With a degree in Economics, Manizha Wafeq has been working since 2002 with development projects for women’s empowerment and gender equality. She has co-authored a training manual on “Gender and the Legal Framework of Afghanistan” and another manual for start-up businesses. She has trained over 500 government staff in Kabul and other provinces on gender mainstreaming. She has also spent 10 years with the program “Peace Through Business,” a part of the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women, training more than 250 businesswomen from Kabul and other provinces.
Wafeq worked as one of four women partners at a consulting firm in Kabul in 2008. Later, she and her sister, Sania Wafeq, established a clothing production company in 2012 called “Wonderland Women,” which sells both ready-made and custom clothing. Despite her busy schedule, her commitment to women’s empowerment and gender equality motivated her to serve as an executive board member for the Afghan Women’s Network for two years and to co-found Leading Entrepreneurs for Afghanistan Development, advocating for women’s economic rights and roles in Afghanistan.