Razia Jan — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Recognized as a CNN Top 10 Hero in 2012.
Founder and President of the Zabuli Education Center since 2005, which opened a free all-girls school in Afghanistan in 2008, growing to 800 students by 2021.
Founder of Razia's Ray of Hope Foundation, a non-profit education organization in Afghanistan.
Coordinated the delivery of over 30,000 pairs of shoes to needy Afghan children through Operation Shoe Fly.
Opened the Razia Jan Institute for Medical Sciences in 2017, a free two-year midwifery certification college.
Served as president of the Duxbury Rotary Club.

Biography

Razia Jan (1944–2025) was an Afghan-American humanitarian and activist. Born in Quetta, she moved to the United States in 1970 to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, having previously earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the Government College for Women in Quetta. She owned a tailoring business in Duxbury, Massachusetts, and served as president of the town's Rotary Club.