Summia Tora

  • Dosti Network

  • Funded with support from the World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund

  • 2022 Global Fellow

Summia Tora
  • Dosti Network

  • Funded with support from the World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund

  • 2022 Global Fellow

bold idea

Increase equitable access to humanitarian assistance, financial aid, and immigration support for Afghans by leveraging a network of local and international partners to provide the resources they need.

organization overview

The Dosti Network reduces inequities among Afghans by providing financial and immigration support to those in need. It has provided immigration and humanitarian support to more than one hundred Afghans. Dosti forges new global and local partnerships, serving as an organization that identifies families in need, directs families to resources, and provides humanitarian support for families still in Afghanistan. Long term, Dosti looks to expand its reach by removing barriers to information and connecting Afghans to humanitarian assistance by creating an accessible, multilingual platform.

Personal Bio

Summia Tora is the founder and executive director of the Dosti Network. She grew up as an Afghan refugee in Pakistan and has advocated for just refugee resettlement processes in the United States, Pakistan, and Greece. The Dosti Network was born out of Summia’s efforts to evacuate her own family from Afghanistan in August 2021. Through this process, Summia witnessed firsthand the inequities Afghans face while trying to access aid within the country and while trying to flee. She created Dosti to address these inequities. Previously, she spearheaded an initiative focused on educating girls on menstrual hygiene and making reusable sanitary pads in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She has also worked with the World Bank and Schmidt Futures to make scholarships and education accessible to refugees, especially girls. She is Afghanistan’s first Rhodes Scholar, with a master’s of public policy from the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. She holds a B.A. in economics and peace studies from Earlham College. Summia’s journey has been featured by the New York Times, BBC World, The Economist, and NPR.

  • Organization/Fellow Location ?

    Our most recent information as to where the Fellow primarily resides.

    Oxford, United Kingdom

  • Impact Location ?

    Countries or continents that were the primary focus of this Fellow’s work at the time of their Fellowship.

  • Organization Structure ?

    An organization can be structured as a nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid (a structure that incorporates both nonprofit and for-profit elements).

    Nonprofit

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