| Author photo: ©© Jonathan Zabriskie |
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Chekeba Hachemi
When Chakeba Hachemi was eleven years old,
her mother decided to take her children and flee the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan. Chekeba became separated from her on the journey and had to walk across the Khyber Pass alone with a smuggler. Reunited with her mother, in 1986, Chekeba settled in Paris with rest of her family.
A decade later, Chekeba founded Afghanistan Libre, an organization that raises funds for schools in the Panshir region and is dedicated to the late Commander Massoud. In 1999, Chekeba met Massoud, already a living legend, and rediscovered her country in the midst of warfare. She grew close to the commander and helped raise awareness amongst the international community of the great threat of the Taliban regime.
Since then, Chekeba also founded Roz, a magazine for Afghan women that discusses key issues such as women’s rights and education, which has become the most read women’s magazine in the country. She was named Afghanistan’s first female diplomat under Hamid Karzaï’s government, and served as a representative for the country for the European Union in 2001.
However, disillusioned with the prevailing and pervasive corruption of the political system, Chekeba decided to resign from her position. Today, she fully dedicates her time to developing Afghanistan Libre and promoting education for women.
Chekeba Hachemi currently lives in London. She is fluent in English, French, and Afghan.
www.afghanistan-libre.org
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