2014 Wrap-Up

A series of updates in the next few days will focus on updates from 2014. A number of our team members have been to Afghanistan in recent months and with them they bring new and exciting updates to share. We'll begin with this post from our CEO Waleed Rashid (click here to learn more about our team) who is currently in Kabul:

Upon invitation by Mr. Walter Koenig, of the Afghanistan Commerce Department of the United States Embassy, members of our executive team were invited to attend The Afghanistan Business Spotlight Event at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Dubai, UAE on 4/28/14. The event was intended to bring together successful teams and projects with the capital contributors and investors in Afghanistan to help forge lasting relationships which can produce further advances for Afghanistan in the midst of the newly transitioning government. 

Waleed in Parwan [yes, those are French cuffs]

But, first a quick detour to Afghanistan's Parwan Province where HEEDA has been partnering with Afghanistan Rises (link to their site) at the Parwan School District since 2004  to help design, reconstruct, and execute a community center. 

The intent is for the center to be fully integrated with the community it serves.  Not only does it offer grade school education and classes in English during the winter months but it also provides vocational training and houses the community mosque and gathering center. 

We return regularly with the purpose of providing some much needed school supplies and warm coats for the coming winter months to the elementary through high school students of Parwan.

I arrived to the smiling faces of the elementary school students and first proceeded to identify the top female students in the school in order to hand out specially selected gift bags to each student. 

Needless to say, the young ladies were quite surprised and happily received their rewards for outstanding academic performance. Future projects within the school involve a collaboration with Bagram Air Base to help with basic structural needs of the facility, including a new roof and paint for the interior walls of the school. I hope to bring updates on that later in the year.