23Nov2024
Let’s try to rewrite a child’s story
Azade Sanjari
Board Member - Secretary
Azade started her journey with nonprofits and volunteer work in 2003 with Science and arts foundation in Iran. In spring of 2004, Azade joined a group of volunteers to go to Bam, after a devastating earthquake ravaged the city and killed over 34000 people and left thousands of children with no access to basic necessities of life. Their goal was to help those children cope with the horrific trauma of losing their homes, family members and the life they knew before. Azade and her team engaged with young children through music, painting, poetry and learning about computers. The couple of conex buildings that the team used to hold their sessions were replaced later by an IT education center with support from Science and Arts foundation (SAF) and UNICEF to become a center of teacher training for the city of Bam. Azade then joined Iran SchoolNet program in 2004 and continued teaching computer skills to students in rural areas of Guilan and went on to found Schoolinux project (a collaboration with Sharif University of technology and Schoolnet) with the goal of promoting learning and teaching computer skills using open source technologies in schools. She later joined a group of educators to work with women and youth NGOs and held workshops on organization management, team building, project planning and collaborating with other NGOs. Her volunteer work with schools across Guilan continued until 2010 when she moved to the United states. Azade holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and a master's degree in data science from Indiana University. Her passion for science and technology led her to work with non-profit organizations that focus on helping youth in Iran with skill building and career development in the field of Information technology. Currently she serves as a mentor and an advisor to a number of arts and education non-profit organizations in Iran. Azade has been an active member of the Iranian community in the bay area and together with other CMF members, they organized a series of events to raise money for causes supporting children in need. Azade is passionate about helping underprivileged children and youth especially girls through education so they can build a better future for themselves.