Full Biography
Pashtana Durrani is an Afghan feminist, activist, and educator. At 21, she became the head of her family following her father’s passing. By then, she had already founded LEARN Afghanistan, the country’s first-ever digital school network. Forced into exile by the Taliban takeover in 2021, she is currently an International Scholar in Residence at Wellesley Centers for Women while continuing to provide education for hundreds of girls in Afghanistan despite the current ban on them attending school. Durrani is currently a Graduate student at Harvard School of Education.
Durrani runs five underground schools in Afghanistan's southern and central highland regions. She has been involved in ensuring pathways to education for young girls and women from rural and tribal backgrounds. She runs a network of five schools in Afghanistan with 631 students enrolled. By 2025, Durrani envisions 34 schools in 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Durrani focuses on solutions in education and healthcare.
Known for her bluntness and courage, Durrani is a regular commentator on TV and radio and has been the subject of articles and profiles, including PBS, BBC, Elle (in French), Der Spiegel (in German), and Wellesley College. While at Wellesley, Durrani continues her research on female education and maternal and newborn health.
Durrani has been named a Global Education Champion by the Malala Fund for her outstanding work in advancing Afghan girls’ education. The BBC nominated her as one of its 100 most influential women in 2021, and she is also included in #Times100talks in 2022. Durrani is a member of UNGEI’s Feminist Education Coalition, she is an Aspen New Voices Fellow and she received the 2021 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Emerging Leader prize. Previously, she has served as a global youth representative for Amnesty International and as a board member of the steering committee for the Global Environment Facility. She is a recipient of the UN Young Activists Award 2022. Global Citizen 2023, CEU Open Society Prize 2023, the Mohammad Ali Conviction Award 2023 and Women of Excellence Award by Women Economic Forum. Durrani’s biography, Last to Eat, Last to Learn, is published 2022 in Germany and 2023 in the USA and Italy.
