Think Creative - Issue 3

Think Creative by Creative Associates International

Letter from Leland Kruvant President & CEO Creative Associates International

CREATIVE SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Founder & Board Chair Charito Kruvant President & CEO Leland Kruvant Chief Operating Officer Pablo Maldonado Executive Vice President Earl Gast Chief Financial Officer Oswaldo Holguin Senior Vice President Thomas Wheelock Senior Vice President Sharon Cooley VP, External Relations Jessica Kruvant VP, Global Operations Mario Vilela

What sincerely motivates me—and all my colleagues at Creative—are the people who are represented in these numbers. For example, Fakhria Ibrahimi Momtaz is a remarkable entrepre- neur and visionary bundled in the figure of 15,813. She is the co-own- er of technology company Momtaz Host and founder of Momtaz Yoga Center, Kabul’s first such center for women. A yoga practitioner herself, Fakhria saw the mental and physical benefit the practice could provide to women in a traditional culture and conflict- affected society. She participated in AWDP’s inten- sive training, along with several fe- male employees, which has helped her to grow both businesses. Today, her yoga classes are always

Plenty of numbers cross my desk. Proposed project budgets, quarterly financial statements and even frequent flyer miles. But the numbers I most enjoy tallying are the ones that tell the stories of transformation taking place globally through the projects we help to implement. Let me provide you with three big numbers: 15,813; 8,929; and 77. Each one is from the USAID- supported AfghanistanWorkforce Development Program (AWDP). The first figure, 15,813, is the num- ber of women who gained new business skills through technical training. The second figure, 8,929, is the original target of women to be trained. The final number, 77, is the percentage by which AWDP over-achieved its goal.

full, and she delights in sharing her passion with other women. You can read her story on page 10 and view her video online. During my visit to Kabul, I saw firsthand how AWDP’s six-plus years in 12 cities transformed professional training. AWDP is working with training institutes to design classes in in-demand, market-based skills that job seek- ers and entrepreneurs like Fakhria can deploy to launch careers and grow businesses. Indeed, at Creative, numbers are more than figures. They represent people and progress. Sincerely,

EDITORIAL STAFF

Senior Director, Communications Michael J. Zamba Communications Manager Marta S. Maldonado Strategic Content Manager Jillian Slutzker Art Direction Amanda Smallwood Writers Natalie Lovenburg Evelyn Rupert Web Design & Digital Technology Luis Aguilar Contributing Photographers Skip Brown Erick Gibson Jim Huylebroek Emanuel Rodríguez Think Creative is published three times a year by Creative Associates International, a global development organization dedicated to supporting people around the world to realize the positive change they seek. The content is produced by Creative and does not represent the policies or positions of its clients, partners or host governments. Reproduction of any or all of Think Creative is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright ©2018.

20 Feature Stories

20 // Women at Work: Nicaraguan women forge their own paths to technical careers 22 // First Textbook: A learning milestone in Mozambique

First Textbook 22 p.

25 Creative Life A mission-driven community 26 // Staff Spotlight: Earl Gast

Results-driven leadership from DC to the field

Earl Gast 22 p.

27 // • Culture Corner: Pakistan’s “Jingle” Trucks • Staff Photo Submissions 28 // On the Rise: Investing in women’s leadership in development 29 // Empowering Youth around the World • Shaping tomorrow’s leaders at Creative • The youth ROI • Creative’s summer interns 30

Empowering Creative Women 28 p.

For more information about Think Creative , please email us at ThinkCreative@CreativeDC.com

5301 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20015 + 202.966.5804 Creative Associates International CreativeAssociatesInternational.com

// Walk this Way: A day in the life of Jeffrey Coleman, Regional HR Operations Manager, Africa

Photos by Skip Brown (top, bottom), Leopoldino Jerónimo (center); Illustration by Sorbetto/iStock

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