Ayesha tanzeem biography

Ayesha Tanzeem, 2016 winner

In the fall of 2015, Ayesha Tanzeem, the VOA News Center’s South Asia correspondent, traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan for an extended reporting trip that tested her courage, her planning and her knowledge of the country’s culture, politics and security threats.

The stories she produced gave a rare, detailed look at the inroads Islamic State militants have made in Afghanistan.

The trip was taken at considerable risk to herself, as she easily could have been a target for kidnappers or militant fighters.

She traveled in disguise, wearing a burqa, to do exceptional reporting in dangerous areas. She pretended to be married to the fixer and traveling with him to “assist” in his reporting.

Tanzeem often had to avoid speaking where others could hear her, because, while she speaks fluent Urdu, her Anglo-American accent and lack of fluency in Pashto, could have put them all in extreme danger.

Each piece, during her trip, was