- Habiba Sarabi
Infobox Person
name = Habiba Sarabi
image_size = 150px
caption = Habiba Sarabi as Minister of Women's Affairs
birth_date = 1956
birth_place =Mazari Sharif , Balkh,Afghanistan
occupation = politicianDr. Habiba Sarabi (born 1956) is ahematologist ,politician , and reformer of the post-Taliban reconstruction ofAfghanistan . In 2005, she was appointed asgovernor ofBamyan Province by PresidentHamid Karzai — the first woman to ever be a governor of any province in the country. She previously served in Karzai's government asMinister of Women's Affairs as well asMinister of Culture and Education . She was instrumental in pushing for women's rights and representation. She belongs to the ethnicHazara people of Afghanistan. Her last name is sometimes spelled Sarobi.She was born in
Mazari Sharif and spent her youth traveling around the country with her father. She later moved toKabul to attend high school and study medicine at a university there. After graduating, she was awarded a fellowship by theWorld Health Organization and moved toIndia to complete her studies inhematology .During the Taliban rule in the country, Dr. Habiba and her children fled to
Peshawar ,Pakistan , but returned frequently in secret. Her husband stayed behind in Kabul to care for his family. She also worked underground as ateacher for girls, both secretly in Afghanistan and inrefugee camp s in Pakistan forAfghan refugees . In 1998, she joined theAfghan Institute of Learning and eventually became the General Manager of the entire organization. She was also the Vice President ofHumanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan .As governor, she has announced one of her focuses will be on
tourism as a source of income. The province has historically been a source ofBuddhist culture and was the location of theBuddhas of Bamiyan , the two ancient statues destroyed by the Taliban prior to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. However, Bamiyan continues to remain one of the poorest and most under-developed provinces of Afghanistan, with a litany of problems including high rates ofilliteracy andpoverty . The proposed construction of a paved highway that will connect Bamiyan to the capital city of Kabul andHerat is still not completed.In 2008 Time Magazine included her in its list of "Heroes of the Environment", partly for her work in establishing the
Band-e Amir National Park in Bamiyan. ["Time Magazine" October 6th 2008. See Time Magazine [http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1841778_1841779_1841798,00.html web page ] ]References
See also
*
Afghanistan
*Bamyan Province
*Bamyan City External links
* [http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/4news/news/2002/news-sarabi.html Biography on the Global Fund website]
* [http://dir.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/12/12/profile_two/index.html Biography on Salon.com]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4610311.stm BBC article on her appointment as governor]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4291343.stm BBC article on her impending appointment]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10057777 NPR Report: Female Governor Fights Lonely Battle in Afghanistan]
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