Displaying Archive for the ‘afghanistan families’ Category

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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Empowering Women, Empowering Their Children

admin / October 7th, 2010 / posted in afghan women, afghanistan families, economic sustainability, events, opportunity, social responsibility / no comments

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.

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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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“That which does not destroy, strengthens.”

Connie K. Duckworth / September 2nd, 2010 / posted in afghan women, afghanistan families, social programs, social responsibility / no comments

- Friedrich Nietzsche

What is amazing about Afghan women is that they are still standing after all they’ve seen and experienced. With a life expectancy of 44 years, life is short and harsh. Yet, despite the daily hardships of grinding poverty and insecurity, they have a resiliency of spirit that inspires me every day.

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Yes, Virginia. There Really Is Progress.

Connie K. Duckworth / June 3rd, 2010 / posted in afghan women, afghanistan families, social investment, social programs, sustainable community / 1 comment

Despite the all too many cases of subjugation and abuse, I believe in the possibility of change in the lives of women in Afghanistan. Although we may not “see it in The Sun,” it is exists – small signs of hope emerge every day. An illiterate woman learns to read; a child goes to school; a pregnant mother delivers a healthy baby; an unskilled man learns a trade. While, individually, none of these move mountains, taken together, they make a mountain. This week, opening day at the Laundromat was one of these small steps forward.

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The burnable briquette: a low-tech fuel solution?

Connie K. Duckworth / April 8th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, afghanistan families, economic sustainability, social business enterprise, social change, social programs, sustainable community, sustainable economic development / no comments

Deforestation in Afghanistan for the purpose of cooking and heating is now epidemic and producing severe environmental consequences. In the region of Bamyan, past logging of the once plentiful mountain forests now causes annual flooding. Attempts at control and regulation have by and large failed due to the lack of income-producing alternatives for the rural population and alternative fuel sources for consumers.

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Like Labor Day with Flowers

Connie K. Duckworth / March 8th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, afghan women, afghanistan families, afghanistan people, afghanistan women, economic sustainability, events, people, social change, social programs / 2 comments

Happy International Women’s Day. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re certainly not alone. But, it’s a real holiday, not one invented by Hallmark. While not as well known in the U.S., IWD actually started here 100 years ago, when textile workers in New York called a strike to condemn child labor, demand safer working conditions, and push for women’s right to vote. It spread globally.

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If we’re stirring up change, then the internet is our spoon

Connie K. Duckworth / March 4th, 2010 / posted in afghan people, afghan women, afghanistan families, afghanistan women, business social responsibility, economic sustainability, people, social business enterprise, social innovation / 1 comment

While one person is writing STIR, it’s about the actions of many—hundreds of volunteers across the developed world working together with thousands of Afghans. Please note the added emphasis on the word “actions.” If we’ve learned anything in building ARZU, it’s that forward movement is an essential ingredient for change. It’s about taking a chance, making the first pass, taking one step forward, even when it means you fall two steps back. What’s critical is to begin.

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Sustainability, Transformation, Innovation mixed with Reality

Connie K. Duckworth / March 1st, 2010 / posted in afghanistan families, afghanistan people, afghanistan women, economic sustainability, jeff skoll, skoll foundation, social business enterprise, social corporate responsibility, social entrepreneur, social responsibility, sustainable economic development, triple bottom line / no comments

Economic SUSTAINABILITY is the core premise of ARZU’s social business enterprise model. SBE is sometimes called the new “fourth sector,” as compared to the three recognized sectors of the economy: public, private and non-profit. Currently, no single definition exists for this emerging field. The Skoll Foundation (www.skollfoundation.org), a recognized leader in the social entrepreneurship movement, was created in 1999 by eBay’s first President Jeff Skoll to “pursue his vision of a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous world.” I like his description of a social entrepreneur as “society’s change agent: a pioneer of innovations that benefit humanity.”

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