Bpeace in Afghanistan

Afifa and Athena discuss business.

Afifa and her new baby as her sister-in-law looks on.

Marla and Laila on their last day together.

The day began with a visit to Hamida where we were entertained by her two very cute kids while she and her husband showed us her handmade products. She employs about 70 women who produce cozy knitted socks and gloves as well as embroidered blouses and scarves. Hamida has been quite successful reaching the ex-pat community here with the help of her husband. Hamida would love a mentor to help her expand her business further. Anyone interested?

Athena and Paula went on to see Afifa, who has just adopted a sweet one-month-old baby boy. She showed us scarves decorated with embroidery done in Grosny that is among the most beautiful we have seen. She’s finding that her scarves are too expensive for Afghans and she has not yet been able to break into the ex-pat market here in Kabul. She was excited by the ideas we gave her to find new markets and can’t wait to have the help of a mentor. Here’s another great opportunity for someone who wants to make a real difference in an Afghan woman’s life. You know who you are, so call Toni today!

Meanwhile Marla and Laila were busy looking for more financial sources for our associates. They visited the new CEO and the head of commercial banking of the First Microfinance Bank of Afghanistan and learned about their loans for micro, small and medium enterprise loans. Right now only 15% of their clients are women and they want to double that in the next year. So there are possibilities for our associates!

Marla and Athena depart tomorrow for Dubai. We leave Paula behind to capture more images of the lives of our associates and the street life of Kabul.