The director of the Parliamentary Society Rebeca Riofrio was invited to be part of this conference at the London School of Economics. Event organised by WISEA, in collaboration with CHADARI and the LSE Afghan Society.
The conference covered the following main topics: resources available in the UK for Afghan Refugees, ways to support women from/in Afghanistan, mental health and starting a business.
In the current 21st century, millions of women and girls around the world are still subjected to discrimination because of their gender. Women face social and economic discrimination which prevent them from enjoying the same freedom as males.
THE CONFERENCE
This conference brought together Afghan women refugees and people interested in the topic of Afghanistan, In the lapse of 4 hours they discussed and reflected on the challenges and opportunities while starting a new life in the UK.
The most important part of this conference had been its speakers on the panel discussions, who are highly valued professionals, experienced in their career/business area, socially active individuals, who really care about Afghan women refugees’ lives. LSE professors Mary Kaldor and Marika Theros opened the conference with a welcoming speech. In the first session of panel discussions, Julian Norman - Immigration lawyer, Goldsmith Chambers, Luda Beanland - Chartered Tax Advisor, Schoolgate Accounting Services Ltd., Somy Mavlavezada fashion designer, Somylondon, discussed the opportunities in the UK for Afghan women refugees.
SECOND SESSION:
Professor Emeritus of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict Research Programme
Research Unit an independent Expert and Policy Fellow at the Conflict and Civil Society, Rebeca Riofrio (Director at Parliamentary Society for Arts), Mariam Azizi (Representative of Mosaic Afghanistan), Dewa Khan (Founder of Dewa Trust) and Yalda Gafore (President of LSE Afghan Society) spoke about the effective ways to support women in/from Afghanistan.
The Conference continued with inspirational and educational presentations with well-known Mindset mentor Mimi Bland speaking on the topic of “Embracing Your New Life” and business coach, human rights advocate.
Molly Abduali with her presentation “Find your passion and start your own business”. Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, a founder of Chadari, summarised the main points of this event, expressed gratitude to the speakers, sponsors and participants, and concluded with closing remarks.\
ABOUT WISEA:
WISEA (Women’s Independence, Solidarity and Enlightenment Association) was founded to make its social contribution to decrease this gender gap throughout society and contribute to global change. WISEA is an educating and networking membership platform where women are united to unleash their full potential to create, and to support other women. They help women to: find their passion, enjoy the process of building their business; meet business partners, potential clients and friends; get inspired by others; and learn from the best experts in the industry (more information at: www.wisea.co.uk).
ABOUT CHADARI:
Chadari contributes to the expansion of community projects through networking and educational initiatives to assist the local women in raising concerns, establishing connections with the Afghan diaspora and the global community, talking about their challenges and
sharing their brave stories (more at: www.chadariproject.com).
THE LSE AFGHAN SOCIETY:
The LSE Afghan Society is a fast-growing society at LSE with the aim to bring light to the rich and diverse heritage of the region through a number of informal and academic events, whilst also engaging in relevant and informed discourses. (more on Instagram @lsesuafghansoc).
SPONSORS:
ABOUT MOSAIC
Mosaic Afghanistan, was founded in 2022 to create a more equitable and just society for all Afghanistan people (https://mosaicafghanistan.org/)
ABOUT TECHTADD
Techtadd - a Digital Marketing Agency that works on a global scale (https://techtadd.co.uk/)