In my column today I write about the Voice of Women Organization in Herat, Afghanistan, which runs shelters for abused women, helps women in prison, and runs workshops to help sensitize men to respect women more in accordance with Islamic values.

The staff of VWO are all remarkable. On the left is founder Suraya Pakzad., whom I profile today. To her right is Safia, who - under the Taliban - managed to keep working with her husband for an NGO that gave small loans to couples; she road on a motorcyle to distribute that aid.  Malika, to her right, fled with her family to Iran to escape the Taliban. Wahida, to her right, could no longer study under Taliban rules, until she learned that nurses' training was permitted and enrolled in a a course. Now all work as professionls for VWO, and are hoping the Taliban won't make a comeback.

The woman on the far right doesn't have to worry about such things, since she lives in Philadelpha.