The zan e. V. association, marking the 25th anniversary of its activities, held a special ceremony for the Nadia Qani Women Founders Award (Nadia Qani Gründerinnen Preis) at Haus am Dom in Frankfurt, Germany. The event brought together a number of cultural figures, entrepreneurs, politicians, and journalists.

Seven successful Afghan women entrepreneurs participated in the program, all of whom had established various companies and organizations in Germany over the past five years. Among them, Fakhriya Manzel received the first prize. Through her nonprofit organization, BIN, Manzel carries out innovative initiatives aimed at the professional and personal empowerment of women. She received a cash prize of €5,000, along with the award’s special recognition.

The honorary second-place award went to Jawan (Aya) Publishing House. The publishing initiative is run by three Afghan women — Wania Lmar, Waslat Hasrat Nazimi, and Ama Tokhi — who work to preserve and promote Afghanistan’s commonly spoken languages by publishing storybooks and language-learning books for Afghan children living abroad. They received an honorary prize of €2,000.

The event was held in the presence of Brigitte Zypries, former German Minister for Economic Affairs, and Nadia Qani herself. The program also featured extensive discussions on the integration of Afghan women into the German labor market, the barriers they face, and the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in creating professional opportunities.