DCM Haidari Appreciates India’s Assistance for Empowering Afghan Women

New Delhi: - Deputy Chief of Mission M. Ashraf Haidari was invited as Guest of Honor in an international trainers’ graduation ceremony hosted by the Indian National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NEISBUD) where trainers from 22 countries, including 4 Afghans, participated in two-month training programs, on January 23, 2015. The training programs focused on women and enterprise development, as well as entrepreneurship and income generation. A large number of the participants were women from South Asia, South East Asia, and Africa, who not only shared their experiences with one another but also learned new technical skills during their time with the NEISBUD.

“I’m very proud of the women participants from different parts of Afghanistan, as they’ve overcome many hurdles to make it to these training programs, which truly help empower them to do more in our society,” said Mr. Haidari. He also noted that Africa and Asia are endowed with immense human and natural resources, much of which has remained unlocked due to a lack of stability and cooperation. “I truly appreciate the role India as a developing country is playing, and these programs are a manifestation of India’s commitment to sharing her expertise and experience in empowering women, which is critical to reducing poverty and bolstering economic growth in Asia and Africa,” Mr. Haidari added.

Moreover, Mr. Haidari thanked the Indian Ministry of External Affairs for funding the NEISBUD training programs, from which Afghan participants, especially women, have greatly benefited. “It’s always good to see a larger number of Afghan participants in these programs, thanks to the leadership of NEISBUD, Mr. Arun Kumar Jha and Mr. Rishi Raj Singh, for their commitment to the reconstruction and stabilization of Afghanistan,” he noted.

The graduates also gave a presentation on the skills they had learned, while discussing their overall experience in India. It was quite visible from their well-structured presentation filled with rich, technical details that they had found the training programs very useful. Mr. Haidari encouraged Afghan participants to stay in touch with their peers from different countries, sharing views and lessons to be learned on women empowerment through business development.