Displaying Archive for the ‘afghan people’ Category

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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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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Water Filters: Benefiting ARZU Families and the Local Community

admin / September 30th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, afghanistan families, social programs, sustainable environment / no comments

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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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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What Can We Possibly Say…

Connie K. Duckworth / August 9th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, events / no comments

The murder of the ten International Assistance Mission volunteers on the final leg of their three-week medical mission to bring eye care to remote rural villages in Northeastern Afghanistan is an act so brutal and baseless as to be inexplicable. It will undoubtedly have repercussions across the international aid community, which delivers so many critical services to the most vulnerable Afghans.

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Crocodile Tears

Connie K. Duckworth / August 2nd, 2010 / posted in afghan people, events, social responsibility / no comments

It’s been a week since WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of stolen classified military documents to the world. As analysts, reporters and a myriad of government agencies and the military comb through this deluge of information, it’s somewhat miraculous that more real damage wasn’t done. But in trying to reading to follow the debates, I admit I’m more than a bit confused about the legalities surrounding all this.

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