Mary Akrami

Mary Akrami is an activist from Afghanistan. She started the Afghan Women Skills Development Center, a women's shelter in Kabul. In 2007 she received the International Women of Courage Award.
Life.
Akrami grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan. During the war with the Taliban, her family left Afghanistan and went to live in Pakistan. Akrami got a BBA degree in Administration and Economy from Peshawar in Pakistan.
Work.
Akrami worked with a group of women to start classes in English and computer literacy for Afghan women in refugee camps. They got help from the Aurat Foundation (an NGO in Pakistan) and the Afghan Women Skills Development Center (AWSDC). 
In 2001, Akrami went to the Afghan Civil Society meeting in Bonn, Germany. After the war, she went back to 
Afghanistan and started an economic development project for women in the small village of Ghazni. In April, she started a women's shelter with the help of Norwegian church Aid (NCA). The shelter provides psychological counseling and legal aid. 
To promote human rights for women, they started a peace building program in the Parwan province. They started 12 peace committees 6 and 1 central Shura in each district. Women have 50% representation in the peace committees.