Sakhi Ataye
Pronouns: He/Him
Organisations: New Generation Organisation; Arvand; Kaaj Education
Country of origin: Afghanistan
Profile
Sakhi Ataye is a youth peacebuilder from Afghanistan, currently residing in New York. Sakhi grew up in Afghanistan and experienced first-hand the turmoil of his country. This instilled in him a strong intrinsic motivation for peacebuilding and reconciliation. While pursuing his undergraduate degree in Kabul, Sakhi worked as an operations manager for Afghanistan's New Generation Organisation (ANGO) – one of the leading youth initiatives of the country. He later completed his master's degree in Sustainability with a focus on non-profit management at Bard College, U.S. He also volunteered for the women’s centre at the American University, where he dedicated himself to developing economic opportunities for women.
Sakhi co-founded ‘Arvand’ in 2018 which was one of Afghanistan's pioneering educational consultancies. Their goal was to facilitate educational opportunities and contribute to the advancement of education in Afghanistan. Since leaving Afghanistan, Sakhi has participated in the Erasmus Plus Global Peacebuilding Network and worked on promoting the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda. Furthermore, he participated in the High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes as a youth expert, organised by the UN. He has also founded a women's rights non-profit called Kaaj Education.
Story
Sakhi said that the youth of Afghanistan has had to endure the consequences of conflict throughout their most formative years. He said that naturally, this experience has instilled in him a strong mindset of reconciliation and a desire for conflict resolution. Before the Taliban resurgence in 2021 and after the numerous years of instability, a subtle sense of harmony was felt among the communities, which led to the creation of spaces and opportunities for youth development. These spaces became the breeding ground for youth-driven peacebuilding movements.
Sakhi’s main affiliation is with Afghanistan's new generation organisation (ANGO), established in 2009 with headquarters in Kabul. The organisation’s main focus is building the capacities of the youth and sensitising them to issues of gender equality, community building, and, more recently, environmental awareness. Its influence extends across the nation through a network of around 200 volunteers who were focused on building a bridge between ANGO and the youth of their communities. Several institutions, including the U.S. embassy and the Finnish foreign ministry, provided grants that ANGO dispersed among young people and local communities, fostering engagement in peacebuilding endeavours. Furthermore, Sakhi's engagement extends to the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), where he contributes to the Regional Advocacy Committee and numerous other initiatives.
From 2019 to 2021, Sakhi volunteered for the women’s centre at the American University, which worked to develop economic opportunities for women in Afghanistan. Following this, from September 2021 to April 2022, Sakhi served as a support trainer for the Erasmus Plus Peacebuilding Network on Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agendas. In this capacity, he collaborated on global initiatives aimed at fostering youth inclusion and empowerment.
In 2022, Sakhi founded and assumed leadership of another non-profit organization, Kaaj Education, dedicated to advancing the education and rights of young women in Afghanistan.
Sakhi said his peacebuilding journey has not been without its perils. The considerable difficulty of operating organisations that diverge from the prevailing beliefs of the current state or regime is a recurring struggle faced by many peacebuilders in conflict or post-conflict regions. Sakhi personally dealt with this when his efforts towards gender equality, democracy, or human rights, were not aligned with the values of the ones in power, which made security an ongoing threat. The organisation had to be very careful and make sure that volunteers were protected during their initiatives. For example, in one instance the work of ANGO had to be halted as activists were forced to flee the country due to the rise of the Taliban.
Sakhi said he is driven by his experience of growing up amidst great political instability. He expressed his aspiration as ‘a very small part of a very great change.’ He praised collaboration as a tool of overcoming challenges, and draws attention to the power of inner serenity, asserting that ‘if you're not at peace with yourself inside, it’s very difficult to work for the peace outside.’ Sakhi’s big future ambition is to cultivate a more inclusive and empowered generation of young peacemakers around the world.