Kinza Rafiq is an enthusiastic girl from Lyari, Pakistan who is grateful to her parents for providing her with the best education and necessities they could afford. Her gratefulness is so deep that she doesn’t want any parents to sacrifice their own needs while providing everything to their children. Kinza belongs to an underprivileged area of Lyari and always wanted to serve her area. Lyari is an area where families have to choose between providing a good education for their kids and putting food on the table. Kinza always believed in the power of people getting together for a common cause.

However, actively encouraging change is hard especially when you are a female. Kinza gathered a couple of friends and they started teaching in their neighborhood. Since Kinza and her friends had their classes as well, for them the process was frustrating at times because of their commitments.

They also often observed a lack of willingness from the children as they were unaware of the advantages of education. Kinza wanted to educate the children with the best of education and wanted them to learn multiple subjects ranging from language to mathematics.

She went around asking parents of children who she saw playing in the streets. She faced a lot of criticism as for every parent who was willing to educate their child, there were ten who balked at Kinza’s idea. They laughed and mocked her, and some threatened her as well. She was told by the parents that girls are born to cook and clean, and that’s what they are good at. Kinza was confident with her idea, and her passion for the good cause wasn’t dented at all. She kept visiting homes near her area, and she started to feel a positive outcome. She taught a few children to read and count.

 

People started to notice and mothers saw the eagerness in their children’s eyes to learn. Kinza’s house was overflowed with children and she was overwhelmed but with the increasing attendance, she fell short of place and supplies. That didn’t stop her. To this day Kinza is working hard to finding space, getting supplies to maintaining a limited budget. According to Kinza, the biggest struggle is getting a ‘’No’’, or being mocked for having the courage to act, but she finds peace in knowing that she is making a positive change in the world. No matter what people say, she will not back out because this is not just about her anymore. The kids see Kinza as a role model, and she wants them to know that they have the right to dream and to act on those dreams just like everyone else.

Girls like Kinza know that there is a ray of sunshine which will change the future of the next generation, and we applaud Kinza for her efforts and achievements. We certainly look up to women like her.