Dr. Ehsan Bayat is an Afghan American humanitarian who has earned multiple awards for his philanthropic work in Afghanistan. The Afghan American Chamber of Commerce honored him with the National Human Rights Award for Afghanistan. Dr. Ehsan Bayat is also a recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award from the Friends of the South Asian American Communities.
Dr. Bayat’s contributions to Afghanistan’s economic and social development include delivering aid to Afghans in need through the Bayat Foundation, which he and his wife, Fatema, established two decades ago. He also founded the Bayat Group, now one of Afghanistan’s largest employers and private investors.
Since its inception, the Bayat Foundation has completed more than 1,000 projects, including the construction of new schools, healthcare centers, orphanages, and a sports stadium. It has also facilitated access to clean water for thousands of Afghans through well-digging projects and arranged food and clothing donations to people in remote provinces during the winter. In the aftermath of natural disasters like the October 2023 earthquakes in Herat, the foundation has stepped in to provide tents, medical aid, hot meals, blankets, jackets, and propane tanks to people who lost their homes. Over the years, it has provided more than 10,000,000 meals to those in need.
The Bayat Foundation also played a major role in the development of the Information Communications and Technology Center at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in Kabul. Other education-focused projects include the Faryab Orphanage and Learning Center.
Dr. Bayat was born in Kabul and moved to the US in his youth with his family. He later graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science in engineering. He managed successful businesses across multiple sectors in the US before shifting his focus to helping his homeland.