SPOTLIGHT

The T. Boone Pickens Foundation focuses grants to organizations that operate in its core giving categories (see "About TBPF"). The current partner spotlight is an update on the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women and its PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS™ program.

The Pickens Foundation has supported the organization since founder and serial entrepreneur Dr. Terry Neese launched the first program in 2007 after traveling to Afghanistan as a member of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. This year's participants spent July 8-28 in the United States.

Pickens fervent belief in the power of entrepreneurship is at the heart of his support for the Institute's work. "I believe that you build stability in developing economies by helping entrepreneurs get a stable foothold, which is why we support the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program," Pickens says.

During the past five years the Institute has been making a real difference in women's lives across the globe by operating on the philosophy that an economically sound country has a greater capacity for peace. It has trained more than 200 women business owners worldwide in basic business and leadership skills.

One of the critical components of the Institute's program, which provides long-term business training to women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda, is the networking and mentoring opportunities that U.S. women business owners provide for participants. The Institute pairs Afghan and Rwandan students with members of its American women business owners' network, who open their businesses and homes for both business and cultural exchange. Not only do women business owners from the three countries meet women business owners from their own countries, they are able to branch out and develop international relationships.

"It is because of the great support we receive from the T. Boone Pickens Foundation that we are able to reach so many women who want to improve the economic stability of their countries," says Neese, founder of the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women. "Because the women receive tools to successfully develop their businesses, they create employment in their communities. They then encourage and train others to do the same."

The students participating in the program face tremendous obstacles living in war-torn countries, including infrastructure issues, lack of funding, and cultural impediments. These women are resilient, however, and they are in pursuit of a better solution for their families and their countries. By building their businesses, these women are building their countries in terms of economic stability and job creation.

For more information on the Institute and PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, please visit www.ieew.org.