The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

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.

NAME: Homa Kabiri

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Kabiri & Partners Consulting Services (K&PC - business development)

Homa, 21 years old, co-owns K&PC, a consulting firm in several provinces.

After leaving Kabul shortly after she was born, Homa’s family moved to Mazar, the only city that had schools open to girls. Because the schools were full, Homa was left to study under tents. But she says this only made her more studious. After the Taliban captured Mazar, Homa’s famly traveled to Herat, where she learned how to sew and knit. While at home, Homa secretly taught herself six full grades, with the help from her parents and the neighbor’s wife – all against the Taliban’s ban against education for girls.

It was because of these secret studies Homa was able to graduate earlier than most girls her age, after the Taliban left the country. Upon graduating high school, Homa started up with K&PC.

Currently, the business has four shareholding partners, and as Homa contributes more, she can earn a higher percentage of the company.

In addition to contract hires, K&PC has six employees. The company is the first gender-focused business provider company in Herat and was founded in 2007. The business goal is to improve the economic situation in Afghanistan by improving and supporting women and youth.

Although women make up 30 percent of agricultural workers, they are the poorest paid; while women weave intricate carpets, the industry is generally run by men.

K&PC holds trainings, such as marketing workshops to teach women how to market and sell their products. To date, the company has trained over 1,000 men and women in Heart and Farah provinces and in districts outside of the city.

The business provides training in marketing, management, finance, accounting, packaging, leadership, business administration and more.

Building technical capacities and providing technical advice for clients (business associations and other companies) has been the second most developed area of the business since its establishment.

For 2010, saffron growing and packaging is one of K&PC’s biggest interest areas.

K&PC’s business activity plan focuses on 1) job opportunities, 2) market research and market studies, 3) private sector development, 4) natural resource management, 5) agricultural improvement, 6) women’s economical improvement and self-sufficiency, 7) environmental improvements, and 8 ) raising business legal awareness.

Over the next five years, Homa wants to help K&PC expand its services into remote districts and villages. She also hopes the company will help those women who are the most vulnerable and deprived and help them develop their skills and “give them a hand to feel stronger.”

“We look forward to a brighter future for all businesswomen of Afghanistan.”

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Homa wants to improve upon her organizational leadership skills and interact with fellow businesswomen.

NAME: Sakina Ibrahimi

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Namad (shoe manufacturing)

Sakina, 34 years old, owns Namad, a wool shoe manufacturing company.

Sakina’s shoes are made from all-natural materials, mostly wool and leather. She makes sure that her shoes are quality and durable.

From start to finish, the shoe production involves 10 people in the process.

Over the next five years, Sakina wants to open additional factories in more provinces.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Sakina wants to learn more about how to find investors and

partners, as well as skills in the areas of marketing, networking, leadership and financial management.

Sakina believes that Afghan women can help bring positive changes in their lives by gaining financial independence. She hopes that her business helps provide this opportunity for women in her country.

“I want to be a role model for other Afghan women. I want to help them through my business and show them that in country like Afghanistan we can do lots of things, we can change and go forward our country. We can also show to other women in other countries our abilities.”

NAME: Parinaz Hissami

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: MEDA (business development)

Parinaz, 23 years old, works as a business development manager for MEDA, which works with 2,250 rural female farmers in Afghanistan.

While the organization reaches over 2,000 women directly, it reaches 10,000 family members indirectly.

In addition to providing farming activities, MEDA helps these women turn their farming projects into viable businesses. As a business development manager, Parinaz provides training and support. Parinaz is passionate about her business because it allows her to take part in the development of her country, to help bring peace to families and their communities and to make a positive change.

Parinaz says that her commitment to Afghanistan is in a fundamental way a part of her search for my own identity and moral fulfillment. She has learned that education is of the utmost importance, and her training in business administration and management has engrossed her in Afghanistan’s business development. She has carefully observed development policies, short-term approaches, lack of capacities, and coordination gaps among the different line organizations.

After learning about the Institute, Parinaz believes the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program can help Afghan women develop their businesses in a successful and professional way.

Over the next five years, Parinaz wants to see that all of the women she helps can legally own businesses in their own names.

“My main goal is to have a life-altering opportunity and to equip myself with modern theoretical knowledge in the field of business development. This program will help me to better understand the complex business issues and alternative solutions that can be effective.”

NAME: Mariam Alimi

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: Photography

Mariam, 29 years old, owns a photography business in Kabul. Mariam is passionate about her photography business, because she feels the need for a female photojournalist to help tell the story of Afghanistan, especially Afghan women, is so great. After three decades of war, Mariam says women face so many problems.

Mariam has discovered that there photography opportunities are few and far between, but she knows that her photography will help open eyes of people within and outside of her country. To help improve her skills, Mariam began providing photos to newsletters to help enhance articles.

Thus far, Mariam has freelanced for various organizations, calendars and exhibitions, including the Danish D Group, UNAMA, Maiwand Bank, Habibullah Haseeb Printing and Advertising.

In April 2007, one of her photos appeared on the cover of Afghan Scene magazine.

Over the next five years, Mariam hopes to learn more about the photography business and teach the trade to more women in Afghanistan. She is currently taking journalism classes.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Mariam hopes to share experiences with her fellow countrywomen and learn new ideas to help bring change to the lives of Afghan women.

“I know it is difficult for me and few others women who want to have their rights from different fields, which looked like black road in our ways to improve, but I believe nothing is impossible. I have to be ready to face with all, all means myself to make sure in way not lose my power and courage to not be able to go ahead.”

NAME: Hamid Hangama

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: BARAN None Governmental Organization (obstetrics and gynecology health services)

Hamid, 36 years old, owns BARAN None Governmental Organization, which provides training of health services for Afghan mothers and newborn children. The company’s goal is to improve the health services of Afghanistan through the private sector.

Hamid wants to improve her country’s high mother mortality ratio, which is currently 1600/100,000. Through her company, she hopes to give Afghan mothers and infants more access to health services.

BARAN has four trainers, one medical doctor, two midwives and one nurse. Hamid opened BARAN a little over two years ago, and she owns 100 percent. She hopes to increase her staff and their expertise and knowledge.

Outside of BARAN, Hamid works full time in many roles with the Ministry of Public Health.

NAME: Taiba Ghafoori

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: QAFILA (handicrafts)

Taiba, 23 years old, runs QAFILA, a handicraft business that specializes in clothes, scarves, curtains, cushions, sheets, purses and more.

Taiba is a member of the Afghanistan Women Business Federation, and in addition to running her business for the past six years, she currently works for the Ministry of Finance in Afghanistan.

Taiba and her business partners decided to start QAFILA after they had seen so many women who were unable to turn their talent to a profit, because they were either financially unable to purchase the raw materials or their families would not allow them to have any contact with people at the market.

QAFILA provides women with the raw materials for handicraft production and also takes the products to the marketplace, paying the women their deserved wages.

Taiba hopes to make her business her one and only full-time job by increasing its profitability and finding more markets for her business’ products. It is for these exact reasons she applied for PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS: to learn how to generate more revenue and increase her marketing. She also wants to develop her business management skills.

Taiba considers her strengths to be showing initiative, responsibility and dedication. Though she is still working to develop QAFILA, Taiba’s entrepreneurial spirit has her already thinkig of her next enterprising – either producing sugar or stating a kindergarten.

NAME: Masouma Abdollahi

COUNTRY: Afghanistan

BUSINESS: ASAP Development of Afghans Family Organization (business training)

Masouma, 26 years old, has just recently started up her business, which is aimed at empowering Afghan women in order to make a positive impact on Afghan society. She wants to help women believe in themselves again, and make them apart of Afghanistan’s redevelopment.

ASAP Development of Afghans Family Organization with help provide women with the skills needed to gain employment. Her first training will focus on jewelry making.

The business first focuses on literate and educated women, especially those who are already studying at high-education institutes. Training programs include: female participation in development, gender, general basic management, planning, team building, decision-making, leadership development, office management, financial management, reporting, monitoring, supervision and evaluation, marketing and information technology.

Masouma’s business goals are to invoke change in both the attitudes and work capacity of Afghan women.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Masouma hopes to build a better business plan and further develop her organization.