All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.
- Albert Einstein
As I began to reflect over the weekend about the meaning of today’s global holiday, celebrating the achievements, rights and worth of women, my thoughts took a flight of fancy to a world (if not run by women) where women had an equal say in all things, large and small. Then, I opened the newspaper and was jerked back to reality.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
– Albert Einstein
“Systems thinking” is about understanding how individual component parts influence each other within a whole framework. In a science lab, for example, systems thinking can be easily observed when small amounts of a catalyst create big chemical reactions.
An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.
– Albert Einstein
Everyone I know personally or professionally shares a singular perspective—how glad we are to see 2010 in the rear view mirror. The past two years, in fact, have been exhausting on every front—economically, politically, globally—and our collective fatigue level is high. It’s hard to run life unceasingly at DEFCON 2. At the same time, there’s an innate optimism that comes with flipping to the blank slate of a new calendar year. It refreshes our spirits, revives our energy, stiffens our resolve and restores our hope for positive change.
I’ve been running somewhat silent on STIR blog these past two months due to a particularly high level of activity across all fronts in Afghanistan that’s kept me running full throttle. There’s much to catch up on.
First and foremost, I am delighted to announce the launch of Peace Cord™, a new artisan “product with purpose” available now in time for the holidays, selling online for $10 and $15, and providing 150 additional jobs for women in rural Afghanistan.
Founder & CEO Connie K. Duckworth and the rest of the ARZU STUDIO HOPE team would like to sincerely thank all of the men and women who have served in our country’s military, past and present. We would especially like to thank the United States Marine Corps for traveling with Connie during her recent trip [...]
Last Friday afternoon, Melanne Verveer, Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, convened a meeting of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council in Washington, DC. I am honored to have been a member of this bi-partisan delegation since its inception in 2002. This is a group that is keenly interested in understanding the Administration’s position on protecting the hard-won rights of women in Afghanistan. Despite her hectic schedule due to the presence of the Pakistani diplomatic delegation in the building, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, USAWC’s Honorary Chairperson, joined the meeting to address our shared concerns head-on.
The reconciliation process with the Taliban got underway in earnest last week when senior Taliban leaders were secretly allowed into Kabul to meet with President Karzai and his advisors. These are the kind of guys who, if not for the white flag extended to them, might otherwise have a drone on their tails.
There have been two immutable conditions for such talks: 1) agreement by the Taliban to recognize Afghanistan as a democracy, and 2) women’s rights. But this week, we’re starting to see language shift around the first point–that the Afghan Constitution, hammered out and proudly ratified by the Grand Loya Jirga in December of 2003, already has proper mechanisms in place to sufficiently ensure democratic principles. What is glaring is the silence on women’s rights.
As mid-October approaches, members of the Marines’ first-ever “Female Engagement Team” will be head home. Deployed for six months in Helmand Province, Afghanistan along with 20,0000 other Marines under the command of Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, this band of 40 volunteers will return to the States from one of the most dangerous places on earth. (For more, read the October 3rd article in New York Times on this topic – “For Female Marines, Tea Comes with Bullets.”)
With Child Health Day on Monday and U.S. National Children’s Day coming up this Sunday, October is a month dedicated to improving the lives of children in our global community.
At ARZU STUDIO HOPE, our mission is to empower women weavers in Afghanistan; and by doing so, we also strive to help their families. As the saying goes, “Educate a woman and you educate a family.” ARZU believes in this statement, with education being a main priority.
In partnership with DACAAR, a Kabul-based NGO, ARZU initiated a water-filtration system production pilot program to train apprentices in this trade. You can read the specifics behind the initiation of this program in the past STIR blog post, “Afghan Women Hard at Work.”
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