Welcome to my journey of empowerment and transformation! With more than 20 years as a social entrepreneur, I have dedicated my life to uplifting women and girls by providing them with the essential tools and support needed to thrive. I am committed to sharing stories, life experiences, and lessons learned from Afghanistan's development to shift your perspective on how development and community work can be approached. This will aid you in designing programs and projects while advocating for equality and economic empowerment. Let’s work together to create meaningful change and inspire others to reach new heights!
Let’s Work Together
For a better Future
Informational and Motivational Speaking
As a dedicated advocate for women's economic empowerment, I have become a motivational speaker, actively participating in fact-based discussions and panels across many global impact organizations. I can speak on the topics of women's empowerment, women's entrepreneurship, gender equity and equality in all contexts, men's role in women and girls empowerment, women's struggle in Afghanistan to learn from, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), importance of business support organizations such as associations and chambers of commerce.
Facilitating Training and team building workshops
Unmatched by anything else, I have successfully developed and implemented capacity-building programs for grassroots organizations as well as advanced technical committees in both the public and private sectors. My initiatives have focused on technical working groups and workshops on policy advocacy, team building, project design, leadership, and women's empowerment. I can develop training and workshop sessions for your organization on advocacy, women's empowerment, program design, and development.
Women, Girls and Youth Empowerment Program Design and Development
Toward and Onward - My tenure reflects my unwavering commitment to women's economic empowerment. I have gained recognition for my efforts in this field, from shaping public sector policies to co-founding various organizations and movements, including women's Chambers of Commerce and Industry. My passion lies in creating opportunities and fostering an environment where women can thrive economically and socially. I can help you design creative and contextually appropriate initiatives.
Conducting Gender Analysis, Women's Studies to shape informed programs
Learning and creating new initiatives are what I cherish!
Throughout my 20+ years of experience, I have consistently designed studies and analyses to learn, develop, and implement creative, sustainable, and impactful initiatives. From being a member of a gender analysis team to leading many others for various international clients, I have developed pragmatic study reports and projects as a result. You can call me to discuss.
Bio
I got my first job in 2002! When I was 16, we returned to Kabul, Afghanistan, from Pakistan, and I started my first job at the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), South Korea's foreign aid agency, as an Admin and Finance Assistant. At that time, I had just graduated high school. The story of how I landed this first job without a CV or job application is quite interesting. We left Afghanistan in 1995 after the Taliban took over and banned girls from attending school.
Women and Girls’ Empowerment: This was not only a career path but also a passion and commitment that began in 2005! In my first position, I discovered that not all men were respectful to women; women were often viewed as inferior and less capable. I was raised by a father who trusted us, his daughters, and I felt more competent than any man in my office or elsewhere. Through various experiences, I recognized the need for women's and girls' empowerment work in the country, which prompted me to take my second job as a Program, Monitoring, and Evaluation Officer for a German government initiative called the Women’s Employment Promotion Project (WEPP). I managed grants for small women’s nonprofits to train women in job skills and assist them in finding employment. That same year, I became a member of the Afghan Women’s Network, an umbrella organization for women’s rights advocacy in the country.
I continued working with various donor agencies in Afghanistan's development sector, focusing on women’s economic empowerment, gender equity, and policy advocacy. My persistent advocacy efforts culminated in the establishment of the Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI), resulting in significant policy changes. Notably, one change was the implementation of a 5% preferential clause for women-owned businesses in the national procurement process, ensuring increased access to government contracts. Additionally, my involvement led to 15-25% of industrial park land being allocated to small, medium, and women-owned businesses in the national industrial park policy. Throughout my professional career, I have collaborated with various international aid agencies as well as governmental and non-governmental entities.
In 2007, I participated in a six-week program for women’s entrepreneurship development in the US, and in 2008, I was hired as the country facilitator and trainer for PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS. I have continued working with this program and have directly trained and mentored approximately 800 women from over 22 provinces of Afghanistan in the past 18 years. I have authored and contributed to several pieces of literature in the business and women’s rights sectors.
I founded the Bibi Khadija Award, an annual accolade honoring successful businesswomen and role models in Afghanistan. The award is named after the Prophet Mohammad's wife, the first Muslim woman trader. I established a nonprofit in the US ‘Global Women’s Trade Caravan’ and launched initiatives to continue supporting Afghan women’s businesses, such as madebyafghanwomen.com, a sales platform designed to connect women's businesses with buyers around the world.I am the recipient of various awards and recognitions, including the Enterprising Women Magazine’s Advocacy and Leadership Award, the Leadership Award from the National Business Association of the US, and the Young Activist Award from the Afghan Women's Network and the Afghan Parliament. I received an award for Best Membership Services and Entrepreneurship Development for SMEs at the 11th World Chambers Congress.
