PUAN Talks: Maria Umar – Women’s Digital League (Three Steps To Winning)
“I started doing tasks like article writing, data entry, and search engine optimization. Soon word spread, and other women started to approach me for similar work”.
Follow Maria as she discovers her vision to empower Pakistani women through her initiative ‘Women’s Digital League’ – a platform that aims to bring the dormant workforce of educated Pakistani women back into the job market from the comfort of their homes; while enabling them to become socially and economically independent.
PUAN Talks: Sadia Shakeel – Medical Breakthroughs with Mapping Bio Signals
“What I am doing, in a nutshell, is integrating engineering with medicine to improve the treatment of health issues in Pakistan”.
Hear how Sadia is creating medical breakthroughs by mapping the human body with bio signal processing to analyze and predict diseases, responses and functionality. “Using this data, I could tell you if your muscles are weak and require rehabilitation”. Join her as she discovers potential risks of degenerative bio-brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s through bio signal processing.
PUAN Talks: Mahvesh Ali Khan – Quality Education for Street Children “Ran’aa follows a two-fold curriculum focusing on both literacy and character development, including civic sense, personal hygiene, and athletics”.
Hear how Mahvesh transforms the lives of street children by introducing them to quality education for the first time through her organization Ran’aa Child Welfare Foundation. Mahvesh highlights the dire need to educate and support children suffering from emotional and physical trauma and the need to restore their lives while tackling child labor, abuse, malnutrition, and poverty.
PUAN Talks: Shoaib Iqbal – Integrating Arts Education in Pakistan
“The fundamental purpose of education is to enable us to ask the right questions and empower us to chase the answers to these questions”.
Shoaib Iqbal is the founder of The Little Art – an initiative that works with children to intrigue young minds through arts in Pakistan while engaging parents, teachers and students in creative workshops, curated exhibitions and family art festivals; benefiting over 600,000 children. Follow #PUAN alumnus Shoaib with his ambition to explore, enhance and uplift the creativity of children in Pakistan.
PUAN Talks: Syed Ali Hameed-‘”Is peace and countering extremism possible?” Hear Ali Hameed discuss the development of practices that can help identify, analyze, and eliminate violent tendencies in order to create a peaceful society and how our understanding vis-à-vis extremism and terrorism is often misplaced. Ali states, “Remember, if we plan and tend to heal the world, we must heal ourselves first”.
PUAN Talks: Arieb Azhar-“I was probably the first to start singing Bulleh Shah on a guitar, before it had become cool to do so”.
Listen to PUAN alumnus Arieb Azhar‘s journey as a musician, how he creates unity through the arts, his pursuit for happiness through music, and the influence of Sufism on him. “In Sufi poetry, I found a universal thought that translates across cultures – universal humanism or Wahdat ul Wajood. The concept that teaches that regardless of which race or religion you come from, we are all in search of the same truth, the same purpose and the same God”.
PUAN Talks: Arhum Ishtiaq-“Through digitizing and democratizing interpretation services, we’ve helped enable deaf people take control of their daily lives and ensured that they do not feel as marginalized,” says Arhum Ishtiaq.
Arhum is the co-founder of ConnectHear – a platform that aims to bridge the communication gap between the deaf community and the society through in-person and video call sign language interpretation, and an audio to sign language app. Watch him as he shares his inspirational journey to create equal opportunities for the deaf community.
PUAN Talks: Ali Shabbar –“I was born blind, but technology enabled me to be self-sufficient and independent”.
Listen to Ali Shabbar speak about his journey to create DeafTawk – an Artificial Intelligence platform that translates voice into sign language in real time. Ali strives to empower handicapped individuals and increase inclusion of the deaf community in Pakistan. As he aptly describes, “What we are proud of is that our solution is made for persons with disabilities by persons with disabilities.”
Alumni Voices: Bilal Tanweer Bilal Tanweer, Karachi-based writer and alumnus of both the Fulbright Program and the International Writing Program, shares his thoughts about his U.S. exchange–and how writers engage the questions and issues of our time. “Both of these experiences were incredibly enriching,” Tanweer says. “The opportunity opened all doors for me… it helped me find ways to think about the reality we inhabit.” His debut novel “The Scatter Here is Too Great,” was published by Random House in December 2013. Learn more about the International Writing Program at exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/international-writing-program-fall-residency.
Alumni Voices: Bilal Tanweer from U.S. Embassy Islamabad on Vimeo.
Alumni Voices: Arieb Azhar & Zeejah Fazli Meet noted musicians Arieb Azhar and Zeejah Fazli, founders of Music Mela, Islamabad’s first-ever music festival and conference. Azhar, a 2012 Center Stage alumnus, and Fazli, a 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumnus, designed the festival to provide a much-needed performance platform for Pakistani musicians, as well as strengthen ties between the U.S. & Pakistani music communities. Fifteen bands performed for an audience of more than 10,000 at the mela, which included a keynote by a rep from South by Southwest (SXSW), one of the U.S.’s most influential music conferences. Learn more at facebook.com/MusicMelaConference.
Alumni Voices: Nida Butt Meet Nida Butt, owner and director of Made for Stage theater productions in Karachi, Pakistan–and an alumna of the Kennedy Center Summer Fellowship for International Arts Managers. “The program equips you with tools so you can run your arts organization in a healthy and sustainable way,” Butt says. “Art is the lifeline of society. There will always be a place for art. No matter how bad things get, it’s our light at the end of the tunnel.” Learn more about the fellowship at kennedy-center.org/education/artsmanagement/international.cfm.
Alumni Voices: Bina Shah Karachi-based novelist and alumna of the International Writing Program (IWP) Bina Shah shares her thoughts her U.S. exchange–and the power of literature to transcend borders. “It made me believe again in the validity of what I do as a writer,” she says. Today Shah is a contributor to the International New York Times and her new novel, “A Season For Martyrs,” will be published later this year. Learn more about the International Writing Program at exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/international-writing-program-fall-residency.
Alumni Voices: Noori In 2012, Lahore-based rock band Noori was selected for the U.S. Department of State’s Center Stage exchange. Listen to Ali Hamza and Ali Noor share their thoughts about their U.S. tour experience–and the power of music to build bridges and strengthen ties between Pakistan and the United States. “The music did most of the talking,” Noor says. Center Stage is a cultural exchange program that connects foreign performing artists with American communities through month-long tours. Learn more at www.centerstageus.org/artists/noori.
Promoting Peace and Volunteerism in Punjab Meet Rubina Bhatti, a 2005 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumna from Sarghoda. She is using lessons learned during her exchange program to promote volunteerism, activism and peace-building efforts in Punjab. Find out about IVLP at eca.state.gov/ivlp/about-ivlp.
Empowering Women Through Education in Karachi Meet Maria Taqdees, a 2004 Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Program alumna from Karachi. After returning home, she partnered with her local community to provide educational opportunities for women in her village. Want to apply for the YES program for high school students? Visit: iearnpk.org/yespk.htm.
Helping Islamabad’s Street Kids Find a Better Future Meet Sarah Adeel, a 2009 Fulbright program alumna of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and founder of Lettuce Bee Kids (LBK), a non-profit organization that uses art therapy to help street kids find a better future. Learn more about LBK at lettucebeekids.com. Want to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship? Visit 198.143.172.46/Programs/USFulbrightScholar.cfm?Tab=Programs.
Developing Youth Leaders in Baluchistan Meet Jawad Khan, a 2011 Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars (SUSI) alumnus from Quetta. After returning home, he founded the Organization for the Development of Youth to train students to become tomorrow’s leaders. Want to apply to the SUSI program? Visit islamabad.usembassy.gov/pr_susiprogram.html.
Promoting Literacy in FATA Meet Farman Ullah, a 2010 Global Undergraduate (UGrad) alumnus from Mohammad Agency in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Through his work with the Innovative Youth Forum (IYF), Farman has organized after school speech competitions to promote literacy among FATA’s youth. Want to apply for the Global UGrad exchange program? Find all the instructions at: 198.143.172.46/Programs/GlobalUGrad.cfm?Tab=Programs.
NASA Space Camp Inspires Filmmaker Meet Babar Ali, a 2011 NASA Space Camp exchange alumnus from Karachi. His exchange program inspired him to become a documentary filmmaker. He has recently been accepted to study film at National College of Arts, Lahore. Read more about the Space Camp program at iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/gallery/2011/07/20110707145140jezrdna0.5456441.html.
Promoting English Language Learning in Skardu Meet Shamshad Hussain, a 2007 Community College Initiative Program (CCIP) alumnus from Skardu. Shamshad is the program manager for Gilgit-Baltistan’s English Access Scholarship program, which empowers hundreds of students to improve their educational and economic opportunities through English language learning. Want to apply for the Community College Initiative Program? Visit usefpakistan.org/.
Improving Women’s Health in Punjab Meet Dr. Yasmin Rufi, the first woman in her family to earn a college degree and a 2005 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumna from Bahawlpur. She motivated the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network Chapter in Bahawalpur to hold a series of free medical camps for women in Punjab’s poorest areas. Learn more about IVLP at eca.state.gov/ivlp.
Fighting Fires in Peshawar Meet Wasim Khan, a 2009 Community College Initiative Program (CCIP) alumnus from Peshawar. During his exchange program, Wasim interned with the St. Louis, Missouri fire department, giving him hands-on training that has helped him fight fires and lead first responder training iwith Peshawar’s Rescue 1122 service. Want to apply for the Community College Initiative Program? Visit usefpakistan.org/.
Sports Exchange Kickstarts Female Football Star’s Rise Meet Sana Mahmood from Islamabad, former captain of Pakistan’s Women’s National Football Team. Her 2009 Sports United Exchange in the United States gave her the leadership skills to lead her Young Rising Stars (YRS) Club team to victory in 2010 and 2012, and to serve as an advocate for using sports as a powerful tool to empower young women. Learn more about the U.S. State Department’s Sports Diplomacy programs at: eca.state.gov/programs-initiatives/sports-diplomacy/empowering-women-and-girls-through-sports.
