Excel Consulting International

Dear Ms. Sherzoy,

I greatly enjoyed visiting the marketplace with you at Kabul University. Thank you for helping arrange for me to greet the women from the Afghan Women’s Business Association and Project Artemis and to see their marvelous array of crafts and wares. The lovely silk rug you gave me is a great reminder of a splendid time. You are doing wonderful work supporting women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan. The delegation of exceptional women you accompanied to the United States for the mini-MBA program impressed everyone they met, and I was delighted to have Hamira Nassary join me for President Bush’s State of the Union address. The President joins me in sending our best wishes to you and the AWBA for your ongoing success.

With warm regards,

Laura Bush

Ms. Mina Sherzoy has been a dedicated professional leader and team player across Afghanistan in the scope of elevating businesswomen and women’s rights activism across the country. In 2012, I was working on a project with USAID in Afghanistan where Ms. Sherzoy served as the technical chief of the initiative. During that time, her enthusiasm, positive energy, and attentiveness to the project effectively materialized the curriculum for women’s capacity development and designed methodologies to accomplish its core mission. She refined the project plan to combine diversity and equality, which amplified the project’s empowerment scope. I was very motivated as a result of her proficiency and ethical standards to become a volunteer for the youth and women’s rights to advocate for them against inequality.

Warm regards,

Fakhruddin Mujeeb

Freshta Akbari was one of the 800 beneficiaries for the Women Home-Based Workers’ project in Mazar-e-Sharif, which was implemented by USAID/DAI/Excel Consulting International in 2019. This training intended to build women’s capacity who worked in their homes to increase income and teach women how to expand their businesses. 

“It taught us the various ways to market, deliver customer service, and how to find new business. Excel’s training was the reason my business expanded and how I learned to market my products to win multiple contracts.”  – Freshta Akbari

In the future, Freshta wants to expand her bakery business beyond her province. She will be seeking more assistance and support from Excel Consulting International to increase and expand training so that other women who work at home can benefit like she did.

Ms. Sakina Mohammadi is 35 years old. She is one of the USAID/DAI/Excel Consulting International Home-Based Workers’ Network (HBWN) project beneficiaries. 

She participated in the HBWN training in October 2019, among other female beneficiaries in Balkh. She has been able to expand her tailoring business since then. With Excel, she learned how to increase her income from home. 

“I have been able to grow my tailoring business. I was truly encouraged by Excel’s training which is the reason I rented and opened a tailoring shop. Now I have expanded my shop. I have hired another ten women to work for me.”  – Sakina Mohammadi

In the future, Sakina wants to take her business to the next level. She would like to sell outside of her province and also enter international markets. She is working with Excel Consulting International to bring training to other villages and districts so that other women can experience the same success.

USAID/DAI/Excel Consulting implemented a training program in Mazar-e-Sharif for women who worked from home and were illiterate. Excel’s Home-Based Workers’ Network (HBWN) training was different from others I had received in the past. The curriculum made a major impact on many other women and myself who participated. We learned how to market, develop plans, create surveys and target markets for our products. I also learned how to price my products (clothing), which has made a big difference. Through the guidance of Excel toward the end of the program, we were able to develop a Women’s Home-Based Network through more transparent electoral and voting processes. I was elected the President of this network. I am grateful to Excel’s method of building capacity, and I highly recommend them for the future trainings

Thanks,

Sima Hashimzada

Mina gets results using her trademark diplomacy. Her multi-tasking capabilities and people skills allow her to effectively organize women-to-women matchmaking events, while simultaneously organizing high-level Ministerial events – from extending personal invitations to managing every logistical detail within protocol. Thanks to her vast networks across the world, the USAID/Afghanistan-funded Trade Show Support project was able to pull off the impossible, from getting VVIPs to our event despite lack of seating on available planes to gaining support from host countries elite executives and changemakers.

– Kristin Lobron, Former Chief of Party – Trade Show Support Activity (TSSA)