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Summia Tora
Champion for Women's and Refugee Rights, First Rhodes Scholar from Afghanistan & Founder of Dosti Network
Summia Tora
Champion for Women's and Refugee Rights, First Rhodes Scholar from Afghanistan & Founder of Dosti Network
Biography
Summia Tora is the founder of Dosti Network, an organization dedicated to empowering Afghans both within Afghanistan and those living as refugees with crucial resources and education. As an Afghan refugee who has personally experienced displacement, Summia possesses an intimate understanding of the challenges faced by displaced individuals, which fuels her drive to actively engage in refugee resettlement and advocate for access to education for students affected by conflict and displacement.
In response to the fall of the Afghan government in 2021 and Summia's own experience of displacement, the Dosti Network launched a global effort to connect Afghans with essential resources for resettlement worldwide and to provide support to those remaining in Afghanistan. Since then Dosti Network has funded refugee support such as immigration, housing, and healthcare and is now mainly focused on making education accessible to those in Afghanistan and living as refugees. Recognizing the transformative power of education, Summia has worked with organizations such as the World Bank, Malala Fund, United Nations, and Schmidt Futures. Through these partnerships, she tirelessly champions education on a global scale, with a specific focus on refugees, women, and girls in emergency contexts.
Summia Tora's exceptional achievements include being the first Rhodes scholar from Afghanistan and obtaining Master's degrees in Public Policy and International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford. She holds a BA in Economics and Peace & Global Studies from Earlham College. She is an Echoing Green fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree for Social Impact, and recipient of the Open Society Prize. She was listed in BBC 100 Women 2023. Her journey has captivated audiences and has been featured in renowned media outlets such as The New York Times, BBC, The Economist, and NPR.
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