Our team

My name is Zar Khaibar. I’m a stand-up comedian based in New York City, with over one million followers across social media, and I tour around the world. But the story behind this foundation began long before me, in Afghanistan.

My father was born in Afghanistan and became an orphan at just seven years old. As the oldest child, he was left with his little sister and twin baby brothers. They were homeless, selling plastic bags on the streets just to survive. During that time, one of his baby brothers died from malnutrition. Then, my father’s life changed.

He was taken in by an extraordinary woman in his village named Zar, the woman he would eventually name me after.

Zar was known as one of the smartest women in her community. People came to her when they needed translations, guidance, or help. She was educated, capable, and someone her entire community could depend on.

Growing up, my father constantly reminded me of her. He taught me from a young age that education could completely change the trajectory of a person’s life and that he knew this firsthand because he had been raised by a strong, intelligent woman.

Now, I want to carry that lesson back to Afghanistan, where it began but sadly has been erased.

At a time when girls are being denied access to education, my mission is to make sure their circumstances do not determine their futures. I want to use technology, online education, mentorship, scholarships, and opportunities around the world to help Afghan girls continue learning, dreaming, and building lives of their own.

And I want to turn this period of adversity into something bigger.

If a girl cannot walk into a classroom, we will find a way to bring the classroom to her. If one door to education is closed, we will work to find another. If geography limits her opportunities, we will use technology and a global community to reach beyond those borders.

I was named after a woman whose knowledge changed my father’s life.

My hope is that through this foundation, her legacy can help change the lives of thousands of girls too.

Chef Tova is a chef, comedian, and content creator in New York with close to a million followers across social media. She spent six years cooking privately for celebrity clients before turning to short-form video in 2024, building an audience around food, comedy, and her own Jewish identity. Her first book comes out with HarperCollins in September.

Tova has been a real friend to the girls. She has created content with them, met with them many times, and used her platform to raise awareness of what Afghan girls are facing. She has worked alongside Zar on fundraisers that have put money directly toward getting girls into school, and her support has carried their story to people who had never heard it.

A hundred years ago, Iran built its first public schools. My great-grandfather, Abdolhossein Teymourtash, pushed them into existence as the country's first Minister of Court. In 1933 he was murdered in prison. The state took everything the family had. His two youngest daughters, Noushi and Parichehr, got out and made it to New York as refugees. One is my grandmother, the other my great-aunt. Parichehr became a classical dancer. Noushi worked at the United Nations for decades. I grew up inside that story.

I got the education my great-grandfather wanted for everyone. A scholarship paid for college, I studied computer science and math, and I've been building ever since. I was an AI researcher and electronic warfare specialist at MIT and I built trading systems for a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund. Now I run Momentum Labs, an education company whose software has been used by thousands of students. In 2021, one border from Iran, girls were banned from school. I could build things. That felt like enough of a reason.

At the foundation, my job is technology. The first part is security. Girls studying under a ban need to stay anonymous, and it's on me that our tools never expose them. The second part is access: the best tools that exist, in her hands, always. When something they need is missing, I build it at Momentum Labs and provide it to the foundation at cost. I also built what you're looking at: the website and the donation system. When you give a dollar, it reaches a student, and you can watch the progress bar move. I run Nico's Nerds, my own program, which walks girls in Afghanistan through getting into college abroad: finding the right programs, getting in, getting out, and settling in to study.

I'm Viva, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has built one of the fastest growing online trading communities, with a mission to help people create opportunities for themselves through education and financial literacy. Through my businesses, social media, and live events, I've had the privilege of reaching thousands of people around the world, and I believe that success means using that platform to make a positive impact beyond business.

Supporting this cause is deeply important to me because every child deserves the chance to grow up with hope, safety, and access to opportunities, regardless of where they were born. The children of Afghanistan have faced challenges that no child should have to endure, and if I can use my platform to raise awareness, bring people together, and help improve even a small part of their future, then it's something I'm proud to be a part of. I believe real success isn't measured only by what we achieve for ourselves, but by what we do for others.

Tara Jam is an Iranian-Canadian vocalist who studied opera at the Conservatory of Music for over a decade. As a woman from a culture where women’s voices have too often been silenced, she understands that singing is more than music.. it is freedom, healing, and a way of reclaiming oneself. Teaching Afghan girls to discover, trust, and share their voices is personal to Tara. It’s a way to honour their courage and help ensure that their voices are heard. It’s also a form a therapy, as we gather, share, and sing together, a sacred space is created for connection, self-expression, and collective healing to blossom.