Building Cultural Bridges in Afghanistan

Posted by Esperanza Tilghman / April 29, 2012

The ANIM Youth Orchestra performs in Kabul, Afghanistan on October 27, 2011. [Embassy Kabul photo/ Public Domain]

Ralph Bunche, U.S. diplomat and the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1950), once said: "If you want to get across an idea, wrap it up in a person."

I could not agree more, and we are doing just that through U.S. Embassy Kabul's Mission Speakers Program (MSP). The MSP recruits speakers from throughout the embassy by simply finding out about our colleague's experiences, and then building a relevant outreach event around their expertise for Afghan participants. For example, the first MSP activity connected a female diplomat who happened to be a former college basketball player with a group of high school girls participating in an embassy-funded sports and leadership program. Her presentation to the girls underscored the value of hard work, determination, and goal-planning, as she told the group: "Don't be afraid to fail and don't fear what others… more »

Posted under: South and Central Asia

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Outreach Program Expands Economic Empowerment for Afghan Women

Posted by Esperanza Tilghman / January 10, 2012

On December 20, the U.S. Embassy Kabul's Public Affairs Section completed a 10-day outreach and engagement program with prominent Muslim-American businesswoman and magazine owner, Ms. Tayyibah Taylor, on the theme of entrepreneurship. During this period, the program reached nearly 500 Afghan men and women -- in face-to-face engagements with audiences that ranged from uneducated merchants and artisans, university students and emerging entrepreneurs, to sophisticated, urban businesswomen, civil society organizations, community leaders, and provincial council members.

Ms. Taylor traveled to four provinces in support of this program: Kabul; Kapisa in the north; Nangarhar in the east; and Kandahar in the south. Ms. Taylor's program underscores the State Department's objectives of expanding women's economic empowerment, particularly in South Central Asia, where Ambassador… more »

Posted under: South and Central Asia

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