HIHAO

Hand in Hand Afghanistan

Hand in Hand Afghanistan (HIHAO) is a not-for-profit and non-governmental organization registered with Ministry of Economy of the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (License # 890; 21 December 2006) working towards elimination of poverty through creation of enterprise and jobs.

Vision

HIHAO’s vision is an Afghanistan free of poverty, where gender equality is its cornerstone.

Mission

HIHAO’s mission is to work for economic and social empowerment of the poor by supporting the creation of enterprises and jobs, and the generation of higher incomes. Targeting the poor and marginalized communities, with a particular focus on poor women, HIHAO empowers SHGs, provides support and training, and helps them access credit, information, markets and opportunities.

Governance

HIHAO is committed to good governance and follows recommended best practices. The HIHAO Board of Directors is the governing body chaired by Ms. Seema Ghani, with a mission to guide and take strategic decisions for the organization’s long-term future and oversee its financial affairs, while holding its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to account.

No staff members are voting members of the Board though the Board and the CEO work in close partnership. The Board composition covers essential skills, knowledge to complement that of the staff, and it pays particular attention to issues of security, fraud and corruption. Hand in Hand International has an ex officio seat to bring international experience and create a fiduciary link to donors.

Seema Ghani (Board Director)

Ms. Ghani has been chairing Hand in Hand Afghanistan Board of Directors (BD) since 2008. She obtained a Master of Science degree in International Business and studied another Master of Science course in Development studies in the UK, where she worked for PriceWaterHouseCoopers as a consultant. Since returning to Afghanistan in 2002, she has served in government as Director General of Budget for the Ministry of Finance and Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. She led the reform of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and served as a member of its board. Later, she set up The Khorasan Charity, which provides care for some of the most vulnerable children in Afghanistan. She is also a member of several civil society boards, including the Khurasan Charity, the Afghan Technical Vocational Institute, The Afghan Family Guidance Association and Open Society Afghanistan. She is also the Founder of People’s Movement Against Corruption in Afghanistan.

Email: seema@ghanis.org

Amalia Johnsson

Amalia has worked in international development for more than 12 years, specialising in financial inclusion and supporting rural livelihoods. Prior to joining Hand in Hand as Head of Programs, she was Head of Financial Sector Development at Nathan Associates, overseeing the organisation’s portfolio of financial sector focused work. Amalia has worked with and advised a range of institutional and corporate donors, including DFID, SIDA, FSDA, Access to Finance Rwanda, Mastercard Foundation, Barclays, and Deutsche Bank. She also worked at Plan International UK, and spent several years at the OECD and in the UK financial industry. She has a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge.

Email: ajohnsson@hihinternational.org

Waheed Saifi

Mr. Saifi is the former Policy and Organizational Development Adviser to the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs and most recently he has been the Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Education. He has been a member of the Hand in Hand Afghanistan Board of Directors since 2010.
He holds an MSc. in Development Management from the London School of Economics. He has served in the government and international organizations with a successful track record of more than 15 years of experience, more than 10 of which have been spent in senior management and advisory positions.

Email: waheed.saifi@yahoo.com

Najibullah Samim

Najibullah Samim was the former CEO of Harakat Afghanistan and Afghanistan Microfinance Association (AMA). Previously he worked as Managing Director of Microfinance Agency for Development and Rehabilitation of Afghan Communities (MADRAC). He has also served as Board member and Chairman of AMA for many years. He has more than 20 years of working experience in the field of Development out of which 12 years is in the field of Microfinance. He is currently working as a freelance consultant.

Mr. Samim obtained his MBA degree from Preston University in 2002 and his B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering in 1997. He has represented the organizations he has worked with in many international conferences and forums. He has been a board member of the South Asian Micro-entrepreneurs Network (SAMN) since its inception in 2008 and is currently serving as its Vice Chairman.

Email: ceo@harakat.af

Management

The overall operation of Hand in Hand Afghanistan is managed by Chief Executive Officer/Country Director in close cooperation with Program Manager, Chief Finance Officer, Branch Offices Coordinator, Sr. Capacity Development Officer and Sr. Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.

Abdul Rahim Nasry – CEO/Country Director

Nasry joined Hand in Hand Afghanistan in February 2012, he brings a wealth of experience to Hand in Hand from both government and NGO sectors.

His experience includes extensive work at the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled, where he was responsible for the implementation of a number of programs including the National Skills Development Program, which is a priority program of the government of Afghanistan. Later as Strategic Advisor to the Deputy Minister, he was responsible for the “Afghanistan Pension Administration/Safety Net Project” funded by the World Bank. Before joining the Ministry, he spent some twenty years working with a number of International NGOs in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He holds an Executive MBA from the Preston Institute of Management Science and Technology in Pakistan. Over the past twenty years, he has also participated in a large number of training courses, seminars, workshops and conferences around the world with an emphasis on skills development and poverty reduction.

Email: arahimnasry@handinhand.org.af

Ahmad Kamran Hekmati – Program Director

Dr. Ahmad Kamran Hekmati joined HiH Af in the capacity of Program Manager in September 2013. He has come to the organization with his 15 year experience of leading and managing community development projects in and outside Afghanistan. Before joining HiH Af, he has worked for the Afghan Red Crescent Society, the Medicines Sans Frontiers, the World Health Organization, the Management Sciences for Health, and the University Research Co. He received the Exceptional Performance Award for Health Care Improvement Project in 2012 from the University Research Co., LLC Bethesda, USA in October that year. He graduated from Balkh Medical University in 1998 and in 2011 successfully completed the one year Improvement Advisor Professional Development Program in Accra, Ghana by Institute of Healthcare Improvement, USA.

Email: khekmati@handinhand.org.af

Sama Sahari – Chief Finance Officer

Sama Sahari joined Hand in Hand in Mid July 2017, she holds a BS degree on Finance from Khana-e-Noor Private University and currently studying diploma program in Banking & Finance (evening shift), She keen to follow her higher education.

Sama has 11 years of working experience as a member of Admin/Finance team with implementing partners of well-known national and international organizations, such as DABs, MEC, IDLG, Ministry of Health & Ministry of Education, in various development projects such as The World Bank, US Embassy, UNDP, DFID, DANIDA, and The Global Fund. She was the honorary treasurer for Afghanistan Family Guidance Association board.

Email: cfo@handinhand.org.af

Mohammad Rafi Azimi – Deputy Program Director

Mr. Azimi started his professional career with Hand in Hand Afghanistan in February 2008. He has been through different positions during his ten years of employment including MIS officer, Public Relations Officer, Deputy Provincial Coordinator and is currently working as Deputy Program Manager to assists the program manager in managing project implementation, planning and reporting. He has a good knowledge of the organizational history and led development of the first Management Information System for Hand in Hand Afghanistan.

Rafi has received his BA in Economics and a Diploma on Information Technology. He has pursued technical studies in one of the Institutes in Mazar-e-Sharif. He has also attended a series of training including ‘Making Market Work for the Poor’ in Stockholm Sweden and Hand in Hand’s Social Entrepreneurship Program in South Africa.

Email: Rafi.azimi@handinhand.org.af