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Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Few countries have endured the extraordinary and persistent hardship faced by Afghanistan over recent decades. From ongoing drought, food insecurity, and poverty, to invasion, occupation, ethnic conflict and civil war, and displacement of staggering proportions. As a result, much of the country has been left utterly devastated and without hope. Since 1984, Shelter For Life has worked extensively to assist Afghan communities to rebuild their lives. Our work in the region has been diverse, including: implementing sustainable income generation and livelihood programs, restoring public infrastructure, providing access to financial services, disaster relief and humanitarian services, facilitating community development initiatives, disaster risk reduction programs, and strengthening agriculture and rural development.

Our Work:

Restoring Resilience in Rural Afghanistan 

Around 39% of Afghans live below the poverty line, with huge differences in living standards between those living in cities and those in rural areas. Further, around 33% of Afghans are food insecure and 3.4 million severely food insecure. Consequently, there is urgent need to tackle the country’s nutritional, educational and environmental problems, and support vulnerable people to improve their livelihoods.

LIFFT-Cashew will create durable trade infrastructure, increase access to financial services, organize and train smallholder farmers to increase production and bargaining power, and build the capacity of local processors to add value to kernels in the SeGaBi cashew production zone. As a result, the program will benefit smallholder farmers, a range of processors, and a variety of other businesses along the cashew value chain.

Our program addresses this by developing value chain linkages necessary to support an integrated regional trade network for the cashew value chain, and enhancing the production and trade of cashews in local and international markets.

"When the road was completed, we came back and realized that the road had also brought peace with it." ~Bourama

Mustafa Omar, CEO

Mustafa Omar
Chief Executive Officer

Mustafa Omar has worked for Shelter For Life International in the field and Headquarters management positions; managing projects, leading new business development, and guiding operations around the world. Mr. Omar was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan and has worked in post-conflict reconstruction, Disaster Risk Reduction caused by human or natural phenomena, and market-revitalization efforts in Central Asia, East and West Africa, Europe, and Middle East for the past twenty (20) plus years. Mustafa holds graduate degrees in business administration and urban planning and is working on a PhD at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. Topics of research and professional interest include Market Resilience and Social Risk-Management, Influence of Environmental Degradation on Fragile Markets, Impact of Improving Physical Space on Lasting Peace, and the Interaction between Modern Governance and Informal Market Structures.

Gordon Wright
Vice Chairman

Gordon A. Wright is Founder and President of over 40 years with JIMI International and is an Elder at Tulsa Christian Fellowship. Mr. Wright owned and operated a lawn and tree service business for nearly 15 years. Mr. Wright also served with the US Army for three years in the 1960s.Two of Mr. Wright’s years were spent in South Korea as a Brigade Intelligence Sergeant. Mr. Wright has provided mentoring and counseling to spiritual leaders around the world; with specific attention to individuals in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet Bloc countries. Mr. Wright helped to found and direct East/West Resources International and Global Assistance Partners International. Mr. Wright has served as one of the original founding board of directors for Shelter For Life International. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Gordon grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and currently resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma.