Prominent Afghan businesswoman Hassina Sherjan, who owns the textile company Boumi and is coauthor of Toughing It Out in Afghanistan, will be among the notable women speaking at Empowering Afghan Women, a panel presentation to be held on Monday, August 23, at the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Empowering Afghan Women will be moderated by Linda Black, founder and editor of Avalon Magazine, which recently featured a story on the relationship between Mahbouba, an Afghan woman filmmaker, and Island artist Basia Jaworska Silva. Mahbouba’s short film, Phantoms of the Zoo, which screened at this year’s Israel Film Festival, will be shown.

Ms. Sherjan, the founder of Aid Afghanistan for Education, returned to Afghanistan from the U.S. in 2001. Besides speaking and signing books, Ms. Sherjan will be promoting Boumi’s high-end finished textiles such as cushion covers and placemats. Most of the Boumi factory employees are widows and women who support their families, and the company provides social projects include literacy and business training.

Patti Quigley, executive director of Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation, will speak on her collaboration with Razia Jan, founder of the Zabuli Education Center for Women and Girls. The center provides education for 200 girls in Deh’ Subz, Afghanistan. She began her work with Afghan widows by cofounding the organization Beyond the 11th.

Documentary filmmaker Beth Murphy will present her short film, What Tomorrow Brings, which examines life for the girls who attend Zabuli Education Center for Women and Girls. Ms. Murphy filmed Beyond Belief in Afghanistan and plans to return to Afghanistan to shoot a feature-length film.

The evening is sponsored by the CharityHelp International to highlight how individuals can make a genuine difference by providing mentorship and financial resources to Afghan women who are establishing businesses and scaling up nonprofit organizations with the help of Western supporters.