Farzana Aslam

Pakistani educator and founder of the Girls' School Network, who has built over 80 schools in rural Pakistan to empower girls through education despite societal opposition.

Focusing on Pakistan's underdeveloped regions, Farzana Aslam (b. 1989) has spearheaded one of the most impactful girls' education initiatives in South Asia. After witnessing her own sister being denied education due to family traditions, she founded the Girls' School Network (GSN) in 2020. By 2024, GSN operates 83 schools across Punjab and Sindh provinces, educating 12,000 girls annually using a unique model combining STEM education with cultural sensitivity.

Aslam's approach involves constructing schools with community participation - local families contribute labor and materials in exchange for enrollment guarantees. This strategy has reduced dropout rates from 68% to 12% in target areas. Her 2023 documentary highlights the story of student Ayesha, who became her village's first female engineer. The schools' curriculum integrates coding classes with Urdu poetry to preserve cultural identity while preparing girls for global careers.

Despite receiving death threats from conservative groups, Aslam's work gained international recognition when GSN won the UN Women's Changemaker Award in 2022. Her upcoming book Educating the Unseen (forthcoming 2024) details her methodology. Notably, 75% of GSN graduates now pursue tertiary education - a 400% increase over regional averages - proving education's transformative power in conservative societies.