Over the years we have grown an enthusiastic team of talented and dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds, responsible for managing AfD’s projects in Switzerland and Afghanistan.

Geneva

Zuhra Dadgar Shafiq

Program Director

Zuhra has built her career in social development, gender public health and management; she has worked over 15 years with different international organizations including UNDP, USAID, MSH, Save the Children Sweden, Afghanaid, GFMER and the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan.

She also has professional experience in the field of social development in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She specializes in strategy performance, macro-level planning and policy development.

Zuhra serves as Strategy Performance and Evaluation Director at AfD. Her mandate is to address the strategic expansion of the organization, primarily focusing on initiatives addressing community development, health, education and the empowerment of women. She also served as a member of AfD’s board of trustees for 3 years.

Qudratullah Shafiq

Founder and CEO

Qudrat is a specialist in public health, community-based development, procurement, supply chain management and donor coordination. He holds a MD and a MBA, having 16 years of professional experience in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, South Africa and Switzerland, where he currently resides.

He established AfD as a non-profit organization in Geneva in 2014; he oversees the effective implementation of AfD’s portfolio including monitoring and evaluation of the public health services in Afghanistan as well as the selection, supply and distribution of health products.

He chairs staff meetings and coordinates donor activities, strategically planning and budgeting initiatives in line with the organization’s mission.

Elaine Malloy

Public Health Nutritionist

Alison graduated from St Andrews University, followed by a Master of Medical Sciences in Human Nutrition from the University of Sheffield. She is currently completing the UNICEF/Cornell University training course in “Programming for Infant and Young Child Feeding”.

Previous work experience includes Oxfam and the UK Pre-conceptual care charity, Foresight. Alison works as Public Health Nutritionist at AfD and has recently joined the Board of Trustees. She is currently working towards setting-up an Integrated Management of Malnutrition Program through the AfD Comprehensive Health Centre in Kabul.

Zahra Al-Amine

Programme Development Officer (Health & Nutrition)

Zahra holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the American University of Beirut (AUB). She has experience in Nutrition research as well as monitoring and evaluation and program adaptation in low resource settings.

Before joining AfD, Zahra worked with World Food Program (WFP) in Lebanon as well as with World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where she supported the emergency health interventions unit in fragile, conflict affected and vulnerable settings. Zahra has worked a lot with vulnerable populations including orphanage children, refugees and detainees in Lebanon as well as in Sri Lanka. She is passionate about children’s health, nutrition, and advocating for their rights. At AfD, Zahra is currently working to develop funding proposals; in addition, she will develop M&E tools and training materials for girls and women in Afghanistan as part of the health and nutrition program.

Dr. Shegufta Mohammad

Health Research Officer

Dr. Shegufta is an accomplished Dental Surgeon born in Bangladesh.

Before joining AFD she served as the chief dental consultant of Pacific International Hospital in Papua New Guinea. She enjoys a diversified career of 21 years as a clinician, assistant professor, mentor, facilitator, medical educationist and public health professional. She also served as faculty member and executive committee member of Public health foundation of Bangladesh and also as associate editor of South East Asian Journal of Public Health.

Maria Catenacci

Education Officer

Maria has more than 15 years of experience working in the field of Learning and Development and managing training programmes for enhancement of capacities.

She holds a degree in Law from the L.U.I.S.S. University of Rome, Italy. At AfD she works as Child Education Specialist, managing and promoting the expansion of the School for Street Working Children – Education Project in Kabul.

Claudia Cordes

Child Protection Specialist

Claudia has 10 years of experience advocating for children’s rights with UN agencies, government bodies, NGOs and civil societies.

She holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences (Intercultural Education) from the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany.

Previously, she worked as a social worker working directly with street children in Ghana, Tanzania, Mexico and as a Child Protection Specialist in Liberia. In her last position as Educational Director of two residential groups for unaccompanied minor refugees in Germany, she worked a lot with youth from Afghanistan where she developed an interest in country and supporting its people.

Lorena Moser

Communications/External Relations Officer

Lorena holds a Master’s degree in Business and Development Studies and has experience in project management, resources mobilization and communications.

She is passionate about human rights and sustainable development and, before joining AfD, has supported other NGOs in implementing capacity-building projects in low-resource settings. At AfD, she is responsible for external relations and supporting the Health and Education programs with communication tasks.

Lisa Getz

External Relations Officer

Lisa comes from a background in international development and working for international organizations in North America and Asia. She previously worked for Save the Children, an international NGO focused on advocating for the rights of children. She previously studied in the USA, China, and Switzerland, and is currently working with external stakeholders for AfD.

Laura Langhorn de Carvalho

Communication and Social Media Officer

Laura is a recent graduate from Exeter University where she studied International Relations and Spanish, and worked at a legal and business consultancy firm in Madrid. She has been studying and working towards the protection of migrants and refugees in the not-for-profit sector. At AfD, she is a member of the Communications Team and helps with our social media posts, website updates, and other communications activities to promote our visibility.

Zohra Kaihan

Operations Manager

She taught English at Said Jamaluddin Afghan Institute from 2003 to 2004 and has been working since 2013 as an Operation Manager with AfD.

Dr. Zabi Rahimi

Training Coordinator and Midwife Trainer

He is a pediatrician born in Kabul in 1966. After graduating from Kabul University, he has worked for various international organizations including USAID.

He has been working as Training Coordinator and Master Trainer for AfD’s project on training of midwives since 2014.

Sania Nezami

Coordinator for the School for Street Children Project

She studied at the Afghan Technical Vocational Institute. She works as the School Coordinator for AfD’s Street Children Back to School Project.

Her role is to coordinate the activities between the Geneva office and the school in Kabul.

Haroon Noori

Administration/Finance Officer

He has a Bachelor’s degree in history and sociology from the University of Kabul. He also has a diploma in accounting and management.

Before joining AfD, he held various positions with Action contre la Faim – as a translator and English teacher, as an accountant, and working in logistics and supply. He brings this experience to his role as administration and finance officer..