Nasrat Khalid

Last updated
Nasrat Khalid
Nasrat Khalid.jpg
Born
Nasrat Khalid

Kabul, Afghanistan
Alma mater University of Essex
OccupationsSocial enterpreneur, humanitarian
Years active2017- present
Organization Aseel
Known forHumanitarianism, Technology entrepeneurship
TitleFounder at Aseel

Nasrat Khalid is an Afghan social entrepreneur and humanitarian. He is the founder and CEO at Aseel, a Washington, DC-based digital marketplace launched in 2019 to connect Afghan artisans with buyers in global markets using its Buy Good platform. [1] [2] Since 2021, after the political transition in Afghanistan, he publicly helped by expanding Aseel with a humanitarian Do Good platform. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Khalid was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. He grew up in Pakistan as a refugee until the age of 16. He developed an early interest in computers through access to school computer labs and began self-training in network systems engaged in technology and development initiatives in Afghanistan. He earned technical certifications in computer networking and later obtained a Master’s degree in Business and Management from the University of Essex in UK in 2015. [4]

Career

From 2008 to 2017, Khalid worked with international development and multilateral institutions, including the Education Development Center (EDC) in the U. S., where he served in as Information Technology Consultant offering skills training for Afghan youth in a project funded by USAID. Subsequently, he joined Chemonics International in the U.S as a technology lead. Later, he taught at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). In 2012, Khalid joined the World Bank, where he worked with the Afghanistan Country Office until 2020, then in South Asia, and eventually out of the World Bank's HQ in Washington, DC. [5]

Aseel

In 2017, Khalid founded Aseel to assist help artisans sell handicrafts internationally, working with Afghan artisans from underrepresented communities. [6] The word "Aseel" is Pashto, Dari, Urdu and Arabic for "authentic". It was launched in the Afghan Embassy in DC. [7] It started by connecting rural artisans, including women embroiderers in Bamyan and carpet weavers in Faryab, to overseas buyers. [8] According to Khalid, he wanted the platform to be the Etsy of Afghanistan. [9] The Aseel has grown to sell Afghan and Turkey handcrafts to Europe, United states and Australia. [10]

Since 2021, after the political transition in Afghanistan, there was the disruption of local businesses and the economy. Under Khalid's leadership, Aseel shifted into a humanitarian platform. [11] The platform reportedly was used to distribute of food, hygiene materials, baby care packages and medical kits. [12] During the June 2022 earthquake in Paktika and Khost in Afghanistan, Aseel was among the responders in distributing emergency packages and raising supports. [13] Aseel has since then responded to the earthquake in Turkey, floods across Afghanistan, and many other humanitarian disasters. [14]

In 2022, Khalid opposed the Taliban's ban on women education and working with NGOs, he pledged to keep Aseel's female staff and volunteers active remotely and aimed to launch initiatives to expand remote work opportunities for women across Afghanistan such as the "50 Afghan Women in Tech" program. [15]

Publications

Recognition

References

  1. ↑ Kakar, Edrees (2013-10-22). "Afghans Worry About What Will Happen To Their Country After Troops Leave". Youth Journalism International. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  2. ↑ zenger.news (2020-07-15). "Traders who suffered under Taliban go digital". Heart & Soul. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  3. ↑ Latifi, Ali M. "How one mobile app is helping Afghans send aid". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  4. ↑ Imdad, Elsa (2022-07-19). "How one mobile app is helping Afghans send aid". Afghan Studies Center. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  5. ↑ "Nasrat Khalid". AidEx 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  6. ↑ Kidangoor, Abhishyant. "How Afghan Startup Aseel Is Pivoting to Help Its Compatriots". TIME. Archived from the original on 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  7. ↑ "The Truly Global E-commerce: Connecting Artisans from underdeveloped countries to the Global Consumers – Awal". 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  8. ↑ یوسفی, راحله (2020-09-30). "«اصیل»؛ شیوه‌ی جدید بازاریابی برای صنایع دستی افغانستان". روزنامه صبح کابل. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  9. ↑ Kumar, Ruchi (2022-09-20). "He wanted his company to be the Etsy of Afghanistan. Now it has a crucial new mission". NPR. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  10. ↑ Roeder, Kaela (2025-11-20). "This Arlington startup is looping Afghan and Turkish vendors into the digital economy". Technical.ly. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  11. ↑ Peters, Diane (2023-07-05). "How an Artisan Website Became a Grassroots Disaster-Relief Organization". Reader's Digest Canada. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  12. ↑ Huang, Robyn. "Afghan entrepreneur's e-commerce app pivots to help during crisis". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  13. ↑ "Why the 'Etsy of Afghanistan' expanded its focus to humanitarian aid". Devex. 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  14. ↑ Kumar, Ruchi. "Afghan earthquake rescue mission faces race against time". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  15. ↑ Kumar, Ruchi. "'Sense of helplessness' for Afghan women on Taliban NGO work ban". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  16. ↑ https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/hyderabad57-attendees-2016-11-23-en
  17. ↑ "Congratulations to the 2023 Andrew E. Rice Award Recipient | SID-US". sid-us.org. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  18. ↑ "MIT Solve". solve.mit.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  19. ↑ "2025 MB100". Meaningful Business. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
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