Our Story

Born from exile, built on resilience — a platform where civil society finds strength across borders

Resilient Societies was born out of lived experience. Our founder, Maiwand Rahyab, dedicated his life to strengthening civil society in Afghanistan and repressive countries around the world. He was forced into exile when Afghanistan’s civic space collapsed under Taliban rule. Leaving behind his homeland was not a choice, but a necessity. In displacement, he carried with him not only the pain of exile but also a profound conviction: that when civic space is repressed in one country, its defenders must find new ways to connect, to adapt, and to keep hope alive.

During his time in Turkey and Georgia, Maiwand encountered other activists, journalists, and human rights defenders who, like him, had been uprooted yet refused to be silenced. These experiences underscored a truth that became central to Resilient Societies: exile and repression can scatter communities, but it also creates opportunities for solidarity across borders. Even in the harshest environments, civil society survives—finding ways to reorganize, advocate, and reimagine futures that authoritarian regimes try to erase.

Resilient Societies was founded in Canada as a response to this global reality. It is a platform that empowers activists and human rights defenders from “closed” and “closing” civic spaces to rebuild their agency, voice, and relevance. By connecting those in exile and within repressive countries with allies, resources, and opportunities, we ensure that repression does not succeed in erasing movements for justice and democracy.

Our work is grounded in resilience, solidarity, and imagination. Resilient Societies stands as a bridge—between exile and belonging, between repression and freedom, between the silencing of voices and their resurgence on the global stage. Our story is not only about survival; it is about reclaiming the future of civil society, together.

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Vision

A world where every person can fully participate in an open, vibrant, and resilient civic space free of fear and repression.

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Mission

Empower and inspire democracy activists and human rights defenders from closed civic spaces to unite, innovate, and advocate for the protection of civic spaces.

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