Suraya Pakzad is an Afghan women's rights activist. In 1998 she founded Voice of Women, which began by teaching girls how to read, and now provides women with shelter, counseling, and job training. The organization worked in secret until 2001 because of the Taliban. In fact, on two occasions, the girls being taught to read had to burn their books for fear of being caught. Voice of Women was named as an official NGO in 2001, and in 2002 it officially registered with the government of Afghanistan. It also helped develop the Afghan constitution.