10 Afghan women activists get DVF Awards

KABUL (Pajhwok): A US-based Diane von Furstenberg and The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation has awarded the DVF award to 10 Afghan women who showed resilience and strength in the face of unimaginable suffering.

Diane von Furstenberg and The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation founded The DVF Awards in 2010 to recognize and support extraordinary women who are dedicated to transforming the lives of other women; women who have had the courage to fight, the power to survive, and the leadership to inspire.

Each year, five awards are bestowed to women who have demonstrated leadership, strength, and courage in their commitment to women’s causes. The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation grants each honoree $100,000 for their non-profit organization in order to further their important work.

Women of Afghanistan

Nearly one year after the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, the rights of women and girls have been decimated by the Taliban with restrictions on education, employment, and their very freedom. In this dark hour, The DVF Awards honors ten women who are shining a light from all over the world to ensure a safe and sustainable future for the most at-risk Afghan women and girls.

Following the fall of Kabul in August 2021, our partner organization, Vital Voices, worked with the Georgetown Institute of Women Peace and Security, the U.S. Department of State and a coalition of other Afghan and American women leaders to successfully evacuate nearly 1200 Afghan women leaders, human rights defenders, and their families.

From among those evacuated, we have chosen ten women who have shown resilience and strength in the face of unimaginable suffering. From activists and artists, to journalists and former government officials, these women are using their voice to give a voice to those who need it most.

Shafiqa Khapalwak, one of the DVF winners, on her facebook page wrote: “The DVF international awarded is provided to ten Afghan women including me. I thank them. The reality is that this award could not treat the pain of the country and I don’t know what this award could do for the deprived women in my country. At least this is important for me that the daughter of this soil is remembered at international stage. I offer the message that depriving women from education and their rights was the idea of a particular group and has no link with Islam and Afghan culture.”

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