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Rebecca Haines is dedicated to change, a world away.

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Rebecca Haines currently lives in Afghanistan.

A native of Lower Coverdale, Rebecca obtained her undergrad degree at Langley, B.C.'s Trinity Western University, and at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK, earned her masters degree in gender, development and globalization. That prepared her well for her current job in Afghanistan as program coordinator for governance and community development with the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) -- a rural development agency within the Aga Khan Development Network.

"The majority of my time is dedicated to overseeing the National Solidarity Program (NSP) and AKF's NSP Plus program," she explains. "The National Solidarity Program is a nationwide community development program of the Afghan Administration's Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD). It is widely regarded as a success story of the Afghan government, having made significant and easily demonstrable achievements across the country since its beginning in 2003. International and national NGO's across Afghanistan work with the Ministry and the donor countries (through the World Bank) to establish Community Development Councils in every village, and then facilitate development projects in every community ..."

Lives continue to be impacted by the foundation's many valuable programs in Afghanistan, including those in education, rural infrastructure, and natural resource management.

Three months into a two-year contract that sees her based in Kabul, Afghanistan, this is her first full-time foreign posting. Previously based in Washington, D.C., she visited Pakistan periodically.

Her involvement in humanitarian work has been an "evolving process" -- significantly inspired by her course work, while studying in Egypt in 2004, with poverty and conflict.

"It was the first time I had ever fully recognized how great our responsibility really is to act to alleviate the suffering of others."

She also acknowledges the support and encouragement of her parents, Frank and Bev Haines.

Future plans include an even greater gender-based career focus.

Analytical, studious, a lover of diversity and challenge -- and one who values her relationships "highly," Rebecca's special interests include hiking and camping (these days it's reading and working out), and not surprisingly, travel.

There's much that Rebecca finds personally rewarding about her present work, and it is understandably life-changing. From chairing a working group on gender issues within NSP, to field visits where community improvements are clearly visible, positive change is happening. She believes she's making a difference in relation to gender/woman's issues, and as well when she "listens closely" -- not only to the needs of her colleagues, but also to those on whose behalf she advocates among the various agencies she works with.

Rebecca Haines is seeing Afghanistan in a way that most of us never will, and she is completely committed to the people she serves there.

"I have met countless Afghan women and men with strong opinions about equitable development, and no sympathy or tolerance for violence or corruption. Theirs is really the untold story of Afghanistan," she says, "and it has been very rewarding to discover this to be the case."

n 15 Minutes of Fame is published every Monday. If you have a candidate for a 15 Minutes profile, please contact Linda Hersey via e-mail at news@timestranscript.com or by calling 859-7149 or faxing 859-4904.