Mariam Notten left Afghanistan for Berlin in 1967 after her A-levels at the age of 18. And has witnessed her childhood home suffer from over 30 years of war, poverty and unemployment.

Despite the distance, she continues to support Afghanistan with great passion. Her many projects tend to focus on supporting Afghan women, for example she has helped build 20 small bakeries and 45 projects to raise chickens. This helps women earn their own money and be more independent. She set up a scheme providing micro-credit so that women can buy their own animals and improve their income by selling dairy products.

Mariam’s most interesting person is also from Afghanistan. Her name is Jeanette Gaussi. She came here when she was five from Kabul to Germany when the Russians invaded Afghanistan.

‘As a young Afghani from second generation immigrants she is very interesting. She never had an easy life but she has made the best out of it. That’s why I think you should interview her.’

Teru Kuwayama is a photojournalist and social media advocate covering social justice and the human terrain in conflict zones. He is Photo Community Liaison at Facebook.

Habib Zahori is an Afghan journalist and a writer on the CBS sitcom “United States of Al”.

Seasoned multi-lingual and multi-platform journalist from the Global South, with 19 years of reporting, editing, and managing experiences across a wide range of environment, including covering conflict zones, developing world, and western democracies; 13 years in English-language global newswire agencies preceded by six in local newspapers, magazines, online media, and radio.