Ms. Zarifa Ghafari is the Mayor of Maydan Wardak Province, and is the first female mayor in the history of Afghanistan. In Maydan Wardak the support for the Taliban is widespread, and Ghafari has thus been subject to multiple threats of violence. She is a staunch advocate for democracy, a human rights activist, and a defender of women's rights.
Concerned for the rights women & young people in her country, Ghafari started her career working for Afghan Women Protection and Rights. As part of this initiative, Ghafari established the “Afghan Women Development and Help Foundation”. The most impactful initiative of this foundation was to advocate for female inclusion in the Afghan National Army. Before being selected as Mayor, she was appointed as a Youth Parliament representative from Maidan Wardak province due to her continuous service to people's welfare. In addition to her role as Mayor, Ghafari is also in charge of the female division of an independent journalists association, where she works for female journalists’ security, safety and obtaining rights abroad as well as inside the county. She is listed in " The BBC's 100 Women of 2019".