Beyond the 11th was founded nearly 20 years ago as an extraordinary response to unspeakable loss: Compassion.
Susan Retik was expecting her third child when the last thing she ever expected happened -- her husband David was killed on the first plane to hit the World Trade Center. But Susan did not give in to grief. Instead she launched Beyond the 11th, a foundation dedicated to uplifting the lives of Afghan widows -- among the poorest and most destitute in the world.
Today, the organization she co-founded has transformed the lives of thousands of widows -- and their children -- with life-saving education and job training programs.
Beyond the 11th transcends acts of hate with acts of humanity, acts of despair with acts of ingenuity, and acts of fear with acts of self-reliance. Its embrace of Afghan widows - sisters across the world - is helping to spread peace hand to hand and heart to heart, one widow at a time.
"I believe education and economic stability are antidotes to despair and extremism. By teaching Afghan women how to support themselves, we help unlock a world of better choices for them and their children - and that benefits us all." -- Susan Retik
Where the Money Goes
The fundraising you do for Beyond the Bike has an immediate and powerful impact on the lives of Afghan widows. Beyond the 11th partners with international aid organizations like CARE, and NGOs like Arzu and BPeace, to provide Afghan widows literacy classes and training in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures. Graduates of our programs have started many life-sustaining businesses:
· Raising and selling eggs in their villages
· Managing dairy cows and selling the milk
· Hand stitching regulation soccer balls for sale around the world
· Creating one of a kind hand knotted rugs, distributed by Arzu
· Investing in and managing Savings & Loans programs, where women lend to women for life's necessities such as education and healthcare