Starting Again and Empowering Dreams

I feel like I should do a drum roll. Yes. In the house. Yeah. So how did we meet? Do you remember? Yeah. The first day that I came to Aspire, it was very interesting for me. That day was a day of hope because I was trying to connect with you Many times I just saw some of the announcements for the different classes in Facebook. And also I searched about you and then I remember exactly the same that day.
What do you remember? The most important things that I remember, I was very sick and I was very depressed. And for a few months I was thinking that there is no hope. for future for me, because we lost everything in Afghanistan. And there was a session that you ask us to write our vision for future. And there was some pictures or something. I collect all the pictures, negative pictures that shows the situation of Afghanistan and me.
And there was one picture that I remember like right now that you came and you just throw it out and put it on the paper to me and you say the thing like this. I don't remember that moment. I think maybe I do remember that moment. I think that we were doing vision boards and I think that you had a whole lot of images which were very important and personal to you, but also very understandably dark.
And I said to you, come on, this is a vision. So we're going to think about a better future. And you, I remember you, I think I was sitting and you were sitting on the chair and I sat on the floor and you were looking, you looked at me like, what? Okay. Tell us a little bit about who you are, who you are and what you do and why you do what you do.

▶ Play this clip

My name is Kamila Sidiqi. I am a woman entrepreneur from Afghanistan. I was involved in economic empowerment for many years in Afghanistan. I had trained a lot of women to start their own business before I joined with the government. And there is a book about me, The Dressmaker of Khair Khana. That book is about my life during the first time the Taliban came to Afghanistan in 1996. And after, when the situation changed, I started a small business.
I was trying to go and find some place to register this business and no one think about business. Everybody was thinking about nonprofit organization. And then I registered my business with one laptop computer in 2004 in the government of Afghanistan. Before I joined with the government, I had trained more than 10,000 people around the country and I had implemented more than 56 projects of economic empowerment in Afghanistan. And then I start export and import company, first taxi company in Kabul and our institute of Kaweyan Business Development services.
There was a lot of success history in the private sector. And then I joined with the government on 2014. So you were very successful, had a very successful entrepreneurial journey.

▶ Play this clip

in Afghanistan, you had many businesses. I love this taxi company. This was a pink taxi company that was particularly for women. You had a huge passion or you have had, you still have a huge passion for the empowerment of women. Is that right? Yes. Because when I travel to different country and talk about business opportunity in Afghanistan, I always mention that Afghanistan is a land of opportunity and no one can believe that Afghanistan is.
But when I come back to Afghanistan, I just notice that what we need Most of the project and the business that I was working, it was from international community training and consultancy and project. One day I was thinking that how can I connect Afghan people to international community, then this idea of export and import came. And I invest from this project that I saved the export and import company and we had export dry fruit from Afghanistan to India, Saudi Arabia. to Kazakhstan, to Russia.
And there was a hundred women who worked with me. There are a lot of articles about the success history of that business. When I participate in different exhibitions and I saw that women thrive in different countries and women have their own life, they have their freedom. When I come back, I think that I have to bring something new for the country and also for the Afghan women. That's why I start this Pink Taxi and Kaweyan Cabs.
And most of our customer was young generation, especially the girls and the family. All of them they trust us because it was a woman-owned company. In this case, it was very interesting for people and the business was very successful. And so, I mean, I love that you did this. I love that you went to other places, other countries and saw and had your eyes open to so many opportunities, but then you brought them back not only for yourself, but also to impact other women and you combine that with being entrepreneurial at the same time.
So how did you end up in London?

▶ Play this clip

When I started my work in the government, there was a lot of conferences and seminars that I had participated in. all the other people they know about my business, especially they wrote about the book and they offered me a job that we need your leadership skills for Afghanistan. That time I had a big project from USAID and I was busy in my office and the request come to me and I was thinking that my business is for me and my family or maybe a community of 100 or 200 women, but now president talking about the life of Afghan people.
If my leadership really support this country, I close my computer and I joined with the government. I started my work as a deputy chief of staff in the palace. for three years and then I was deputy minister of commerce and the last time that I left my job I was acting minister in the Ministry of Commerce but I just left the job because I noticed that there is no more space for me to be in the government and I come back to private sector and invest all my you know saving and everything and I invest in the private sector I was busy and I was going to Kabul and

▶ Play this clip

back and forth to London because of my children. And the day the Taliban arrived to Kabul, I was in Kabul. And my friend and my family, they called me and I started a big project of construction in Kabul. And two days ago, most of my friend and most of the investor left the country. But I was optimistic at the last minute that, no, I'm here because of people and because of my family.
And then I received the messages from the author of the book, Gayle Lemmon. She messaged me that you have to leave Kabul as soon as possible. There's a last chance that you have to arrive to the airport. flee from Kabul. And it was really unbelievable for me because my family was there, my hope was there, my house, each and everything. I just left the house and arrived to the airport. It was 7.30 in the morning and all people was rushed back to the airport. to the airport that day.
And I saw that there is no hope for Afghanistan. And then at 11 o'clock, there was people that they just come and shut down everything and they say that everything is finished and there is no more flight or anything. It was very difficult for me and for my children. And then I… talk with some people and they say that no, our old computer is closed now and we had a very important letter from the place that they helped me, from US, from my friends and they say no.
Till 12 o'clock we were waiting and then they opened the door and it was a small plane with eight people and then We sat on the plane for seven hours and my children and my husband was in London and my family, everybody was very concerned about me because of my work with the government. In the government also I work very honestly. I'm really proud when I remember the way that I work and support the country.
But there was a lot of risk and I saw that the old Taliban was around the plane and in the airport. And it was really difficult time for me to left Kabul. After seven hour, we got the approval from Taliban that our plane flee from Kabul to. to Izmir. It was a very small plane. And then in Izmir, then from Izmir from Turkey to Switzerland, from Switzerland, I was waiting for my family to come to Switzerland.
Then I went to Germany from Germany. It takes 10 days to meet and to see my children. What was that like when you got to the airport and how are you feeling? I can't even imagine what there must have been like.

▶ Play this clip

You know for someone like me that I was grow up in the war country and all the time especially the time that I was very young and I work in Afghanistan and create job for 150 people and Every day I was going to the market to do some marketing for the product In the age of 18 years old and then come back Every day when I left the house and there was no hope for me to come back but there was no other way to support my family.
It was really difficult time. It was unbelievable for me, the way that I left my house with that much hope after 15 years, because to be honest, I am one of the women that after I got my British passport, my children, all of us, we had a British passport and we go back to Afghanistan in 2012. to work for Afghanistan and with my children and with my husband and we close our business each and everything in London for a hope but I lost everything and come back to London after many years.
I lost 24 years achievement in 24 hours. It was unbelievable for me.

▶ Play this clip

So you arrive in London after having this hugely successful international career in life in Afghanistan, and you arrive in London with absolutely nothing. And that was very soon that we met at that point. Yes. You know, I was reading yesterday a post, an urgent post from UN Women's describing how the state of women and girls in Afghanistan is incredibly bleak now. Here we are in the end of 2024 and that women are literally banned from working everyday life in many, many respects.
What is your view about what is happening right now in Afghanistan for women and girls? Thanks for UN Women. I wish they noticed this message of yesterday, three years ago. that it has started and my expectation was from international community, the way that they support us, the way they support a woman from the dressmaker business and then be involved in the politics for the very big position. Not only me, there was a lot of other women as well.
We received this support from international community, but the way that they left Afghanistan and the way that they forgot Afghanistan, my expectation was that like a UN Women, all other international community, all other country should pay attention for Afghan women. Afghanistan is only a country that there is no right for women and there is no life for women, you know. It's not only a matter of closing the school or, you know, business and all these things.
There is no safety, there is no hope for women. And my sister just come back from Afghanistan and she say that the sad point is that when I meet the young beautiful girls that they are talking with me and they say that I'm illiterate because of three years I was in seventh class and now that was the time for me to to graduate from school and study but there's no life for them, no safety and most of the people if they faced with some challenges and now social media did not request that because of the rest of the family life in Afghanistan.

▶ Play this clip

I think it's very important, especially for Afghanistan, to all international community pay attention. And my request is from you, a successful woman leader, and all other women like you in the world, that please, for a minute, think that if you and your daughter be in Afghanistan, in this situation, what will you think for the future of those people? of Afghanistan, that we can support a group of women, a group of people in one place.
But my request is for international community and for all donor agencies that please, this is the time that they have to find the right people and this time invest for the right people in the right place and listen to us. because we have to learn from our mistakes and you know that there are on 2005 there is an article about me that I was writing and I had an interview with the New York Times and I said that I'm really really concerned about my country because no one pay attention for the economic empowerment and sustainability as I have a lot of respect for individual development But we have a lot of resources in Afghanistan.
People should think about economic empowerment. And look at now, again, I'm concerned about my country because, you know, just UN Women or all other international community, for how long they will give us some project of economic empowerment or maybe human rights or women rights and all these things, for how long? And what was the result? This is the time that we have to invest for education of the girls and for business, for sustainability.
In this case, there are a lot of Afghan women that they have experience, they are very good people, they left Afghanistan, they are living in different country. This is the time that if we can collect these people and then by support of these people, implement some project in Afghanistan and help Afghan women.

▶ Play this clip

And tell us about the project that you're leading in London. You know that after I meet with you and come back and… I really learned a lot from the training, the way that you teach us for leadership, for management. And then I started a community interest company because if you register a charity, it takes a lot of time to register and all do this, to get the approval of all this. I registered a community interest company and I started some business networking. from 20 women in one of my friend's offices.
I invited 20 women, I just shared my experience with them and then the discussion started and it was very interesting for this Afghan woman and we established this association Afghan British Business Network. For the next round there was a 70 women come from the community. I paid for food and all these things and then we start discussion about all the challenges and business opportunity. The third one was 100 women come together.
It was a fashion show and exhibition. A lot of women come together and there was some requests from BBC and different social media. And then the fourth business networking was that I gave some certificate for very successful business woman here in London and I encourage the other woman that please think about business and don't wait for universal credit or child tax credit because it's a very less money but if you start business you will earn a lot of money.
That was very interesting for the women. And then the last one was in London School of Economics. I organized a conference without funding. All this business networking, as I implement and manage, it was without funding. And in London School of Economics there was 150 women come together. 75 people was Online from Kabul and 70 people from here. It was very interesting with Miss by support of Miss Johanna Professor Johanna in London School of Economics and there was a big discussion about the business and the woman that they were talking from Afghanistan about their business, it was unbelievable for this woman that they are in London.
When they complain sometimes with me, I just connect them with Afghan women and I say that, look, you are in London with all freedom, with all opportunities, still you complain and look at this lady, she has a business right now in Kabul. I love that, I love that.

▶ Play this clip

You are someone, if you see a problem, you, you don't just complain about it. You go and do something and then you build on that. And I just love that about you, because although that might seem like really simple to you and really just, that's how you operate. It's, it's not how a lot of people operate. Like people will go, Oh, you know, what can I do? It's too hard. You know, how do I even start?
But you came to London with nothing. having left your home and everything, and you've started this business network for Afghan women in London, and you're bringing in women from Afghanistan virtually, and then you're going back to Afghanistan and you're encouraging women to start businesses in Afghanistan. I mean, I can't, I mean, this blows my mind. How do you think, like what goes on in your head that makes you do these things that we can learn from?
You know that I the one things that I am living without any expectation from anyone because if there is a success or there is some Challenge it's my life. It's it's belongs to me Why I should wait to to my mother or to my friend or someone to come and solve my problem We have a we we have a creative mind and everybody can do this, you know about my husband that he is stroked after all this trauma, he is stroke.
He's very young and he is stroke and I was busy for two years plus all the other issues that take care of him with the two small children and I cannot leave the house because of my children. It's not a family to support them. I cannot leave them alone at home. With all these challenges, when my husband He started a small business and now we have a family business of this transport and now we support and I help him and I work with him.
We support disabled children for pick up and drop up of them from school. And there are many Afghan women, Afghan men that they work with us right now. My company focuses only for Afghan women refugee here and we have a specific business to support our family. And still I do this education project in Afghanistan because of my connection. I have a lot of connection in Afghanistan and I support the education classes and I teach them online from Kamila Sidiqi Foundation.
It all comes

▶ Play this clip

you know, from the belief that I have to myself and the confidence that I have, that I always try to start something and get the result. That's all. I love that. But you know, when we met, and you said it earlier yourself, you were really down. You said you described yourself as depressed. And I remember distinctly Looking at you, you know, it was a workshop and there was a circle of us there and you were sitting there.
I didn't know you, you didn't know me. And you were very quiet. I don't think you said a word really for the first few events that you came to. I didn't know anything about you. So how did you manage to get from that state to where you are now? I'm just thinking about this for other people, particularly other women that feel this way, you know, whether it's Afghanistan and sometimes in our own home, it can feel like Afghanistan, you know, whatever country we're in.
There's women like that that might be listening right now that are feeling so down. Like, what is your advice? Did you notice the result of your work after all this seminar and conference that you stand in front of women for four hours or five hours and there are some break and tea break and lunch or something for us and I was noticed that you never drink and you didn't eat and you stand and advise us and help us and teach us.
Do you think that it is a simple thing if people find a way to connect with you? Do you know how much you support women? But it's my responsibility that how can I use it from this conference and seminar, the way that you teach us? And from the first day, I got a scholarship from your office and I was coming free to the classes, irregularly. And I really miss you these days because I study and you know that I study in Elizabeth School of London now.
That's why I'm a little bit busy in these weeks that I couldn't participate for the leadership and management and the training that you provide in different parts of London. My advice is for the other women if they want to learn and start something.

▶ Play this clip

they should come. I love that. Didn't you say to me that you googled something like women in London who can help me? You googled something like that and I came up? What was it you googled? Just so I know. You know, when I come to London, there was a lot of people there that they can help me. I know some people. But the situation was something that all Afghan women, everybody was very you know, disappointed and upset.
And they couldn't. And there was some problem as well that no one helped each other. But now I really help all these women refugees that they contact with me. I advise them the same way that I established my organization. I help them. No one helped me. One day I was thinking that, oh, in the U.S., if I go there and just to the different part of the city and anywhere, if they know that she is a Dressmaker of Khair Khana, they came with a welcome because one time, [unclear] mentioned that if anyone, for all Americans, it's necessary, it's important to read the Dressmaker of Khair Khana.
I was very famous in the U.S. and everybody was welcoming. When I came to London, no one knows about me. One day I searched, just I write that who is the top leaders and women leaders in London to help other women. Your name was on the top. And then I start reading and reading and reading. And I say that I have to meet this woman. And then I send email to your office.
There was a thousand emails come. I know that I didn't complain. No one replied to me. Then there was another conference, another meeting, there was some, you know, costs, very expensive seats or something. I say that again, I send the email to them and then no one replied. Then the second time that I receive an email that if you want to apply for this course, please pay for this much and come to our course.
And then I found your email. I send email and write something about me. And I say that I would love to participate in your classes, but blah, blah, I lost this, this. And you send email to me that you can participate for this course. We have a scholarship. You can participate free. When I come and meet you, after that, we are friends now. I'm glad I sent that email. I don't know what we need to do with our admin not replying to you so many times, but I'm glad we did in the end.
Yes. Yes. And you reply my email. I remember your email. I mean, your story is so compelling.

▶ Play this clip

But yet it's not just your story, it's about what you're doing now. I find this really, really inspiring what you're doing now in London. And I love that it impacts Afghan women in London. I love that it also impacts Afghan women in Afghanistan. But it also impacts, I love, love, love what you said about if you meet a woman in London or wherever who is complaining about her life. then you'll explain to her about how many privileges that she actually has.
And I just really love that because I think sometimes we forget, you know, we forget we have our bad days and we forget, and we need to be, we need to be more global in our approach. We need to have the needs of women around the world in our mind, and we need to have solutions. not just, oh, it's really depressing, it's really hard, you know, donate here kind of thing. I think there needs to be better, much more pragmatic and entrepreneurial, social entrepreneurial solutions like you do, which is fabulous.
What would you say to women who want to make more of a difference, you know, whether around the world and in their own world? What would you say to women? How should they get started? They have to think about some solution and the next day they should do action. There are a lot of women, they have a lot of ideas and they have a lot of talent, a lot of passion, but they are afraid to start something.
I always take a risk, I always take a risk. You know, the day after the first conference,

▶ Play this clip

I thank our other friends, Laura, that now I know her from that conference, from your office, the conference. I have a good contact with her and she came and made a film and pictures, each and everything from one of my events. She was very supportive for me. I discussed with her and after that I established this brand of Roya Fashion Emporium. my Roya Fashion Emporium. Why Roya? Because in the book when the Taliban came I changed my name because of my safety, Roya.
And now I make this brand of Roya Fashion Emporium and I bought the clothes from from Kabul and bring it here in London and sell it for the Afghan women and send back money for them. I select Roya because these people should know about me, about Kamila and Roya, that how I changed my name to be safe and do something. And very soon I will do a photo shoot and one big fashion show here in London to show for this women in Kabul and get more customer to help them because there is no attention for Afghanistan, especially for funding.
Just UN Women and some other RFP announced during these three years there was no funding and no safety for international community to implement project. But still there is a market, there is opportunity. There are 35 million people living in Afghanistan. They need job, they need education, they need a business, each and everything. That's why I start something.

▶ Play this clip

and I take a risk. Are you ever scared though? It's not easy to, you know, to work with people and to get the trust of people that they are working with me because I cannot do all these things. I have different people and I'm a, you know, as an entrepreneur, multitask player. I just make my plan and give responsibility for different people and they do it. Not me, but they need me.
They always contact with me and I advise them and I help them. And now, since three years, I'm here in London, but some of the women that they leave 25 years and graduated from top level university in London, they called me and get some advice that how can I register a company or how can I do business? It is unbelievable for me. And they listen to me. Ira, I think you are a natural born. social entrepreneur, honestly.
And you're very creative and incredibly innovative and you seem fearless. I know you're not completely fearless, but you, to us ordinary people, you seem really fearless. I mean, you're just kind of like, ah, I started all these companies and I did this and I did that. And you know, I think most people listening would be going, oh my goodness, this is amazing. Like your story is amazing. You, I don't know that you really realize it.
It's so common sense to you. Like if you have a problem, you're going to find a solution. And then the next day you're going to take an action. I think that's a great way of thinking about it because a lot of people will just focus on the problem. Maybe some people might come up with a solution, but then actually doing something about it is the bit that I think holds most people back.

▶ Play this clip

But look at what you've done over the space of not very long. You started one event for Afghan business women in London, and then I love how it's grown. It's growing, it's growing, it's growing. And you're responsible for that. That's yours. Yes. And when I talk with all these women that some of them that they are very hard worker and smart that I promised to them, I will take you too. Dr.
Sam’s office. I've already promised for some of them that we will go and meet Dr. Sam and you will see that how we, how you can learn. If you learn, then you can find your way. Because as I remember that, uh, the training and the meditation, that advice that you gave it to me. Believe me, Dr. Sam, that it was not.

▶ Play this clip

It's unbelievable for me that how I use it, because I was very depressed. I was very depressed. What's your vision for the future for yourself, first of all? And then and then I want to talk about the world. I will never give up from all the challenges that I face. And what's my plan for future? I promise to Afghan women and Afghan people that one day I will go back and this time All my focus will be for sustainability of this country.
And I will teach, I will request from the policy maker to put a curriculum on the school for entrepreneurship. And we have to find entrepreneur during the school, during the university, and we have to help them and we have to focus that they are the change maker. They can bring a lot of change in the country. This is my plan and I promise to the people that education is a right of Afghan women and right of everyone.
This time I will support women for education and for business and I'm very optimistic that we will go back to Afghanistan.

▶ Play this clip