Bayat Foundation Establishes an Afghan Trusted Network to Facilitate Engagement, Quality of Life and Livelihoods in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday 125 humanitarian, corporate and government agency leaders from the U.S., Canada and Afghanistan gathered on Capitol Hill for the Afghan Symposium for Humanitarian and Leadership Engagement to highlight and leverage best practices and networks and collaborate to expand programs, facilitate engagement and increase the quality of life, education and livelihoods for the people of Afghanistan.

The Symposium was hosted by Chairman Ehsan Bayat of the Bayat Foundation with Co-Chair Ajmal Ghani, Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce, and Hon. George Foresman, DHS Under Secretary (2005-2007), moderated the dialogue with sub-committee participants about Creating an Afghan Trusted Network.

"The youth are the future of Afghanistan, they are eager for education, jobs and training, hence the network's goal is to collectively do what we can - to engage and realize more training and mentoring opportunities if not eventual jobs for the young men and women," said Ehsan Bayat, Chairman of the Bayat Foundation, Ariana Television and Radio Network and Afghan Wireless Communication Company.

H.E. Ambassador Said T. Jawad underscored the significance of this Afghan Symposium to develop the Afghan Trusted Network by stating, "Being in the forefront of philanthropic work in Afghanistan, the Bayat Foundation has helped convene this timely forum of NGOs and the civil society to share our experience and leverage our expertise and networks to enhance efficiency and cooperation between the public and private sectors in order to serve the people of Afghanistan, who are hopeful and in need of our support."

H.E. Ambassador Said T. Jawad, USAID's Jim Bever, Director Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force, H.E. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, former Ambassador of the United Nations, Iraq and Afghanistan, Hon. Paula Dobriansky, Sr. Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center and Under Secretary of State (2001-2009), and Actress Diane Baker provided remarks.

Bayat Foundation President and Executive Director, Fatema Bayat, underscored the significance of bringing everyone together when stating, "A Bayat Foundation best practice is to first listen to the needs as articulated by the elders in the provinces first before implementing any of our programs or infrastructure to ensure they are meaningful and adopted by the Afghan people."

Ehsan Bayat Chairs the Afghan Trusted Network, and Heidi Kuhn, Roots of Peace Founder/CEO and John Gastright, Dyn-Corp International Vice President of Government Affairs will serve as 2009-2010 Co-Chairs.

Bayat Foundation Humanitarian and Leadership Engagement Awards were presented to Dr. Peter and Rebecca Grossman of the Grossman Burn Foundation with a Burn Center in Kabul, and Caroline Firestone, Founder of the New Hudson Foundation for exceptional dedication and service to the people of Afghanistan.

Sponsors for this event include DynCorp International, Gordon Feinblatt and D3 Systems/Afghan Center for Social Opinion & Research.

About The Bayat Foundation

Since 2005, the Bayat Foundation, led by Ehsan & Fatema Bayat, has contributed to over 140 projects to improve the quality of life and enable the lives of Afghans by providing for basic human needs, constructing new facilities and infrastructure, organizing sporting events, promoting health, education and economic programs to help rebuild and preserve Afghanistan's cultural heritage. The independent USA-based 501(c)3 Bayat Foundation, www.bayatfoundation.org, through the support of its donors, partners with the non-governmental Bayat Foundation in Kabul, Afghanistan, www.bayatfoundation.org.af to promote the well-being of the Afghan people. In 2002, Chairman Bayat launched Afghan-Wireless Communication Company, www.afghanwireless.com, the first wireless service and Internet service provider in Afghanistan followed by the 2005 launch of ARIANA Television Network (ATN), www.arianatelevision.com, with\international reach and ARIANA Radio (FM 93.5).

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