The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

Neese during her visit to Afghanistan in 2007. Wearing her 50-lb flak jacket for protection, Neese described the trip as life-changing and one that renewed her commitment to the Peace through Business program.

Terry Neese, IEEW founder, recently attended the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council meeting July 1 in Washington, D.C.

Neese has been a member of the Council since January 2007. However, she first became involved in 2005, when a Council member recommended Neese to former first lady Laura Bush.

“For this Council meeting, I met with Afghan leadership and briefed them on the work that our PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program is doing in their country,” Neese said. “We also discussed their [Afghanistan’s] goals for getting more women to join them in political leadership roles.”

The PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program provides long-term business education to women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda in four phases: In-Country Education, Leadership Development, International Women’s Economic Summit and Pay It Forward. The students are given business training through classes and high-level discussions and panels. The women are then paired with an American woman business owner to live and work with her for five days. This allows the students to take the knowledge they have learned in the classroom and apply it to real-life scenarios. The students are then tasked to pay forward their knowledge by teaching and mentoring women in their country.

While formulating the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program, Neese was most inspired by her trip to Afghanistan in 2007, which was scheduled through the Council as an official U.S. State Department trip.

“Meeting Afghan women business owners and listening to their obstacles, their pride in their country and their desire to rebuild the country made me realize how wealthy we are as Americans,” Neese said.

Dr. Phyllis Magrab, vice chair of the Council, describes the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program as inspirational and far-reaching.

“Her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program has a remarkable multiplier effect: it not only provides business training to Afghan women entrepreneurs, it also helps the women establish a network with private sector leaders in the United States, and empowers the women to return to Afghanistan to train others, to create jobs, and to help grow the economy,” Magrab said. “The program is inspirational to American and Afghan women alike.”

The July 1 Council meeting included a conversation with several Afghan women who are in Washington for training and consultations through a separate program sponsored by USAID. The women are leaders in many of their country’s ministries, including the Ministry of Education, Agriculture and Finance.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, met with the same Afghan women in DC who attended the July 1 Council meeting. Photo courtesy of Michael Gross, U.S. State Department

The women also meet with the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s issues, Melanne Verveer, for a brief meeting on July 7.

While in Washington, Neese also attended a reception for these same Afghan guests hosted by Ambassador Said T. Jawad, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the U.S.

Key in Afghanistan: Economy, Not Military

By Bob Woodward
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 1, 2009

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — National security adviser James L. Jones told U.S. military commanders here last week that the Obama administration wants to hold troop levels here flat for now, and focus instead on carrying out the previously approved strategy of increased economic development, improved governance and participation by the Afghan military and civilians in the conflict.

The message seems designed to cap expectations that more troops might be coming, though the administration has not ruled out additional deployments in the future. Jones was carrying out directions from President Obama, who said recently, “My strong view is that we are not going to succeed simply by piling on more and more troops.”

“This will not be won by the military alone,” Jones said in an interview during his trip. “We tried that for six years.” He also said: “The piece of the strategy that has to work in the next year is economic development. If that is not done right, there are not enough troops in the world to succeed.”

Jones delivered his message after a 30-minute briefing by Marine Brig. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, who commands 9,000 Marines here, nearly half the new deployments Obama has sent to Afghanistan.

The day before in Kabul, Jones delivered the same message to Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the new overall commander in Afghanistan. McChrystal has undertaken a 60-day review designed to address all the issues in the war. In addition, Jones has told Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that they should focus on implementing the current strategy, completing the review and getting more Afghan forces involved in the fight before requesting additional U.S. troops for Afghanistan.

The question of the force level for Afghanistan, however, is not settled and will probably be hotly debated over the next year. One senior military officer said privately that the United States would have to deploy a force of more than 100,000 to execute the counterinsurgency strategy of holding areas and towns after clearing out the Taliban insurgents. That is at least 32,000 more than the 68,000 currently authorized.

Nicholson and his senior staff, 20 Marine colonels and lieutenant colonels, sat around a table made of unfinished plywood the size of at least three ping-pong tables in a command headquarters that stands where there had been nothing but desert six months ago. The headquarters is located in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, 370 miles from the capital, Kabul, in a region known as the Desert of Death because of its scorching heat and choking fine, dustlike sand. The province is facing a rising and lethal Taliban insurgency.

During the briefing, Nicholson had told Jones that he was “a little light,” more than hinting that he could use more forces, probably thousands more. “We don’t have enough force to go everywhere,” Nicholson said.

But Jones recalled how Obama had initially decided to deploy additional forces this year. “At a table much like this,” Jones said, referring to the polished wood table in the White House Situation Room, “the president’s principals met and agreed to recommend 17,000 more troops for Afghanistan.” The principals — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Gates; Mullen; and the director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair — made this recommendation in February during the first full month of the Obama administration. The president approved the deployments, which included Nicholson’s Marines.

Soon after that, Jones said, the principals told the president, “oops,” we need an additional 4,000 to help train the Afghan army.

“They then said, ‘If you do all that, we think we can turn this around,’ ” Jones said, reminding the Marines here that the president had quickly approved and publicly announced the additional 4,000.

Now suppose you’re the president, Jones told them, and the requests come into the White House for yet more force. How do you think Obama might look at this? Jones asked, casting his eyes around the colonels. How do you think he might feel?

Jones let the question hang in the air-conditioned, fluorescent-lighted room. Nicholson and the colonels said nothing.

Well, Jones went on, after all those additional troops, 17,000 plus 4,000 more, if there were new requests for force now, the president would quite likely have “a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment.” Everyone in the room caught the phonetic reference to WTF — which in the military and elsewhere means “What the [expletive]?”

Nicholson and his colonels — all or nearly all veterans of Iraq — seemed to blanch at the unambiguous message that this might be all the troops they were going to get.

Jones, speaking with great emphasis to this group of Iraq veterans, said Afghanistan is not Iraq. “We are not going to build that empire again,” he said flatly.

Researcher Evelyn Duffy contributed to this report.

Click here to read the full article.

Farghana Alimy, a current 2009 Peace through Business student, is already putting her In-Country Education into action by opening a new branch of her boutique.

Farghana says she is grateful for the training she has received from the Institute.

“I want to thank you first of all, your best instructions helped us a lot,” she wrote in an e-mail.

Farghana Alimy, a 2009 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS student who has been selected for Leadership Development in the U.S., works with customers in her boutique.

Despite having only been through the first step of her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program, Farghana has already begun to blaze her own path of economic prosperity in her home country.

Farghana is one of the 14 selected Afghan students who will be traveling to the U.S. in August for Leadership Development.

As a 20-year-old businesswoman from Afghanistan, Farghana spent large chunks of her life becoming educated in a country that hasn’t always been tolerant of educated and career-driven women.

In response to the Taliban’s strict control over the country in the earlier part of the decade, Farghana and her family immigrated to Pakistan so that she could receive a proper education. It was in Pakistan that Farghana excelled in English classes and first fell in love with the concept of running a business while helping her uncle and brother operate a cosmetic shop in Peshawar.

It wasn’t until she returned to Afghanistan that her business dream became a reality. In 2004, her mother, another dedicated and fearless Afghan woman, opened her own business selling garments. Through her mother’s inspiration and hard work, Farghana decided to open her own store adjacent to her mother’s. Eventually, the two combined their units to make an even larger store.

Some of the garments sold in Alimy's shop.

With her mother to guide her through the learning process, Farghana has learned many of the necessary business principles it takes to be a successful businesswoman. It was this knowledge in addition to her In-Country training that allowed her to successfully open a new branch to her boutique business.

This shop will continue to focus on garment retail but will be novel in that it will be in a market where she will be competing against male-owned shops. But this doesn’t seem to faze the young entrepreneur, as she chooses to focus on market demand rather than gender discrimination.

“At this [new] market, we have new competition, who are men. There are very few women working in the market. They are working as saleswomen, not the owners,” Farghana notes as she described her new surroundings.

But this doesn’t strike her as the key issue.

“The most important thing at this market is the quality of our products. We are trying to have the best quality.”

Spoken like a true businesswoman.

Rob McClendon interviews Terry about the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program on Oklahoma Horizon. To learn more about the show, visit its Web site.

Mentors Needed for Women Business Owners from Afghanistan and Rwanda

The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women is seeking outstanding U.S. women business owners who are willing to share their expertise’s and experiences with women business owners from Afghanistan and Rwanda.

According to IEEW Founder Terry Neese, ‘women all over the world are embracing the philosophy that a country that is economically sound has a much greater capacity for peace. The best way to develop economic stability is to build a solid middle class through the largest population demographic-women.’

‘The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women understands that financial stability is a slow process, but through the mentorship of those that ‘have,’ you can be part of something spectacular-the transformation of those who ‘have not,’ Neese adds.

The Institute’s Peace Through Business program provides long term business education to women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda. Through private partners, government, agencies, and IEEW staff, the program is implemented in three places: In-Country Education, Leadership Development/International Summit/ Mentorship, and Pay it Forward.

In-country education in both Rwanda and Afghanistan took place this year from March 1 to April 30, providing basic business education to 30 women in each country. Over the course of the eight week program, each woman completed an in depth business plan.

The leadership development phase begins when 15 women from each country are chosen to come to Dallas, Texas, August 10-14 to engage in a series of in depth discussions with leading experts on specific business topics. Those discussions not only enhance the business skills of the participants, but teach them to be leaders in their communities and their countries.

Following the leadership development program, the International Women’s Economic Summit convenes August 17-18 in Dallas, bringing together leaders from many NGO’s and government agencies around the country to discuss economic development in Afghanistan and Rwanda and how these women contribute to the attainment of their country’s economic goals.

At the conclusion of the International Women’s Economic Summit, the participants will present a document to their country’s ambassadors outlining their commitment to the top three economic issues.

The mentorship phase of the Peace through Business program begins on August 19 when the 3o participants from Afghanistan and Rwanda are each matched with an American women business owner to live and work with her the for five days. ‘The purpose is to take all of the information the participants have learned and apply it to real life scenarios. A second purpose is to develop a network of women who may become long-term mentors and potential business contemporaries and allies,’ Neese says.

The sustainability of the program lies in the desire and ability of each participant to Pay Forward their education to other women in their country. Each participant will be asked to fulfill this phase through varies educational programs established in each country.

If you are interested in applying to be a mentor in the Peace through Business program please consider the following:

• Students in the program will be matched with a mentor with a similar size and type of business.
• Mentors and students will develop an online relationship prior to the student’s arrival.
• Mentors are requested to attend the International Women’s Economic Summit on August 17-18 in Dallas, Texas in order to participate and work with their student (this is requested but not required).
• Students will live and work with their mentors from August 19-23.
• Students and mentors will commit to maintaining an online

‘Our past mentors have told us they never expected to receive so much in return. Mentor’s families benefit from the experience of living with someone from such diverse cultures by exchanging laughter, ideas, and customs. Some mentors and students have continued in mutually beneficial business ventures knowing they have gained lifelong friends,’ Neese said.

The matchmaking process for mentors begins in May so those interested are asked to access the mentorship application at http://www.ieew.org/programs/mentor-application. Email questions and other inquiries to [email protected].

To learn more about Enterprising Women Magazine and for subscription information visit its Web site here.

Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women
Dr. Terry Neese, Founder / CEO
2709 W. I-44 Service Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-943-4474

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: June 5, 2009
Contact: Becca Colbaugh
Office: 405-943-4474
E-mail: [email protected]

Coppermark Bank Supports The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women Through $5,000 Sponsorship for Travel to Rwanda

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 5, 2009 - The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women has announced the addition of Coppermark Bank to its International Ambassador sponsorship level. Coppermark generously sponsored two members of the Institute’s Rwanda delegation team.

The team traveled to Rwanda to meet the Institute’s 2009 Peace through Business® students ahead of their arrival in August to the United States.

Coppermark donated $5,000 for Mary Mélon, publisher of the Journal Record, and Darcie Harris, president of EWF International, to travel to Kigali, Rwanda in early May.

“Helping people be successful is a core value for Coppermark Bank,” said Jacque Fiegel, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer for Coppermark. “The Peace through Business program of helping women be successful complements Coppermark’s overall support of Women in Business. We are fortunate to participate in a program that teaches business skills and provides mentoring opportunities to women that might not otherwise develop the necessary attributes to be a successful leader.”

The Institute is a non-profit public charity dedicated to the economic empowerment of women worldwide through education, coaching, and mentorship through its Peace through Business program. Mélon and Harris were invaluable as delegates of the Institute’s five-member team that traveled to Kigali to participate in the wrap-up of the first major component of the 2009 Peace through Business program in Rwanda: an intensive eight-week, In-Country Education business course for 30 selected women.

Mélon and Harris participated in the In-Country Education graduation ceremony, as well as a lecture series. The women also visited each of the businesses of the top 15 students selected to travel to the United States in August for the next component of the program, Leadership Development: a week of high-level discussions with experts on specific business, leadership, and public policy topics, followed by an International Women’s Economic Summit at Northwood University in Dallas, Texas, and one week of mentorship with American women business owners. The students will live and work with business women not only in Oklahoma and Texas, but also throughout the United States.

After visiting Rwanda, Mélon described a strong sisterly connection she felt with the Rwandan women.

“We talked and laughed a lot - and even cried a little,” Mélon recalled. “There is such a strong connection we feel for each other. We are truly sisters, though my life has been so very different from theirs.”

Harris arrived at a similar conclusion, as she noted that despite culture or country, women share common ground.

“On the evening that we presented the leadership training, I stepped outside between presentations for some fresh air,” Harris remembered. “One of the students from last year walked past, then turned around to tell me, ’I live just around the corner and my daughter is sick. I have to run home and give her her medication, then I’ll be right back.’ These are the lives of women, no matter where we live. I love that we have so much common ground.”

Terry Neese, founder and CEO of the Institute, said that it is because of sponsors like Coppermark, the Institute is able to achieve its mission.

“Peace through Business is funded through the generosity of the private sector,” Neese said. “Corporations and American women business owners understand that an economically sound country has a much greater capacity for peace. The Institute believes that women are the engine driving the economy. Coppermark understands this philosophy and has been a very strong supporter of this Institute and the women’s business community in Oklahoma.”

Coppermark is an individually owned financial company with full-service branches throughout the state of Oklahoma and the northern Dallas area. The bank serves more than 25,000 customers within the United States and many foreign countries, according to its Web site. As a midsized company, Coppermark was presented with the OK Ethics Compass Award in 2007.

For more information about the Institute and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.ieew.org.

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NEW: Video!

Terry’s introduction to Boone Pickens at the Women Presidents’ Organization was one of a kind. Pickens is a sponsor of the Institute, and when describing his philanthropic efforts, one of Terry’s bestliners was when she quoted Pickens’ philosophy on giving: “At my age, a dollar saved is a dollar wasted.” Watch the video below for more:

A special thanks to the WPO for sharing this video with us.

Terry Neese and T. Boone Pickens boarding the USS Midway in San Diego, CA

Terry Neese was asked to introduce T. Boone Pickens as the keynote speaker at the Women Presidents’ Organization Conference in San Diego on Saturday, April 25. With over 600 women in attendance, the conference was a huge success.

Afterward, Terry accompanied Mr. Pickens to the USS Midway where he presented his “Pickens Plan” in a Town Hall format.

Terry Neese, Founder & CEO of the Institute, spoke to an Oklahoma women’s group Thursday.

About 20 women attended the meeting, and Terry set the tone by directly relating to her audience, and with a smile.

“Women are remarkable, aren’t we?” Terry asked. “I mean we can do so many things; we can juggle 50 things at one time and get them all done appropriately.”

Then, the punch line:

“Give more than one job to a guy and bless his heart, it’s just really difficult for him to do it, isn’t it?”

After breaking the ice, Terry explained how the Institute was born and gave an overview of the Peace through Business® program. The women were enthralled by the stories Terry had to share - about the Institute’s students and her personal experiences, especially her trip to Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2007 and how it was such a defining moment in her life.

“I saw things that I never thought that I would ever see and left there with a whole new meaning for life, frankly, and a whole new commitment to help these women - brave women - who were really trying to rebuild their country.”

The Institute is now only months away from welcoming its Peace through Business®2009 students. The Institute will be hosting an International Women’s Economic Summit on Aug. 17 - 18.

“The International Women’s Economic Summit is where they will really focus on what can they do for their country,” Terry explained. “They’ve done in-country education, they have their business plan, they’re going through Leadership Development for a week, and now they’re going to focus on what can they do for their country.”

Terry’s speech ended with a question and answer section, where women were interested to find out what kind of businesses the Peace through Business® students have, and how are they able to operate in a country like Afghanistan, where women are so suppressed.

Most of these women owned their businesses before the Taliban, and they are just now starting to re-open their businesses, Terry said.

Students’ businesses run the gamut this year, from the traditional to the specialized. Examples include embroidery, ball-making and mobile-medical clinic.

(AP) WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is telling Congress that local job creation is a key purpose of the $980 million in extra funds the State Department is requesting for its work in Afghanistan. Clinton is testifying before a House appropriations subcommittee that is reviewing the administration’s request for $7.1 billion in additional funds for the State Department this budget year. She told the panel that a main goal is to improve security at the local level in Afghanistan by putting more people to work. And she said the Obama administration believes that many in the Taliban insurgency who are fighting against American and Afghan forces are motivated more by money than by ideology.

Afghan women entrepreneurs say just need investors

By Emma Graham-Harrison

KABUL, May 20 (Reuters) - Sixty Afghan women entrepreneurs, touting ventures ranging from financial services to potato chips and school uniform, on Wednesday launched their hunt for start-up funding to shake up the male-dominated economy.

In a country where many women still do not show their face beyond the confines of their own homes, the businesswomen gathered at Kabul’s Intercontinental hotel for an investor fair and graduation ceremony knew they were up against tough odds.

“The most serious of our problems is being young, and women,” said 23 year-old Roqia Sajadi, who is seeking $15,000 to launch her Afghan Vision financial services company.

But they have done their market research, are sure they have found a niche and have lined up two possible clients already.

“Afghanistan can’t believe in us, and can’t accept us as young businesswomen … but if we have someone to support us, of course we can succeed,” Sajadi said.

Click here to see full article.