Country Director, Afghanistan

Dr. Hamiduddin Yoldash

Dr. Hamiduddin Yoldash serves as the Country Director for Zakat Foundation of America in Afghanistan. A medical doctor and dedicated humanitarian, he brings over two decades of experience in healthcare, nonprofit leadership, and public service.

Born in Takhar province, Afghanistan, Dr. Yoldash was raised by his mother and extended family after losing his father during the Soviet occupation. He began his education in religious studies, later completing his primary and secondary schooling in Kabul. Due to ongoing conflict, he migrated to Peshawar, Pakistan, where he continued his education at a refugee school. In 1994, he received a scholarship from the Republic of Turkey, studied Turkish at Ankara University, and earned his medical degree from Selcuk University in 2002.

Upon returning to Afghanistan in 2003, he worked as a physician in Kabul and as a health advisor to the Ministry of Justice. He later served as Health Project Coordinator at the Turkish Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif and was appointed Chief Medical Officer for the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), leading maternal and child health projects in northeastern Afghanistan.

In 2006, Dr. Yoldash founded the Hadaf Cultural and Charity Foundation, supporting education, healthcare, vocational training, and orphans’ services. In 2008, he launched the Chinar Social, Cultural, and Economic Association to empower widows and orphans through job training and economic development.

In 2018, he was elected as an independent Member of Parliament representing Takhar Province, focusing on education, healthcare, and economic reform. After the fall of the Afghan Republic in 2021, he relocated to Turkey and served as director of a Refugee Health Center under the Turkish Ministry of Health.

Dr. Yoldash officially joined Zakat Foundation of America in 2024. He holds a master’s degree in public health and is married with five children.