Munira Mirza

Pakistani educator who established schools for 10,000+ marginalized girls through innovative community models

Munira Mirza (b. 1975) is a Pakistani social entrepreneur and founder of Sindh Education Foundation, an organization that has empowered over 10,000 girls in rural Sindh through education. Her pioneering approach combines Quranic literacy with modern STEM education, addressing cultural barriers while providing marketable skills. Mirza's schools now operate in 85 villages, with 90% of graduates continuing to higher education - a dramatic contrast to the region's 12% female literacy rate when she began in 1998.

After witnessing the trafficking of girls from her hometown during the 1990s floods, Mirza developed a unique model linking education to family incentives. Her program provides free bicycles for safe transportation, health checkups for mothers, and vocational training for parents. This holistic approach has achieved 98% retention rates, compared to national averages of 30%. Her documentary series on girls' education challenges has been adopted in UNICEF training programs.

Mirza's innovations include the first Urdu-language STEM curriculum for girls, integrating local agricultural practices with physics and chemistry concepts. Her 'Girls as Change Agents' program trains female students to teach basic literacy in their communities, creating multiplier effects. Over 1,200 community educators have been trained through this initiative since 2010.

Her work has been recognized by the UN Women 'Champion of Change' award (2016) and the Soroptimist International Global Leadership Prize (2020). Current projects include a digital learning platform providing remote access to 50,000 students during pandemic disruptions. Mirza's methodology has been replicated in Bangladesh and Afghanistan through partnerships with local NGOs.