ABOUT PASHTANA
Pashtana Durrani is an International Scholar-in-Residence at the Wellesley Centers for Women. She is an Afghan human rights activist and community development expert who focuses on girls’ education. While at WCW, she continues in her capacity as a practitioner to develop models that support Afghan women and girls pursuing education and the health of Afghan mothers and infants. She was also honored as one of the BBC's 100 Influential Women in 2021 and participated in #Times100talks in 2022. A graduate of the New Voices Fellowship in 2022, Durrani received the UN Young Activists Award 2022. Her accolades include the CEU Open Society Prize in 2023, the Global Citizen Award for Human Rights in 2023, the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award in 2023, the Women’s Excellence Award from the World Economic Forum in 2024, and in December 2024, she was honored with the Daughter of Greatness Award by the Muhammad Ali Center, recognizing her as a changemaker in social philanthropy and activism. In January 2025, she was named one of the ILA’s 30 Under 30 for her outstanding contributions to advancing literacy and education for underserved communities. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's degree at Harvard University.
Durrani founded LEARN Afghanistan (@LearnAfg), a grassroots organization established to safely and securely educate girls through a distributed network of tablet computers using an offline platform. Through LEARN, she has educated 10,000 girls and boys in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and trained more than 80 teachers in digital literacy. LEARN also focuses on girls’ health and has trained 700 girls in menstrual hygiene management. Pashtana through LEARN runs six underground secret schools in Kandahar, Helmand, Daikundi, Samangan, Herat and Bamyan. These schools educate 700 girls daily. Durrani, a bold and outspoken commentator, featured regularly on BBC, CNN, PBS, and more.Pashtana Durrani served as a global youth representative for Amnesty International from 2017 to 2019. In recognition of her exceptional efforts to improve education for Afghan girls, she was named an Education Champion by the Malala Fund in 2020. Durrani's innovative approach to addressing complex global challenges earned her the 2021 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Emerging Leader Prize.A lifelong learner, Durrani believes in individual and community strengths and people's innate ability to improve their lives
Activism & Writing
After High School Pashtana Started Activism and Writing on Refugee Issues.
Learn Afghanistan
Pashtana Founder of Learn Afghanistan a gross root organization, established to Provide Education to Afghan girls.
Digital Schools In Afghanistan
On 15-08-2021, the Taliban took over Afghanistan and banned girls from Education. Pashtana started first in-person and Digital School in Afghanistan
Wellesley & HaRvard
Pashtana Durrani is an International Scholar in Residence at Wellesley Centers for Women. Moreover, She is a graduate student at the Harvard School of Education, Studying Education Policy Analysis.
Global Citizen Award for Human Right 2023
Pashtana’s Achievements and Awards
Young Activists summit 2022
Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award 2023
CEO open society prize 2023
