About the Board
The decision making body of Partnership-Afghanistan Canada is the Board of Directors, comprised of experts in relevant fields and professions. Membership on the Board is achieved through an election in the General Assembly meeting each year. Founding members,
(CEO, Field Director and Central Secretary and Administrator) become automatic and permanent members of the BoD.
The Board is responsible for the overall activities of PAC. This includes the evaluation of projects, providing advice and guidance to both central and Field Directors and officers, financial evaluations and boycotting, calling monthly, quarterly, annual and emergency meetings. Each board member has the right of one vote in any decision making process. Board members receive no financial compensation for their contributions to PAC.
Board of Directors
Karim Qayumi, MD, Ph.D, FRCSC
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & CHAIRMAN
Experienced Program Director with a demonstrated history of innovation holding patents, trademarks and copyrights.Experienced working in medical Education, curriculum development, educational technology development.
Shahnaz Qayumi, M.A.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER & BOARD MEMBER
Shahnaz Qayumi, M.A. Developmental Psychology & Pedagogy, is a faculty of the Early Childhood Education department at Langara College. She also received her master’s Certificate from the Harvard Program Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery (2014). She has taught Early Childhood Education at Native Education College, Kwantlen University College, and Vancouver Community College. She has facilitated an ECE (Early Childhood Education) program for Family Empowerment funded by the Ministry of Health in North Delta for low-income families. She has also been a member of the Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Awareness Committee, Vancouver Women’s Visible Minority, and a Mentor in Leadership Roles in the Canadian Society/National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada. For seven years, she led Afghan community programming called “Caravan” TV” and chaired the Afghan Cultural Heritage Day in Vancouver in 2011.
In 2012, she became the Chief Operating Officer of Partnership Afghanistan Canada. She assumed responsibility for building the Center of Excellence for Innovation and Research for the Faculty of Psychology and Education at Kabul University. Partnership Afghanistan (Canada) has partnered with the Science and Technology Faculty at the University of British Columbia (2012) to utilize an innovative software called LIVES (Learning through Interactive Voice Educational Services) in a project called M-Learning, designed to reach Afghan parents and teach them to assess and evaluate the progress of their child’s on different aspects of the various stages of early childhood development such as the physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional development. The project was implemented in the summer of 2012, and the results were significant. PAC partnered with World Vision Afghanistan in 2017, and LIVES was used to improve literacy among women in Herat, Ghor, and Bodghuis in remote areas. The next project is Education for Deprived Children of Afghanistan via technology. The needs assessment of this project was completed in 2019, and implementation is on hold due to the new Taliban government, which banned education for girls. Shahnaz writes for children and expresses the diversity of human rights, the magic of giving, and the challenges of escaping her original home out of necessity in children’s books “Like You and Me,” “Afsana Seesanna,”” “Run Away from Home Like a Gingerbread Man, and “Zia’s Story.”(Published 2024).
Neil Griggs
BOARD MEMBER
Neil Griggs is an experienced project manager specializing in the planning, design and construction management ofprojects in Canada and other parts of the world.
David Crenna
BOARD MEMBER
Aman Nuri
BOARD MEMBER
Aman Nuri M.Sc, Geologist.
He has 10 years experience as a geologist, including 2 years with the UNDP project. In the last 34 years, he worked as a financial advisor with SunLife of Canada.
Currently retired.
Michael Janusz
BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Michael Janusz is a cardiovascular surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is a clinical professor of surgery at the University of British Columbia and Director of the Thoracic Aortic Surgery Service at UBC.
Mariam Hazhir
BOARD MEMBER
Mariam Hazhir has been working as a Secondary Teacher for 8 years with Surrey School District. She obtained her degree at UBC in English and Microbiology, and shortly after obtained her Bachelor’s in Curriculum and Instruction at SFU and completed her PDP training. More recently, she completed her Master of Educational Leadership and Administration at Yorkville University. Her principles of making connections to land for learning and strengthening inter-generational relationships and knowledge is evident in her community work. Mariam was the Teacher Lead and Co-Curriculum Developer for FarsiDarBC. Mariam’s curriculum writing strategies and leadership resulted in Farsi being approved as a teachable second language within the province. Mariam’s work in PAC includes helping curate Biology lessons in Farsi for the M-learning audio platform podcast to combat the ban of education abasing young girls by the Taliban. Mariam’s success in her teaching practices has been featured on National Television numerous times such as CBC, The National, CTV and other media outlets. Mariam has been interviewed for CBC podcasts along with neuroscientists in her work as a Math Teacher combating student’s Math anxiety. Currently, Mariam works as the Indigenous Graduate Advocate for Surrey Schools and is the Indigenous Department Head: supporting Teachers at her school integrate Indigenous content into their pedagogies. Her community work includes but is not limited to collaboration with nonprofit organization BC4Afghans and New West Minister’s Anvil Centre New Media Art Gallery: helping provide STEM workshops for newcomer/refugee migrants. She is passionate about helping youth take an interdisciplinary approach towards the sciences and the arts!
Ahmad Baktash Nuri
BOARD MEMBER
Ahmad Baktash Nuri is a serving member in the Canadian Armed Forces. His occupation in
the military is in Finance and Financial Services Administration.
He is a student at Royal Military College of Canada and Simon Fraser University studying for
his degree in Economics and Political Science.
He has over 15 years experience in the Financial/Investment/Insurance industry.
He runs his own Investment/Insurance business as a Financial Advisor as well.
He has helped the Afghan Sport Organization in Vancouver for 5 years by helping organizing
events and team sport events in order to promote athletics and foster community
togetherness.
Mohib Waziri
BOARD MEMBER
Mohib Waziri has a degree in Information Technology specialized in Web & Mobile applications. He is currently working on CyberPatient project with Can-Health International under Dr.Karim Qayumi supervision. He is actively engaged in community and cultural programs in Vancouver, Canada.
Shabnam Hazrati
BOARD MEMBER
Shabnam was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. When Taliban took over, and girls were forbidden to go to school, Shabnam started primary school in Panjsher province. After the fall of Taliban she continued her studies at the Educational Psychology faculty in Kabul University. During university, Shabnam was working as an editor, producer and radio operator for Amozgar Radio. Shabnam’s work career started from here, and after that, she worked as a project coordinator in Panjshir province for women empowerment project. In 2012 she joined the Partnership Afghanistan-(Canada) Organization as a volunteer and served as the project coordinator for M-Learning Project. After that, Shabnam worked at the Independent Election Commission as a Media Liaison officer, as a Capacity Building Officer for the Afghan Women Education Center, and as a UN Volunteer for the UNDP project for Gender Equality enhancement in Afghanistan.
Currently, Shabnam is in Turkey to get her Master’s degree and is continuing her work with PAC for implementing Community Self Care Demonstration Program (CSDP) training in Afghanistan. Apart from these jobs mentioned above, Shabnam has worked with many more youths Organizations and with Darkht e Danesh online library as a volunteer editor.
In Shabnam’s opinion, if you want to be happy and have peace of mind you need to serve others and help societies to bring positive change. That is why she loves working voluntarily and feels genuine happiness within that.
Christina Yousofi
BOARD MEMBER
As an advocate for sustainable development and cross- cultural collaboration, Christina is honoured to join the Partnership-Afghanistan Canada (PAC) team. With an educational background in biological sciences, focusing on cellular, molecular, and physiological studies from Simon Fraser University, Christina has a deep understanding of the intricate systems that sustain life. This foundation has been instrumental in her entrepreneurial journey over the past seven years, during which she has established and leads a Canadian-made fashion label committed to sustainability. The brand has been recognized for its innovative approaches to eco-friendly design, emphasizing the use of sustainable materials and ethical production processes. This venture taught her valuable business lessons but also reinforced her dedication to environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Aligning with PAC’s mission to support long-term, sustainable peace and development in Afghanistan, she’s excited to support projects through design, charity work, and capacity building. She is particularly inspired by PAC’s commitment to education and community participation, values that resonate with her own professional ethos.
Farangies Shah
BOARD MEMBER
Monica Yousofi
BOARD MEMBER
Monica is a master’s student in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University, where she also earned her bachelors degree in Communication. Monica is a dedicated teaching assistant at the University, where she merges academia with a passion tor social justice. Monica’s research focuses on the resilience of marginalized groups striving for positive change, and underscores the potential of digital spaces in advancing social justice agendas. With robust dedication to student services and community building at SFU, and a commitment to fostering student engagement, Monica currently serves as Caucus Co-Chair of the Communication Graduate Student Caucus and as Co-Chair of the Communication Graduate Conterence Committee, having previously represented MA students. Beyond academia, she has volunteered with Caravan TV (formerly Ariana TV) to support the integration of new immigrants into Canadian society. Additionally, her work with PAC involves developing and teaching a research methods course for university students in Afghanistan.