History of Our Work
SEPA rebranded in 2022 as a follow-up to the Afghans for Afghanistan's Development and Peace Organization (AADP), which operated from 2012-2022 and implemented several projects for education and economic development in Afghanistan. The organization is registered with Afghanistan's Ministry of Economy, the government entity that licenses nonprofit organizations in Afghanistan.
SEPA has already implemented several projects promoting educational and economic development in Afghanistan. The major ones are listed below:
Afghanistan's Time Use Survey
SEPA completed the UN Women funded Afghanistan's first-ever Time Use Survey (TUS). TUS is a national survey that measures how citizens in a country spend their time within a 24-hour time-frame. This survey identified how people, women, in particular, spend their time in Afghanistan. Data was gathered in hub provinces such as Kabul, Nangarhar, Takhar, Kunduz, Balkh, Herat, and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan. These provinces represent the various zones Afghanistan is divided into for statistical purposes. A questionnaire involving a weekly diary collected information about the use of time for market-oriented (paid) and non-market-oriented (unpaid) activities. After a thorough analysis, results were shared with UN Women. The TUS survey presents important data that policymakers and development agencies can use to develop and implement specific and context-specific programs and projects.
Promoting Women Entrepreneurship
SEPA supported women entrepreneurs in Bamiyan and Nangarhar provinces to improve and sustain their small businesses. Funded through UNDP’s Gender Equality Project, the project provided extensive and need-based coaching and business sustainability training to 50+ women-owned businesses and their employees in Bamiyan and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan. The project also promoted peer learning by organizing business tours and trade shows in which business owners exchanged information about their respective experiences, and opportunities to find new markets for their products and services. The project helped women business owners improve their business management skills, and learn from the experiences of other more established entrepreneurs.
Helping Small Businesses Thrive
SEPA delivered business management training to 150+ small business owners in Khost, Paktia, and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan. The training helped business owners improve their business management skills and ability to sustain their business by improving financial management, utilizing marketing, and improving customer satisfaction. The project also provided grant money to potential business owners to start or expand their existing small and medium-sized businesses. The project was funded by USAID’s Afghan Civilian Assistance Program (ACAP).
Strengthening Small Women-Owned Businesses
SEPA implemented a women entrepreneurs building project in Ghazni province of Afghanistan. The project delivered business management training to 120 women business owners who learned strategies for sustaining their small and medium-sized businesses, ways to access finance, and overcome challenges to new businesses in Afghanistan’s difficult circumstances. Specific topics discussed in the training included the use of microfinance schemes, local bank finances, and other informal resources that can be utilized for business purposes. The project enabled women business owners to manage risks and learn skills for sustaining their small and medium-sized businesses. USAID funded this project.
Legislative Exchange Program
SEPA collaborated with World Learning Inc. to implement the 2013 Legislative Exchange Program for Afghanistan. Eligible Afghan nationals working in legislative affairs in Afghanistan were recruited for a month-long visit to the United States where they visited the US legislative organizations, met with officials, and participated in training helping them understand the process in which legislation worked in Afghanistan.
Support to the Only Blind School in Kabul
SEPA provided much-needed in-kind and training support to the only Blind School in Kabul. The project provided a grant to fix the school’s damaged shuttle bus, install a water heater in the school’s kitchen, and procure basic equipment for the school’s classrooms. The project also connected the school to donors who were interested in providing material and other support. This small project was one of the first projects designed and implemented.