan disabled, first with the physical rehabilitation then with the social reintegration. It's a very logical plan, but it was not always like this. For many years, we were just providing them with artificial limbs. It took quite many years for the program to become what it is now.
Bio sam u Afganistanu 21 godinu. Radim za Crveni križ kao fizioterapeut. Posao mi je raditi ruke i noge -- pa, to nije u potpunosti točno. Činimo više od toga. Pacijentima pružamo, hendikepiranim Afganistancima, najprije fizičku rehabilitaciju a onda i društvenu reintegraciju. Veoma logičan plan, ali nije uvijek bilo tako. Mnogo godina, pružali smo im samo umjetne udove. Bilo je potrebno previše godina da bi program postao ono što je sad.
Today, I would like to tell you a story, the story of a big change, and the story of the people who made this change possible. I arrived in Afghanistan in 1990 to work in a hospital for war victims. And then, not only for war victims, but it was for any kind of patient. I was also working in the orthopedic center, we call it. This is the place where we make the legs. At that time I found myself in a strange situation. I felt not quite ready for that job. There was so much to learn. There were so many things new to me. But it was a terrific job. But as soon as the fighting intensified, the physical rehabilitation was suspended. There were many other things to do. So the orthopedic center was closed because physical rehabilitation was not considered a priority. It was a strange sensation. Anyway, you know every time I make this speech -- it's not the first time -- but it's an emotion. It's something that comes out from the past. It's 21 years, but they are still all there.
Danas, htio bih vam reći priču, priču o velikoj promjeni, priču ljudi koji su omogućili ovu promjenu. Stigao sam u Afganistan 1990. godine da bih radio u bolnici za ratne žrtve. I onda, ne samo ratne žrtve, već bilo koju vrstu pacijenata. Također sam radio u ortopedskom centru, kako ga zovemo. Ovo je mjesto gdje radimo noge. U to vrijeme našao sam se u neobičnoj situaciji. Nisam se baš osjećao spremnim za taj posao. Bilo je toliko toga za naučiti. Bilo je toliko mnogo novih stvari. Ali, to je bio sjajan posao. No, čim su borbe postale intenzivnije, fizička rehabilitacija je bila prekinuta. Bilo je toliko mnogo stvari za učiniti. Tako je ortopedski centar bio zatvoren jer fizička rehabilitacija nije bila smatrana prioritetom. Bio je to čudan osjećaj. Svejedno, znate, svaki put kad držim ovaj govor -- ovo nije prvi put -- ali je osjećaj. To je nešto što dolazi iz prošlosti. Prošla je 21 godina, no još uvijek su tamo.
Anyway, in 1992, the Mujahideen took all Afghanistan. And the orthopedic center was closed. I was assigned to work for the homeless, for the internally displaced people. But one day, something happened. I was coming back from a big food distribution in a mosque where tens and tens of people were squatting in terrible conditions. I wanted to go home. I was driving. You know, when you want to forget, you don't want to see things, so you just want to go to your room, to lock yourself inside and say, "That's enough." A bomb fell not far from my car -- well, far enough, but big noise. And everybody disappeared from the street. The cars disappeared as well. I ducked. And only one figure remained in the middle of the road. It was a man in a wheelchair desperately trying to move away.
Svejedno, 1992. godine, Mudžahedini su preuzeli cijeli Afganistan. I ortopedski centar je bio zatvoren. Bilo mi je dodijeljeno da radim s beskućnicima, s protjeranim ljudima. Ali, jednog dana, nešto se dogodilo. Vraćao sam se s velike distribucije hrane u džamiji gdje su se deseci i deseci ljudi naselili u groznim uvjetima. Htio sam ići kući. Vozio sam. Znate, kad nešto želite zaboraviti, ne želite vidjeti stvari, nego samo želite otići u svoju sobu, zaključati se unutra i reći: "Bilo je dosta." Bomba je pala nedaleko mog auta -- pa, dovoljno daleko, ali velika buka. I svi su nestali s ulice. Auti su isto nestali. Sagnuo sam se. I samo je jedna figura ostala na sredini ceste. Bio je to čovjek u kolicima koji se očajnički pokušavao maknuti.
Well I'm not a particularly brave person, I have to confess it, but I could not just ignore him. So I stopped the car and I went to help. The man was without legs and only with one arm. Behind him there was a child, his son, red in the face in an effort to push the father. So I took him into a safe place. And I ask, "What are you doing out in the street in this situation?" "I work," he said. I wondered, what work? And then I ask an even more stupid question: "Why don't you have the prostheses? Why don't you have the artificial legs?" And he said, "The Red Cross has closed." Well without thinking, I told him "Come tomorrow. We will provide you with a pair of legs." The man, his name was Mahmoud, and the child, whose name was Rafi, left. And then I said, "Oh, my God. What did I say? The center is closed, no staff around. Maybe the machinery is broken. Who is going to make the legs for him?" So I hoped that he would not come. This is the streets of Kabul in those days. So I said, "Well I will give him some money."
Sad, ja nisam posebno hrabra osoba, moram to priznati, ali nisam ga mogao samo ignorirati. Tako sam zaustavio auto i pošao pomoći. Čovjek je bio bez nogu i sa samo jednom rukom. Iza njega je bilo dijete, njegov sin, crven u licu od napora da gurne oca. Tako sam ga odveo na sigurnije mjesto. I pitam: "Što činite vani na ulici u ovakvoj situaciji?" "Radim," odgovorio je. Pitao sam se, kakav posao? I onda sam pitao još gluplje pitanje: "Zašto nemate proteze? Zašto nemate umjetne noge?" I odgovorio je: "Crveni križ se zatvorio." Pa, bez razmišljanja sam mu rekao: "Dođite sutra. Naći ćemo vam par nogu." Čovjek, ime mu je bilo Mahmoud, i dijete, čije je ime bilo Rafi, su otišli. I onda sam rekao: "O, Bože. Što sam to upravo rekao?" Centar je zatvoren, nema osoblja. Možda su aparati slomljeni. Tko će mu napraviti noge?" Tako sam se nadao da neće doći. Ovo su ulice Kabula u onim danima. Pa sam rekao: "Dat ću mu nešto novca."
And so the following day, I went to the orthopedic center. And I spoke with a gatekeeper. I was ready to tell him, "Listen, if someone such-and-such comes tomorrow, please tell him that it was a mistake. Nothing can be done. Give him some money." But Mahmoud and his son were already there. And they were not alone. There were 15, maybe 20, people like him waiting. And there was some staff too. Among them there was my right-hand man, Najmuddin. And the gatekeeper told me, "They come everyday to see if the center will open." I said, "No. We have to go away. We cannot stay here." They were bombing -- not very close -- but you could hear the noise of the bombs. So, "We cannot stay here, it's dangerous. It's not a priority." But Najmuddin told me, "Listen now, we're here." At least we can start repairing the prostheses, the broken prostheses of the people and maybe try to do something for people like Mahmoud." I said, "No, please. We cannot do that. It's really dangerous. We have other things to do." But they insisted. When you have 20 people in front of you, looking at you and you are the one who has to decide ...
I sljedeći dan, otišao sam u ortopedski centar. Razgovarao sam s portirom. Bio sam mu spreman reći, "Slušajte, ako netko takav i takav sutra dođe, molim vas da mu rečete da je bila pogreška. Ništa se ne može učiniti. Dajte mu nešto novca." Ali Mahmoud i njegov sin su već bili tamo. I nisu bili sami. Bilo je 15, možda i 20, ljudi poput njega koji su čekali. I bilo je i dijela osoblja. Među njima je bio i čovjek, moja desna ruka, Najmuddin. I portir mi je rekao, "Dolaze svaki dan da vide je li centar otvoren." Rekao sam: "Ne. Moramo ići. Ne možemo tu ostati." Bombardirali su -- ne jako blizu -- ali mogli ste čuti buku bombi. Pa, "Ne možemo ostati ovdje, opasno je. Ovo nije prioritet." Ali Najmuddin mi je rekao: "A slušajte, tu smo." Možemo barem početi popravljati proteze, slomljene proteze ljudi i možda pokušati napraviti nešto za ljude poput Mahmouda." Rekao sam: "Molim te, ne. Ne možemo to napraviti. Stvarno je opasno. Moramo činiti druge stvari." Ali inzistirali su. Kad imate 20 ljudi pred vama, koji vas gledaju i vi ste onaj koji mora odlučiti ...
So we started doing some repairs. Also one of the physical therapists reported that Mahmoud could be provided with a leg, but not immediately. The legs were swollen and the knees were stiff, so he needed a long preparation. Believe me, I was worried because I was breaking the rules. I was doing something that I was not supposed to do. In the evening, I went to speak with the bosses at the headquarters, and I told them -- I lied -- I told them, "Listen, we are going to start a couple of hours per day, just a few repairs." Maybe some of them are here now.
Tako smo počeli obavljati neke popravke. I jedan od fizioterapeuta je javio da Mahmoudu možemo dati nogu, ali ne odmah. Noge su mu bile nateknute i koljena ukočena, tako da je trebao dugu pripremu. Vjerujte mi, bio sam zabrinut jer sam kršio pravila. Činio sam nešto što nisam smio. Na večer, otišao sam razgovarati sa šefovima u sjedištu, i rekao sam im -- lagao sam -- rekao sam: "Slušajte, počet ćemo s nekoliko sati na dan, samo nekoliko popravaka." Možda su neki od njih sad tu.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
So we started. I was working, I was going everyday to work for the homeless. And Najmuddin was staying there, doing everything and reporting on the patients. He was telling me, "Patients are coming." We knew that many more patients could not come, prevented by the fighting. But people were coming. And Mahmoud was coming every day. And slowly, slowly week after week his legs were improving. The stump or cast prosthesis was made, and he was starting the real physical rehabilitation. He was coming every day, crossing the front line. A couple of times I crossed the front line in the very place where Mahmoud and his son were crossing. I tell you, it was something so sinister that I was astonished he could do it every day.
Tako smo počeli. Radio sam, svaki dan sam išao na posao za beskućnike. I Najmuddin je ostajao tamo, čineći sve i izvještavajući o pacijentima. Govorio mi je: "Pacijenti dolaze." Znali smo da puno više pacijenata nije moglo doći, vjerojatno spriječeni borbama. Ali ljudi su dolazili. I Mahmoud je dolazio svaki dan. I polako, polako tjedan za tjednom noge su mu se poboljšavale. Batrljak ili gipsana proteza se napravila, i počeo je pravu fizičku rehabilitaciju. Dolazio je svaki dan, prelazeći prve linije. Nekoliko sam puta prešao liniju točno na mjestu gdje su Mahmoud i njegov sin prelazili. Kažem vam, bilo je tako zlokobno da sam bio zaprepašten što je mogao to činiti svaki dan.
But finally, the great day arrived. Mahmoud was going to be discharged with his new legs. It was April, I remember, a very beautiful day. April in Kabul is beautiful, full of roses, full of flowers. We could not possibly stay indoors, with all these sandbags at the windows. Very sad, dark. So we chose a small spot in the garden. And Mahmoud put on his prostheses, the other patients did the same, and they started practicing for the last time before being discharged.
Ali, konačno, veliki dan je stigao. Mahmouda smo trebali otpustiti s novim nogama. Bio je travanj, sjećam se, predivan dan. Travanj u Kabulu je predivan, pun ruža, pun cvijeća. Jednostavno nismo mogli ostati unutra, sa svim ovim vrećama pijeska na prozorima. Veoma tužno, mračno. Tako smo odabrali maleno mjesto u vrtu. I Mahmoud je stavio svoje proteze, drugi pacijenti su činili isto, i počeli su vježbati posljednji put prije otpuštanja.
Suddenly, they started fighting. Two groups of Mujahideen started fighting. We could hear in the air the bullets passing. So we dashed, all of us, towards the shelter. Mahmoud grabbed his son, I grabbed someone else. Everybody was grabbing something. And we ran. You know, 50 meters can be a long distance if you are totally exposed, but we managed to reach the shelter. Inside, all of us panting, I sat a moment and I heard Rafi telling his father, "Father, you can run faster than me." (Laughter) And Mahmoud, "Of course I can. I can run, and now you can go to school. No need of staying with me all the day pushing my wheelchair." Later on, we took them home. And I will never forget Mahmoud and his son walking together pushing the empty wheelchair. And then I understood, physical rehabilitation is a priority. Dignity cannot wait for better times.
Odjednom, počeli su se boriti. Dvije grupe Mudžahedina su se počele boriti. Mogli smo čuti u zraku kako meci prolaze. Tako smo otrčali, svi mi, prema skloništu. Mahmoud je zgrabio sina, ja sam zgrabio nekog drugog. Svi su grabili nešto. I trčali smo. Znate, 50 metara može biti jako dugo ako sto potpuno izloženi, ali uspjeli smo stići u sklonište. Unutra, svi smo jako disali, sjeo sam na tren i čuo Rafija kako govori ocu, "Oče, možeš trčati brže od mene." (Smijeh) I Mahmoud: "Naravno da mogu. Mogu trčati, i ti sad možeš ići u školu. Ne trebaš ostajati sa mnom cijeli dan gurajući moja kolica." Kasnije, odveli smo ih kući. Nikad neću zaboraviti kako su Mahmoud i sin hodali zajedno gurajući prazna kolica. I onda sam razumio, fizička rehabilitacija jest bila prioritet. Dostojanstvo ne može čekati bolja vremena.
From that day on, we never closed a single day. Well sometimes we were suspended for a few hours, but we never, we never closed it again. I met Mahmoud one year later. He was in good shape -- a bit thinner. He needed to change his prostheses -- a new pair of prostheses. I asked about his son. He told me, "He's at school. He'd doing quite well." But I understood he wanted to tell me something. So I asked him, "What is that?" He was sweating. He was clearly embarrassed. And he was standing in front of me, his head down. He said, "You have taught me to walk. Thank you very much. Now help me not to be a beggar anymore." That was the job. "My children are growing. I feel ashamed. I don't want them to be teased at school by the other students." I said, "Okay." I thought, how much money do I have in my pocket? Just to give him some money. It was the easiest way. He read my mind, and he said, "I ask for a job." And then he added something I will never forget for the rest of my life. He said, "I am a scrap of a man, but if you help me, I'm ready to do anything, even if I have to crawl on the ground." And then he sat down. I sat down too with goosebumps everywhere.
Od toga dana, nikad nismo zatvorili čak ni na dan. Dobro, ponekad smo morali stati na nekoliko sati, ali nikad, nikad više nismo zatvorili. Sreo sam Mahmouda godinu dana kasnije. Bio je u dobrom stanju -- malo mršaviji. Morao je promijeniti proteze -- novi par proteza. Pitao sam ga za sina. Rekao mi je: "U školi je. Prilično mu dobro ide." Shvatio sam da mi je htio reći nešto. Pa sam pitao: "Što je to?" Znojio se. Očito mu je bilo neugodno. Stajao je ispred mene, sagnute glave. Rekao je: "Naučili ste me hodati. Puno vam hvala. Sad mi pomozite da više ne budem prosjak." To je bio posao. "Djeca mi rastu. Sramim se. Ne želim da ih u školi zadirkuju drugi učenici." Rekao sam: "OK." Mislio sam, koliko novca imam u džepu? Samo da mu dam nešto novca. To je bilo najlakše. Pročitao mi je misli, i rekao: "Tražim posao." I onda je dodao još nešto što nikad u životu neću zaboraviti. Rekao je: "Ja sam ostatak čovjeka, ali ako mi pomognete, spreman sam učiniti bilo što, čak i ako moram puzati po tlu." I onda je sjeo. I ja sam sjeo, sav naježen.
Legless, with only one arm, illiterate, unskilled -- what job for him? Najmuddin told me, "Well we have a vacancy in the carpentry shop." "What?" I said, "Stop." "Well yes, we need to increase the production of feet. We need to employ someone to glue and to screw the sole of the feet. We need to increase the production." "Excuse me?" I could not believe. And then he said, "No, we can modify the workbench maybe to put a special stool, a special anvil, special vice, and maybe an electric screwdriver." I said, "Listen, it's insane. And it's even cruel to think of anything like this. That's a production line and a very fast one. It's cruel to offer him a job knowing that he's going to fail." But with Najmuddin, we cannot discuss. So the only things I could manage to obtain was a kind of a compromise. Only one week -- one week try and not a single day more. One week later, Mahmoud was the fastest in the production line. I told Najmuddin, "That's a trick. I can't believe it." The production was up 20 percent. "It's a trick, it's a trick," I said. And then I asked for verification. It was true.
Bez nogu, sa samo jednom rukom, nepismen, bez vještina -- koji posao ima za njega? Najmuddin mi je rekao: "Pa imamo otvoreno mjesto u stolariji." "Što?" rekao sam, "Stani." "Pa da, moramo povećati proizvodnju stopala. Moramo zaposliti nekoga da lijepi i učvršćava podloge stopala. Moramo povećati proizvodnju." "Molim?" Nisam mogao vjerovati. I onda je rekao: "Ne, možemo prilagoditi radnu klupu, možda postaviti poseban stolac, poseban nakovanj, poseban uređaj za natezanje, i možda električni odvijač." Rekao sam: "Ma slušajte, to je ludost. I okrutno je uopće misliti o nečem ovakvom. To je proizvodna linija, i to brza. Okrutno je ponuditi mu posao ako znaš da neće uspjeti." Ali s Najmuddinom, nema rasprave. Tako je jedino što sam mogao napraviti je bila vrsta kompromisa. Samo jedan tjedan -- jedan tjedan pokušaja i niti dan više. Tjedan dana kasnije, Mahmoud je bio najbrži u proizvodnoj liniji. Rekao sam Najmuddinu: "Ovo je trik. Ne mogu vjerovati." Proizvodnja je porasla za 20%. "Ovo je trik, ovo je trik," rekao sam. I onda sam tražio provjeru. Bila je istina.
The comment of Najmuddin was Mahmoud has something to prove. I understood that I was wrong again. Mahmoud had looked taller. I remember him sitting behind the workbench smiling. He was a new man, taller again. Of course, I understood that what made him stand tall -- yeah they were the legs, thank you very much -- but as a first step, it was the dignity. He has regained his full dignity thanks to that job. So of course, I understood. And then we started a new policy -- a new policy completely different. We decided to employ as many disabled as possible to train them in any possible job. It became a policy of "positive discrimination," we call it now.
Najmuddinov komentar je bio da Mahmoud ima nešto za dokazati. Shvatio sam da sam ponovno bio u krivu. Mahmoud je izgledao viši. Sjećam se kako je sjedio iza radne klupe smiješeći se. Bio je novi čovjek, opet viši. Naravno, shvatio sam što ga je natjeralo da stane uspravno -- da, bile su to noge, hvala puno -- ali kao prvi korak, to je bilo dostojanstvo. Vratio je svoje dostojanstvo u potpunosti zahvaljujući tom poslu. Tako da naravno, shvatio sam. I onda smo započeli novu politiku -- potpuno drukčiju novu politiku. Odlučili smo zaposliti koliko god hendikepiranih koliko je bilo moguće da ih istreniramo za bilo koji mogući posao. To je postala politika "pozitivne diskriminacije", kako je sad zovemo.
And you know what? It's good for everybody. Everybody benefits from that -- those employed, of course, because they get a job and dignity. But also for the newcomers. They are 7,000 every year -- people coming for the first time. And you should see the faces of these people when they realize that those assisting them are like them. Sometimes you see them, they look, "Oh." And you see the faces. And then the surprise turns into hope. And it's easy for me as well to train someone who has already passed through the experience of disability. Poof, they learn much faster -- the motivation, the empathy they can establish with the patient is completely different, completely. Scraps of men do not exist.
I znate što? Dobro je za sve. Svi imaju koristi od toga -- oni zaposleni, naravno, zato što dobiju posao i dostojanstvo. Ali isto i za nove koji dođu. Ima ih 7.000 svake godine -- ljudi koji dođu po prvi put. I trebali biste vidjeti lica tih ljudi kad shvate da su oni koji im pomažu isti kao oni. Ponekad ih vidite, pogledaju: "O." I vidite lica. I onda se iznenađenje pretvori u nadu. I meni je lako istrenirati nekoga tko je već prošao kroz iskustvo hendikepiranosti. Uče puno brže -- motivacija, empatija koju mogu uspostaviti s pacijentom je potpuno drukčija, potpuno. Ne postoje ostaci čovjeka.
People like Mahmoud are agents of change. And when you start changing, you cannot stop. So employing people, yes, but also we started programming projects of microfinance, education. And when you start, you cannot stop. So you do vocational training, home education for those who cannot go to school. Physical therapies can be done, not only in the orthopedic center, but also in the houses of the people. There is always a better way to do things. That's Najmuddin, the one with the white coat. Terrible Najmuddin, is that one. I have learned a lot from people like Najmuddin, Mahmoud, Rafi. They are my teachers.
Ljudi kao Mahmoud su činitelji promjene. I kad se počnete mijenjati, ne možete prestati. Tako i zapošljavanje ljudi, da, ali smo također počeli programirati projekte mikrofinancija, obrazovanja. I kad počnete, ne možete prestati. Tako vodite strukovno obrazovanje, kućno obrazovanje za one koji ne mogu ići u školu. Fizička terapija se može voditi, ne samo u ortopedskom centru, nego i u kućama ljudi. Uvijek postoji bolji način činjenja stvari. Ovo je Najmuddin, ovaj u bijelom odijelu. Grozni Najmuddin, to je taj. Mnogo sam naučio od ljudi kao što su Najmuddin, Mahmoud, Rafi. Oni su moji učitelji.
I have a wish, a big wish, that this way of working, this way of thinking, is going to be implemented in other countries. There are plenty of countries at war like Afghanistan. It is possible and it is not difficult. All we have to do is to listen to the people that we are supposed assist, to make them part of the decision-making process and then, of course, to adapt. This is my big wish.
Imam želju, ogromnu želju, da ovaj način rada, ovaj način razmišljanja, bude implementiran u drugim zemljama. Postoji mnogo zemalja u ratu kao Afganistan. Moguće je i nije teško. Sve što moramo učiniti je slušati ljude koji su tu da pomognu, da ih učinimo dijelom procesa donošenja odluka i onda, naravno, da se prilagodimo. Ovo je moja velika želja.
Well don't think that the changes in Afghanistan are over; not at all. We are going on. Recently we have just started a program, a sport program -- basketball for wheelchair users. We transport the wheelchairs everywhere. We have several teams in the main part of Afghanistan. At the beginning, when Anajulina told me, "We would like to start it," I hesitated. I said, "No," you can imagine. I said, "No, no, no, no, we can't." And then I asked the usual question: "Is it a priority? Is it really necessary?" Well now you should see me. I never miss a single training session. The night before a match I'm very nervous. And you should see me during the match. I shout like a true Italian.
I nemojte misliti da su promjene u Afganistanu gotove, uopće nisu. Idemo dalje. Nedavno smo započeli program, sportski program -- košarka za ljude u kolicima. Kolica prenosimo svugdje. Imamo nekoliko timova u glavnom dijelu Afganistana. Na početku, kad mi je Anajulina rekla, "Htjeli bismo to početi," oklijevao sam. Rekao sam: "Ne," možete li zamisliti. Rekao sam: "Ne, ne, ne, ne, ne možemo." I onda sam pitao uobičajeno pitanje: "Je li to prioritet? Je li to stvarno potrebno?" Pa trebali biste me vidjeti sada. Ne propustim ni jedan jedini trening. Večer prije utakmice budem veoma nervozan. I trebali biste me vidjeti tijekom utakmice. Vičem kao pravi Talijan.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
What's next? What is going to be the next change? Well I don't know yet, but I'm sure Najmuddin and his friends, they have it already in mind.
Što je sljedeće? Što će biti sljedeća promjena? Pa ne znam još, ali sam siguran da Najmuddin i njegovi prijatelji, već imaju nešto na umu.
That was my story. Thank you very much.
To je bila moja priča. Puno vam hvala.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)