The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

Leadership Development week is already half way complete. The 2009 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS students made

it through the first weekend — jet lag and all — and were primed and ready for classes to start. Every day, our Afghan and Rwandan students gain more energy, more excitement and more empowerment!

The opening ceremony on Monday morning by Northwood University was as tender as it was beautiful. As Dr. Kevin Fegan, Provost of Northwood, welcomed the students, he emphasized the importance of education.

“As teachers, your opportunity is to always help students know what they don’t know that they need to know,” he said.

After Dr. Fegan welcomed the women as Northwood Knights, each of the Afghan and Rwandan students were “knighted by roses,” as each student received a single rose from the Northwood team.

As Dr. Fegan put it: one giving to another is one of the most important symbols we have.

After the students’ knighthood, day one soon kicked off a full morning full of financials — business plans — profits — you name it — with Oklahoma City business woman Nancy Hyde leading the way. Lunch blew in another Oklahoman down to the great state of Texas: Brian Bush from Oklahoma Christian University. His speech focused on what this week is really about: leadership.

“The networking opportunity you make this week will be invaluable to you and the success of your business,” he declared. “My challenge to you is ‘women rock the boat!’”

Monday afternoon focused on marketing and the real life stories of American women business owners — from Dallas specifically, including Nina Vaca, Terri Quinton, Gail Warrior and Patricia Christian Rodriguez. It was by far one of the students’ most favorite panels thus far. Why? Because these American women were real in sharing their life stories; they exposed the challenges they have faced as women and as business owners. They found the common threads between the American woman business owner and the Afghan and Rwandan woman business owner.

“I loved Nina,” 2009 Rwandan student Francoise Uwamwezi boasted. “I think she is similar to me — she has four kids; I have six. I think we are the same. She was talking about her life like it was mine.”

Lunch brought on more leadership — servant leadership to be exact, presented by Nan Ellen Nelson, a true leader in women’s issues.

“As servant leaders, you must humble yourself,” she explained as she challenged the women to their own leadership launch.

Her presentation was interactive and engaging. When asking the students the meaning behind self discovery, Deborah Kagwisagye answered:

“Finding your inner self, what you’re made of, what you are able of accomplishing, and the potentials within.”

As Nelson asked the women to think about the ways to improve self discovery, the ideas chimed in from around the room:

“Accountability and transparency.”

“Honesty.”

“Walk the talk.”

“Doing the right thing when no one’s watching.”

“Selfless.”

“Flexibility.”

As you can already tell, our 2009 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS class is well on its way to bringing change and leadership back to its countries. Their eagerness to learn grows by the day — by the session — by the speaker!

On Tuesday afternoon, the students were given a new empowerment tool — a highlighter from Northwood Professor Sabine Adams, department chair of banking and finance.

After much research into both countries, Professor Adams went into an in-depth discussion about the economic situations in Afghanistan and Rwanda. The students couldn’t get enough of her!

“Dr. Sabine’s teaching was full of energy — and when she was teaching, all of the students were not tired,” said 2009 Afghan student, Farzana Ebrahimi.

Fellow Afghan student, Khalida Dunya, shared that same respect.

“The lecture of Sabine was a highlight of my week, because when she lectured, we could get everything,” she said. “She gave us very brief information about the comparative advantage for all three countries - Afghanistan, Rwanda and America.”

The importance of community was truly the spotlight of Tuesday night. Community officials and leaders from Cedar Hill all gathered together at Northwood to mingle and honor the 2009 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS students.

The turnout was incredible! And the two proclamations issued by both Dallas County Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield and Cedar Hill Mayor Rob Franke took the students by surprise.

In Dallas County, August has now been officially declared PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS month and in the city of Cedar

Hill, Aug. 11 is now PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS day. Our program just keeps expanding; our outreach ever-growing.