Fawzia Koofi

Fawzia Koofi is an accomplished Afghan politician, author and women’s rights activist. The 19th daughter of a rural village leader, she was left outside to die after she was born before her mother had a change of heart and raised her in a caring and supporting environment. Fawzia's political career began in 2001 when she promoted a back-to-school campaign, championing the rights of women in Afghanistan to receive an education. She was elected to Kabul’s parliament in 2005 and later became the Afghan parliament’s first female vice president. Her memoir, The Favored Daughter: One Woman’s Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future, tells the remarkable story of her life through anecdotes and letters she wrote to her own daughters.