Bpeace in Afghanistan in July

Today was the first day of the train-the-trainer sessions with the Afghan Women’s Business Federation (AWBF). And what a day it was! Kate and Athena were thrilled by the organization and setup that greeted them at the AWBF Headquarters.

The event was handled by Salwa (with Athena in the photo at right), the CIPE program director who has been on top of every single detail since we arrived. She is a superstar! Salwa’s team put together a briefcase filled with the materials we provided, including workbooks, the DVDs, and a calculator and had added pens, a notebook, and another calculator (so they’ll be really ready to do the financial training we have planned for tomorrow!). It was a handsome package. To top it off we added a colorful set of flip chart pens for each trainee, donated by The Grove, a San Francisco-based company. The training room was well-equipped with microphones, headsets, and a booth for simultaneous translation. The whole scene was very high-tech including a laptop and projector to show a DVD.

Once again Wendy was zooming around town. . .she spent the morning with Bakhnazera. She is incredibly excited by her progress and the possibilities . . .zoom, zoom, zoom.

Kate and Athena’s day was devoted to the Success Map and the trainees took it on with enthusiasm. We began with each person introducing themselves and what they love about being trainers. As the introductions moved around the table Kate and Athena were both impressed by the sophistication and experience of the group and moved by their motivation to train. Each of them expressed, in their own unique way, their desire to contribute to the future of Afghanistan’s economic development. They are especially motivated to improve the status of women. Their dedication renewed our hope for a prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan. Throughout the day there was lots of lively discussion which made the time go quickly.

More Wendy zooming . . .this time onto Bpeace associate Sara Rahmini . . .more progress and possibilities. Did we say that Wendy is excited?

Back at the training center Kate and Athena were proud to see two of our Bpeace associates shine during the training – Kamela and Latifa. We were also joined by Suraya Parlika, who is the Chairperson of the AWBF and the newly elected Chief Executive Officer, Irina Amina Baloch.

During lunch Mark McCord of CIPE gave us a tour of the CIPE compound and gardens where we felt the echoes of the elegance of an Afghanistan of the past. After the class he took us on a ride to visit a beautiful new public garden that was recently opened. It was wonderful to see the care and planning of a space for the citizens of Kabul to gather and relax.

Wendy zoomed onto Nasima . . .the whole shop has been remerchandised since her last visit. Wendy is . . .can you guess? Well she is excited.

We’re out for dinner tonight with a woman who has her pulse on all the trends of Kabul so we plan to learn all we can to help our associates keep their finger on the pulse on this ever-changing city. Wendy and Aysha hit it off . . .Wendy is very excited.

See you tomorrow for more training and even more excitement.