Sakena Yacoobi — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Awarded the Opus Prize (2013), WISE Prize for Education (2015), and Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education (2016).
Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) since 1995, an Afghan women-led NGO providing education and health services.
Founder of the Professor Sakena Yacoobi Private Hospital, Professor Sakena Yacoobi Private High Schools, and Radio Meraj in Afghanistan.
Co-founder and Executive Director of Creating Hope International, a Michigan-based non-profit organization.
Holds a Master of Public Health from Loma Linda University and a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from the University of the Pacific.
Serves on the Global Fund for Women Board of Directors and as a commissioner for the Women’s Refugee Commission.

Biography

Sakena Yacoobi is an Afghan activist and the founder and Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), an Afghan women-led NGO established in 1995. AIL focuses on providing teacher training to Afghan women, supporting education for Afghans, and offering health education to women and children. Under her leadership, AIL has become a pioneering organization, working at the grassroots level to empower women and communities by delivering essential education and health services.