Zarifa Ghafari

Zarifa Ghafari – Activist for Human Rights, Women’s Rights, Human Capital, and Global Politics.

Zarifa Ghafari was born in Kabul in 1992 and comes from the village of Dawran Khel in the Chak district of Maidan Wardak province. She lived in Kabul until the Taliban regained power, when she was forced to leave her homeland.

Her escape took her via Islamabad and Istanbul to Germany, where she now lives and works tirelessly for human rights in Afghanistan and around the world.

Zarifa Ghafari is an educated, courageous, and visionary activist. With great determination, she fights for women’s rights and a more just future for her country. She began her schooling at Rahman Naswan High School and later studied economics in India, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

“The Taliban tried to kill me three times. Instead, they murdered my father, an officer in the Afghan army. But I will not be silenced.” – Zarifa Ghafari

After completing her academic education, she applied her knowledge in various fields, always with the aim of serving Afghanistan and its people. She was particularly committed to helping women and young people.

As part of this commitment, she founded the Afghan Women Development and Help Foundation, an organization that, among other things, advocates for the integration of women into the Afghan National Army. She particularly supported young women from orphanages who had reached the legal minimum age, in order to open up new prospects for them.

Zarifa Ghafari Lecture Topics

• Global Politics: Russia, China, USA & Dealing with the Orient
• Human Work & Human Capital: The Right to Education
• From Afghanistan to the World: The Common Good of the People in the Orient
• Women’s Rights & Human Rights: The Real World in the Middle East

Thanks to her tireless commitment to the welfare of the population, Zarifa Ghafari enjoyed great trust in her home region of Maidan Wardak. The people, especially young people and women, supported her and made her a representative in the provincial youth parliament. In this role, she consistently advocated for the empowerment of young people, social development, and pragmatic solutions to local challenges.

“I can’t think of anything else but my country, my fellow citizens – and especially women.” – Zarifa Ghafari

Ghafari recognized early on the importance of transparent communication and a strong civil society. She built bridges between the population and the state, disseminated important information, and promoted social awareness. A milestone was the founding of PEGHAL FM, a local radio station in Maidan Wardak – one of the most disadvantaged regions of Afghanistan. The aim was to educate people about women’s rights and political, economic, and social issues through professionally designed programs.

But her commitment met with resistance: right at the beginning of her term as mayor – a historic moment, as Zarifa Ghafari was the first woman to hold this position in the province since April 24, 2017 – her office was blocked by an angry mob. Armed with stones and sticks, they wanted to prevent her from doing her job. She remained steadfast – determined to drive change through peaceful means.

International recognition for extraordinary courage

Zarifa Ghafari’s courage and perseverance attracted worldwide attention. She has received numerous awards:

• BBC 100 Women: Inclusion in the list of the 100 most inspiring women worldwide (2019)
• International Women of Courage Award from the US Department of State (2020)
• InStyle Women Who Can Change the World Award (2020)
• Badass 50 – Women Who Are Changing the World, USA

She also received numerous national honors from civil society organizations in Afghanistan.