Five Pakistani youth have made the nation proud of winning the prestigious Diana Award 2020 for outstanding efforts for the marginalized segment of the community and inspiration for the country's youth.
Diana Awards Winners include two girls Raina Khan Barki and Nabila Abbas and three boys Muhammad Ahmad Toor, Umer Mukhtar and Muhammad Shohaib.
Raina, an 18-year-old girl from Lahore, was recognized for her efforts in women's empowerment, health, education, and social entrepreneurship.
She is the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization called the "Zenana Foundation". According to the Diana Award Roll of Honor 2020 website, “Raina Khan has worked with hundreds of fundraisers and volunteers around the world to create free schools, launch a qualification program for women, and build an online marketplace for interns to sell sustainable clothing .
All this promotes the self-sufficiency of young girls while at the same time promoting the protection and sustainability of the environment.
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Raina said she was going to give VET (Vocational Education and Training) students because organized people prefer money over education,"Now my fund is selling the products they make and training them," she added.
Umer Mukhtar, an 18-year-old boy from Faisalabad, received the British Prize for his achievements in tackling inequalities through literacy,His first initiative, the Kitaab Foundation, delivered tens of thousands of books to underfunded schools across Pakistan.
According to the Diana Award Roll of Honor 2020 website, the Umer Sadaqat Foundation raised $ 30,000 to build schools in areas where young people did not have access to quality education.
The Sadaqat Foundation manages two schools and regularly donates money to hospitals and schools while running a tree planting campaign. The Kitaab Foundation is a subsidiary that aims to collect and deliver books to disadvantaged communities. We also provided medical equipment to the government during the Covid 19 crisis.
Mohammad Ahmad Toor, a 23-year-old young man from Rahim Yar Khan, has received the worldwide award for empowering thousands of youth through his organization 'MAPS'.
Ahmad told The media and said he was aware of the importance of quality education because his father was also a teacher.
The people of South Punjab are disadvantaged and have an inferiority complex. Our organization has had a positive impact on their lives. So far we have inspired 80,000 young people, ”he said.
Nabila Abbas, a 23-year-old girl from Choti Zareen village in DG Khan district of Punjab, received the Diana Prize for education of women and girls in rural areas.
Nabila from the rural areas of Pakistan believes that women and girls should not be discriminated against because of economic and political instability or educational and cultural restrictions. Nabila also launched the Aviation Literary Forum initiative, which helps other girls make their dreams come true, "says her profile on the award's official website.
Nabila said "In our area, parents don't send their daughters to school. My dad set the trend by sending me and my sisters to school. We've moved to a more developed educational area. Now me and my sisters are an inspiration to our community,"
Muhammad Shoaib, a 24-year-old young man from Lower Kurram in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, received the award for promoting peace, education and health initiatives.
Shoaib is the CEO of "Kurram Welfare Home", an NGO set up to combat violent extremism in Pakistan.
After realizing that FATA's law was different from the rest of Pakistan, Shoaib discovered that many young people had difficulties accessing justice systems, members with gender inequalities and limited rights to land, education and health. This has been the catalyst for Shoaib to set up his NGO to motivate young people to use their skills to directly address these problems.
So far, Mohammed has supported more than 500 young people to promote peace in various sectors, including health, education, disabilities, sport and democracy ”, according to his profile.
"We also hired Afghan refugees and youths from [former] FATA for sports activities. Many of them played at national level and only a few play in Afghanistan. We promote peace through sport," he added.
The Diana Prize was created by the British government in 1999 to continue Princess Diana's legacy and find a formal way to recognize young people who exceeded expectations in their local community.
In 2006 it became an independent charity and developed into a full-fledged youth movement. It is the only charity created in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her belief that young people have the power to change the world.
In 20 years, 49,000 selfless young people from all over the world have received the Diana Prize for their social and humanitarian work.
The organization has trained more than 33,000 young people to tackle bullying in their schools and communities through training anti-bullying ambassadors and has helped nearly 2,000 vulnerable youth across the UK by setting a positive example through a mentorship program that was introduced into their lives.
