Technologists, Inc. Begins Construction of International Center for Afghan Women’s Economic Development

 

February 8, 2012

Arlington, Va.

 

Technologists, Inc. (Ti), an international engineering and management consulting company that works primarily in challenging and remote environments, has begun construction of the International Center for Afghan Women’s Economic Development on the new campus of the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in Kabul. The Friends of the American University of Afghanistan, a U.S.-based nonprofit corporation that promotes higher education in Afghanistan through advocacy and development support, selected Ti to be the prime contractor on the $3.75 million project. Ti will construct the building at cost as part of the company's commitment to women’s education in Afghanistan.

 

The Center will become the new home for the U.S./Afghan Women’s Council plus several nongovernmental organizations and a university program focusing on women’s economic empowerment. Amy Burkett, principal of BurkettDesign, an award-winning architecture firm based in Denver, Colorado, designed the building. When completed, the Center will include classrooms, offices, audio-visual facilities, a resource center, computer labs, and an auditorium. The project is funded by a grant to the Friends of the AUAF from the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations.

 

Senior Ti staff, including Malik Mortaza, vice president of Afghanistan operations; Lucille Hunter, director of the design division; and Khadija Mayar, director of capacity building and public relations, participated in the February 2 groundbreaking ceremony at the building site with other V.I.P. guests, including Ryan C. Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. (See photos, below.)

 

“Promoting the economic and professional development of women has been part of Ti’s corporate culture since we began working in Afghanistan” said Sayed Aziz Azimi, president and CEO of Ti. “Our company’s success is due in no small measure to the contributions of our female engineers, architects, and other professionals. We are proud to work with Chairman Leslie Schweitzer and the Friends on a project that will create even more high-level opportunities for women in Afghanistan.”

 

Since 2004 Ti has completed more than 50 projects and has 17 projects currently underway for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other clients, ranging from single buildings and roads to complex facilities with multiple buildings plus all associated infrastructure.

 

Ti employs more than 1,000 persons in Afghanistan with a workforce that is 95 percent Afghan-national. Ti’s capacity building and public relations division offers training in business, management, computer literacy, English language, and other skills essential to women’s economic empowerment.

 

The content of this news release does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Government. No official U.S. Government endorsement should be inferred.