Press Release

Remittance Program Developed through Public-Private Partnership

Online business connects Afghan disapora to Afghanistan.

Kabul, Afghanistan | Saturday, March 15, 2008

A public-private partnership has resulted in the launch of a unique online business that connects Afghan diaspora to Afghanistan via the Internet and facilitates electronic funds transfer with personal and trustworthy deliveries all around the country.

By logging into the TOFA.AF website, a relative living in the United States can select items ranging from school supplies to livestock as a gift for someone in Afghanistan. The TOFA.AF team then procures the item in Afghanistan and delivers the gift directly to the family member. As a final step, TOFA.AF takes a video of the delivery and sends it back to the relative living abroad.

Named TOFA.AF, (tofa in Dari means gift) this project is part of a public-private partnership program in which each partner makes a unique contribution. Digistan, an Afghan IT service provider, developed the portal and launched marketing activities in the diaspora communities in the U.S. and Europe. Afghanistan Demain, a French NGO that provides shelter and vocational training for homeless youth, established and supports a training facility for youth to learn e-mail, digital photography and customer service skills. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its small and medium enterprise development efforts, provided initial funding for the website and continues to provide assistance towards the training initiative.

Digistan was created precisely to develop unique ways to directly contribute to the development of Afghanistan through meaningful private sector participation, according to Tamim Samee, Chairman of TOFA.AF and President of Digistan. “TOFA.AF is innovative in recreating a real connection between Afghans around the globe with their friends and families living in Afghanistan. It is our privilege to carry their sentiments and to visually connect them via video clips,” he said.

Bryan Rhodes, Chief of Party for USAID’s Afghan Small and Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED) program, noted that, ”We are proud to partner with TOFA.AF in this Global Development Alliance. TOFA.AF offers a multitude of ways Afghans the world over can connect with families and friends throughout Afghanistan. From moments of celebration to basic issues of necessity, TOFA.AF will make a significant contribution to the lives of millions of Afghans.”

TOFA will be publicly launched Sat 15 March. A press conference will be held at 11 am at Heetal Hotel Plaza followed by a lunch buffet.

Commerce Minister Amin Farhang will give a keynote speech. Also speaking will be Daoud Sultanzoy, chairman of the Parliament's Economics Commission.

Cameras welcome.

Learn more: Economic Growth

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