Benafsha Yaqoobi

Benafsha Yaqoobi (also known as Benafsha Yaqubi) is an Afghan disability rights activist. In 2021, she was named one of the BBC's 100 Women.

Career

Benafsha Yaqoobi was born blind in Afghanistan and became a disability rights activist. She studied Persian literature in Iran and then took two master’s degrees in Kabul, before working at the Attorney General's Office. With her husband Mahdi Salami, who is also blind, she founded the Rahyab Organisation to assist and educate the visually impaired.

Yakubi has also worked for the education of visually impaired children.

In 2020, Yaqoobi was a candidate for the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She was made one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2021.