Nuristan Province’s FET Catches U.S. Attention

By U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt Natassia Cherne
Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team’s female engagement team conducted a phone interview with San Diego’s KNSD-TV, an NBC television affiliate on its recent success in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, Feb 24.

Alicia Dean, a military news reporter for KNSD requested to interview the team leaders for the Nuristan female engagement team after reading a recent article of their meeting with women in a village in Nuristan.

Dean wanted to speak with the women in hopes of providing some guidance for the 45 women from Camp Pendleton, California who are going through their pre-deployment training for female engagement teams in Afghanistan in the near future.

Female engagement team leaders, U.S. Navy Lt. Stacey Gross, of Lakeville, Minn., the information officer for Nuristan PRT and Leah Kaplan, of Denver, Colo., the United States Agency for International Development representative, for Nuristan PRT provided insight and advice to the Marines of Cam Pendleton.

“The best advice we can give is take it slow with dealing with the women of Afghanistan,” said Gross. “When working with the women it’s about relationship building and the small things. Don’t promise to solve all their problems at once, we need to understand that this is a long process and we won’t be able to fix everything right away.”

 

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Natassia Cherne and U.S. Navy Lt. Stacey Gross with the Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team, along with Leah Kaplan, Nuristan's United States Agency for International Development representative, are interviewed via phone by Alicia Dean, a military news reporter, on Forward Operating Base Kalagush in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, Feb. 24. The women are part of the Nuristan Female Engagement Team, who were interviewed to give their perspective on the women and the effect Afghan culture has on their lives. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins, Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs)

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Leah Kaplan, with Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team’s United States Agency for International Development, is interviewed via phone by Alicia Dean, a military news reporter, on Forward Operating Base Kalagush in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, Feb. 24. Kaplan is currently part of the Nuristan Female Engagement Team, who were interviewed to give their perspective on the women and the effect Afghan culture has on their lives. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins, Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs)

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Navy Lt. Stacey Gross, of Lakeville, Minn., Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team information officer, is interviewed via phone by Alicia Dean, a military news reporter, on Forward Operating Base Kalagush in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, Feb. 24. Gross is part of the Nuristan Female Engagement Team, who were interviewed to give her perspective on the women and the effect Afghan culture has on their lives. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins, Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs)