5 Young Pakistanis Win the Diana Award 2020
The young Pakistanis who won the Diana Award 2020 include Raina Khan from Lahore, Umar Mukhtar from Faisalabad, Muhammad Ahmad Toor from Rahim Yar Khan, Nabila Abbas from DG Khan, and Muhammad Shoaib from Lower Kurram.
Five young Pakistanis have won the illustrious Diana Award in 2020 for their efforts towards the betterment of the marginalised communities as well as for inspiring the youth. The young Pakistanis who won the Diana Award 2020 include Raina Khan from Lahore, Umar Mukhtar from Faisalabad, Muhammad Ahmad Toor from Rahim Yar Khan, Nabila Abbas from DG Khan, and Muhammad Shoaib from Lower Kurram.
Raina Khan
18 year old Raina Khan has been awarded the Diana Award in 2020 for her work via the Society for International Education, Lahore. Raina has been voted amongst the 50 most influential women in Pakistan.
Rains’s description on the Diana Award website was as follows:
“At the age of just 18, Raina Khan has already been voted as one of the 50 most influential women in Pakistan thanks to her efforts in female empowerment, health and hygiene, free education, and social entrepreneurship.
“As founder and CEO of the ‘Zenana Foundation’, a youth non-profit, Raina has worked with hundreds of fundraisers and volunteers around the globe to set up free schools, starting a skills training program for women and building an online marketplace for trainees to sell sustainable garments. These all facilitate self-sufficiency for young girls whilst also promoting environmental protection and sustainability.”
She posted about her appearance on BBC on Twitter:
YOUR GIRL JUST MADE IT TO THE BBC. I AM OUT.
Honestly, Allah has been TOO Kind. Alhumdulillah ❤️🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/KrBIK9Dldg
— Raina Khan Barki (@rainakhanbarki) July 2, 2020
Umar Mukhtar
Umar Mukhtar is an 18 year old from Faisalabad, who won the Diana Award for his work towards ending inequality via literacy. One of his earlier initiatives was the Kitaab Foundation. His recent work via Sadaqat Foundation allowed him to raise funds for building schools where youngsters were not able to pursue quality education.
Umar Mukhtar’s description on the Diana Award website was as follows:
“Empowered by the adage ‘knowledge is power’, Umar seeks to end inequalities through the power of literacy. His earliest initiative, the ‘Kitaab Foundation’, stocked under-funded schools across Pakistan with tens of thousands of books. Whilst Umar’s Sadaqat Foundation raised $30,000 to build schools in areas where young people were lacking access to a quality education.
“A young teacher himself, Umar has inspired many young people to enjoy their education and break away from rote learning. Faith and perseverance have led Umar to success in these projects, despite facing sceptical responses along the way. He is now known as an inspiration in his community.”
Muhammad Ahmad Toor
Hailing from Rahim Yar Khan, Muhammad Ahmad Toor is a 23 year old who won the Diana Award for youth empowerment via the organisation called MAPS (Mentor Amiable Professional Society).
Muhammad Ahmad Toor’s profile on the Diana Awards website was as followed:
“After growing up as the son of a teacher in a low socio-economic community in Pakistan, Mohammad experienced the importance of a good education firsthand. He joined MAPS in 2013, a youth-led organisation which empowers young people to pursue further education.
“To date, Mohammad has organised over 250 community empowerment seminars on the importance of, not just education, but physical and mental health, and the need to build a stronger society in which everyone supports one another. Mohammad is also the youngest Pakistani to speak at the United Nations as an official delegate from his country and continues to inspire other young people through his work.”
Nabila Abbas
Nabila Abbas, from the village Choti Zareen in Dera Ghazi Khan, is a 23 year old girl who won the Diana Award for providing education to the women and girls of rural areas.
When talking about her education, Nabila said, “In our locality, parents don’t send their daughters to school. My father has set the trend by sending me and my sisters to school. We shifted to more developed area for education. Now, me and my sisters are an inspiration for our community.”
Nabila Abbas’s profile on the Diana Awards website stated the following about her:
“Nabila made it her mission to educate women and girls growing up in rural Pakistan, empowering them to achieve their ambitions. Nabila, from rural Pakistan herself, believes that women and girls shouldn’t be at a disadvantage due to economic and political instability, or educational and cultural constraints.
“Through her own determination and drive, Nabila is now studying Aviation at university and is using her global platform to represent girls in rural Pakistan.In 2019, she spoke at ‘The International Congress of Youth Voices’ in the USA, sharing her own story to inspire others. Nabila also created the initiative Aviation Literary Forum, which provides a space to encourage other girls to realise their dreams.”
It's immense pleasure and honour to announce that I've received/won @DianaAward for changing the world by advocating education reforms and rural develpments being myself from a very small village to attaining my dreams of getting higher education in aviation. 🇵🇰🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/T8bcnUOyvt
— Nabila Abbas (@iamnabilaabbas) July 2, 2020
Muhammad Shoaib
Muhammad Shoaib, a 24 year old from lower Kurram in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, won the Diana Award for his work promoting peace, education and working on healthcare initiatives via his NGO Kurram Welfare Home.
Muhammad Shoaib’s description on the Diana Awards website is as follows:
“At just 24, Shoaib is CEO of ‘Kurram Welfare Home’, an NGO set up to counter violent extremism in Pakistan. After realising the law of Pakistan FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) was different from the rest of Pakistan, Shoaib saw that many young people were struggling to access justice systems, were experiencing gender inequality and had limited rights to land, education and health.
“This was the catalyst for Shoaib to establish his NGO to motivate young people to use their skills to tackle these issues head-on. To date, Muhammad has supported over 500 young people to promote peace across various sectors, including health, education, disability, sports and democracy.”
Runway Pakistan would love to congratulate the 5 young Pakistanis, who won the Diana Awards 2020. May you keep achieving more and inspire the people around you!
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