Dr. Massouda Jalal received the Leadership Award for Outstanding Contribution to Women Upliftment from the World CSR Congress last February 18, 2015 at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai/India. The Leadership Award is conferred to “Outstanding Women Professionals who have the vision, flair, acumen and professionalism to demonstrate excellent leadership and management skills in an organization, making changes and achieving results”. The award was a joint initiative of world women leaders and is supported by the World Federation of Marketing Professionals, Stars of the Industry Group Asian Confederation of Business, and the World Cultural and Social Rights Day.
Dr. Massouda Jalal is an Afghan woman leader, political activist, pro-democracy campaigner and champion of women’s rights who was a former Minister of Women and the first Afghan woman to run for President. She is founding Chairperson of the Jalal Foundation, a non-profit Afghan NGO working for women’s leadership, political participation, social and cultural rights and the elimination of violence against women. It has around 1,200 women’s councils and NGOs in its network with close to 60,000 members located in various provinces of the country. The organization has helped many Afghan women through scholarships, literacy courses, employment referrals and trainings on computer operation, leadership, political participation, women’s rights, English language, management, and entrepreneurship.She has been working tirelessly to Afghan women at grass root level for more than two decades.
Dr. Massouda Jalal is a recipient of numerous international awards such as from the UN Watch Human Rights, International Human Rights and Law Group, Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs’ Council (SCWEC) and Outstanding Visionary Women Leadership Award from the World Women Leadership Congress last year. She is currently mobilizing civil society groups to coalesce under the National Association of Afghan Civil Society to promote consolidated and stronger resistance against ignorance, descrimination and oppression in Afghanistan.
