Afghan lawyer launches nonprofit to help others while also pursuing US legal education
It’s been more than four years since Abeera Ziayi fled Afghanistan, leaving behind her family, her life and her career.
As a lawyer, Ziayi had handled hundreds of cases involving violence against women and children, criminal and civil issues, and divorces. She was also a human rights advocate, university professor and frequent volunteer in her community.
Because of her work, Ziayi was targeted by the Taliban. Through a foreign organization that assisted female lawyers facing danger, she was brought to a camp for Afghan evacuees in the United Arab Emirates a few months after the fall of Kabul in August 2021. About 10 months later, she immigrated to the United States. (See “ABA helps find permanent homes for Afghan evacuees stuck in Abu Dhabi, other parts of the world,” ABA Journal, Nov. 10, 2022.)
A lot has happened since then, says Ziayi, who was granted asylum and is awaiting her green card. She knew she wanted to continue her legal career, even if it meant starting over in her new country. Since she had only a basic understanding of English, she began working to improve her language skills so she could go to law school.
“I encouraged myself to speak with people, read books and academic materials, study American law in English and learn new things through everyday interactions,” says Ziayi, who lived in New York and Connecticut before moving to Washington, D.C.
“This journey has not been easy, especially while adapting to a new country, a different culture and an unfamiliar legal and educational system,” she says.
Ziayi was also without stable employment and took out student loans so she could pursue her LLM in U.S. law from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. She earned that degree in 2024 and enrolled in the American University Washington College of Law. She plans to graduate with her JD in May.
At the same time, Ziayi remained focused on helping her community. While living in the UAE in 2021, she began a free educational initiative for Afghan women and girls. In 2024, she established the Global Empowerment Network, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that builds on that initiative. Its three goals are to advance education, provide pro bono legal resources and referrals, and support people in need in both the Middle East and United States.
For Ziayi, her focus now is on the organization’s educational programs, which are largely offered online and include professional and career development, leadership and management development, and financial literacy. Because she is still building her team of volunteers, she teaches some of these classes herself.
“From 2021 until now, with limited resources, we have helped more than 70,000 people, especially women and especially people in the Middle East,” says Ziayi, who hopes to assist even more immigrants and underserved individuals in the United States through her organization’s branches in California, Connecticut and Texas.
As Global Empowerment Network’s founder and leader, Ziayi says her responsibilities include establishing relationships with universities, legal institutions and other nonprofits; engaging attorneys who are willing to share their expertise with the organization; and seeking funding opportunities to support its programs and operations.
“My long-term goal is to develop GEN into a sustainable nonprofit organization that can hire qualified professionals, expand its educational programs and provide greater support to women, families and other underserved communities,” says Ziayi, who does all her work on a volunteer basis.
Ziayi also aims to extend the reach of the Global Empowerment Network through a new podcast called GEN Talks. The goal is to create a platform that amplifies unrepresented voices and focuses on human rights, women’s rights and education, she says.
“I believe that education, access to justice and equal opportunities can transform people’s lives,” Ziayi says. “This belief continues to motivate me to pursue this mission despite the many challenges.”
Ziayi isn’t sure what else the future holds but hopes to practice business and immigration law as part of her career, she says. She also has “an ambitious vision” of providing free higher education to talented students who are unable to afford it, she says.
For more information or to volunteer, visit the Global Empowerment Network’s website.
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