Origin Story

Ahmad Shah Karimi, the Founder of Afghanistan Youth Empowerment and Peace-Building Organization (AYEPO) had a special vision in mind when he created the fledgling peace-building organization. In conflict-torn Afghanistan where daily life is a struggle and the backbone of the economy is broken due to the political turmoil for decades now, Ahmad wished to merely replicate the model of the home that he had as a child where education and peaceful ways of solving problems was the norm. This was his model and inspiration, a parallel reality in a microcosm that does not feature as an established reality in Afghanistan as we know it today. But could it perhaps be a reality one day if young people step up and create that space for each other? In Ahmad’s life that space was facilitated by the young change-makers’ mother, widowed early in life and left to raise Ahmad and his brothers all by herself. The gritty, determined and compassionate mother ensured that amidst the turbulent and swift changing political realities in Afghanistan, she raised her sons to embody a spirit of equality, inclusion, compassion and deep social responsibility through education and skills for building rewarding and fulfilling relationships. Ahmad was himself raised to embody the change that he wishes to create in the world around himself today.

As he stepped into adulthood, Ahmad went on to work for other organizations in the social sector only to discover the potential of such a humble space to become the epicenter for change when young people could come together to harness the power of diversity, mutual respect, mutual learning through compassionate communication. He was reminded time and again of the home that had instilled such values in him. He wondered if he could create a home away from home for other young people to experience what life could be if they wished to do their bit to work on themselves as change-makers by being the change, by adopting the new kind of education and relationships that were grounded in empathy, compassion and the passion to move ahead while taking everyone along. AYEPO was eventually born as the convening space and platform for young people to come together to experience peace and community. Ahmad envisions his organization to become a platform for re-imagining change through peace-education and hopes to facilitate such change by bringing knowledge resources for the same from the best in the world. One of his most important intentions remains to bring women into the narrative to create the kind of community spaces that provide the foundation for more grounded and conscious families. AYEPO is designed to be the bridge that connects a simple facilitative space such as the home to become the basis for incremental change in the community at large through the young peacemakers.