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2010 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS®
- 1. The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women presents …
- 6. The Equation
- 8. The Evolution Start Today
- 9. The Evolution Start Today 2006 Program Inception
- 10. The Evolution Start Today 2006 Program Inception 2007 Terry travels to Afghanistan. First PTB class graduates, Afghan only
- 11. The Evolution Terry travels to Afghanistan. First PTB class graduates, Afghan only Start Today 2006 Program Inception 2007 2008 Program expansion: Rwandan women & In-Country classes
- 12. The Evolution Terry travels to Afghanistan. First PTB class graduates, Afghan only Today Program expansion: Rwandan women & In-Country classes Start 2006 Program Inception 2007 2008 2009 Both cultures joined together on same campus; International Summit formed
- 13. The Evolution Today Start 2006 Program Inception 2007 2008 Program expansion: Rwandan women & In-Country classes 2009 Both cultures joined together on same campus; International Summit formed Reaching into villages; pilot domestic program Terry travels to Afghanistan. First PTB class graduates, Afghan only
- 15. Graduates teach the prepared curriculum In-Country. Manizha ’ 07 Grad In-Country Education
- 19. Mentorship
- 22. Marlene in her ice cream shop in Rwanda Marlene at her mentor’s ice cream shop in California
- 25. A Day in the Life of…
- 26. Frozan Raufi Medical Clinic
- 32. About Sarah
- 40. More Results
- 41. How can you get involved?
- 42. Apply to be a mentor http://www.ieew.org/applications/mentor-application
- 43. Attend the International Women’s Economic Summit June 20-21, 2010 Dallas, Texas
- 44. Pledge a gift
- 45. Help change the world… … One woman at a time.
Editor's Notes
- Good morning/afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here today and to be able to tell you a little bit about the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women. The Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to empowering women.
- I would like to talk to you today a little bit about our Peace through Business program. The idea behind the program is that when you educate women, you educate a village, you educate the country … and you educate the world.
- As I said before, our mission at the Institute is to empower women – worldwide. To empower them economically, socially and politically.
- We believe that women are key. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton believes so to. She said it best at the annual Clinton Global Initiative in New York in October 2009. Quote: We’ve seen again and again that women are entrepreneurial, accountable and practical. They invest earnings directly in family and communities and pay back loans at a higher rate than the norm. Women are good investment.”
- It is widely acknowledged that countries that are economically sound have a greater capacity for peace. In 2006, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee made history when they awarded the prize to a businessman and economist. His name is Mohammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He is known for his pioneer work in micro-lending – and 94% of his clients are women. Yunus calls attention to the same facts Secretary Clinton does: women are resourceful entrepreneurs and their pay back rates are astonishing – 97%. The Nobel Committee released this statement after their selection of Yunus. Quote: “Economic growth and political democracy can not achieve their full potential unless the female half of humanity on earth contributes on equal footing with the male.”
- When you educate a woman, you educate a nation. Women play so many roles in society: they are the caretakers, the mothers, the wives, the sisters, the aunts. By nature, women are productive and committed, and thus, it’s no surprise that they are becoming the natural emerging leaders in the business world. So, by tapping into this vast resource of women entrepreneurs, we are helping to educate nations, not just individuals.
- So, how do we do that? Well, we do that through our Peace through Business program. We first implemented the program in 2007, and every year, we have learned something new. Right now, our program has three components.
- I wanted to give you a little history about the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program so you could understand how the program has evolved and transformed – in only a matter of three years.
- In 2006, serial entrepreneur Terry Neese, was approached by the White House and the U.S. State Department to create a meaningful and successful education and mentorship program for Afghan women.
- Unsure of why she would help Afghan women when women business owners here on the home front needed help, Terry traveled to Afghanistan, and her life was changed. The first PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS class hosted 12 Afghan women for five weeks in the United States, including time in the classroom, a weeklong mentorship and trip to Washington, DC.
- 2008 marked new territory for the program, as it expanded its training to women from Rwanda as well. The Rwandan class studied at Oklahoma Christian University, while the Afghan class studied at Northwood University in Michigan. The program also successfully trained more women by providing an In-Country basic business course prior to the Leadership Development component in the United States. The top women from In-Country Education were selected for Leadership Development.
- 2009 only brought more positive additions. For the first time, both the Afghan and Rwanda class joined together at Northwood University in Dallas, Texas, bringing the program to a truly international level. The first inaugural International Women’s Economic Summit was also developed. The two-day Summit allowed the women to focus on what they can do for their country’s economic development. The program culminated in a high-profile graduation ceremony, featuring Mrs. Laura Bush as the keynote speaker. Mrs. Bush also held a roundtable discussion with the women.
- As the Institute prepares for 2010, there are exciting things ahead, such as creating a pilot domestic program working with high-school girls in entrepreneurial mentorship and education.
- Now for a break down of the program’s components. First is the In-Country Education . This is where 30 women in Afghanistan and 30 women in Rwanda are taught basic business skills over an eight-week course. The coursework is prepared by the Institute and by Northwood University.
- And that curriculum is taught by Peace through Business graduates. Here’s one of our 2007 students, Manizha, who has served as the In-Country Facilitator for 2008, 2009 and was recently selected as Facilitator for 2010.
- The second component is Leadership Development, where we select the top 15 women from each country. And in the summer, those 30 women are going to spend three weeks in the United States. For the 2010 program, Leadership Development will be from June 4 – 24 in Dallas, T
- During Leadership Development, the students will work with industry experts, attend our International Women’s Economic Summit, and then take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to real life by spending five days living with and working with an American business woman who owns or operates a similar business to their own.
- The last component of the Peace through Business program is Pay It Forward. Each student is tasked with returning to her country and passing forward the knowledge she has learned to better improve their country and spread the light of entrepreneurship and democracy.
- I want to say a little bit more about mentorship, because it is one of the most unique aspects of the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program and it’s a way that American women business owners can get involved.
- A mentor, as most everyone knows, is someone who helps give back to others – someone with the willingness to give her time talent and heart. We have so many mentors, but meet Smita Vasant, owner of Neemo’s Exotic Ice Creams in California.
- On the other side of mentor, is of course, the mentee: the one who receives the mentor’s time, talent and heart, who serves as a protégé, as an apprentice. Meet Marlene, a 2009 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS graduate, who owns UNIK Ice Cream in Rwanda.
- Marlene opened Rwanda’s very first ice cream shop, which you can see on the left. Here’s Marlene in Smita’s shop in California. As you can imagine, matching a women ice-cream shop owner from Rwanda with an American women-owed ice cream shop is no easy feat. But the Institute goes above and beyond to match its students with mentors as closely as possible.
- As a relatively new business owner, learning the ins-and-outs of a specific business takes not only education, but the real-life experiences. Classroom education is important, but offering its students hands-on situations takes the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program to the next level. As American businesswomen, we can pay forward the blessings we have received, and have maybe have even taken for granted.
- As you can see from Smita’s experience, this is not an experience you will forget. Quote: “Mentoring Marlene was a wonderful experience – to be able to share my knowledge with someone and actually help her figure out how to take her business in the right direction. This is a wonderful and unique program that truly can empower women and give them that much-needed push to seek a better future!” Not only does
- Now that you’ve seen the mentor-mentee relationship, I want to share with you a small glimpse into some of these students’ lives, here are two students and their businesses and goals before arriving for Leadership Development in 2009.
- First, Frozan Raufi. Her business is a medical clinic.
- . Some of her goals include going beyond what’s she’s doing now and be able to treat, not just diagnose.
- She would also like to get more equipment.
- And overall, she wants to grow her clinic so she can help more people.That’s Frozan.
- Here is Sarah Mukandutiye. She is a dairy and fruit farmer – and just an overall entrepreneur. She has cows, chickens, tomatoes, and pineapples!
- Just to let you know a little bit about Sarah, and the kind of woman she is – the kind of woman we are investing in.
- Since she is a dairy farmer, she doesn’t need bulls when they are born. So, she just gives them away to people in her community.
- And although her business is growing, it is not growing out of the expense of others. If someone has to sell his or her land to Sarah out of necessity – because they need to be able to buy food – she makes sure this person has a BETTER place to go before she will agree to buy their land.
- . She motivates her employees by offering bonuses for the cleanest cow pins.
- Some of Sarah’s goals include selling her fruit by 2010 and learning how to better manage and market her business.
- Today, Sarah has done so much. She has mentored several women in her village about the agriculture business, including helping them create their business plans. She is now working with two other women to raise chickens for a fast food restaurant chain. Sarah has also actively supported a female candidate for president of her village’s administrative unit.
- In only three years, PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS is having major impact on its students and their countries. Amir Taj Sirat is a 2007 graduate, and she runs a soccer and volleyball manufacturing company. Before her training, Taj didn’t even know what a business plan was. She had 60 employees and an annual revenue of $2,500. Today, Taj now has 300 employees and an annual revenue of $12,000. That’s an increase in employees and revenue of 400%! Taj is now running for Parliament in 2010. In addition to being able to hire more women, Taj mentored an Afghan woman on the ball manufacturing business, and that woman went on to graduate from the program in 2009.
- This is Joan; she owns a bookstore in Rwanda. Before her training, she was extremely burnt out and wiped out from running her business, because she did most all of the work! Before, Joan had 2 employees and an annual revenue of $50,000. Now, Joan has 7 employees and an annual revenue of $100,000. That’s a 250% increase in her number of employees, and a 100% increase in her revenue!
- This is Shahrbanoo; she has an almond packaging company in Afghanistan – she has hired two new employees. This is Gloria – after her training, she was able to move her business out of her home and into a storefront. This is Rezia, who owns a handicraft company; she has now created a show room at the Belgium Embassy in Afghanistan for her goods. This is Immy, who owns a coffee plantation in Rwanda. For 2010, she is teaching the In-Country curriculum to women in her village – which means PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS will reach the non-English speaking women in Rwanda. And the stories could go on and on.
- So, how can you get involved? You can tell your friends about us. And you can join us at our International Women’s Economic Summit August 17 – 18. You can register online at our Web site: www.ieew.org . Thank you again for your time.
- Hel