1. Shabina Mustafa (The Garage School)
Shabina Mustafa started running a school from her garage back in 1999, when she felt she should help underprivileged children get education. This school was later dubbed as The Garage School. Moreover, she has helped educate hundreds of children and grown her project ever since.
2. Ayesha Farooq (First Female War-Ready Pilot)
Hailing from Bahawalpur, Ayesha is the Pakistan Air Forces’ first female war-ready pilot. Moreover, she’s amongst the five women pilots who managed to make it to PAF, defying all beliefs that only men can be fighter pilots. More power to her and the other girls!
3. Ms Tahira Qazi (Former APS principal)
Part of an unfortunate day for this country and many parents, this principal gave up her life saving so many of her students. She is reported to have said, “I am their mother. Talk to me” to the militants, before she was shot to the head. A real example of bravery in the face of terror!
4. Salma Habib (Taaleem Ko Aam Karo)
Salma started out the Taleem Ko Aam Karo project in the slums of Karachi to promote expression, imagination and stimulate creativity through art among children. Furthermore, she aims to open an art studio for children to further develop their skills. You go girl! <3
5. Bilquis Edhi (Edhi Foundation)
Bilquis Bano Edhi has been the supporting force of the Edhi Foundation. She along with her husband devoted their entire lives and any money to serving humanity and putting behind all the criticisms attached to it. Together they saved around 16,000 unwanted/abandoned babies with 90% being girls. They also built an emergency service system containing the biggest ambulance network, hospitals, schools, etc.
6. Samina Baig (Mt. Everest Climber)
Samina Baig has proven to the world that she doesn’t need to have male testosterone and a male physique to climb the highest peak in the world! She is the first Pakistani women to climb Mount Everest and also the first youngest Muslim woman to climb it. Wait more records coming! She’s also the first Muslim woman and first Pakistani woman to climb all the seven summits in the world, how bout dahhtt? 😉
7. Maria Umar (Women’s Digital League)
Maria is a proud founder of the Women’s Digitial League which is an online platform that aims to provide training and work to women all over Pakistan. It has programs like Learn to Earn (from home) which is currently taking in application for 4 cities. Which includes, Peshawar, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Haripur.
8. Fiza Farhan (Buksh Foundation/Energy- Go Green)
Something that is in great danger is our planet. And while most of us are busy making a mess, there are someone who’re willing to clean it up. Fiza is the CEO of Buksh Foundation and the director of Buksh Energy that aims to promote Green Energy in Pakistan as dangers of climate change are real. And while President Trump of the US denies it, we’re thankful that a women knows that and is working to eliminate the threat.
9. Arfa Karim Randhawa (youngest MCP in 2004)
Cute and smart Arfa became the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional at the age of 9, back when it wasn’t routine! In our minds she was the computer and tech prodigy, someone to look up to and become! Her sudden and untimely death at the age of 16 was heartbreaking. The Arfa Software Technology Park in Lahore is a testament to the impact she had on Pakistan.
10. Sadia Khatri and #GirlsAtDhabas
Sadia Khatri and a number of other women started the GirlsAtDhabas project to reclaim public spaces, because we’re always told to stay out of public spaces… especially dhabas! We think this project has helped in pushing everyone to think and talk about re-imagining safe public spaces, even streets, for women!
11. Massarat Misbah
Massarat Misbah is a force to be reckoned with. She is a pioneer of the beauty industry and has started multiple initiatives, out of which one initiative stands out the most. The Depilex Smile Again Foundation was set up in 2005 to help women who were victims of acid and burn attacks. Her work to make rehabilitate and aid such women is what admire her for the most.
I’ve run out of space, but not out of inspiring women in Pakistan to write about. There are so many inspirational figures around us and if we think about it, we too can be powerful forces in this nation someday. IF we believe in our ourselves and leave no stone unturned, we can be invincible! Support al
l these inspiring Pakistani women if you can! Happy Women’s Day you all 😀
