“The residents in Herat Province in Afghanistan looked beleaguered. It was apparent they didn\u2019t have food \u2014 or not enough of it \u2014 for a long period of time. To see this during the holiday season was disheartening.

I was visiting a village as part of an emergency response in which parcels of food were distributed. This particular one was conducted by the nonprofit humanitarian organization I work for, Islamic Relief USA, or IRUSA.”