Empowerment through Education
By Dr Farhana Mohamed Khan
South Pasadena, California
L to R : Dr. Farhana Mohamed Khan
and Dilshad Shah |
Being a developing nation,
Pakistan continues to face myriads of problems. Taking this
fact into account, several Pakistani-American groups are working
hard to provide opportunities to the less fortunate people
of their motherland. When advanced and developing nations
are compared, education deficit is one of the major reasons
for stark underlying differences in almost all the human development
indicators. Thus one of the most reliable ways to improve
the lot of Pakistanis is by providing them with educational
opportunities – especially to the young women. Educating
a young female child is the most effective way to empower
the most vulnerable segment of the population with eventual
benefits to the whole nation.
The Merit Grant of Young Women (MGYW) Project of Pakistani
American Forum was launched in 2000 to empower young women
to of Pakistan through education. This June it held its annual
educational and fundraising event at the Elk Lodge of San
Gabriel Valley. One of the hallmarks of the event was the
attendance of the Pakistani Students Association (PSA) members
from all local major schools. The other area where MGYW takes
prides is in its ability to attract a large number of non-Pakistanis
to the event and educate them about the positive aspects of
Pakistan, MGYW Project and its efforts to provide sustained
educational support to its selected scholars. For instance
this year, prominent members from Southern California Friends’
Afghan Refugee School Committee, India Friends Association,
South Pasadena Democratic Club, and others attended the event.
In addition, MGYW appreciates attendance by the Presidents
of our own Pakistani organizations, COPAA and UKAA.
The MGYW event was aptly emceed by Essam Ul Haq, President
of UCI PSA. The main features of the event were PowerPoint
presentation about MGYW activities by Farhana Mohamed, elegant
silent auction by Tahara Asad, Dilshad Shah, and Donna Fernandez.
The entertainment segment included dance or video presentations
by Pakistani Students Association (PSA) members from Calstate
Fullerton, USC, UCI and UCLA followed by melodious renditions
by Sohail Khan, Naila Tajgeer and Arif Rizvi.
The MGYW Board and PSA members who made this successful event
possible included Azra Said, Dilshad Shah, Farhana Mohamed,
Iram Iqbal, Naila Tajgeer, Rohida Khan, Shahnaz Akbari, Tahara
Asad, Essam UlHaq, and Ambreen Mohamed. For further information
about MGYW, readers can visit its website at: www.mgyw.org
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