ASDD Executive Board Members
President
Shahrbanu Haidari
Shahrbanu is the Co-Founder and President of ASDD. She has been serving as an advisor to Women7 (W7), the G7 engagement group on gender equality, since 2024. She holds a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from the American University of Rome. Her research focuses on women’s activism, digital resistance, peacebuilding, the Hazara diaspora, and diaspora-led advocacy, with a particular emphasis on Afghanistan.
Vice-PresidentSharifa Behzad
Sharifa is co-founder and vice president of ASDD. She works to amplify the voices of Afghanistani women and girls and foster opportunities for growth and resilience within the community. Sharifa holds a degree in English Language and Social Work and is currently pursuing her second Master’s degree in International Relations and European Studies, with a focus on migration and refugees.
Secretary
Sediqa Sharifi
Sediqa is the Co-Founder and Secretary of ASDD, where she also manages the organisation’s finances. She has a background in project management and is committed to gender equality, playing a key role in ASDD’s mentorship and education programmes for women and youth in Afghanistan. Currently pursuing a Master’s in International Management at the University of Bologna, she brings experience in governance, communication, and humanitarian advocacy.
ASDD’s Committee Chairs and Team
Scholarship Officer
Abdul Ghiyas Kamyar
After arriving in Italy in 2022 to study for my master’s in International Business and Entrepreneurship, I began helping girls in Afghanistan who lost their right to attend university navigate similar paths. As Scholarship Officer, I offer advice and mentoring to help them find educational opportunities abroad. We grow together!
Sport committee chair
Mahdia Sharifi
Mahdia Sharifi is a Political Science student at Roma Tre University in Rome, focusing on refugee rights, gender equality, and international human rights. She has volunteered with INTERSOS and UNHCR Italia since 2022 and interned with the Jesuit Refugee Service’s Global Advocacy Unit in early 2025. A former member of the Afghanistan Taekwondo national team, she joined the Refugee Olympic Programme from 2023 to 2024.