Our Story
Founded in New York and rooted in the Afghan experience of loss and resilience, the Zarifa Foundation is a multidisciplinary creative movement uniting artists, writers, musicians, animators, educators, and cultural leaders from Afghanistan, the United States, France, Germany, India, Iran, Pakistan, Canada, and beyond, bound by the conviction that art is not peripheral to justice, but essential to it. Together, we advocate for girls' education, defend artistic freedom, preserve endangered cultural heritage, and build bridges of empathy across every border that divides us, with the belief that when we animate a girl's story, compose music that transcends borders, or publish a poem in exile, we are making an argument: that all human lives have dignity, all cultures have value, and creativity, freely expressed, is among humanity's greatest gifts.
Zarifa Adiba
Zarifa Adiba is a musician, author of Playing For Freedom, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Zarifa Foundation — an organization that unites artists across disciplines and backgrounds to advocate for freedom, equality, and education for girls and women worldwide.
She holds a dual degree from Bard College and the American University of Central Asia, and made history as the youngest conductor to lead the All-Female Orchestra of Afghanistan at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2017.
A Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honoree and recipient of the New Beginning Award NYC 2026, Zarifa is a widely recognized voice for girls’ education and the transformative power of art. She has spoken on global stages including the Tory Burch Summit and TEDx AUCA, and has been featured across national and international media outlets.
Shamela M. Bay
Shamela Bay is the Strategic Initiatives Visionary behind Letters from a Stolen Generation at the Zarifa Foundation. She works to unite communities in support of education, opportunity, and the preservation of the voices of Afghan youth. She believes education is a fundamental human right and that the denial of educational opportunities should never become normalized.
An Information Technology Management and Business Administration graduate and a cybersecurity student, she has a background in U.S. government support, data management, and Data analysis. She is also the founder of a future-focused infrastructure startup focused on artificial intelligence, sustainable data center solutions, technology licensing frameworks, and emerging technologies.
She is a member of the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and is committed to advancing education, human rights, and community-driven solutions that create lasting change.