After growing up in the United States, Afghan-American businessman Ehsan Bayat returned to his homeland to help rebuild it. His efforts through his telecommunications company and the Ariana Radio and Television Network have helped connect Afghan citizens and the world.
He also works to improve the quality of life for all Afghans through effective charitable and social development programs.
The Bayat Foundation
Decades of violence, war, and political instability have left many families without a safe place to turn for assistance. These vulnerable families often cannot afford adequate food and shelter, obtain medical care, or send their children to school.
To address these challenges, The Bayat Foundation has launched several initiatives. It has remodeled and refurbished classrooms, dormitories, and libraries and constructed new schools and orphanages. It has also provided educational materials and supplies, including books, pencils, backpacks, shoes, and uniforms. Its family sponsorship program matches individual donors with families to pay a monthly stipend to help them meet their basic needs.
The Bayat Foundation has also helped to provide essential services for women, orphans, and people with disabilities through a range of educational, entrepreneurship, and recreational programs. It has also worked to bring hope and relief to communities devastated by floods and avalanches through disaster response and emergency aid projects, including the construction of water wells.
Education
The Bayat Foundation supports education, maternity health, family services, and clean water projects for needy families. For example, during the winter of 2008-09, the Bayat Foundation provided life-saving aid packages containing flour, oil, and blankets to families in Kabul, Sar-e Pul, Faryab, and other areas.
Bayat’s entrepreneurial philanthropy in Afghanistan reflects his desire to help rebuild his nation following decades of war and oppressive government rule. In 2002, he founded AWCC (Afghan Wireless Communication Company), which provides world-class communications infrastructure to enable Afghans to reconnect with the rest of the world.
In addition, he has established the Ariana Television and Radio Network and is committed to unlocking the potential of all Afghans through effective charitable outreach. Bayat also serves as an active board member of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. This organization has received global recognition for working with children with severe hearing loss. Their efforts have helped more than 1,000,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing children worldwide.
Maternal Health
Born and raised in Afghanistan, entrepreneur Ehsan Bayat established his highly successful business group with a firm commitment to help rebuild his country. Today, the Bayat Group operates leading Afghan companies in telecom, media, logistics, and industrial infrastructure with stringent corporate social responsibility programs.
The Bayat Foundation has built and refurbished a network of hospitals in remote areas of the country, providing life-saving maternity services for thousands of Afghan women. In addition, the Foundation has donated critical medical equipment and funding to Malali Maternity Hospital in Kabul, which will drastically reduce maternal mortality rates.
The Foundation also works to improve education quality and unlock Afghan families’ potential by sponsoring several schools. One example is the Rahman Meena School, where Bayat Foundation funds helped renovate classrooms and build a new computer lab for students to learn modern skills that will better prepare them for today’s job market.
Clean Water
In rural areas of Afghanistan, lack of access to clean water is one of the most pressing social issues. In combination with poor sanitation and environmental damage, these issues lead to poor health outcomes for many people in the country. With this in mind, the Bayat Foundation has prioritized clean water projects alongside education and maternal health care.
The organization recently completed 59 development projects, including 28 water wells and 25 ditches, to help local communities conserve resources. In addition, the group is exploring ways to develop a wastewater treatment system to protect the nation’s water sources.
This year, the Bayat Foundation was awarded a Global Humanitarian Award from the Starkey Hearing Foundation at its annual So the World May Hear Awards Gala. The award was given to the Foundation’s co-founders, Ehsan and Fatema Bayat. The couple was recognized for their dedication to helping the most vulnerable in the Afghan community. The couple also spoke on the power of service to others and philanthropy’s impact.
