Sonia Nassery Cole
Founder and President
After escaping to the U.S. after the Soviet invasion, Sonia wrote a letter to the White House in the early 1980s. in a plea to help the people in her homeland. As a teenager, she was invited by President Reagan to visit him in Washington D.C., and answered his request to help him get Congressional […]
Dr. Nur Amersi
Executive Director
Dr. Nur Amersi has been a practicing veterinarian for 10 years in Los Angeles. Born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, her formative years were spent in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1981 she moved to Canada where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University Of British Columbia in Vancouver. In 1993, she completed her degree in […]
Dr. Henry Kissinger
Henry Alfred Kissinger was the 56th Secretary of State of the United States from 1973 to 1977, continuing to hold the position of Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs which he first assumed in 1969 until 1975. Dr. Kissinger is the recipient of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Kissinger’s involvement traces back […]
H.E. Ambassador Morton Wetland
His Excellency, Ambassador Morten Wetland was born in Norway in 1951. He graduated from the University of Oslo and immediately began a career as a jurist, diplomat and politician as a member of the Labor Party. He is a former State Secretary and Ambassador to Germany. In 1998 he was proclaimed Commander of the Royal […]
HRH Prince Albert of Monaco
His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco has taken interest in Afghanistan benefits for several years and was a member of the Honorary Committee for 2003 Time to Give International Benefit.
Robert Hill
CEO, Australian Carbon Trust
Robert Hill took up his appointment as Australian Ambassador to the United Nations in April 2006 following a distinguished career in the Australian Parliament and as a Cabinet Minister in Government. He was a Senator for the State of South Australia from July 1981 until March 2006. From March 1996 to October 2001 he was […]
The Late Senator Dianne Feinstein
As California’s senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein has built a reputation as an independent voice, working with both Democrats and Republicans to find common-sense solutions to the problems facing California and the Nation. Since her election to the Senate in 1992, Senator Feinstein has worked in a bipartisan way to build a significant record of legislative […]
Senator Jon Kyl
Jon Kyl was elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona in 1994 and re-elected in 2000 and 2006, after having served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. As the Republican Whip, he is the second-ranking member of the Senate Republican Leadership and responsible for building support on key issues. He serves on the […]
Tim Ballard
Tim Ballard is the founder of Operation Underground Railroad, a nonprofit that fights against child sex slavery. He is also the CEO of The Nazarene Fund which seeks to save oppressed religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East. Ballard began his career with the CIA and then spent over a decade working as a […]
Alex Mouradian
Chairman, Spinoza Foundation
Alexandre Mouradian is the chairman of the Spinoza Foundation .He graduated of the Ecole Superieur de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) one of the top French Business School. He is an investor and philanthropist. A major collector of post impressionist Pont-Aven school painting, he is a Member of the international Committee of the museum of Modern Art […]
Federico Pignatelli
Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa was born in Rome. Through his aristocratic ties to Pope Innocenzo XII, Federico’s heritage links him to one of the most noble and ancient families of Italy. He began a career as an international businessman in London, which eventually led him to the United States. After working as a Managing Director […]
Susan Sarandon
Actress
Known as an actress and an activist, Susan Sarandon has shared with the world her dramatic talents and personal convictions. She graduated the Catholic University of America in 1968 and not long after made her first film Joe (1970). After a few other film roles, Sarandon landed a part in The Rocky Horror Picture Show […]
Keifer Sutherland
Keifer Sutherland is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning Canadian television and film actor, best known for his role of Jack Bauer on the series 24. Sutherland also owns a recording studio and record label, called Ironworks. He joins AWF in 2007 with deep interest in bringing public awareness about the plight of the Afghan […]
Christopher A. Cole
Director, Young Professionals Network
Chris Cole is a producer at Breadwinner Productions, where he is currently co-producer of “Black Tulip”. Prior to joining the film industry, Mr. Cole was an investment banking analyst at Bear Stearns, JPMorgan, and other companies where he worked with securitized products, fixed income and distressed debt. In addition to his work in film, Mr. […]
Robert Mechielsen
Director of Creative Housing Development
Robert Mechielsen, a native of Holland, is the founder of Studio RMA which he started in 1985. Studio RMA is a full service sustainable design studio that offers architectural, eco-enginnering and site development concepts in one comprehensive vision. Robert has a fast, powerful, well-managed visionary imagination. He can focus on a complex set of issues […]
Robert Shapiro
Legal Advisor
Robert Shapiro is a Los Angeles based attorney at Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser. Weil & Shapiro, LLC and has been legal advisor for AWF since 2003.
Al Pacino
“The unity of freedom has never relied on the uniformity of opinion.” – John F. Kennedy
Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Freedom is the power to follow any dream, to affect change, to make meaningful decisions and the ability to make a difference in your life and the lives of others.”
Benecio del Toro
“Freedom means that I can make a mistake.”
Celine Dion
“Everyone on earth is entitled to freedom, and when this is taken away from them, it is almost like taking away their reason to live.”
Charlize Theron
“Freedom is the ability to be.”
Dr. Henry Kissinger
Henry Alfred Kissinger was the 56th Secretary of State of the United States from 1973 to 1977, continuing to hold the position of Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs which he first assumed in 1969 until 1975. Dr. Kissinger is the recipient of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Kissinger’s involvement traces back […]
Faith Hill
“From every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
Helen Hunt
“We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is the freedom of speech and expression, everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want, everywhere in the world. The fourth […]
Jessica Lange
“Freedom. Peace.”
Julianne Moore
“Freedom has been my incredible privilege. I have, by accident of birth, been given the enormous gift of being American and free.”
Penelope Cruz
“You should never have your best trousers on when you turn out to fight for freedom and truth.”
Shaquille O’Neil
“Freedom is when all men of all nations walk together in peace.”
Sigourney Weaver
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than 30 years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name. Born in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; McCurry studied film at Pennsylvania State University, before going on […]
Tom Cruise
“Each and every impulse of freedom is an impulse toward sanity, toward health, toward happiness. Every impulse toward slavery is an impulse in the direction of misery, disease and death.” – L. Ron Hubbard
The Late Mohamed Ali
“Freedom means being able to make your own choices, but it also means having the responsibility to chose between right and wrong.” In Memory of Muhammad Ali: An innovative, patented AWF project designed to give Afghans inexpensive housing. Basic housing will help rebuild communities, allowing them to live normal lives and end the cycle of […]
The Late Natalie Cole
“Freedom is a privilege, not a given, and as Americans, we cannot simply turn our heads while others struggle for the same. Contrary to what we desire to believe, we are all in this together.” “Natalie, we will never forget you” Director of the Board of Afghanistan World Foundation and our most treasured Celebrity Ambassador […]