“Give me an educated mother, I shall promise you the birth of a civilized, educated nation” ~Napolean
Such quotations, success stories, and inspiration were presented to alumni in the monthly PUAN Talk series on Tuesday March 26th, 2019. The event took place in collaboration with the National Incubation Center whose mission is “to build and influence an ecosystem by empowering individuals and institutions to generate a positive economic and social impact”. To honor women’s history month, this session’s theme was ‘Women at Work’.
The event began with opening remarks from Yoon Nam, a Public Diplomacy Officer of the US Embassy and Fasieh Mehta, a Program Manager at NIC Islamabad. A total of 6 panelists, including moderator Roohani Barkat were invited to facilitate discussion on women empowerment. The audience was encouraged to recognize that we should come together, both men and women, in the fight for equality. After all, equality is not simply a female issue, it also has its social and economic imperatives.
Sharing our Stories
To motivate and inspire the audience, Moderator and PUAN ISB-RWP Chapter’s Vice President, Roohani Barkat took charge. As a Research Specialist with S&P Global and PUAN alumni, she posed questions to panelists regarding women in Pakistan’s economy.
- Dr. Tanvir Kayani, PUAN PELI alumna, and Director of Training for the Benazir Income Support Program described that women empowerment is achieved when we create a positive mindset. Women already make great contributions to the economy with the responsibilities they take as role players in their communities. She shared her personal story of how she raised two successful young boys while attending graduate school and quoted, “Give me an educated mother, I shall promise you the birth of a civilized educated nation” ~Napolean.
- US Embassy’s Economic Officer Marian Pernell described how self-reliance and self-sustainability can be inherited or taught and learned. She also mentioned how young women can connect with US Government’s sponsored programs to become leaders in their communities.
- Executive Director of the U.S – Pakistan Women’s Council, Radhika Prabhu, described her work as the Executive Director of the U.S. – Pakistan Women’s Council. Through donor programming, she has been able to support women’s social entrepreneurship and individual agency among vulnerable populations.
- PUAN Fulbright alumna and founder of SheKab, Hira Batool Rizvi, shared her success story of creating a low-cost, fuel-efficient, safe, and reliable transportation alternative for women in Islamabad/Rawalpindi. Rizvi also told alumni to “not limit their dreams or passions” but to instead “take the first step, and make a difference”.
- Sadia Bashir, USG Women’s Entrepreneurs Summit Exchange alumna and CEO of PixelArt Games Academy shared her love for videogaming. She also talked about the path she took to move schools where she could study her passion for computer science in the process of starting her own academy.
- Yusuf Hussain, CEO of Ignite – National Technology Fund concluded with hopes to create distinctive architecture, networking, mentorship, and coaching platforms for marginalized women through technological revolution in Pakistan.
Power of the Pack
Inspired by the numerous success stories and efforts from emerging leaders, the event wrapped up with a question & answer discussion.
No matter the background, every woman has her story and plays a major role globally. PUAN Talks on ‘Women at Work’ is just one of many celebrations in helping women rise and reimagining the rules to collectively make an impact. Regardless of gender identity, it is the power of the pack that recognizes women efforts and blazes a path of love, peace, and compassion.
What is your story?
On behalf of the Pakistan – US Alumni Network, we would like to thank all attendees, panelists, and the National Incubation Center for making this a successful event. To read more about PUAN and its work, check out the link here.
