United States Staff

Najia Nasim assumed the position of Executive Director at Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in 2018 with over 17 years of experience in the non-profit field, with a focus on civil rights, women’s empowerment, and international development, including five years managing WAW’s day-to-day operations in Afghanistan, for which she received numerous accolades.

In her former capacity as WAW’s Afghanistan Country Director, Najia built strong relations with government officials, international donors, the public sector, civil society, and influential local elders and religious leaders. She successfully led a massive program and staff expansion, as well as honed the vision, strategic direction, programmatic development, financial management, and infrastructure growth of WAW in Afghanistan.
During her tenure as Country Director, WAW increased its presence from 10 to 14 provinces, while simultaneously implementing organization-wide evaluation, reporting, operational policies, and workflow systems that greatly improved WAW’s functional efficiencies and program execution. She was able to adeptly navigate the social, political, and security challenges with which the organization grappled daily. Najia also established WAW’s Security Department, which was instrumental in protecting WAW’s facilities, clients, and staff while our shelters and centers were operational (before August 2021).
Najia was nominated for the “10 Bravest Women of the World” award in 2014 by Amnesty International and the 2015 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize, and in 2018, she won the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice on WAW’s behalf. In addition, she has received official appreciation letters from both Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission and the former Ministry of Women’s Affairs for WAW’s outstanding performance under her leadership.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (summa cum laude) with double majors in Economics and Accounting from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Her academic training in the United States and years of work experience in Afghanistan equipped Najia with robust financial management skills, technical knowledge, and the practical expertise required for strategizing, developing, supervising, and expanding programs to support WAW’s mission to save, protect, and empower Afghan women, children, and their families. Najia is fluent in English, Dari, and Pashto.

Contact: office@womenforafghanwomen.org

Kevin Schumacher joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in December 2016. As Deputy Executive Director, he works closely with the program and operations team in Afghanistan, and supports the finance, communications, and development teams at WAW’s New York Headquarters. He regularly interfaces with WAW donors, partner organizations, and other stakeholders. He has close to 20 years of experience in grassroots organizing, human rights documentation, political research, sexual rights, and gender equality advocacy, refugee assistance, media outreach, in addition to safety and security training.

Kevin formerly served as Regional Program Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa at OutRight Action International, an international human rights advocacy group. From 2006 to 2009, Kevin served as the Communications’ Coordinator for the same organization. Prior to joining OutRight, he worked at the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith peace and social justice organization, as the Coordinator for Iran and Iraq. Kevin is bilingual in Farsi and English, has an advanced comprehension of Standard Arabic, and a basic understanding of Turkish. He has an M.A. in International Relations from the National University, Teheran, Iran, and an M.A. in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Contact: kevin@womenforafghanwomen.org

Naheed Samadi Bahram and her family migrated to Pakistan after her mother was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan. By the age of 18, Naheed was teaching English to Afghan women in Pakistan. She eventually moved to the United States where she graduated with a B.A. from Queens College. Naheed consistently has moved up the ranks at Women of Afghan Women (WAW) from a volunteer over 15 years ago, to Program Director of WAW’s NYCC, and today holds the position of the organization’s United States (US) Country Director.

Serving on several boards and committees, Naheed is an adjunct professor at Queens College and has won a multitude of awards for her service to the community and to domestic violence survivors.

Nataliia joined Women for Afghan Women’s (WAW’s) finance team in 2019. Born and raised in Ukraine, Nataliia received her master’s degree in Economics after completing her undergraduate studies. She moved to the United States (US) with her family in 2015.

Nataliia comes to WAW with extensive experience in accounting, auditing, and financial analysis in both the private and non-profit sectors. In Ukraine, she worked as auditor for the international public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and worked as a financial analyst for one of the largest private agriculture companies in the country. Her US experience prior to joining WAW includes working as a financial analyst/grant accountant with the Institute of International Education in New York. At WAW, Nataliia is responsible for preparing financial statements, grant-specific expense reports and budgets, facilitating annual audits, and other financial management functions, among many other tasks.

Contact: nataliia@womenforafghanwomen.org

Dolma pursued her bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics from Stony Brook University. After graduation, she worked as an accountant at The Yale Club of New York City, which provided Dolma with a great platform to develop skill sets that she needed to further her career path. She joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in 2019 with not only her experience in finance, administration, and other coordination requirements, but also an ardent enthusiasm to be part of a team that works together in order to bring about positive change. Her commitment and eagerness to work for an organization guided by a humanitarian and community-driven mission to do the right thing fuels her hard work and ambition to also do her part in the world.

Contact: dolma@womenforafghanwomen.org

Olga is the Development Director at Women for Afghan Women (WAW)) since June 2022 overseeing grant applications, fundraising, partnerships, and connecting with donors and other partners. Prior to working at WAW, Olga was at the Institute of International Education Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF), where she was responsible for partnerships and scholar support services. She also worked at the World Bank in Washington, DC, and The East West Center and the Center for Security Studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Olga has close to 20 years of experience in the fields of education, refugees, career development, digital equity, youth, women and girls, and economic development. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in English and Italian Language and Literature from University Complutense in Madrid, Spain, and holds an M.A. in International Affairs from University of Strasbourg, France. She is fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian and her native Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian.

Contact: olga@womenforafghanwomen.org

Rigi Philip joined Women for Afghan Women’s (WAW’s) development team in 2019. She is responsible for supporting the development team’s fundraising strategy by providing grant proposals and report writing, in addition to providing administrative, communications, and events management support.

Rigi completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Texas at Austin and has a Master’s Degree in International Education Development with a focus on Education Policy from Teachers College, Columbia University. She formerly worked with The Tibet Fund in various capacities related to office and grant administration, fundraising, and educational programs. Her passion for education, women’s empowerment, and community development was developed through her volunteer experience with civil society organizations in India and Nepal.

Contact: rigi@womenforafghanwomen.org

Taylor is the Development Associate at Women for Afghan Women (WAW) since April 2022. In her role, she works closely with the Director of Development and the Senior Development Associate, supporting the fundraising activities of WAW's Programs. Prior to joining WAW, Taylor worked as a Development Associate and Communications Coordinator in the non-profit sector. Taylor graduated from Farmingdale State College where she studied communications.

Contact: taylor@womenforafghanwomen.org

Mona Abu Rayyan joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in 2015 as the full-time Communications Manager. With an education in International Relations, History, Economics, and Filmmaking, Mona has over 20 years’ experience in the for-profit and not-for-profit domain, spanning from organizational development and strategic planning to marketing, media, and strategic communications.

Before WAW, Mona worked extensively in the non-profit domain in the Middle East working with refugee women, youth, and grassroots organizations. She also worked on promoting Middle Eastern arts and culture prior to moving to New York in 2012. Her career has been spent bringing not-for-profit initiatives towards their strategic goals of attaining sustainability and long-term viability while maintaining the integrity of their core missions and altruistic visions. For years, Mona worked as an independent consultant or in high-level management positions for companies and organizations including, Handicap International, Oxfam Quebec, UN-ESCWA, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Lebanese International University, the Arab Resource Collective, Optimiza Ltd., Ashkal Alwan – the Association of Lebanese Plastic Artists, InfoPro Management, and Saatchi & Saatchi, among others.

As full-time Communication Manager at WAW for several years, Mona was responsible for setting a new communications department and strategy for the organization that included rebranding WAW, and updating, overhauling, and streamlining all of WAW’s communications and social media platforms, print and digital promotional and program collateral, in addition to annual appeals and fundraising material. She now works at the organization as a part-time communications consultant.

Contact: mona@womenforafghanwomen.org

Roshni grew up in an Indian Muslim immigrant household in New York. She studied International Studies and Sociology at Johns Hopkins University with a minor in Islamic Studies. She joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in 2019, where she led Advocacy and Outreach initiatives and has most recently joined the Communications Team as a consultant since October 2021. Her experiences include community organizing, advocacy, and engagement on issues related to immigrant justice, gender-based violence and civic engagement. Roshni enjoys dancing, poetry and exploring new food places.

Contact: roshni@womenforafghanwomen.org

Sabena Chaudhry has been a part of WAW since 2015. She started out as a volunteer for the Homework Help Program and would dedicate her time to WAW in between college classes. She fell in love with the impact of WAW’s direct services on the community. She joined WAW as a full time staff member in 2016, and has worked with the organization in multiple capacities - ranging from Program Coordinator to Youth Team Leader and now currently working as the Communications Specialist.

Sabena has a Masters Degree in Journalism from New York University (NYU) and has experience working in local television. With her background in journalism and love for WAW’s work, she joined the Communications team to highlight the organization’s work in the United States and Afghanistan through social media and other digital platforms.

contact: sabena@womenforafghanwomen.org

Laura joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) as Program Manager of the NYCC in February 2022. An expert in nonprofit management and administration, Laura has worked with human rights and humanitarian organizations for 30 years. Laura began volunteering at WAW in 2015, joining the staff part-time in 2017 to teach WAW’s US Citizenship class, which she taught through a women’s rights lens.

From 2008 through 2021, Laura was Executive Director of the Louis and Nancy Hatch Dupree Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds and awareness for the Afghanistan Center at Kabul University. She has been Director of Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute in New York and of the International Monitor Institute in Los Angeles. She was Program Officer for West and Southern Africa at the International Rescue Committee and the first full-time staff member at the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children (now the Women’s Refugee Commission).

Laura serves on the Board of the TSC Alliance, a nonprofit organization that aims to find a cure for tuberous sclerosis complex while improving the lives of those affected. She also serves as the Co-Chair for the TSC Alliance of New York/New Jersey and the Lead Officer for the TSC Alliance’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. Laura earned two degrees from Columbia University: a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College and a master’s degree in international affairs, with a concentration in human rights, from the School of International and Public Affairs.

Contact: laura@womenforafghanwomen.org

Haida comes to Women for Afghan Women (WAW) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature from Herat- Afghanistan University. In her previous life in Kabul, Afghanistan, and before coming to the US, Haida worked with the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today, she works with WAW as Program Coordinator & Administrative Assistant at the NYCC in Queens, NY.
She has extensive experience working with people of different ages and backgrounds, particularly persons struggling with their livelihoods. She brings to WAW this philanthropic and community spirit and her shared experience and empathy with the clients that come to WAW is a great asset to dealing with people who have had to move from Afghanistan to New York and the US.

She is personally and ethically motivated to help people find their place in their new lives. In her free time, she loves exploring different things and is always eager to learn something new. She loves reading books, going for walks in the park, roaming around the city, and visiting new places, museums, and art galleries. She is inspired to break barriers and challenge herself to find resolutions to challenges. She practices her favorite quote: “Never give up. You can do it,” as the inspiration behind her work and her relationships with coworkers and clients at WAW.

Contact: haida@womenforafghanwomen.org

Susan is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of New York, with a concentration in immigration and real estate law. She currently serves as the Staff Attorney at Women for Afghan Women (WAW). In that role, she represents and provides direct legal assistance to WAW’s clients including but not limited to submitting USCIS applications for Citizenship, Employment Authorization Cards, Travel Documents, Family Petition Visas, Adjustment of Status, Asylum, Special Immigrant Visas and U-Visas. She prepares and represents her clients at their Citizenship, Adjustment of Status and Asylum Interviews. Aside from working directly with clients, she provides strategic legal advice to WAW’s leadership and works directly with the Case Management team to provide counsel with ongoing cases and identify means of supporting Afghans currently seeking safety in the United States. Susan obtained her B.B.A. at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College of the City University of New York and her J.D. at St. John’s University School of Law, where she served as an Executive Editor for the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development. Susan has published related works on women’s rights in Afghanistan and participated in the 62nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. She is committed to community service and advocating for women’s rights and related causes.

Contact: susan@womenforafghanwomen.org

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tamanna recently graduated from the Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College in New York. Majoring in Public Affairs and minoring in Communications and New York Studies, Tamanna has volunteered at donation events, started a campaign with ASEEL, and continues volunteering for the School of Afghanistan (SOLA) in the US. Additionally, Tamanna takes courses with Aleff Institute as a means of bettering her knowledge of Farsi, which is important to her personally and also very helpful for her interactions with the community within which she lives and works. Tamanna always dreamed of working at a nonprofit organization that would help her contribute to the larger community. For her, this dream was fulfilled when the opportunity to work with and serve the Afghan community came through with Women for Afghan Women (WAW). She is very excited to see what the future holds with WAW.

Contact: saida@womenforafghanwomen.org

Like many Afghans, Women for Afghan Women (WAW) Caseworker Shazia lived as a refugee in Pakistan for many years before moving to the United States. While living in Pakistan, Shazia played an active role in refugee camps, supporting and working with displaced teenage girls, like herself, to learn English and develop their life skills. Shazia first joined WAW In October 2008 as an Office Manager. She re-joined the organization in September 2015 as a Caseworker because of her deep understanding of the culture and needs of the community, in addition to her amazing language skills and fluency in Dari, Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, and English. As a WAW Caseworker for over seven years, Shazia helps lead WAW’s Case Management Program, including implementing domestic violence services. Her biggest motivation for being a part of the team is to use her background and skills to make the world a better and safer place for women and girls.

Contact: shazia@womenforafghanwomen.org

Shiza joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in 2021. She has a bachelor's in Psychology from Queens College and completed her master’s in Social Work at Silberman School of Social Work. Shiza previously worked with the Women's Initiative for Self-Empowerment (WISE) with Rana Abdelhamid, where her passion for working with young girls began. As she worked on entrepreneurship, leadership, and self-defense skills with the students, she saw a need for empowerment for Muslim youth within the South Asian community. Through WISE's partnerships with small business owners like K. Sultana Hijab Company and JhalNYC there was a movement to unite the community and increase engagement with youth. After WISE, Shiza continued working with low-income neighborhoods in Queens, serving as an Advocate Counselor at Queens Satellite High School and then as a Resource Intern for Queens College. Now here at WAW, Shiza enjoys directly working with families and having the strong support of her coworkers in advocating for clients and bridging gaps in access to services.

Contact: shiza@womenforafghanwomen.org

Zainab joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in 2021. Zainab graduated from Queens College with Honors in History and Anthropology. Prior to joining WAW, Zainab worked extensively with children of all ages in school settings where she instructed students and particularly supported disadvantaged students facing personal hardship. Zainab realized her affinity for helping those in need through her work and began working with children and adults to assist with teaching them English as an additional language. After the fall of Kabul, Zainab volunteered with donation distribution for Afghan refugees arriving in the US. Today, working at WAW, Zainab works on placing over 100s of vulnerable families in temporary housing through WAW’s partnership with Airbnb and supports hundreds of Afghan refugees with ground transportation services through WAW’s partnership with Uber. Zainab works with her coworkers to provide support for clients that come to WAW seeking assistance, and works hard to advocate for them and help them resolve the difficult issues and challenges that they are facing.

Contact: zainab@womenforafghanwomen.org

Sadaf joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) as the Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator in 2022. She is a Fulbright Scholar from Afghanistan who earned an LLM degree in International Human Rights Law from Syracuse University College of Law in May 2022. Sadaf is also a Chevening Scholarship Alumna and did her first LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Bristol. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the American University of Afghanistan. Sadaf comes to WAW with her excellent academic credentials and over five years of work experience with different International organizations, including United Nations Mine Action Services, British Council Afghanistan, and the Big Word International.

Contact: sadaf@womenforafghanwomen.org

Mariam Kakar is the Program Manager overseeing Women for Afghan Women’s (WAW’s) newly established VACC. Mariam was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, but she and her family fled to the US when she was four years old when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

Mariam holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. She is a certified Paralegal and currently working on her master’s degree in Mental Health and Organizational Leadership. Mariam has worked as an Immigration Paralegal, Curriculum Specialist, Mental Health Case Manager, Elementary and Special Needs teacher in Title 1 Schools, as well as a Program Manager for Friedman Billings and Ramsey (FBR).

With the fall of Afghanistan in 2021 and the subsequent wave of Afghan refugees coming to the US, Mariam began to volunteer with different organizations to help assist newly arrived Afghans with all aspects of their resettlement in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area.

Mariam coordinated alongside the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at Quantico Marine Base to develop an English and life skills curriculum for these newly arrived Afghans. She also volunteered her direct services as a Mental Health Case Manager with the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) at Quantico. Mariam felt an immense connection while she was supporting and advocating for newly arrived Afghans as an Afghan who grew up outside of Afghanistan. She comes to WAW wholly committed to advocating and empowering Afghan women, as she oversees the new programs and refugee resettlement efforts at WAW’s new VACC.

Contact:

Robika Noori was hired as Administrative Assistant with Women for Afghan Women’s (WAW’s) VACC with its launch in March of 2022. She has 13 years’ work experience including with organizations such as USAID, OXFAM-GB, Creative Association ICMA, DAI RUN, and other international NGOS.

Robika studied Business Management and took courses at Teachers Training Institute, in addition to taking other university-level classes. Her extensive work experience in Gender-based Violence, social services, and customer support is relevant to all of WAW’s work and programs.

As WAW’s VACC Administrative Assistant, Robika is responsible for responding to calls, screening cases, and organizing appointments for WAW’s VACC Caseworkers, Mental Health Advisor, managing purchase orders, invoicing, budget and expense summaries, student registration for ESL classes, and following up with all asylum applicants in addition to preparing asylum workshop at the VACC. She takes meeting minutes, assists in WAW’s operational plans, develops and maintains WAW’s filing system, orders office supplies, maintains vendor contact lists, among many other responsibilities.

Contact: robika@womenforafghanwomen.org

Sanam is the immigration attorney at Women for Afghan Women’s (WAW’s) VACC. She is a New York licensed attorney who has been representing immigrants for over five years. She has been representing thousands of children, women, and men who have fled violence in their home countries before US immigration courts and USCIS.

Sanam was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She graduated from Tehran University with a master’s degree in Law. She also earned her Juris Doctorate(JD) degree from the University of Minnesota, Law School. Her move to WAW is motivated by her interests and specialties that include asylum law, family based-immigration law, removal defense, and other types of humanitarian-based immigration reliefs.

Contact: sanam@womenforafghanwomen.org

Makeze attended George Mason University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Criminology, Law, and Society with an additional dual degree in Religion and Middle Eastern Studies. She has been working with the Afghan and Muslim communities on a volunteer basis with other women in her family--her mother, aunt, and sister--for as long as she can remember through their local mosque and other organizations such as the International Rescue Committee. She volunteers and remains an ardent activist for many issues including cultural competence when dealing with refugee rights and resettlement, women’s rights advocacy, and domestic violence survivors.

Makeze recently went back to school and received her master’s degree in Legal Studies in December 2021. Soonafter, she joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) because she is an ardent believer that WAW has always stood by women and their best interests. According to Makeze, she works hard at WAW to help the organization support women in the community, assist in their assimilation, and to empower them so that they can make their dreams come true in the US.

Contact: makeze@womenforafghanwomen.org

Fawzia Samadi Joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in 2009 as a volunteer. With an education in psychology and sociology, and a minor in counseling, Fawzia was a member of a research team that studied the Afghan community in Queens, New York--the densest Afghan community in the US and the main port of entry for most new, Afghan immigrants and refugees.

Some of Fawzia’s passions include raising awareness about all aspects of Afghan culture and women’s rights. She has always been involved in volunteer work and has been very committed to her responsibilities as a woman and as an advocate for vulnerable women. Fawzia has always been inspired to work for women who cannot advocate for themselves. She is committed to empowering women who face obstacles in reaching their life goals. Fawzia is proud to work at WAW as she sees the positive change WAW brings to the lives of thousands of women and children in the US and in Afghanistan. She has always desired to be the kind of person who pays it forward and can do something good for others.

Contact: fawziasamadi@womenforafghanwomen.org

Saima was born in Afghanistan but lived in Pakistan as a refugee for close to twenty years. In Pakistan, Saima received an undergraduate degree in Peshawar, and then her degree in medicine from Rawalpindi Medical College, followed by a master's degree in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

She comes to Women for Afghan Women (WAW) as a Caseworker with over two decades of experience with different local non-governmental institutions and other international agencies, across the globe, including at local teaching hospitals, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

She has worked with much success in the most challenging conditions including in Pakistan, Sudan, Qatar, and Jordan. Her career began with UNHCR Afghanistan as Gender Officer during the first Taliban regime, where she advocated tirelessly for women's rights and for education for children, particularly girls. As a Reproductive Health Officer at UNFPA Sudan, Saima advocated for policies that used innovative approaches to reach and meet the the needs of young people from poor and disadvantaged communities particularly as related to HIV, family planning, emergency contraception, STIs, post-abortion care, and more.

Contact: mohammad@womenforafghanwomen.org

Leila is the Mental health Counselor at Women for Afghan Women’s (WAW’s) VACC. She holds a B.S and M.S in Clinical Psychology and has ten years experience providing mental health and 7 years of substance abuse services. Overtime, Leila’s interest in studying humans’ behaviors evolved into a broader perspective and she decided to earn a second master’s degree in Advance Clinical Social Work. The motivation for the latter and for her move to WAW was to explore a rewarding role in a more challenging setting where she can contribute her knowledge, skills, and personal attributes in working with various sectors to promote the social and mental health of vulnerable populations.

Leila has been providing mental health consultation to various agencies including for local government, non-profit, and private practices. She has experience working with federal contracts for jail-base services, commercial insurances, Medicaid, and Medicare as a social worker. She also worked as a supervisor conducting quality assurance for a mental health program for Medicaid.

Leila is excited to be part of WAW to fulfill her thirst for seeking a challenging role to increase awareness about the importance of mental health within the Afghan and refugee communities, resources, social justice, their mental and social health rights, in addition to bringing culturally and linguistically competent services to the community in conjunction to triaging and conducting therapeutic interventions.

Contact: leila@womenforafghanwomen.org