ARZU’S FOUNDER ON SHAPING CULTURE THROUGH SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

by Connie Duckworth

The Idea The author wanted to improve the lives of Afghan women, despite considerable cultural obstacles. Her nonprofit found a way to attach education and health care to their employment as rug weavers and to raise their standing in the community. I first visited Afghanistan in 2003, as part of a U.S. delegation focused on improving the lives of women. I was particularly interested in women’s economic empowerment, and my initial thought was to create a business around some sort of product that Afghan women could manufacture and we could sell for a profit in the United States. Until that trip, I had no idea what we were up against. Afghanistan was dangerous: Planes turned off their lights to land in Kabul, and we were the first group of civilians allowed to stay…

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Harvard Business Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2016

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