Pashtana Durrani won Amnesty International USA’s annual Ginetta Sagan Award
Amnesty International USA has named Afghan education activist Pashtana Durrani, founder of LEARN Afghanistan, as one of the winners of the 2025 Ginetta Sagan Award, a prize valued at $20,000 and granted annually to women defending human rights under difficult conditions.
Durrani, who holds a Master’s degree in Educational Policy Analysis from Harvard University and currently works with the Wellesley Centers for Women, leads Afghanistan’s first digital school network. LEARN Afghanistan now operates underground to provide girls with safe access to education in areas where schooling is restricted.
She dedicated the award to “every Afghan girl who still dreams of studying” and “every woman who refuses to give up her rights.” Durrani has previously received international recognition, including honors from the Malala Fund and a place on the BBC 100 Women list.
The second 2025 award recipient is Jazmín Romero Epiayú, a representative of the Feminist Movement Foundation for Girls and Women of the Wayuu Indigenous community in Colombia, recognized for her work advancing women’s and girls’ rights.
