Shamim Jawad

Member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council (USAWC)
Co-chair of the Afghan Children’s Initiative (ACI)

As wife of the Afghan Ambassador to the United States, Shamim Jawad is actively involved in issues relevant to Afghanistan, with special emphasis on the rights of women and children. Mrs. Jawad is a diligent advocate for access to education for children, economic and political empowerment for women, and improved access to healthcare for Afghans.

Shamim Jawad is a member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council (USAWC), which was established in 2002 by President Bush and President Karzai to advance the rights of women, and the co-chair of the Afghan Children’s Initiative (ACI), a special program of the USAWC seeking to increase awareness and address the basic human needs of Afghan children, who constitute 1/3 of the country’s population.

In accord with her passion for children, Mrs. Jawad is also the Honorary Chair of the Aschiana Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides education and health services to street children of Kabul.

Mrs. Jawad also works closely with members of the U.S. Congress and Senate to raise awareness and improve the plight of Afghan women and children, and is actively engaged with local and international civil society organizations, women’s advocacy groups, as well as non-government institutions.

Mrs. Jawad is the recipient of the 2004 Liberty Award from Dialogue on Diversity for her efforts to defend women’s rights and advocate social welfare for women in Afghanistan.

Mrs. Jawad frequently travels to Afghanistan to identify the pressing needs of women and children. Mrs. Jawad seeks to direct the efforts of the international community to promote the welfare of women and children in Afghanistan by advocating for access to capital, entrepreneurship, leadership, training, healthcare and education.

Shamim Jawad was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Mrs. Jawad studied at Kabul University and Golden Gate University in San Francisco, where she received a bachelor degree in Human Relations. Before her husband’s appointment to Washington, DC in November 2003, Mrs. Jawad worked as a financial consultant for TIAA-CREF.