Briefly introduce yourself.

I am Zahra Javid, from Afghanistan. I studied Biology as an undergraduate and started off my career as a Facilitator and Volunteer Team-leader of the USAID-Tetra Tech NGO project, specifically in the Women Empowerment Department. Then, I received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in India with the scholarship I received from USAID-Promote. Now I am here at KDIS to study public policy in general.

Why did you come all the way to Korea to study?

I was searching for an educational opportunity in Korea since 2016 because Korea is one of the few countries that demonstrates gender equality in its overall society and various sectors including education, work, and the environment. In 2019, 35% of Korean women were in senior positions which is quite surprising! This statistic is a sharp contrast to my country of Afghanistan as its whole system is run by men exclusively. Through the years, there has not been any significant change, and the situation is even getting worse. I know my country needs to reform in regard to its gender discrimination and apply equality towards all regardless of gender. Korea has addressed issues of gender inequality and has rapidly developed so that it has a lot to offer. I believe that I can learn a lot from Korea, not only from the knowledge I can gain at KDIS, but also from its people and culture.

What are your passions or interests?

As I have previous work experience in the area of women empowerment, I am interested in gender equality, especially in the labor market. Women in developing countries need to work twice as hard as men to balance work and life. In my country, we are in the early stage of change and removing male-dominated institutions (such as the Taliban) and negative stereotypes (women cannot work outside of home). Thus, we have to be much stronger and work harder than any other women in the world.

Afghanistan joined the Madrid System in March 2018. This system allows an artist/crafter to obtain trademark protection. Since most of the crafters in Afghanistan are women, they were expected to benefit from this system. However, due to the lack of awareness, women in Afghanistan are not benefiting from this system. They do not know how to gain the economic rewards from their own work because others take the credit for their original works and use them for their own economic advantage. It is unfair that these women have to undergo these problems. To help and improve the current situation of these women, I would like to fully understand intellectual property policy and become an expert in this field.

What are your plans after graduation?

As mentioned, I would like to help women who hardly ever reap the benefits they deserve. In order to do so, I want to work with NGOs to practice policy of intellectual property. I would like to be the bridge between the government and NGOs and become involved with a project that brings a fundamental change to Afghanistan.

What motivates you to study earnestly? What is your ultimate goal?

When you have knowledge you are more powerful than those who don’t. I want to be that powerful, in order to foster women’s empowerment. I was fortunate enough to be raised by parents who treated me and my brothers equally. However, in a developing country this is not always the case, but rather an exception.

I would like to be the channel for uneducated women in Afghanistan and help them achieve what they deserve in regards to financial and moral returns. I want my achievements to inspire the women of Afghanistan to work harder and bring about change faster. This goal is the fuel for my passion, because I believe that providing equal opportunities, regardless of gender, will not only change the family or community, but it will change the society and the whole world, making it a much better place.