Moalims

ISLAMABAD: She came to Pakistan from Afghanistan with her husband at the age of 26. She settled in a refugee tent village in Mianwali. Being a teacher, Aqeela Asifi, took it upon herself to ensure that girls in Kot Chandana refugee village were not denied the right to education at any cost.

With all challenges and hurdles in her way she went door to door to convince parents to let her teach their children juggling between her family life and passion.

What started off as a small school in a tent 23 years ago, eventually transpired into a reality with funding from the Pakistani government. Asifi’s school now has a permanent building in Kot Chandana where she is considered not just an educationist but also a mentor for the people who regularly seek her guidance.

In recognition for her work on making education accessible for refugee girls, the United Nations Commission for Refugees or UNHCR awarded her with the prestigious Nansen Refugee Award.

An event was held at the Lok Virsa on Tuesday to celebrate her achievements.

“It is a great honour for me that this prestigious gathering has been organised to award me and I thank the UNHCR and the government of Pakistan for that but for me the greater honour is that over a thousand girls gain education in my school today,” Asifi said while addressing the audience.

“Our religion also teaches that education is a must for everyone. I had a clear idea how to execute my plan but I have to thank the people of Kot Chandana who helped me throughout and today the school is bringing a change in people’s mentality,” she said.

Over the past five years, as more girls are coming to the school, fewer fathers are choosing to marry their daughters young. The girls are reasoning with them and the fathers are realising the value of an educated daughter, she added.

At the event, while praising Asifi’s efforts, Jamal Shah, a veteran artist and Director of Humerkada, said “When you educate a boy, you educate an individual but when you educate a girl, you educate a nation.”

Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch praised Asifi’s efforts and said “We are proud that the country provided an opportunity to the refugees to transform their dream into a reality, we are proud that the individual is successful in bringing a change and to educate over a thousand girls that will impact a thousand homes in the future”, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2015