Jamila Afghani has been championing Afghan women and girls’ rights against discrimination and non-violent conflict resolution for over 25 years. She has created a network of 6,000 imams and educated them about women’s rights in Islam, as well as on peace, reconciliation, and dispute resolution, with the goal of furthering positive social change.

In 2001, Ms. Afghani founded Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organization (NECDO), which has empowered over 100,000 Afghan women through the light of education, establishing libraries, home schools, and capacity building trainings. Since 2015, she has also been serving as the president of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Afghanistan that advances women’s rights and promotes peace building efforts.