Archive for the ‘10000 Women’ Category

Our first Global Cohort was a resounding success! Thunderbird for Good hosted 28 women entrepreneurs from Tonga, Samoa, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Palau. The women have since returned home and continue to share incredible stories of success, growth, and the many ways they are sharing their knowledge.

Goldman Sachs launched 10,000 Women in March 2008. It is a $100 million, five-year campaign to foster greater shared economic growth by providing 10,000 underserved women around the world with a business and management education. The program is founded on research conducted by Goldman Sachs, the World Bank, and others which suggests this kind of investment can have a significant impact on GDP growth. Research also suggests that such an investment in women can have a significant multiplier effect that leads not only to increased revenues and more employees for businesses, but also healthier, better-educated families, and ultimately more prosperous communities.

These culturally appropriate programs are intended to help open doors for thousands of women whose financial and practical circumstances would normally prevent them from receiving a traditional business education. Thunderbird is a proud partner in this initiative!

We are excited to host the 2nd Global Cohort of women entrepreneurs June 9th – 24th. Women from Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean have been submitting applications with our US Embassies in countries such as Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, Argentina, Colombia, Jamaica, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Trinidad, Ecuador, Chile, and more. We are thrilled to be working with the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and other local business leaders to make this program a robust and fun learning experience.

We will officially welcome this new class of entrepreneurs to our campus on Monday, June 11th, so save the date! More details to follow. Immediately following this Welcome Reception, the women will sell their goods, handicrafts and cultural items during the 10,000 Women Marketplace. It is the perfect opportunity for these women to practice the 30-second elevator pitch Professor Steve Stralser will have just taught in class. Come eat, shop, mingle, meet, and welcome these entrepreneurs to Thunderbird!

Did you get involved as a volunteer during the 1st Global Cohort program in January? We are asking for volunteers once again to join us for an hour or two. We especially welcome all you Spanish speakers! Join us for off-campus dinners, working one-on-one with the women in the classroom, site visits to local businesses, sightseeing excursions and more. If you would like to get involved, please contact Cheri Roberts at 602-978-7742 or cheri.roberts@thunderbird.edu .

We are grateful for any time you can generously give. These programs are enriched by your efforts, and you will be in turn edified and inspired by these driven women entrepreneurs!

10,000 Women graduate Hasina Mahboobi speaks to the attendees of the event marking the 4th anniversary of 10,000 Women in Afghanistan on International Women’s Day.

Written by: 10,000 Women Assistant Director, Amanda Carson

On March 8^th, 2012, 10,000 Women celebrated International Women’s Day as well as the program’s fourth anniversary in Afghanistan. The event was co-hosted by 10,000 Women and the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in the university’s gymnasium and had over 300 people in attendance, including 10,000 Women alumni, current AUAF students and several dignitaries and members of parliament. We were honored and impressed by the turnout and in fact had to turn several students away since the gym was at full capacity.

The event opened with a brief introduction by AUAF Provost Dr. Dawn Dekle, followed by a beautifully sung Koran reading by 10,000 Women alumni Hanifa Fatimi. The keynote speaker, HRH Princess India of Afghanistan, is one of the daughters of King Amanullah Khan and Queen Saraiya Tarzi, the royal couple that introduced such progressive reforms as education for both males and females in the early 20^th century in Afghanistan. HRH Princess India is one of the founding members of the Mahmud Tarzi Cultural Foundation, which is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of Afghan women and children with projects that include schools, hospitals, health clinics, and professional training, while offering financial aid for students. Her foundation funds a children’s care center, women’s care center, library and museum, and her efforts to raise awareness for the plight of Afghanistan’s women and children has resulted in the funding of numerous orphanages, schools and hospitals. President Hamid Karzai awarded her with the title of Honorary Cultural Ambassador of Afghanistan to Europe in 2006.

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Every year on March 8, the United Nations and women’s groups around the world commemorate International Women’s Day. This holiday first took place in the United States in 1908, and now is celebrated across the world by women in developed and developing countries alike.

This year, Thunderbird for Good looks back on achieving several milestones for women in 2011 and 2012.

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Alumni leader Malalai Jawad and Course Manager Zobaida Rasoul provide background on the program.

Written by: Amanda Carson, Assistant Director, 10,000 Women Afghanistan, AUAF

On Saturday, February 11, 2012 the 10,000 Women team hosted an informational session for the male family members of the 10,000 Women students in Cohorts 11 and 12. Approximately 20 women and their male family members attended. When the men arrived, they all filled out a survey relating to male support of women’s education and business and received brochures and other information relating to the program.

Hanifa Fatemi from Cohort 5 opened the session with a beautiful Islamic blessing. Course Manager Zobaida Haji Rasoul introduced all the staff members that were present. Amanda Carson then provided an overview of the program, explaining the partnership between Goldman Sachs, Thunderbird and AUAF. Veteran program instructor Fauzia Assifi led the rest of the session, describing the course structure, curriculum and wraparound services provided for all women in the program. She also emphasized the value of the program as well as why it is so important to have family support and buy-in.

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Thunderbird  graduated its first class of scholars this afternoon from the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Program. This group of 28 entrepreneurs, representing 10 nations, is the first of three “global cohorts” of women who will receive training at Thunderbird under the U.S. Department of State and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative. Today’s graduation comes at the end of two intensive weeks of business skills courses, site visits across Arizona and the successful presentation of each woman’s business plan to a panel of Thunderbird faculty, staff and students.

The 28 women who have completed this training represent a number of industries- from traditional handicrafts, to computer training- and a diversity of nations- from Palau to Tajikistan. They will return to their countries with enhanced skills in leadership, negotiations, pricing and goal setting, and with an expanded network of Thunderbird contacts. Today’s graduation ceremony was presided over by Thunderbird President, Dr. Ángel Cabrera and keynote speaker, Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch from the Supreme Court of Arizona.

“It’s an honor for me to be surrounded by such courageous and inspiring women from all over the world,” Justice Berch said at the ceremony. “They came here because they want to make a difference in their communities when they go back. They are an inspiration to me and to all of us. They have empowered themselves and they will empower their communities. I hope that they will use their talents and skills to make the world a better place.”

Graduate Jolene Sim, the owner of a social media agency from Malaysia, spoke on behalf of her class.

“A piece of advice that I was given through this program, is that in business, it’s very easy to measure success based on financial gain,” she said. “But one thing to remember is that success is measured by how you impact your community and the people around you. Thunderbirds have a huge heart. It’s what defines them, and the members of my cohort believe that. This program is going to go forward into the community and change lives.”

Thunderbird’s philanthropic arm, Thunderbird for Good, has been running programs for entrepreneurs coming from developing nations since 2005.  More than 30,000 participants have attended Thunderbird for Good programs at our campus in Glendale, Arizona, and in the communities where they live and work all over the world. Past projects have worked with women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Peru and Jordan, as well as male radio broadcasters and radio station owners from Afghanistan. This is the first Thunderbird for Good program to bring together such a diversity of participants from so many countries at one time.

“The mission of Thunderbird is to educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide,” said Thunderbird President Dr. Ángel Cabrera. “We as Thunderbirds in our community share the commitment that we are going to use the knowledge of business for a good purpose, and make the world a better place.”

The ceremony ended with the new graduates taking the Thunderbird Oath of Honor, a Thunderbird tradition since 2005, which derives from the school’s belief that global managers must contribute to the creation of sustainable economic and social value. All Thunderbird graduates take the Oath upon commencement.

For more information about the Global Cohort program:  http://www.thunderbird.edu/about_thunderbird/thunderbird_good/programs/global_cohort/index.htm

For images from the Global Cohort program:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thunderbirdschool/sets/72157629004725141/

For articles written about the Global Cohort program:

http://knowledgenetwork.thunderbird.edu/thunderbirdforgood/

10,000 Women scholars with Professional Women's Forum members at Henkel

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

On Tuesday January 24^th, the Professional Women’s Forum of Henkel Consumer Goods Inc. hosted 28 women entrepreneurs from 10 countries in Asia and the Pacific for an afternoon business site visit, roundtable discussions on leadership, and a networking dinner at the Henkel facility in north Scottsdale.  The women are spending two weeks at Thunderbird’s campus in Glendale for an intensive business skills training course as part of the global Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative.

Cindy Demers, VP of Corporate Communications at Henkel, gave the ladies a short overview of Henkel’s global operations, primary brands, and an overview of what functions the Scottsdale location serves to the corporation.  This overview included Henkel’s Vision to be a global leader in brands and technologies, and how they act on that vision within the context of their organizational values:

1)      We put our customers at the center of what we do.

2)      We value, challenge and reward our people.

3)      We drive excellent sustainable financial performance.

4)      We are committed to leadership in sustainability.

5)      We build our future on our family business foundation.

To conclude the initial overview session, the ladies were given an overview of our host organization, the Professional Women’s forum at Henkel, including membership levels, activities, and the benefits of professional organizations.

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After a busy first week filled with intensive coursework on pricing, negotiations, strategy, communications and leadership, the Global Cohort Fellows left Thunderbird for a site visit in downtown Phoenix. They headed to a block of women owned businesses in the Historic Medlock Plaza- Frances, Stinkweeds Records, Smeeks and Halo Piercing. A highlight of the visit was a presentation by Georganne Bryant, proprietor of Smeeks and Frances, and Kelsey Yamashita, proprietor of Halo Piercing and Jewelry.

Site visits like these give the fellows an opportunity to discuss practical challenges that they are facing- difficulty with talent management and marketing, creative designs and store displays and goal setting. Bryant challenged the fellows to adopt a word for the year- hers for 2012 is “enjoy.” She also gave a good lesson in management philosophy- treat your employees like family. Yamashita emphasized the power of courage. As a female owner of a piercing shop, a traditionally male dominated industry- she faced numerous hardships but never gave up. By sticking to her principles, she has been able to build her business solidly throughout the years.

See more images from the trip at our Flickr page.

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.