Thunderbird for Good

By: Samantha M. Novick

Yesterday, Thunderbird welcomed 28 women entrepreneurs from 10 countries to campus for two weeks of intensive business skills training. The program, a partnership between Thunderbird, the U.S. Department of State and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative, is the first of three “global cohorts” of women who will receive training in Arizona. While Thunderbird has run intensive business skills training programs since 2005 for women entrepreneurs from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Jordan, this is the first time that such a diversity of nations are represented in one class. This “truly global” program brings together women from nations as diverse as Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Malaysia and Tajikistan.  The businesses that each woman operates represent many different industries, including traditional handicrafts, food service, farming, homeopathic therapy, landscape design, digital marketing and consulting.

The fellows were welcomed to campus with an opening reception and global market, attended by faculty, students, staff and our community partners.  Many of the fellows brought goods from their businesses to sell- including beautiful hand-woven Ikat scarves and handbags from Uzbekistan, capiz shell jewelry and home décor from Indonesia and painted canvases and woven goods from Papua New Guinea.  Remarks were made by Thunderbird President Dr. Angel Cabrera, Sharon Harper, President and CEO of The Plaza Companies and a member of Thunderbird’s Board of Fellows, as well as Ambassador Barbara Barrett, a Thunderbird Trustee and the recently announced interim president of Thunderbird. Ambassador Barrett has been a strong supporter of Thunderbird for Good since its inception.

For the next two weeks, the women will take classes with Thunderbird faculty, interact with students and meet with local female business leaders across Arizona. Today, the women will take part in a strategy practicum with Thunderbird Professor Dr. Nathan Washburn, and this afternoon they’ll participate in a roundtable discussion with the Professional Women’s Forum at Henkel in Scottsdale. Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry and Home Care, Cosmetics/Toiletries and Adhesive Technologies.

We’re looking forward to the adventures that we will have over the next two weeks with our first Global Cohort! Follow the Thunderbird for Good blog, Facebook page, Flickr and Twitter account for more news, photos and multimedia.

Article prepared through collaboration by Cynthia Braden (Tbird’03) (HTT), Kirby Hayes (USDA), and Rebecca Yagerman (USAID)

Afghan graduates of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women in Afghanistan meet with leaders of the Ghazni Province PRT team.

Seven Afghan graduates of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) met with Human Terrain Team (HTT), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) members of the Ghazni PRT on November 30, 2011 in Kabul. The meeting, hosted by Pamela Rager (T-bird ‘99), Executive Director of 10,000 Women on the campus of the AUAF, focused on current and future economic opportunities for the graduates in Ghazni Province. Several of the women already have established businesses in Ghazni and Kabul with employee numbers ranging from a dozen to a thousand.

Current businesses include fruit processing, tailoring, wool processing, construction, sericulture, and yogurt processing. The entrepreneurs discussed future business opportunities and various ways the PRT could support their endeavors. New business interests included cardboard manufacturing and aquaculture. The women identified access to training, land, and infrastructure as common limiting factors to business development and/or growth. The meeting was an exciting first step toward enhancing these entrepreneurs’ activities in Ghazni province and further meetings have been planned. Most importantly, these seven women represent a fraction of the 300 Afghan graduates of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women and there are many more motivated entrepreneurs across the country working hard to enrich Afghanistan’s economy.

Written by: Shagufta Parveen, Owner of SUAYYA Enterprises – Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, Project Artemis Pakistan graduate, 2011

Edited by: Wynona Heim, Program Manager, Thunderbird for Good

Formal photo of Summit attendees

I was recently invited to attend the Istanbul Forum for Economic Cooperation between Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in Turkey on November 1^st.  Heads of state from all three countries were at the meeting, as well as the President of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Vice President and Secretary from the Pakistani Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

There were three of us ladies from Pakistan who were invited to attend: myself (Shagufta Parveen), Shah Rukh (both of us 10,000 Women graduates), and Saddaf.  We were pleased to meet four fellow businesswomen from Afghanistan who are graduates of our sister 10,000 Women program there: Fatima Akbari, her daughter Shahla, Andeisha Farid, and Malalai Jawad.

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By Sherbahadar Himmat, Afghan Media Management Program Participant

From September 11 – 16, a media management training workshop was executed at Thunderbird School of Global Management for the executive directors of radio and TV stations in Afghanistan, Eastern provinces. I was one of the participants who attended the workshop and would like to express my feelings about it.

In this workshop at Thunderbird, which was a 5 day long program, we covered 6 different subjects which were taught by different professors. Their teaching methods were organized in a very professional way. Besides their teachings, we were also given the opportunity to express our thoughts and perspectives.

The subjects we were taught during the program were: Negotiation Skills, Marketing, Accounting, Multi-track Diplomacy, New Media for Business Development, Advertising, Commercials and Social Networks. In fact, studying each field separately could take several years to cover all the material. But the way the professors taught us, at the end of each day, I felt I majored in each of these subjects.

Students might not remember every single word of what he or she learns at the university while studying for several years, but they do understand several things about that field such as; what the field covered? What is the position/value of such majors/fields in the social life? How can he help his community and people? Why studying this field is important?

By studying each day at Thunderbird, we have learned the value of such fields in our social life,  and I now have an idea how to use these fields in my life.

There are the changes I have seen in myself after participating in this program, even after my 18 years of education and 8 years of work experience:

1: On this day we learned about Negotiation skills. I was provided with the keys to successful communication. I learned to take into consideration the points that are very necessary while communicating in a group, or the points to remember while I’m trying to achieve objectives. Basically, how to communicate.  How to present my suggestions/requests so I can persuade the listener, and I can achieve my goal or get a positive result. I might have handled meetings very professionally before, but the self-confidence that I have now, I didn’t own it before.

2 : Marketing is a very important step/process toward achieving your goals, not only in business, but in fact it is important in politics, culture, society, religion, economics, and other ways to achieve one’s goals. For example: to find market for a political goal, one has to work to attract more followers. But in business, it’s to attract more customers to sell your products to. The Marketing class at Thunderbird, taught me lessons in persuading and convincing others to do advertising, using my radio station. If I am told to explain this field in once sentence, I would say “If I don’t benefit others, they won’t benefit me.” Meaning if I want to receive something from someone else, I also have to give him something. What I should give that person was taught to me in Thunderbird on that one day.

3: Financing – It’s the most important part of keeping an organization moving and sustainable. I have run an organization for 8 years. My financing was somehow good, but Thunderbird showed me ways in which I can forecast my future. With the formulas and charts that Thunderbird provided us to manage our finances, I can clearly forecast my organization’s existence, strengths, and weaknesses in the upcoming years and I can easily say where I will be standing after five years.

4: Multi-track diplomacy: Before I used to think that only countries use this diplomacy for developing their relationships but now I understand that this diplomacy can be used to increase the network and relationship of two organizations. I learned how can we attract the attention of different people to our stations and use them in terms of achieving our goals.

We were offered very useful and wise advices and guidelines for receiving advertisements for our radios. Beside that we also learned “If we don’t make our programs based on our audience’s interest, we won’t find any listeners or audiences. If we don’t have any listeners/audiences, we won’t receive any advertisements, and if we don’t receive them, we can’t continue our business.”

At the end I want to thank Thunderbird from the bottom of my heart. I am very impressed with their management style and appreciate it. They taught us A LOT of things in so little time. If I don’t get success in my business from now on, that would mean that I didn’t follow the lessons and guidelines of Thunderbird and haven’t embraced the advice and guidelines which were taught to me there. If I had the possibilities and chances, I would pursue my higher education at Thunderbird again and then would return to serve my countrymen and women.

by Amy Scerra and Anna Mussman

Mr. Shaiq suggests meeting again in one month to continue the dialogue

At a reunion of sorts, nine media entrepreneurs from Nangarhar and Kunar gathered at FOB Fenty on October 13, two weeks after they returned from a 3-week exchange in the U.S., a program funded through a Public Diplomacy small grant and facilitated by American Councils for International Exchange. Thunderbird School of Global Management hosted the gentlemen for 9 days as they completed a rigorous week of business training.

This gathering of media minds brought Brigade, PRT and District military and civilian officers together with radio station owners and managers to reiterate the power of media, particularly in promoting good governance, rule of law, agriculture development and economic growth.

“Oranges are an important crop in Nangarhar,” said Rodat’s Ag Advisor, Dr. Cheng.  “If you warn farmers of an approaching cold spell through daily weather reports over the radio, the farmers can harvest and then sell their oranges before they are damaged by frost.”

Sabawoon Hotik, Task Force Bronco’s Cultural Advisor and Media Liaison, talked about contacting his office to confirm news stories.  He explained that due to security concerns, independent journalists are unable to travel to sites to validate claims made by the insurgency and it would be best if these journalists heard both sides.

Governance Advisor Joanne Jensen stressed the media’s influence on economic stability.  “Help local businesses grow through radio advertisements,” she advised.  “Media as a powerful tool for communications that can highlight the governance capacity to provide essential services to the population and build credibility for GIRoA and its leaders,” said Civil Affairs Officer Major Nilda Toro. “The media can capitalize on GIRoA’s progress to assist Afghanistan to move forward.”

SCR John Bernlohr pointed out that the drawdown in forces does not impact America’s commitment to the people of Afghanistan. “The U.S. Embassy is committed to stay for years to come and will continue to support a vibrant and free media throughout the country,” Bernlohr stated.

Speaking about their impressions of the United States, the group was astonished to see the conglomeration of ethnicities that represent American society. They also discussed misperceptions, “We thought Muslims were treated badly in the United States,” said Shakib Amiri, owner of NAN, a radio station in Shinwar District. “But when we talked to Muslims on 9-11 while they were worshipping at a mosque in Arizona, we learned that this isn’t true. These Muslims all said they were treated very well.”

As the gathering came to an end, Mr. Shaiq, owner of Sharq Network, asked to meet again.  “Americans have different ideas that can help us overcome problems that often seem impossible to fix,” said Mr. Shaiq,  as everyone nodded in agreement.

Thunderbird professor emeritus Llewellyn D. Howell, Ph.D., spoke before a group of about 130 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers at the Malaysian Embassy on September 24 at a luncheon reception hosted by the Malaysian Ambassador to the US, Jamaludin Jarjis, Ph.D. This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps by President John F. Kennedy. Dr. Howell served in Malaysia Group IV from 1963 – 1965. He spoke on the history of Peace Corps experiences in Malaysia and the success of the Peace Corps program over the last 50 years.

Learn more about about Thunderbird’s connections with the Peace Corps here.

(Photo by Suzy Howell, Managing Editor, Thunderbird International Business Review.)

By Amy Scerra

Thunderbird for Good recently welcomed nine radio and TV station owners and managers from the Afghan provinces for ten days of business training.

The United States Army developed this special program in partnership with American Councils for International Education, Thunderbird School of Global Management and Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

Our goal was to train and support these men on their new journey of building and growing free-speech practicing media stations. These men feel a sense of duty to promote fair, balanced and responsible journalism.

When the group arrived, I was immediately greeted with ten outstretched hands waiting to shake mine, friendly faces and excited greetings in both Pashto and English. Gratitude for the opportunity to learn and study not only in America, but at Thunderbird. Seems our reputation precedes us in Afghanistan!

As we discussed the schedule for the day, the men seemed a bit apprehensive, but positive about September 11th. I later learned that they were uncertain of their safety, and how Americans would treat them on such a sensitive day. Their families and colleagues at home were nervous for them, and this didn’t add to their comfort. When I explained we would be at a mosque for the day, their tension seemed to ease. They all expressed gratitude that we were able to commemorate and honor September 11th with this special service.

Joining us at the mosque just before afternoon prayers began were Thunderbird faculty Dr. Karen Walch and Dr. Eileen Borris, alumni Shamshad Khan and Erron Boes, and Thunderbird for Good staff member, Wynona Heim. We were immediately welcomed as special guests, the women crossing over to the men’s side for photos, introductions and greetings.

The beautiful afternoon prayers were spoken, and we again became one congregation. Sitting on the floor, legs crossed, circles of friendship forming as we listened to Imam Didmar speak to us about what it means to be an American Muslim post September 11th. We heard stories of intolerance, misplaced fear, and discrimination. We also heard solutions to eliminate the walls the “us” vs. “them” mentality creates. Part of the answer is education. The more truthful knowlege people have, the less they’ll assume, stereotype, discriminate or hate. One participant expressed that this was the first time he felt like Americans understood that 9/11 was a tragedy to them too. It turned their lives upside down as well.

United we stood, side by side, discussing education and hope. Forgiveness and progress. These men are the agents of change in Afghanistan. They are committed to using their media outlets as forces for good, stopping hurtful propaganda, no matter the security issues they face because of it. Their week at Thunderbird was starting out on the right foot, as we agreed that our goals were the same. Education, sustainability, change and understanding.

And now, the universal language of food was spoken! The gracious and generous Afghan members of the mosque cooked a gigantic spread of authentic dishes for us all. We ate until we couldn’t eat any more! Amazing food, inspiring day, and just the beginning of an intensive week of business training!

Training program to launch in January 2012 will assist 3,400 female entrepreneurs in Chile and Peru

The world’s largest publicly traded copper company, Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) has chosen Thunderbird School of Global Management to develop a skills training and certification program for women in Peru and Chile, two of the communities where FCX operates mining facilities. The announcement was made at the Clinton Global Initiative today at in New York City. <View a recording of the event here>

The program, developed by the Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold and Thunderbird’s social impact division, Thunderbird for Good, is intended to promote economic and workforce development in the communities where the company does business. Called the “Freeport-McMoRan Women’s Business Academy,” the program will support about 3,400 women entrepreneurs who are expanding a small or medium-sized business. E-learning provider Serebra Learning Corporation (TSX-V: SLC) will build the learning management system for the Academy, which is composed of a series of interactive web-based classes. Serebra and Thunderbird were introduced to each other during last year’s Clinton Global Initiative Meeting.

“Empowering women through education provides opportunities for them to live more productive lives, which would enable the development of healthier, more sustainable communities,” said Richard C. Adkerson, President and Chief Executive Officer of FCX. “Through this collaboration, we will work together with Thunderbird, gain access to its expertise as the recognized leader in global business education, and benefit from its experience in educating female entrepreneurs around the world.”

Since 2005, Thunderbird and its partner organizations have been the world leaders in educating women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Pioneering programs in Afghanistan, Jordan, Pakistan and Peru already have reached more than 30,000 women, and the number will swell to over 100,000 women by 2014. Thunderbird professors will create the videos, coursework and activities for the Women’s Business Academy, and Thunderbird MBA fellows on the ground in Chile and Peru will provide support during the initial launch of the program and Thunderbird interns will provide additional support as the program expands.

“At Thunderbird, we believe that business can and should be a force for both economic and social change around the world,” said Thunderbird President Ángel Cabrera. “FCX’s commitment to investing in the communities they serve through programs such as this is a living example of the impact companies can have on the long-term sustainability of the communities in which they do business.”

“Serebra is particularly pleased to be working with global leaders such as FCX and Thunderbird to help women achieve greater economic empowerment”, said Taleeb Noormohamed, President and CEO of Serebra.  “This project reflects Serebra’s ongoing commitment to building innovative learning tools – while giving back as good global citizens.”

(Photo: Women work at a computer lab June 2011 near Freeport McMoRan’s Minera Candelaria in Tierra Amarilla, Chile. The mine established the computer lab in 2008 to provide information technology access and training programs for those living close to the mine. Photo by Kellie Kreiser)

Written by: Wynona Heim, Program Manager, Office of Thunderbird for Good

Eva Weigold-Schultz, Terry Neese, Wynona Heim, and Noa Meyer at the Tool Kit launch at Georgetown University

Afghan women play a vital role in growing the Afghan economy.  They are opening businesses in industries that range from traditional handicrafts to construction and consulting companies.  They are providing not only goods and services to their communities, but are creating jobs and generating income to ensure their families are well-fed and their children are given opportunities that they never had under the Taliban.  All of these efforts are having a positive effect on Afghanistan’s stability and development.  In 2010-11 Afghanistan’s GDP grew at an annual rate of 11%, compared to the global growth rate of 5% according to the IMF.  This growth will need to continue for the short term if long-term stability is to be reached, especially given the 40% unemployment which is surely contributing to instability now.

Afghan women are incredibly strong in spirit, believing in a brighter future for their children despite living in the most dangerous country in the world for women (www.trust.org Danger Poll, 2011).  The entrepreneurial spirit, courage, and sheer determination of these Afghan women are second to none, but often they lack the family support, basic education and training that will help them grow their businesses to their full potential and maintain sustainability over time.  The literacy rate among women in Afghanistan is estimated at around 13%, and 70-80% of Afghan females still face forced marriage (US Department of State data).

As part of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council efforts, world-class business management training is offered to current and prospective women entrepreneurs through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program, Project Artemis here at Thunderbird School of Global Management, and Peace Through Business at the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.  These programs have directly influenced hundreds of women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, but there are thousands more that we have yet to reach.

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By Marcela Cubas

MBA Candidate, 2011

Proyecto Salta ha significado una de las experiencias más enriquecedoras para cada uno de los miembros en el equipo. Durante estos 3 meses, no sólo las mujeres han ganado más habilidades para poder operar mejor sus negocios, pero nosotros también hemos aprendido mucho de ellas!

Gracias a ellas, nos hemos enriquecido con el coraje, fuerza de voluntad y ganas de salir adelante que cada una de estas 120 mujeres empresarias peruanas llevan consigo.
Es admirable ver como, a pesar de tantas dificultades familiares, económicas y/o de autoestima, ellas siguen buscando el camino al éxito.

Estas mujeres intrínsecamente están ligadas a vidas difíciles, muchas veces llenas de un pasado colmado de sufrimiento, sin embargo siempre llevan consigo una mirada de esperanza en que sus vidas serán mejor en un futuro. Fue sumamente gratificante para nosotros el poder contribuir a delinear este camino al éxito!

En estos 3 meses, pudimos conocer a profundidad las necesidades de cada una de estas mujeres, sus sueños, su vida familiar, las dificultades que pasan en el negocio y muchos demás aspectos que son, sin lugar a duda, indispensables para superarse como empresarias.

Después de esta enriquecedora experiencia sólo nos queda agradecer a los organizadores del programa, a Thunderbird por hacer posible esta experiencia y sobretodo a nuestras excelentes mujeres, ya que sin ellas, este programa no tendría sentido! Esperamos haber podido despertar cada vez más el espíritu emprendedor en las mujeres peruanas y nos llevamos un permanente recuerdo de ellas, los momentos que pasamos y las experiencias de vida que quedan en nosotros!

Gracias proyecto Salta, Gracias Thunderbird y Gracias Perú!