Last week Al Arabiya published an article about Afghanistan's first female village chief. Zarifa Qazizadah who is the mother of 15 children have what some might say against all odds managed to become the mayor of Naw Abad, a village in the northern Balkh province. When she first announced her intention to run for political office she was ridiculed by some of the men in her community. Naw Abad as the rest of Afghanistan is a male-dominated community which for years have been controlled by the ultra-conservative Taliban. Hence, Qazizadah becoming the village chief have come as a surprise.
Zarifa Qazizadah's story is a great testament to what can be achieved in even the hardest of circumstances. The today 50-year-old mayor was married at the age of 10 and had her first child at 15. She lived for years with her husband in a remote village where she says that she was nothing but a servant. When the Taliban took over,she and her family moved to Mazar-e-Sharif where she began doing community work, including a vaccination campaign and education for children.
Today Qazizadah is a grandmother of 36 children, the head of the Women's Council in the village and organizes meetings for women whom she advises to follow in her footsteps. She is a source of inspiration to many in her community and she has proven that women are more then capable of holding political office in Afghanistan.
Read more about this inspirational woman and leader here: http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/05/29/217253.html
(Photo:OMGGHANA)
