The 2009 Henry R. Kravis Prize in Nonprofit Leadership winner Dr. Sakena Yacoobi has won the 2013 Opus Prize for her work founding The Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL).
The Opus Prize is given annually by the Opus Prize Foundation with its university partners, including Georgetown University, which bestowed the award this year.
The award recognizes unsung heroes of any faith tradition, anywhere in the world, solving today’s most persistent social problems. Opus Prize recipients embody the Foundation’s core values of entrepreneurship, transformational leadership, faith lived each day, service to others, and respect for the dignity of the human person. Most significantly, Opus Prize winners exemplify the adage, “Give a person a fish; you have fed him for a day. Teach a person to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.”
Along with the award comes a prize of one million US dollars which will be used to help ensure the continued success, development and reach of The Afghan Institute of Learning’s programs.
AIL is an Afghan, women run, non-governmental organization (NGO) which was founded in 1995 by Yacoobi to help address the crisis of poor access to education and health services for Afghan people especially women and children.
Upon receiving the award, Dr. Yacoobi was greatly honored, acknowledging the worthiness of her fellow nominees. She expressed gratitude to those who nominated her for this prestigious award. “I am truly humbled and honored by this gift of recognition and support.” said Yacoobi.
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Learn more about the Kravis Prize
Learn more about the Opus Prize
At the Kravis Prize blog: Read more about Sakena Yacoobi and this year's Opus Prize