The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

Sakina Ibrahimi, 2010 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS Leadership Development delegate, stays busy as a wife, mother, business owner … and a women’s rights activist in Afghanistan.

Married at 17 and a mother at 19, Ibrahimi says she faced some struggles growing up with the rules of the Taliban while living in Iran. Because of harsher rules dictated that she not be allowed to work outside the home, Ibrahimi and her family decided to move back home to Afghanistan once it was safe.

But even though Afghanistan was peaceful, her problems with women’s rights persisted, so Ibrahimi decided to join forces with other women to fight unjust rules.

They made the decision to protest the Shea Law, which among other things, allowed Afghan men to deny their wives food if the wives refused to follow their rules.

She and 16 other Afghan women met and organized a public demonstration; Ibrahimi says speaking out against the law opened her eyes to the impact women could make.

“In the past, women haven’t had any impact on public policy or social activity,” she says. “But after having this protest, I was awed. I realized can be independent and can have everything men have.

“Now, we must change the minds of men.”

Unlike many women with whom she worked, Ibrahimi’s husband supported her getting involved in public policy.

“We are like friends,” she says. “He told me he thought it was important for me to do what was important to me.

“He didn’t have a problem when I came home late or when I wasn’t always available for my children because he knew it was important for me to be involved.”

Ibrahimi has a lot of things that keep her busy. She is the owner of Namad in Dari, a company that manufactures wool products, including rugs and shoes. Her part of Afghanistan is known for its wool products, and Ibrahimi has capitalized on this asset.

Ibrahimi says it is important to her to work outside the home and to have a successful business.

She says she has loved what she has learned from western women in the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program, and she is looking forward to learning more.

“They have given us a lot of information, and given their skills and support,” Ibrahimi says.

She also says she would like to have more opportunities to connect with women in the West.

“It’s important that we’re there in every situation, not just for a month or so,” she explains. “We need to follow upon what we’re doing and what’s going on with our business. Support should be long term.”

Women’s rights have always been a passion for Ibrahimi, but she continues to stress the importance.

“I think a woman should do everything she can for herself. They have to confirm that they can be independent.”

A special thanks goes out to Peggy Kelsey for interviewing and photographing Sakina.

NAME: Mahboba Ibrahimi

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Barg-e-Noghraee (The Silvery Leaf - documentary film)

After working as an Assistant Director for documentary films for four years, Mahboba, 34, decided to start her own business. Her first production under Barg-e-Noghraee was Phantoms of the Zoo, a film about war time in Kabul Zoo. Mahboba currently has seven employees.

Other projects include advertising spots, short movies, photography, as well as documentary film training for women. Training includes lessons on directing, shooting and editing.

Over the next five years, Mahboba would like to produce more films and provide more training for women in the field. She also hopes to find more markets for her products in international TV and screenings.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Mahboba hopes to learn more about management, marketing and accounting.

Mahboba is passionate about her business because she thinks film and documentaries will help educate and tell the stories about the challenges women in Afghanistan face.

NAME: Nadia

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Sana Handicraft & Knitting Co. (handicrafts)

Nadia, 40 years old, owns Sana Handicraft & Knitting Company, in addition to her role as director of business for the women’s association at the Women’s Garden in Afghanistan.

With a background in design, after returning to Afghanistan, Nadia helped women earn a living by taking their finished handicraft products to shops around Kabul to sell them. Eventually she saved enough money to open her own shop in the Women’s Gardne.

Nadia’s business and 20 employees create unique handcrafts, such as table clothes, placemats, photo frames, kitchen utensil holders, pillow cases, chair covers, aprons, envelope organizers, dresses.

In the future, Nadia wants to start a school uniform company.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Nadia wants to learn new ways of trading, new markets and how to take her company to an international level.

NAME: Malalai Zurmati

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: MALAL Trading Company Limited (fruit processing & trading)

Malalai, 22 years old, co-owns MALAL Trading Company (MTC), which specializes in fruit processing and trading.

The company purchases, processes and trades dried fruits and has more than 100 warehouses and the support of 1,000 Afghan families. The company markets export products, such as agriculture produce, dried fruit and mining products worldwide. Other distribution products include chemical products, construction materials, machinery and equipment.

For now, MTC purchases and sells fruit locally, but the company would like to break into the international market in the future.

In order to run this large-scale operation, MTC has 89 skilled employees and more than 1,000 daily wagers and about 345 raw material suppliers. Malalai has 15 employees in her office.

“We strongly believe that every successful outcome of an entity is proportionate to professionalism, expertise and dedication of people involved in that project and we can ensure such people.”

The company also provides self-help training and seminars to create awareness to 1,000 registered Afghan women, to help enhance their production capacity and create job opportunities.

MTC’s main focus is to directly supply dried fruit and nuts buyers from the world’s major markets through B2B & B2C models. To do so effectively, the company has grouped into consortia of producers.

Over the next five years, Malalai hopes to help re-integrate MTC into the global dried fruit and nut market, after decades or war and economic isolation.

By participating in PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Malalai wants to learn more about business ethics, management, marketing, human resources, staff development and advocacy.

NAME: Zarlasht Walizadah

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Flower Making (crafts)

Zarlasht, 24 years old, owns a floral decor business. She and her family run the shop.

Before the Taliban, Zarlasht’s family owned a successful manufacturing company with more than 200 employees. Her family was financially stable, and her parents worked hard to provide the best for Zarlasht and her brothers and sisters.

Zarlasht would often enjoy picnics and restaurant outings with her family – she described life as marvelous.

“Abundant moments were passing—one by one—without us fully realizing their worth.”

After the war began, things started to change in Zarlasht’s life. She could no longer play outside without fear of being kidnapped. She could no longer accept dolls or pens or other gifts, because they could be wired as a bombing device.

“I will never forget the moment the war was started. We were playing in front of our home. When we heard the voice of bullets, we were so happy. We shouted and jumped, not know it was war and that it was dangerous.

My mom ran to me and yelled, ‘Come fast. Let’s go home. Don’t stay here!’

I said to my friends, ‘Let’s go to my house and watch the bullets from window together.’ And that’s what we did, not realizing that we were enjoying the start of our dark coming days. The bullets came with greater frequency, along with other sounds of danger and violence. We grew afraid, and our laughter and shouting stopped.”

Eventually as the danger grew, Zarlasht and her family had to leave Afghanistan.

“Along with our wonderful country, we left all of our happiness. We left our beautiful house that my parents had built out of hope and our factory that my grandfather—after years of hard work—had built into a successful business. But at that time, we could only think out how to find a safe place for our family. My idyllic childhood died in the face of war and migration to neighboring countries.”

Though Zarlasht’s innocent childhood may have died with the war, her and her family’s entrepreneurial spirit lived on.

Zarlasht started her flower-making business during the Taliban regime. She would make the artificial floral designs at home, and her brother would sell them to shopkeepers.

Zarlasht’s creations are used for home decoration, wedding parties, birthdays and events.

In order to make this her full-time business, Zarlasht would like to learn more about how to run a profitable business, how to hire the right people for the rights job, marketing, managing and accounting.

Zarlasht wants to be able to hire more women and give them the joy of making their own money. In the next five years, she hopes to bring her business to a storefront.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Zarlasht wants to learn more about management, human resources and how her business can help rebuild her country.

NAME: Farkhunda Saamy

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Almas Beauty Parlor

Farkhunda, 26 years old, co-owns Almas Beauty Parlor with her sister.

The salon imports cosmetics and equipment from Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan and it currently has seven employees: four experienced beauticians and three new beauty school graduates.

In the future, Farkhunda hopes to open a designer clothing boutique to be run by women with have designing and tailoring skills.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, she hopes to learn about how to promote a business, how to develop a business plan and how to find the market for products.

NAME: Anisa Rostaqi

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: UNK (handicrafits)

Anisa, 29 years old, owns UNK, a handicraft shop. The organization was informally started by Anisa’s mother, who wanted to help the women in her neighborhood. The women were creating beautiful hand-sewn works, and eventually her mother started providing the women with raw materials.

Anisa increased the number of staff, and then found a lady who would sell the finished products. She now trains the women how to buy and sell their products. Most of the women are widows who stay at home.

Anisa hopes to start a literacy class for these women in the future.

NAME: Hanifa Nazari

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Afghan Vision Financial Consulting Company

Hanifa, 26 years old, co-owns Afghan Vision Financial Consulting Company.

After working as an individual consultant for several companies, Hanifa decided to open her own financial services company with a friend.

With her three employees, Hanifa serves local companies, as well as international organizations, by preparing annual financial statements and the taxation payment process to the Afghan government.

Other services include establishing and maintaining financial systems for companies, bookkeeping, inventory management systems, and basic training in accounting. Over the next five years, Hanifa hopes to modernize financial departments in local companies.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Hanifa wants to learn more about management, marketing and networking. Hanifa’s business partner is 2009 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS graduate Roqia Sajjadi.

NAME: Yelda Mahmood

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Yasin Aahmood Logistics Services & Supply

Yelda, 22 years old, co-owns Yasin Aahmood Logistics Services & Supply.

After completing courses in management, Yelda became very eager to start her own business, especially one that would empower women in various fields of work.

Yelda believes that Afghan women are powerful and should take part in the development of their country.

With its seven employees, the company provides logistics services, supplies and delivery, as well as training to women.

Over the next five years, Yelda hopes to open more branches of her business in other cities.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Yelda wants to learn more about basic accounting and finance, marketing, operations management, human resources, banking and business plan development.

NAME: Rahela Kaveer

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Afghan Women Empowerment Organization (AWEO)

Rahela, 39 years old, owns AWEO, an organization dedicated to the empowerment of Afghan women. Rahela took on a big risk early in life when she left her home in Mazar to help distribute medical and educational materials to Bamyan, which was under strict economic and military control by the Taliban.

After successfully re-establishing the collapsed health system in this province, Rahela began to focus on how she could help women through literacy and vocational training, including animal husbandry, housekeeping and quilt-making. All projects were aimed to generate income for women.

Rahela started AWEO one year ago after some basic planning and strategizing. After she registered the company with the Ministry of Economic, she prepared proposals.

With 10 employees, AWEO focuses on empowering rural women in aqua culture and animal husbandry. The company also implements fish farming and has introduced improved breeds of sheep and cattle, which has resulted in higher incomes for the women.

Over the next five years, Rahela’s business goals include increasing the women’s incomes and continuing to provide alterative opportunities for women in rural areas instead of growing poppy.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Rahela wants to learn more about management skills and get more ideas for starting new businesses as well as how to discover more opportunities in both local and international markets.