Giggling children crowd around the camera.
Habiba (with white head scarf) is surrounded by her students as she tells them a story.
Like many places in the world, older children often take care of their younger siblings.? Here 'older' may mean 4 or 5, and the younger one anything from a toddler to a three-year-old.
Bpeace (The Business Council for Peace) is a non-profit international network of business professionals who volunteer to help women entrepreneurs in countries emerging from war expand their businesses, create employment and build a more peaceful future for their communities. More jobs mean less violence.
Who are the Afghan women Bpeace is working with?
There are 21 entrepreneurial Afghan women in Bpeace programs. We call them our Associates.
Seven are engaged in diversified businesses including freight forwarding, construction, media and HR services.
The rest are currently engaged in apparel and accessory production in Kabul, employing 12-300 women doing piece work in their homes and small workshops.
What is the purpose of this Bpeace mission to Kabul?
To accelerate progress with the women in our three-year mentoring program!
This mission will focus on three key activities:
1. One on one work sessions with each Associate to assess their business development progress, identify quick wins and develop actions plans to address problems and opportunities, working closely with US mentors to define next six months of work effort and focus
2. Business training with the Bpeace Associates and over 100 members of the Afghanistan Women's Business Federation and will include developing winning business plans, building a successful retail business, effective business marketing and developing a professional success map
3. Obtaining business funding and financing furthering our networks and relationships with potential donors for Bpeace projects and identfying and linking lenders for the women's emerging businesses
Who is paying for this Bpeace mission?
We are, out of our pockets. Bpeace members pay for their own travel on missions, thereby ensuring that donor funds raised go directly into programs for our women in the field.