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Today is International Women’s Day: Time to Take Stock Again

Connie K. Duckworth / March 8th, 2011 / posted in afghan women, events, social change / 3 comments

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.

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We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

Connie K. Duckworth / January 24th, 2011 / posted in afghan people, afghan women, economic sustainability, sustainable economic development / 1 comment

“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.

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An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.

Connie K. Duckworth / January 12th, 2011 / posted in afghan people, business social responsibility, economic sustainability, opportunity, social change, social investment / 1 comment

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.

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Wear Peace Proudly

Connie K. Duckworth / December 9th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, afghanistan families, economic sustainability, social investment, social programs, sustainable economic development / 4 comments

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.

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Update from State

Connie K. Duckworth / October 28th, 2010 / posted in afghan women, events, social change, social entrepreneur / no comments

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.

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Women’s Rights and Talib, The Night Visitor

Connie K. Duckworth / October 19th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, afghan women, events, social change, social responsibility / no comments

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.

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Welcome Home – You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby

Connie K. Duckworth / October 12th, 2010 / posted in afghan women, sustainable community, sustainable economic development / no comments

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.”)

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Exploration, Innovation and Expeditionary Economics

Connie K. Duckworth / September 23rd, 2010 / posted in afghan people, sustainability strategy, sustainable economic development / no comments

Last week, I was invited to West Point to address Cadets taking an upper-level economics class about ARZU’s approach to grassroots community development in rural Afghanistan. Based on my interaction with the students I met, including a group of female (military-speak for “women”) engineers, I came away from this experience impressed with the intelligence, seriousness of purpose, and “systems-thinking” of our future military leadership.

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September 21 – World Peace Day

Connie K. Duckworth / September 20th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, afghan women, events, social responsibility / no comments

Tomorrow is recognized as an international day of peace. More specifically, it is a day dedicated to the “absence of war” and will hopefully be marked by a temporary ceasefire in combat zones around the world. At the United Nations, the “Peace Bell,” inscribed with “Long live absolute world peace,” will be rung as a reminder of the “human cost of war.”

No place seems to be more deserving of peace than Afghanistan. No people understand more completely the terrible cost of war. To commemorate this day, I’d like to share the stories of three of ARZU STUDIO HOPE weavers and what peace means to them.

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Don’t Count Out the Afghan Voters Yet

Connie K. Duckworth / September 13th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, events, social change, social responsibility / no comments

With the Afghan Parliamentary elections less than a week away on 9/18, like clockwork, the naysayers are out in force talking them down. At the top of the list is the Taliban with its particular election messaging. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid is quoted as saying:

“We urge people not to participate in the election. Everything and everyone affiliated with the election is our target — candidates, security forces, campaigners, election workers, voters are all our targets.”

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