Hello Readers,
I am Kainat Riaz a 23 years old believer. I was born on the 2nd of Oct 1997 in northern Pakistan a town called “Swat Valley”.
Once upon a time, I was a simple school girl stranded in the middle of a war-affected area of Pakistan “Swat”. I see myself as an education advocate today. My beloved hometown was taken over by the Taliban who were in direct war with the Pakistan army. I had a choice, follow the orders and stay at home or continue with my studies, I choose the latter which tuned out to be life threatening for me. One day on my way to school along with my two friends Malala and Shazia, our school-van was attacked by the Taliban leaving three of us injured and fighting for our lives. This was the turning point in my life, I decided to seek education as a revenge to that attack. Owing to my passion for education even at the cost of my life, I got a scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, whilst my family back home was being threatened. My house in Swat was later also attacked by a suicide bomber in order to force my family to call me back, but my father stood firm in his decision of supporting his daughter to seek dreams. Today, I am an advocate of girls’ education and education in general, I am also a co-founder and Director for girls’ education at ‘Beydaar Society’, which is an NGO working in Pakistan to help promote peace & harmony by using education as a tool. It is my belief in education that has brought me this far, as I believe that through education this world can become a better and more peaceful place. I have attended several national & international events and spoke at various forums as a keynote speaker. My story has become an inspiration for many girls who are pursuing their education despite challenging circumstances and I have tried to be direct support to as many as possible. I am continuously promoting education & advocating for girls’ right to education in my hometown, across Pakistan and globally, and it is due to my efforts that my work has been recognized by several awards & medals which I am extremely thankful for. Some of my awards include a national award granted by the President of Pakistan, Tamgha e Shuja’at (National Medal of Bravery), Human Rights Defender Award, GG2 Award, Ladies Fund Awards, etc.