I stopped to photograph a man stacking hay onto a trailer in the middle of a field in Tajikistan in the Pamir region. There were many helpers. He was standing on the top of the pile meticulously piling the hay so it would not fall off on the upcoming journey.  I could not believe how high they could stack the bundles of hay on this old the trailer that was being pulled by an even older tractor.

The mountains rising behind him are Afghanistan. 

When the man saw us taking photos he jumped off the truck and wanted to talk. When he learned I was from Canada he thanked me.

For what I asked? He told me that during the civil war in 1991 the roads were closed and the people in the valley were running out of food. Canada dropped large bundles of food from the air.  He was grateful to my country for the much needed help. I felt so proud to be a Canadian at the moment. I also feel very privileged and thankful that my ancestors chose Canada to immigrate to.

My guide explained to me further that when she was a very young girl she remembers being hungry and having only a little piece of bread for meals. She said they would have died if there was no one to help them. She remembers the large food drops too. They just fell from the sky she told me. It seems we really can make a difference in the world if we just keep helping others.