DIRECTOR OF RADIO SAHAR, A COMMUNITY-BASED WOMEN'S RADIO STATION IN HERAT, AFGHANISTAN

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan Humaira Habib moved with her family to Pakistan when she was 10 years old to escape the chaos in her country. At the age of eighteen, she returned to Herat, Afghanistan in 2000, where she experienced the oppression of the Taliban, especially their oppression of women. For one year she taught the Koran in a secret school, to women aspiring for an education.

In 2002, her life changed when the Taliban regime was overthrown and new rights and opportunities arose. She registered as a student in the Journalism Faculty at Herat University and in 2003, started to work for the newly-established, first privately-owned radio station in Afghanistan. Ms. Habib says she studied journalism “in order to be useful to my country and my society.”

Humaira is now director of Radio Sahar, a women's community radio station in the western province of Herat. She works with over 15 people and broadcasts more than 13 hours a day of programming.

As one of her supporters has stated, “Humaira is dedicated to the rebuilding of her country, by using radio as a tool to improve the lives of Afghan women and to upholding professional and ethical journalism standards." Humaira recently sat down with Julie Vahdati, host of A Woman’s World, to talk about her work at the radio station and what she is doing to improve the lives of Afghan women.

Ms. Habib is currently on a nine-month Sauvé scholarship at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She will be back at work by the end of April, 2008.

For more information about Humaira Habib at Radio Sahar, please visit: www.radiosahar.af

To contact her directly: habibhumaira@gmail.com.

A Woman's World is produced by the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau in line with the U.S. policy of promoting the rights of women worldwide.