Young Women For Change: Fashion as Activism Favorite 

Founded in April 2011, Young Women for Change (YWC) is an independent non-profit organization committed to empowering Afghan women and improving their lives through social, economical , political empowerment, participation, awareness and advocacy.

YWC was co-founded by Noorjahan Akbar and Anita Haidary and consists of dozens of volunteer women and male advocates across Afghanistan.

In addition to awareness programs, the organization staged the first harassment march in held in Afghanistan, and conducted the first ever large-scale study of sexual harassment in the country. They have also opened the first ever women’s net cafe in Kabul as well as a learning center for men and women to gain literacy, language and computer skills.

Most recently, the women held a fashion show, sans burqas, in the net cafe. The goals of this project were to "...support women in business because we believe that grassroots efforts that support women in becoming financially independent can lead to the greater empowerment of Afghan women.” Furthermore, the fashion show was meant to campaign against sexism and sexual harrassment by connecting Afghan women to alternative ways they can get their traditional clothing. It is also promoting women in their design and business skills. While the show was held safely away from the public eye, it served to encourage women to work hard and find ways of rethinking gender equality while working to rebuild a new Afghanistan.

As co-founder Anita Haidary said, "Women cannot achieve what they want if they don’t work for it.”