Beyond the 11th
is a charitable organization devoted to
supporting widows who have been affected by the horrors of war and
terrorism, and whose situation and poverty is often compounded by a
lack of any support system in their countries to help them survive as
widows. Beyond the 11th has focused its initial energy and efforts on
Afghanistan, the country from which the terrorists who killed our
founders' husbands trained.
FOUNDERS
Susan (left) and Patti.
Susan Retik
Susan Retik was born in Philadelphia and received a Bachelor of Arts
from Colgate University, where she met David Retik. Upon graduating,
Susan worked in the field of marketing at Scholastic in New York City
until moving to Needham, Massachusetts where she still resides with her
three children. Susan is active in various humanitarian and womens
organizations around the globe. She is currently on the boards of Our Voices Together and the David E. Retik Christopher D. Mello Foundation.
In 2005, Susan contributed her story of Beyond the 11ths origins to
the Peace Times, a monthly publication distributed by the international
Peace X Peace
organization. Since founding Beyond the 11th, Susan has spoken to
numerous community organizations and was a featured panelist at the
2006 International Womens Day Conference hosted by the International
Institute of Boston.
Patti Quigley
Patti
Quigley was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. She went to college in
Lowell and stayed close to her family until she moved to Atlanta,
Georgia at 26. Patti was following her career in the banking industry.
When she met Patrick, he had just moved to Georgia from New Jersey.
Patti and Patrick were together for three years before they married in
1993. The couple moved seven times in their eleven years together. They
moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts in May of 2001 to be closer to their
families. Just four months later, one week after their daughter Rachel
started kindergarten, Patrick was killed. Patti was eight months
pregnant with their second daughter, Leah.
HONORARY BOARD MEMBER
Fatima Gailani.
We are lucky to have Fatimas support. She lives in Kabul and provides
frequent updates on the status of widows. Fatima was a member of the
drafting committee for the Afghan constitution and a member of the
Afghan Loya Jirga. She is an advocate for womens rights in Afghanistan
and is frequently featured on CNN and the BBC.
The Situation in Afghanistan
As news reports continue to show, the reconstruction process in
Afghanistan remains incomplete. Although the government of president
Karzai has been functioning for some years, there are still enormous
challenges facing Afghan society. Poverty and desperation remain the
currency for most Afghan people - particularly for women.
Despite some significant changes, women still face tremendous obstacles
to achieving basic rights. They continue to face discrimination and
disadvantage in all aspects of life. Although the unemployment
statistics for all Afghans remain dismal, the statistics for women are
particularly damaging. In addition, Afghan widows, who continually have
to depend on the charity of family members, remain trapped in
dependence and poverty.