Biography
Sayed Zahir Mosawi is an Afghan education, human rights, and development professional with more than two decades of experience in education, training, project management, community development, human rights, and anti-human trafficking programming.
He began his professional and social engagement in Iran, where he worked to expand educational opportunities for Afghan children and youth. During his student years, he co-founded the Asr-e Danesh Association, established the monthly magazine Tafahom, organized educational programs and community schools for undocumented Afghan children, and established a public library for Afghan youth.
After returning to Afghanistan in 2002, Sayed Zahir Mosawi worked with CAWC, where he coordinated education, health, and infrastructure programs. He subsequently joined UN-Habitat, where he worked for seven years in education, training, and capacity development.
In 2010, he joined Women for Afghan Women (WAW) as a Master Trainer under an Anti-Human Trafficking Project. In May 2012, he joined Hagar International, where he served in various professional capacities, including Senior Trainer, Master Trainer, Project Coordinator, Education Officer, and Project Manager. During his tenure, he contributed to programs addressing human trafficking, human smuggling, migration, education, community awareness, and capacity development.
Sayed Zahir Mosawi holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and has pursued PhD studies in Human Rights. His academic and professional interests include human rights, education, child protection, migration, human trafficking and smuggling, community development, research, and capacity building.
Since 2026, Sayed Zahir Mosawi has been serving as Program Manager at New Horizon and Development Organization (NHADO), where he contributes to program development, strategic planning, project implementation, organizational capacity building, and coordination with partners and stakeholders.
Throughout his career, Sayed Zahir Mosawi has remained committed to promoting education, human dignity, human rights, and opportunities for vulnerable and marginalized communities. His professional experience combines field-based practice, training and education, program management, research, documentation, and human rights advocacy.
Research and Documentation
In 2025, Sayed Zahir Mosawi conducted an extensive field-based research study on human rights violations and the living and working conditions of orphaned and vulnerable children engaged in labor, as well as women-headed households engaged in labor, across 10 provinces of Afghanistan.
The research examined a range of issues affecting vulnerable groups, including poverty, unemployment, child labor, women’s employment, difficult working conditions, access to education, economic vulnerability, and other challenges related to the realization of fundamental human rights.
The study was based on extensive field data and firsthand information collected from affected communities and was compiled into a comprehensive research report of several hundred pages. The research aims to document the human rights situation of vulnerable and marginalized groups and to provide evidence-based information for human rights organizations, humanitarian agencies, researchers, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders.
A summary of the research and its findings has also been shared with Rawadari, an Afghan human rights organization. The research has not yet been published in a recognized academic or professional publication and is currently awaiting an appropriate opportunity for publication and wider dissemination.
This research represents an important part of Sayed Zahir Mosawi’s professional commitment to documenting human rights violations, amplifying the voices and experiences of vulnerable communities, and strengthening evidence-based understanding of human rights and social challenges in Afghanistan.
