Featuring Honoree and Keynote Speaker Dr. Sima Samar

Human Rights Activist, the first Minister of Women’s Affairs for Afghanistan, and a member of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement.

In 2002, Dr. Sima Samar became the first Minister of Women’s Affairs for Afghanistan’s post-Taliban interim government. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Samar had dedicated her life to the preservation of basic rights for women and girls in Afghanistan. She fled her country in 1984 during the Soviet occupation and moved to the border town of Quetta, Pakistan, where she founded the Shuhada Organization to support the education and health needs of Afghan women and girls.

Dr. Samar was appointed as a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement in December 2019. In addition to her role as a Panel member, she is a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation. Previously, Dr. Samar held the positions of Special Envoy of the President of Afghanistan and State Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs.

Friday, March 10, 2023
Boston Park Plaza
  3 – 5:30 pm

Their Stories, Your Impact

Women and girls make up more than 50% of the beneficiaries of IINE services. Today, IINE is supporting women and girls from over 68 countries worldwide. With your support, IINE helps refugee women tap their own resilience as they rebuild their lives in New England communities. Their stories challenge and inspire.

Meet Spanish-language translator Luisa. A Pinpoint Translation staff member originally from the Dominican Republic, Luisa has made translation and interpretation her life’s purpose after witnessing how difficult it was for her mother, who was battling cancer, to navigate the U.S. healthcare system without English language skills.

Iryna Sarana arrived in the United States after fleeing war in her home country of Ukraine. Reunited with her mother in Bedford, MA. Iryna left behind her daughter and family, including a granddaughter whom she misses and worries about constantly. Now in New England, Iryna has enrolled in language classes at IINE and received her work permit. She is a photographer looking to restart her life and career here in the U.S.

“In one day, I lost my country, my house, my job. Everything.” Zahra was one of thousands packed into cargo planes at Kabul Airport in the days of panicked evacuation following the Taliban’s resurgence. Zahra’s previous experience working with internally displaced populations, her educational background in sociology, and her positive attitude helped her land a position as an Employment Specialist with IINE, assisting other newly resettled immigrants in navigating the U.S. job market.

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