Business Council for Peace

“With the Bpeace program, we can learn how to build independent businesses and stand on our own two feet.”

— Rangina, who lives and works in Kandahar, Afghanistan
(Photo of Rangina and Athena by © Paula Lerner)

BRINGING OPPORTUNITY TO WOMEN IN WAR-TORN COUNTRIES
Athena Katsaros is an active member of the Business Council for Peace, also known as Bpeace.As a member of the Executive Council she volunteers her time to work with women from Afghanistan to help them grow sustainable businesses.

The Style Road Trip
In May-June 2005 Bpeace brought 12 Afghan women who are engaged in apparel, accessories and home décor manufacturing businesses to New York's 7th Avenue where they worked with top business leaders and educators in an intensive three-week program called the “Style Road Trip”.


Bakhtnazera and her mentor participating in one of Athena’s workshops during the Style Road Trip. Bakhtnazera is one of Afghanistan's "fast runner" businesswomen.

Athena’s involvement with Bpeace includes:

• Developing and leading workshops for the Afghan businesswomen while they were in New York.
• Participating in a Bpeace mission to Afghanistan in the fall of 2005 to continue work with women there.
• Acting as a mentor to an Afghan woman who lives in Kandahar
• Team lead for a pilot mentoring program with Iraqi businesswomen.

The strategy of the Bpeace program in Afghanistan is to focus on fast runners: high potential women, literate, already in business, and who demonstrate an intuitive business sense. Bpeace believes they are in the best position to create new jobs for other Afghans.

Click here to read the WSJ article about the Style Road Trip.

Bpeace is headquartered in New York and is a non-profit coalition of over 160 individuals with business experience as consultants, entrepreneurs and inside companies such as American Express, Citigroup, Reuters, Redken, Ruder Finn, Coach and Ogilvy. They volunteer to help women in war-torn countries grow sustainable businesses. Their belief is that when women are stronger economically, they have a stronger voice for peace in their local communities and societies.

To learn more about the Business Council for Peace, visit: www.bpeace.com