When I joined DACAAR 10 years ago, I was lucky enough to be part of the 30th anniversary. It was probably one of the best ways to join as a director, helping gather the information for the Anniversary book, and learning at the same time about the great history and achievements of those 30 years. This was an important occasion for all, a great DACAAR heartbeat for the staff and their accomplishments, which was also backed up by our HQ event and I was amazed when we had that event in Denmark with all the people that came from the past and present, many coming to share their stories, the interest and passion of how DACAAR was such a part of their lives and also how the donors and government representatives, past and present regard DACAAR and it achievements.

10 years on and here we are again. It has certainly been a 10-year challenge. My first decision with the team was to work on DACAAR’s funding and the shift in the country towards more humanitarian funds. This was necessary to cope with the rise in conflict around the country, as well as the changing political dynamics and global country interactions with Afghanistan.