Have you ever seen an Afghan doll come down the stairs of a private jet? Circulate and hob-nob at a fancy dinner event? How about belt out one of Aretha’s best into a tiny microphone (AKA a tube of lipstick)? Neither had we, until we met Homa!

And so it goes for Homa, the Afghan doll who is traveling the world. She’s on an exciting journey; being hosted along the way by a network of friends and supporters. She’s poses a question to us all: How far can a woman go? How far can a woman go with an opportunity? With an education? Health Care? Gender equality? Hope?

• The Afghan dolll, Homa, disembarks from a private jet in Napa, California. Photo courtesy of Rising International. •

The idea to send Homa, the doll, off into the world began in April 2011 at the Women's Funding Network Conference in Brooklyn. The WFN is one of the largest collaborative philanthropic networks in the world. Rising International's Executive Director, Carmel Jud, brought Homa to the conference where she was a huge hit. Carmel took photos of Homa on her first New York cab ride, on the subway, on the Brooklyn Bridge, and with various conference participants. At the conference, she met Laurel Parker West, Executive Director of the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls. Laurel offered to take Homa next, and from there the idea of Homa traveling the world was born.

I think the concept that a widow in Afghanistan can potentially transport herself up and out of her given circumstances through creative work is nothing less than breath-taking. This is one way in which art, craft, and creative thought becomes transformational. Starting with the personal experience of the artisan, and flowing onward with the purchasing power of the buyer, empowerment travels. Fair trade and socially conscious spending have become global game-changers; underscoring the concept that the creativity of the human spirit can be collectively transformational, personally and politically.

• Homa with Brian Boitano at Pebble Beach Food and Wine. April, 2011. Photograph courtesy of Rising International. •

Homa’s official bon voyage party takes place in Santa Cruz, California on the afternoon of May 7th. Homa’s fans and followers will equip her with a GPS device (so she can be tracked on Google Maps).

Directly support the artisan women in Afghanistan by “adopting” a doll of your very own.

Imagine what inspiration, hope, and opportunity can mean to a widow in Afghanistan.

How far can a woman go?

Jean Bathke is project manager for the Homa Rising project at Rising International. She is a Rising International volunteer with a background in Women’s Studies, art and textile design.