Welcome to Banoo
Through advocacy, education, access to information, leadership development, and community-based initiatives, we strengthen women’s voices and expand opportunities for meaningful participation in society. Guided by gender equality, inclusion, and human rights, we work to dismantle barriers, build confidence, and foster independence empowering Afghan women and girls to shape their own futures and contribute fully to their communities.
Our Journey
From Empowering Women to Defending the Rights of 20+ Million Afghan Women and Girls
Banoo’s journey began in Afghanistan in 2016 as one of the country’s first women-founded travel agencies, established with a bold vision: to break barriers, challenge traditional limitations, and create opportunities for women through employment, education, and scholarships.
What began as an initiative to empower women through economic opportunity evolved into a greater mission as Afghanistan’s women and girls faced the systematic erosion of their fundamental rights and freedoms. With more than 20 million women and girls deprived of their fundamental rights to live with dignity, freedom, and equality, we recognized that creating opportunities alone was no longer enough. We had a responsibility to stand at the forefront of the fight against gender apartheid, defend their rights, and amplify the voices of those being silenced.
In 2026, Banoo Foundation was officially registered as a nonprofit organization in Canada, marking a new chapter in our journey and expanding our commitment from women’s economic empowerment to human rights advocacy, education, leadership, and social change.
Today, Banoo Foundation stands as a frontline defender of the rights of Afghan women and girls, challenging gender apartheid and advocating for their fundamental rights to education, freedom, justice, equality, and full participation in society. Through advocacy, education, skills development, and community engagement, we work to restore hope, build resilience, and create pathways toward leadership and economic independence.
Our mission is driven by an unwavering belief: Every woman and girl deserves the right to live as a human being—with dignity, freedom, equality, and the power to determine her own future.
From opening doors of opportunity in 2016 to confronting gender apartheid today, our journey remains rooted in the same purpose: to ensure that Afghan women and girls are not forgotten, their voices are not silenced, and their fundamental human rights are fully recognized and restored.
Empowering Women. Transforming Futures.
Our Commitment
Our Mission
Banoo empowers women and girls through education, awareness, advocacy, skills development, and community support. We amplify women’s voices, open new opportunities, and uphold dignity, inclusion, and equal participation. Together, we build pathways to independence and full, meaningful engagement in society.
Our Vision
Founder’s Message
Our purpose is to strengthen women’s voices and expand pathways to independence. Guided by human rights and inclusion, we collaborate to build a future where Afghan women and girls may shape their own lives and contribute fully to society. Thank you for your partnership and support.
Marjan Sadat
Executive Director
Marjan Sadat
With a professional background in journalism, documentary production, and human rights storytelling, Marjan has focused much of her work on human rights, women’s rights, and the experiences of Afghan women and communities. Through reporting, interviews, and documentary projects, she has worked to bring underrepresented voices and stories to wider audiences.
Her media experience includes work connected with international and Canadian media organizations such as Voice of America, DW News, La Repubblica, the Toronto Star, and Afghanistan International. Her work has addressed issues affecting women and communities in Afghanistan, with particular attention to human rights, equality, resilience, and the realities faced by women and girls.
Marjan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and has completed a Management Certificate at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto. Her multidisciplinary background in law, media, management, and advocacy informs her leadership of Banoo Foundation.
Through Banoo Foundation, Marjan brings together human rights advocacy, women’s empowerment, storytelling, and community leadership. She is committed to amplifying women’s voices, documenting their stories, and creating opportunities for Afghan women and girls to participate, lead, and build more independent futures.