Educational and economic opportunities.

Educational and economic opportunities for a peaceful and flourishing community.

When a woman is educated, she is less likely to marry young, her children are more likely to be educated and have a voice in family decisions.

What do we do?

Noor Women for Afghanistan is a New Zealand based charity that is dedicated to offering an empowerment project targetting underserved women and girls in Afghanistan who have been impacted by years of instability and war.  Noor Women for Afghanistan provides economic and educational opportunities that enable women to contribute to peaceful and flourishing communities.

Women and young girls are part of literacy classes in Dari, English and basic computer skills. The project has other initiatives in health and humanitarian services for severely disadvantaged families. Noor Women for Afghanistan supports women and children facing immense poverty and oppression. It enables women to earn an income for their families by selling traditional embroidered products on an international market.

Our people

Andrea Morris
Andrea MorrisCo-founder
With a strong belief in equality, Andrea is a passionate advocate for the rights of women. Working as an international educator for many years, educational opportunities for girls and women is at the heart of her mission. She first visited Afghanistan in 2017 where she co-founded a women’s empowerment project and saw firsthand the incredible resilience of Afghan people, their kindness, genuine warmth and incredible hospitality. Through co-founding NOOR Women for Afghanistan, she is deeply committed to improving the lives of girls and women, promoting compassion, peace and prosperity and nurturing confidence to dream big.
Elaha Yousufi
Elaha YousufiCo-founder
Prior to moving to New Zealand in 2022, Elaha lived in Afghanistan and worked in a variety of Government and private sector roles including establishing and building two successful businesses of her own – operating in both the IT and logistics sectors.

In 2018 she was awarded the title of Businesswoman of the Year for the entire country of Afghanistan. Elaha has always been involved in the community and ran her own NGO in Afghanistan focussing on IT training and capacity building courses for Afghani girls, as well as introducing them to employers after they completed their studies.

Opportunities for women to participate in society in Afghanistan, let alone operate a business have evaporated as a result of the Taliban taking control, hence her decision to move to New Zealand in 2022. Elaha has joined the Rotary Club of Henderson and is currently the chairperson of Henderson Rotary’s project focussed satellite club Rotalite.

Elaha has personally seen the benefits that education and involvement in society can bring and was eager to see how she could assist the women and girls of Afghanistan, despite the current situation there. That is what led her to become co-founder of Noor Women for Afghanistan alongside Andrea.