Born in Afghanistan in the 1980s, Azimi lost her right leg at age 11 as a result of her home being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the Afghan Civil War.[1] Her injury put her in the large group of disabled Afghans in a country that has one of the highest percentages, by population, of disabled people in the world.[2][3] As a disabled person, Azimi encountered problems returning to school and subsequently faced discrimination when she sought employment.[4] Azimi became an advocate for the rights of disabled women from Afghanistan.[2]
In 2007 she founded the Women with Disabilities Advocacy Committee (WAAC). She created the Empowering Women with Disabilities organization (EWD) in 2011.[5] In 2012 Azimi was awarded the N-Peace Award as an Emerging Peace Champion.[6]
Azimi advocated for elimination of discrimination against landmine survivors as a presenter and journalist for a radio program called Qahir-e-Qahraman. The program was first supported by UNDP’s National Programme for Action on Disability, then the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan and Internews.[4] She works for Afghan Landmine Survivors' Organisation (ALSO).