Homa Kabiri
February 8th, 2010NAME: 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.
