// Achievement Award |
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The Economic Opportunity Achievement Award is an international award presented to an individual or institution that has consistently demonstrated a commitment to collaboration, knowledge and resource sharing, and active cooperation in the service of ending poverty. The Collaboration honors exceptional champions who freely share a big idea, an innovation or a groundbreaking model with others in order to further economic opportunity. Award recipients are individuals who, through a lifetime of accomplishment, leverage their roles, responsibilities and resources to create coalitions, nurture creative competition and craft new solutions for poverty alleviation. Sakena Yacoobi is the founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), providing education and health services to more than 350,000 Afghan women and children each year. One of the largest nonprofits in Afghanistan, AIL finds culturally appropriate ways to provide education for girls and women, and has trained more than 10,000 teachers. Internationally, Sakena Yacoobi works for women and children's rights with the International Rescue Committee, as co-founder of Creating Hope International, and as a board member of the Global Fund for Women. Sakena's lifetime of dedication has been widely recognized, from being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the 1000 Women project, to recent Skoll and Ashoka Foundation awards for her important role as a social entrepreneur. Afghan Institute of Learning Since its inception, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) has worked toward providing Afghans with two basic human rights: health care and education. By teaching students through methods that promote critical thinking, the value of human rights, the importance of women's rights, and problem solving techniques, AIL provides the basis for moving the culture to the next steps of self-reliance and leadership. AIL works in partnership with communities in 8 provinces of Afghanistan and the refugee camps of Pakistan, focusing on communities which do not have access to education and health. AIL works with women, men and children and, because of the trust that Afghan communities have in AIL, more than 70% of beneficiaries are female. Listening to the community members, AIL offers what they ask for: schools for children; educational learning centers for women and children which offer classes including literacy, tailoring, beauty shop management, carpet weaving, calligraphy, miniature painting, computer, English, Arabic and more; health services and health education; and training in pedagogy, leadership, human rights, gender issues, management, women's health, peace, self-immolation and democracy, and many other specifically requested topics. AIL publishes a magazine on education and health, support a public library in Herat, and recently began promoting the revival of culture in Herat by publishing a book of historical places and holding classes on traditions the restored Citadel. AIL has held conferences that bring Afghans from diverse backgrounds together to discuss important issues facing Afghanistan. And in the past two years, AIL has helped to facilitate the growth of two groups (female and male) of young emerging leaders, who meet regularly to discuss the problems facing Afghanistan and possible solutions and who have, as volunteers, implemented many projects in their own communities designed to solve the problems facing those communities. Awards - German Media Prize (2011) - Afghan Ministry of Education and district governments in Mir Bacha Kot, Shakardara, Kalakan, Farza & 6th district Kabul, recognition of service awards - Tanenbaum Center for Inter-religious Understanding Action Award (2003) - Peter Gruber Foundation Prize for Women's Rights (2004) - Nobel Peace Prize Nomination, as part of the 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize project (2005) - Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy (2005) - Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2006) - Ashoka Foundation Senior Fellow (2006) - University of the Pacific Citizen Leader Award (2006) and honorary Doctor of Laws (2007) - Harvard University JFK School of Government Gleitsman International Activist Award (2007) - Loma Linda University honorary Doctor of Humanitarian Service (2008) - Americans for UNFPA Board of Advocates Award for the Health and Dignity of Women (2009) - Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership (2009) - Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights (2010) - Schwab Foundation Asia Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2010) In Her Own Words "When you see the joy and excitement in the students' faces, when you see them sitting on dirt floors, under trees, and in dark basements – anywhere to get an education, you forget all your trouble..." "When I returned to the Afghan refugee camps, I knew that Afghan women were strong but most were uneducated and unhealthy...so, I founded the Afghan Institute of Learning to give Afghan women and girls the same opportunity that I had to be educated. Education changed my life and I knew that with education, they could change their lives, have choices, have power and accomplish a lot." "Organizations that do not work at the request of the community can run into trouble and feel threatened. If the community thinks the organization is trying to impose foreign values and unwanted programs on them, they will retaliate against the women and not allow them to attend classes. Operating your program in a culturally sensitive manner is extremely important."
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