ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador David Hale on Monday welcomed back Pakistan’s Let Girls Learn ambassadors, Summayka Qadir and Deepa Kumari, who represented their country in New York during United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) week in United States.
The women participated in the “Broadway Shines a Light on Girls’ Education” event on September 19, which was part of the Let Girls Learn initiative that encouraged world leaders to provide education opportunities to an estimated 62 million girls globally who do not attend schools.
The programme, hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama, was convened as a side event to coincide with the gathering of world leaders in New York for the opening of the 71st UNGA.
Three young women from Pakistan, Jordan and Malawi spoke about their personal educational experiences, highlighting the importance of girls’ education during the event. The dignitaries, including several spouses of the heads of government attended the event.
“I came from an impoverished single-parent household. Despite financial hardships, I was accepted into medical school and granted a full scholarship from USAID for my studies”; Qadir told her story on stage.
She has aspirations to become a doctor to help others. “To me, education of girls is very important, as girls deserve the education as much as the boys do”, she said.
While greeting Kumari and Qadir upon their return to Pakistan, Ambassador Hale said, “Girls with dreams become women with vision. Let’s create a world where this vision runs free. Educated girls like Summayka and Deepa will become women who can ultimately strengthen their families, communities, and countries. This important initiative will be transformative for Pakistan, empowering young women to overcome barriers and lift themselves out of poverty.”
The two young women were selected from the many beneficiaries of the USAID-funded merit and need-based scholarship programme, which is implemented in partnership with Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. The talented yet economically disadvantaged Pakistani youth, with the help of this programme, are earning bachelors and master’s degrees at 31 partner universities across Pakistan. The programme is also a part of USAID’s Let Girls Learn initiative.
The USAID’s Let Girls Learn programme in Pakistan was announced last year on October 22 by Michelle Obama and ‘First Daughter Maryam Sharif’ in coordination with the government of Pakistan, as a commitment to advance girls’ education.
The programme will provide an additional 200,000 Pakistani girls’ access to education and the tools they need to succeed in life. This initiative demonstrated the importance that both the countries attach to girls’ education. The United States would invest $70 million to educate adolescent girls in Pakistan, building on country’s commitment to double its spending on education.
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