Afghan Biographies

Rahyab, Maiwand


Name Rahyab, Maiwand
Ethnic backgr. Tajik
Date of birth 1980
Function/Grade Appointment Board Commissioner
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Children’s Voice Group (1998-2002)
Director of Youth Development Foundation (YDF)

Deputy director of the Afghanistan office for Counterpart International, a USA, Virginia-based NGO (20141027)
Founding member of Afghanistan 1400 (USIP supported)
Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) (20150217)


3. Biodata:
Maiwand Rahyab was born 1980 in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province. He has completed his Bachelors degree in law and political science from Balkh University in Afghanistan. He was in the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship to complete his Masters degree in Public Administration and International Development from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

During his studies in the US, he completed an internship with Save the Children on education in emergencies and adolescent girls’ education. Before coming to the US, he was director of Youth Development Foundation (YDF), a youth-led civil society organization in northern Afghanistan devoted to facilitate and support meaningful participation of youth in the society. In this capacity, he managed several projects on peace education, youth civic engagement, girls’ empowerment and volunteerism. From 1998 to 2002, Maiwand worked with the Children’s Voice Group, a local youth organization in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Under the Taliban rule, he ran home-based schools for girls and published a monthly magazine on child rights. With UNICEF support, he was also able to produce a weekly radio program for children and young people during this time. In 2002, in conjunction with the Back to School program, he carried out a multimedia campaign in the northern provinces on the importance of children’s education. In addition to his work with youth, Maiwand worked with USAID’s Afghanistan Local Governance Strengthening Project and served as OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) short-term international election observer in Tajikistan. He was a democracy and rule of law Chevening Fellow at the Center for Studies on Security and Diplomacy in the University of Birmingham, UK.

Maiwand speaks Dari and English.

Last Modified 2020-09-07
Established 2015-02-17