In the coming weeks and months, we will conduct interviews with various StayIN members and publish them as blog posts. This post is the first interview in this series.
What motivated you to join StayIN?
Schekeba, the founder of StayIN, told me about her project before the company was founded and asked me if I would like to join the board of StayIN with her. We worked very closely together during the founding process.
My motivation was the concept of equal opportunities through education. We developed today’s focus on industrial training in Afghanistan together. We don’t see the concept as being limited to Afghanistan.
You were in Afghanistan in 2023. Did you have a personal connection to the country before? If so, what was it?
It was my first trip to Afghanistan. The connection is my father’s family, who originally come from Wardak province and moved to Pakistan before the state was founded.
What impressions did you gain on this trip – what impressed you, what surprised you?
What impressed me were the very educated and hospitable people I met there. From the host family we stayed with, to the committed StayIN Team Afghanistan, to the contacts with industry, administration and civil society. During the discussions with those responsible for industry and education in the country, I was very impressed by the unconditional will to advance the development and expansion of sustainable educational infrastructure for industry.
I had not expected the feeling of safety on the streets (apart from traffic) to this extent.
Where do you see your own focus in your work for StayIN?
I see my focus in the strategic development of StayIN, in providing impetus for our NGO work and supporting existing projects.
To what extent does your background as a successful manager in the German economy help you with this?
My experience as a manager in various industrial companies helps me to recognize the needs of industry and to convey the importance of industrial training. My network in industry can help to promote cooperation between German and Afghan companies in the future.
What do you see as StayIN’s greatest success so far?
I see StayIN’s greatest success as having found a powerful team in Afghanistan that shares our principles and is using its own resources to further develop our common ideas and push for their implementation in the country. In addition, we have succeeded in establishing the StayIN International Training Center (SITC) in Afghanistan. SITC provides teaching content for the industrial training of skilled workers and other groups. The “Afghanistan National and International Industrial Symposium” last spring was definitely a success. We managed to secure support for our project from parts of the industry, relevant authorities, universities, associations and civil society.
And what is the biggest difficulty?
I see the biggest difficulty in obtaining funding for our sustainable project to support the industrial development of Afghanistan. My request at this point: I ask everyone who can identify with our plans to support our project with small or large donations.
Originally posted 2024-06-13 01:22:51.
