During my career, I've witnessed 'progress' in business by how much revenue was generated year over year or by the numbers of deals that were signed. At the gym, I've determined progress by reaching certain mileage or times. In my personal life, progress might have been measured whether there was there a third date! All seem so superficial.

But, what is progress from the perspective a female entrepreneur who is attempting to grow her business in Kabul, Afghanistan, following a childhood growing up under the rule of the Taliban? Or what does it mean for a similar business owner who witnessed the horrors of genocide within her own small village in Rwanda? Do I know? As a board member of the unique organization, Bpeace (http://www.bpeace.org), I would like to think so. But, after volunteering my time for over five years, I am just now starting to peel back the initial layers of understanding, and there is still so much left to learn.

Our function is to provide a fusion of pro-bono services delivered by experts in the Bpeace network: volunteer business professionals, corporations, accredited educational institutions, in-country staff and consultants hired by Bpeace for their specific experience. Our young New York-based organization, made up of mainly volunteers, has worked tirelessly to support fledgling business owners in these two countries ravished by war. Since 2002, we've watched Afghan and Rwandan women venture from small, micro-financed, home-based businesses to create organizations and hire 40-50 employees building and selling furniture, running gas stations, manufacturing soccer balls and owning and opening radio stations. More than 1,700 jobs have been created, supporting more than 13,000 Afghan and Rwandan family members. The Afghan and Rwandan entrepreneurs in our programs have generated revenues of nearly $6 million that circulates in the local economies.

Going forward we have plans to expand into Kenya, Liberia, Bosnia and El Salvador. We have only just begun and hope to grow to many more countries in the future, generating good will, building businesses, creating jobs and indeed making REAL progress.