Assistance to women was always a tiny trickle until some crisis shone a spotlight on the plight of a specific group and then large funds would be torpedoed in with little sustainable impact. The struggle to help Afghan women have ordinary lives requires long-term partnership and an understanding of what Afghanistan really is. It cannot be fixed with the wand-waving flick of regime change or inserting women into institutions not ready to value their contributions. It will be fixed by a long-term commitment with humility and understanding about the dangerous uphill journey women and their families had just begun.