Razia Jan brings her ray of hope to State House

NEWS BREAK, 2020

Former Duxbury resident and humanitarian Razia Jan spoke at the State House on Jan. 29. She is the founder of Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation and the Zabuli Education Center, a girls and women’s school outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. Jan spoke to Massachusetts legislators and staff about the progress of the school since it opened in 2008. State Representatives Josh Cutler and Kathy LaNatra and State Senator Patrick O’Connor sponsored the presentation.

Hosseini and Jan Translate Their Afghan Identities Into Activism

The Spectator, 2018

Khaled Hosseini, an internationally acclaimed author, and Razia Jan, the president and founder of Razia’s Ray of Hope, brought a full house to Seattle University’s Pigott Auditorium to speak about the activism they have contributed to Afghanistan. The conversation was moderated by Sonora Jha, the associate dean for Academic Community of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Hosseini has written “The Kite Runner,” “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” and “And the Mountains Echoed.” His novels are all at least partially set in Afghanistan, where Hosseini himself was born.

In addition to sharing his writings, Hosseini spoke to the audience about his philanthropic efforts in Afghanistan with Razia Jan. As the founder and president of the Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation, Jan aims to empower girls and young women through education in Afghanistan.

Meet Razia, the Woman Who Started a School in One of the Worst Places to Be a Girl

Global Citizen, 2016

KABUL, Afghanistan — It’s Friday, the holy day for Muslims, and Razia Jan, a 72-year-old grandmother, has created her own sacred ritual. She is at the stove slowly stirring an enormous vat of cream of wheat. Kabul hasn’t quite woken up yet, and Razia’s cooking soundtrack is the high-pitched chirping of Siberian Chiffchaffs playing outside in her garden.

Making the dish brings back memories from her childhood in Kandahar where she lived in a compound with extended family and could pick pomegranates off trees in the yard for a snack. Her mother wasn’t much for domestic life “Oh no!,” she laughs when I asked if she learned this recipe from her mom. Her father was a student of poetry and a leader in the community who wanted her to have the best education possible which meant sending her to a private Catholic school.