By Diane Tucker
For The Huffington Post
On April 16, 2010

After spending $50 billion, now the U.S. wants Iraq to take the lead in rebuilding itself. Several experts told me recently they want Iraq’s women to play a prominent role in rebuilding the nation’s crippled economy. Why women?

For insight I spoke with entrepreneur Amber Chand, an American of Indian descent who is teaching women in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other distressed countries how to become successful CEOs. A child of privilege, Chand grew up in Uganda, went to boarding school in England, then watched her secure world unravel when Idi Amin seized control of Uganda and immediately ordered the country’s Indian residents to leave or be shot on sight.

Tucker: Safe to say you know what it’s like to be left with nothing except your own gumption?

Chand: We lost everything. My father took the keys to our house, tossed them over the front gate, and walked away with five dollars in his pocket, a raincoat, and a pack of cigarettes. He died eight months later at a bus stop in England. I was barely 21.

What a gut-wrenching turn of events.

At a young age, I recognized life was unsafe. Also, it occurred to me that there were two distinct paths before me. I could become depressed and bitter for the rest of my life. Or I could consider what happened to me a gift I could use to help others who were going through the same thing. To survive, I had to forgive.

Read the rest of the article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-tucker/in-iraq-women-entrepreneu_b_536535.html