Born and raised in Lebanon, Rula Ghani holds a Diplome de I’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de
Paris, France (1969) an MA in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut (1974)
and an MS in Journalism from the Columbia University of New York (1983).
She met her husband, Ashraf Ghani, at the American University of Beirut, and the couple married
in March 1975. They were blessed with two children, Mariam and Tarek.
Before returning to Kabul in 2002, Rula dedicated her time to the welfare of her family while
holding a series of incidental jobs. She also volunteered at the World Bank Family Network—an
organization attending to the needs of the families of World Bank Group staff.
Once back in Afghanistan she took interest in understanding the social problems of Kabul and
concentrated on helping Aschiana a grassroot organization focused on the needs of the disenfranchised
children in the city.
After the election of her husband as President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in September
2014, she assumed the role of First Lady of Afghanistan. Together with a small team of
colleagues she is working to foster a positive environment in which every citizen of Afghanistan
can achieve his/her potential and can take full part in the development of the country.