Afghan Summit 2007 on Dec15th in Fremont, Ca

Date Nov 27th 2007

The Rebuild Afghanistan Summit
An opportunity for the San Francisco Bay Area to help rebuild Afghanistan
please help in promoting this event


Since 2004 a large number of San Francisco non-profit organizations who work in Afghanistan have come together to present their work to the community. The purpose of these forums has been to raise public awareness and garner support. The planners of what is now called The Rebuild Afghanistan Summit would like to invite you to participate by sponsoring the 2007 event.

Background: The San Francisco Bay Area is home to thousands of the Afghan Diaspora. Many non-profit organizations have been established whose missions are to help with the rebuilding of Afghanistan . These efforts include projects to empower women, plant trees, build schools, assist with medical care, implement satellite teaching programs, donate wheelchairs, institute micro-lending programs and upgrade the country's infrastructure (build bridges, dig wells etc).

The scale of these projects vary but in the beginning all of the organizations faced similar difficulties with logistics. For example, those trying to rebuild had to find reliable people within the country and/or establish offices, deal with the nascent government and its requirements and overcome the problems of shipping (or lack thereof). Even the simple actions of emailing, faxing, making phone calls were sometimes difficult.

In the past few years many of these logistical problems have smoothed out considerably, a factor in helping these organizations get their work done. One key area where help is still needed is increased public awareness and support, not just from the Afghan American community but the entire SF Bay Area.

Rebuild Afghanistan Events: The Rebuild Afghanistan events were organized by Masood Sattari, an engineer who lives in the San Francisco area. Concerned about the fragile state of Afghanistan and the huge effort needed to rebuild the country, Masood wanted to mobilize the Bay Area to increase the response and get more people active.

The first event was held in Fremont , California in 2004. A second was held in 2005. The format consisted of each participating organization giving a short presentation of their work. These events were successful in terms of generating wider community support although the majority of the audience members were friends and family of the organizations involved and/or members of the Afghan-American community.

A third event was held in 2005 at the Oakland Public Library. More advanced publicity was done and a broader public turnout resulted.

The fourth Rebuild Afghanistan event was held November 4, 2006 at California State University , East Bay . Billed as the Rebuild Afghanistan Summit 2006, fifteen organizations presented their work to a capacity audience. Another ten organizations had tables at the event. Keynote speaker, Dr. Nake Kamrany, an economics professor from the University of Southern California , discussed the overall picture of rebuilding Afghanistan . Awista Ayub, from the Embassy of Afghanistan, spoke about the responsibility of U.S. citizens and Afghan Americans to help with rebuilding. Some good press coverage was gotten and overall the event proved to be the largest and most successful to date.

While the Summit organizers were happy with 2006 event there is room for improvement. Our bottom line is the rebuilding of Afghanistan , and there is no upper limit as to how great this effort can be. Each year these events have attracted more public and have indeed brought about greater public awareness and greater public support. Also, the non-profits themselves are working together more effectively -- both here and in Afghanistan .

The planning committee is now working on the next Rebuild Afghanistan Summit scheduled for Dec 15th, 2007 in Fremont , California . We will be changing the format of the event, with emphasis on guest speakers who will really reach and inspire the audience. This will be the primary focus of the event itself, with break-out sessions following the speakers where the non-profit organizations will present their work on a workshop/networking basis.


Securing speakers, increasing promotion and having a larger venue require a budget, so we are asking companies in the Bay Area to step up and become a part of this important endeavor. Enclosed please find a sponsorship guide, press pack from the 2006 event, photos and a list of those organizations who participated in last year's Summit .

Please keep in mind that these events are not fundraisers. They are designed to educate the community and get more people volunteering with the rebuilding activities. In order for organizations to participate in the Summit they must have current projects underway in Afghanistan , must have tax-exempt status or financial sponsorship with a tax-exempt organization and must have volunteer opportunities for Bay Area residents.
please forward this email to creat an awareness for our summit.

Thank you in advance for your consideration!

Sincerely,


Anosha Zereh Misaghi
2007 Rebuild Afghanistan Summit - Planning Committee

email: anoshazmisaghi [at] yahoo.com



website information: http://www.kabulmaternity.org/2007Rebuild/index_2007.html