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: 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: Agnes Gatsinzi

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Hope for the Future (organic farming & agro-based school)

Agnes, 31 years old, co-owns Hope for the Future, is a multi-faceted operation. Currently, Hope for the Future is an organic farming enterprising, but Agnes has future plans to expand the business to include an agro-based school project for street kids that focuses on education and hands-on agricultural experience.

Hope for the Future grows maize, and this year’s harvest is expected in April.

Agnes is already supporting 24 street children, and she has four employees who watch over and train the children in agricultural projects on the farm.

In addition to these four employees, Hope for the Future has hired 100 employees – mostly women – to work in the fields, tilling the soil, planting the maize and wedding.

Agnes hopes to turn her attention full time within one year to Hope for the Future once the business has stabilized and she has enough profit to cover her own salary and medical insurance. Agnes also wants to be able to provide train other farmers and develop her school project.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Agnes wants to learn more about developing her business, more agricultural innovations, project management, and how to develop a successful school.

NAME: Nuriat Kaka

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Rwanda Chick (chicken farming)

Nuriat, 40 years old, owns Rwanda Chick, a chicken farm. She started the business after she discovered there was a need to develop poultry farming in her country.

Nuriat has been importing chickens, but she now plans to start a hatchery plant. She currently has five employees.

She describes the business as a income generator especially for rural areas. It not only provides nutrition for the community, but it also creates jobs and as an added benefit produces a source of fertilizer.

Nuriat is currently working toward her MBA through correspondence with Cambridge International College. Over the next five years, she hopes to close the gap between the number of chickens imported and the demand for chickens in Rwanda. She would like to create more employment opportunities with her farm in rural areas, especially for women and youth.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Nuriat wants to learn more about managing her business and how to add value to her product. She looks forward to meeting other businesswomen and sharing ideas with those in her field.

Although many people doubted her capability to run a farm as an educated woman, Nuriat has proven successful in her chicken farming business.

NAME: Kevine Bajeneza

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Farming (maize cultivation)

Kevine, 32 years old, started a farming business that focuses on the cultivation of maize and distributing it to local farmers.

Kevine has faced challenges in her business, due to plant diseases and irregular season, which results in expected production. Her goals include expanding her farming project to include more crops, to open a store that sells her crops and start distributing more the local level and eventually internationally. Kevine wants her farm to provide job opportunities to her fellow Rwandans.

Kevine hopes her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training will help her in marketing strategies, accounting and finance skills and how to seek business partnerships.