IWF is thrilled to hear that Orzala Ashraf, a panelist in our Securing Afghanistan: The Role of Women event, has been named a Yale World Fellow. Ms. Ashraf is one of 18 individuals selected from a pool of 1,100 applicants worldwide!
As founder and chair of HAWCA, a leading non-governmental organization, she has devoted 10 years to establishing and delivering training programs to Afghan women and children in refugee communities in Pakistan and in Afghanistan itself. She often put herself directly at risk by launching literacy and health education programs for women and girls. Under the Taliban regime, she successfully established a network of underground literacy classes for women and girls all over Afghanistan. She is increasingly involved in political advocacy and development at the national level and is on the board of directors of the Afghan Women’s Network and other human rights networks in Afghanistan.
“It is a remarkable honor to have been selected to the Yale World Fellows Program,” said Ashraf. “I am looking forward to the multidisciplinary challenge of the program and believe my work will benefit enormously from it.”
The Yale World Fellows Program-the only program of its kind-aims to build a global network of emerging leaders and to broaden international understanding. This is undoubtedly a hailing success for the women of Afghanistan. IWF congratulates Ms. Ashraf and wishes her much success!