The Ashoka System Changers #3: Qurat-Ul-Ain Bakhtiari
International media coverage of Pakistan is dominated by conflict, religious tension and environmental disasters, but for Ashoka fellow Qurat-Ul-Ain, the country’s youth – who, empowered by education will help shape a more peaceful future – are the headline story.
Qurat-Ul-Ain Bakhtiari and her team at the Institute for Development Studies and Practises (IDSP) are working to empower Pakistan’s youth through education.
According to the Institute’s research, more than 60% of Pakistan’s population is between 15 and 35 years old; of this segment of the population, almost 80% is excluded from accessing adequate education. This vast number of young people are not given the opportunity to fulfil their potential and therefore help steer their country towards economic, political and social stability.
ISDP opens Learning Spaces across Pakistan to teach young people about community development, gender equality and international development. As well as taking a theoretical approach, ISDP staff also teach the individuals on their programmes practical research and advocacy techniques.
To find out more about ISDP’s work, click here.
Home page image: U.S. Army soldier observes the scenery while he sits on the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook in Khyber - Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, October 9th 2010
Photo credit: Expert Infantry
