News

Support Afghan Women's PEACE NOW March
Link to petition

On March 8th, International Women's Day, at 10 AM, Afghan women unite for peace.
Please join me in signing this petition so they know the rest of the world supports them.

In Kandahar, the most violent Province in Afghanistan, women are mobilizing
because they are tired of watching their sons, daughters, husbands, wives,
fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters killed in senseless acts of violence.

Women from Kabul and every other province in Afghanistan are celebrating
International Women’s Day. At these gatherings they will read a message of
peace in support of the brave women of Kandahar. Afghan women are standing
side by side, their voices ringing out in solidarity.

The Afghan women have taken their cue from two ordinary women in Ireland
who, in the 1970s, grew angry because Irish were killing Irish. These women
went door to door and convinced women to march for peace. They later won the
Nobel Peace Prize.

"Today we drove by the site of the third suicide bomber in three days,” says
Rangina Hamidi, one of the organizers of the Kandahar gathering. “We are
ready to follow in the footsteps of our Irish sisters. For the past seven
years Afghans have celebrated March 8th with cheap gifts given to women to
honor them. This year, the women in Kandahar loudly say the best gift for us
is peace in our country."

Please support these brave Afghan women with your signature as they gather
peacefully to loudly proclaim peace now on March 8th at 10 am.

Upcoming Events

CommonWell Associates Ltd. to conduct Cross Cultural training and Mentoring program for Thunderbird Garvin International School of Management's "Project Artemis" in November 2006. "Project Artemis" brings 15 Afghan women entrepreneurs to Thunderbird's campus for two weeks of business intensive, as well as being paired with U.S. women entrepreneurs for mentoring and sharing of best practices.

Elise Collins Shields and Reda Rackley to once again offered weekend women's retreat at El Capitan Canyon Retreat Center. "Eros in a World on Fire: Living Radical Visions of Grace, Beauty, and Love." Previous sessions have sold out. For information on El Capitan Canyon click here. More information coming soon.

Recent

Elise Collins-Shields and Reda Rackley hosted a women's retreat "Eros in A World on Fire: Living Radical Visions of Grace, Beauty and Love" in Sonoita, Arizona.

Elise Collins-Shields accepted the position of Executive Director of OPUS Archives and Research Center located on the campuses of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. The Archives include the collections of Joseph Campbell, Marija Gimbutas, James Hillman, Jane and Joseph Wheelwright, and most recently promised the collections of Christine Downing, Marion Woodman and Robert Johnson." For more information, www.opusarchives.org.

Other Presentations

Elise Collins-Shields was one  of lead speakers at the 7th Annual Women in Business Conference at Burj Al Arab, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, celebrating International Women’s Day. Elise spoke on “Challenges and Opportunities Facing Professional Women East and West”.
 
Elise Collins-Shields spoke at the 7th Annual Global Leadership Forum sponsored by the UNESCO Chair of Leadership at the University of Bahcesehir, Istanbul, Turkey. Her topic was “Desert Voices: Women’s Leadership Initiatives in the Middle East.”

Elise Collins-Shields joins Board of Directors of Quantum Leaps, Inc., an international non profit that promotes women in business throughout the world, concentrating in the Middle East and North Africa. For information, click here.

Over 250 guests celebrated the work of Americans for UNFPA at Annual Luncheon Event sponsored by CommonWell Institute International and co-chaired by Elise Collins Shields and Joan Kaye Cauthorn. Guest Speakers included Dr. Anika Rahman, President of Americans for UNFPA, and Gamila Ghaleb Al Sharai, activist and advocate for women's health in Yemen. For more information click on www.unfpa.org.
 

AFGHANISTAN "ReGreening" Project planted 2,100 fruit trees during 2007 for individual families.

Elise Collins-Shields serves as mentor for the Thunderbird Garvin International School of Management "Artemis" Project for Afghan Women Entrepreneurs. For more information please click here.

Our Winter Newsletter is now Online!
Read about Sultana Paravanta's Afghan Homecoming and more on the ReGreening Afghanistan project by clicking here to access our 2007 newsletter online (pdf).

Winter 2006 newsletter

Hear Interviews

Elise Collins-Shields interviewed On "Voice America" on January 9, 2006 'Men and Women in Times of Tragedy". Click on the player to play the mp3 of the interview.