INTERVIEW: Nonprofit Leader Working to Help Afghan Women

Q: What's happening with the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council? You and other members recently met in Washington with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other dignitaries.

A: The council was sanctioned in 2002 by President George W. Bush and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. I was appointed to the council in 2006. The council members work to enhance and empower the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan. There was a passionate discussion reiterating the importance of ensuring that peace can't come at the price of women's rights — the clock can't be turned back on women in Afghanistan. The Afghan women want an end to the process of war and don't want to sit on the sidelines. Their slogan has become Women, Peace, and Security! Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke assured the council members that women and girls would not be abandoned with the drawdown of troops in 2011. Finally, the council members discussed their work to improve life in many areas for women and girls. Some of the projects include midwife training and prenatal care, training women to be police officers, establishing a burn center in Kabul and Herat, and for us, it is all about helping women find their voices and be self-sufficient as business owners.

Q: What are the biggest challenges for female entrepreneurs in Afghanistan?

A: Women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan have many of the same challenges that women business owners have in the United States: greater access to capital, getting their products and services to the marketplace, following a business plan and leadership skills and making their voices heard. The difference is the fact that Afghan women have bombs blowing up around them, suicide bombers on the attack, and fear of the Taliban capturing them and punishing them for working outside the home. Our Peace through Business students tell us that they leave their home every morning and they don't know if they will return that evening. This is a challenge that women don't have to deal with in the United States.

Q: How many Afghan women have participated in the Peace through Business program of your Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women? How has the program impacted their lives?

A: Along with our Northwood University partner, we have profoundly impacted over 80 Afghan women business owners through Peace through Business. The students receive business basic education through an eight-week course in Afghanistan, the top 15 come to the U.S. for high level leadership skills and mentorship in Oklahoma, and they return home with a “Pay it Forward” commitment and agenda. We are training the trainers so the education continues. The impact of this program provides more men and women with entrepreneurial knowledge. Their lives have changed forever.