Writer: Muhammad Shaafay Saqib
Graphics Artist: Fizza Munawar
Editor: Zunaira Saadat
NCSC’s The Visionaries podcast series just released its sophomore episode, with yet another wonderful guest brimmed with enlightening stories and struggles that implore us to search within ourselves the community service spirit, even if only by way of instilled inspiration.
Hosted by NCSC’s Zahaab Rehman, this episode featured Rania Khan Barki, the founder of Zenana Pakistan for which she received the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz and the Diana Award. Zenana Pakistan is a non-profit youth organisation that uplifts impoverished women through education and employment opportunities, alongside awareness campaigns.
Raina’s innumerable stories lit the discussion. For her, everything began from the age of 15 when her acceptance to a study exchange in the U.S sparked not only elation, but also a strange event of gathered male relatives to decide her fate, alluding to whether she, a girl could go at all. It was when her father bouldered to assert that she could do what was best for her, girl so be it that her talent got the chance to shine. She realized how community service should be something we all partake in, and so she took it upon herself to help spread awareness of women’s issues to those women who needed it the most, including women of low socioeconomic class, slums and house-help, to name a few. She knew change was possible, perhaps because her journey on the exchange implored the same men who opposed it to soon ask her how they can send their own daughters, as well.
Change needs dedication, and in the illustrious back and forth Zahaab had with Raina, this was made apparent. She chronicled the amazing establishment of the Zenana Foundation School in Lahore, a free seat of education for poor women, girls and, now, boys as well. She narrated the campaigns for acceptance of women’s education against rabid misconceptions, the taunts of how she would ruin the girls with her education, the un-hushed comments that she did this all in her own self-interest, but her dedication to not leaving these poor humans alone contended that the march must go on, so she marched. Rania recalled how it began from simply teaching her own house-help before she expanded further.
With experience, nonetheless, arrives tugged heartstrings. The battle against society and its mindset Rania had set out to win had its days of joys and many tears. Her stories of sisterhood, with a long chain of dupattas to catch a ball that fell down multiple floors rejoiced the heart. Yet others broke it when she acknowledged how simple amenities like the type of toilets we use were strange devices to the underprivileged, detailed in a heartbreaking story that would not suffice to summarize in the word limit.
Additionally, Raina told the listeners ways they can help, as well as advice they can take. She asserted that help comes in ridiculously simple ways, from monetary donations to volunteering as an intern, teaching students for as little as 15 minutes regularly, or even simply ensuring your own house-help are enrolled in Zenana’s online classes. Her biggest advice is to remember those who always offer support and not get bogged by those who chastise.
NCSC is glad to have had the pleasure of her presence on the series and we hope the episode inspires more to follow in her footsteps. All that you have read is but a mere portion of the wonderful conversation that was had and, if it compels you to hear it completely, be sure to listen to the full podcast by clicking here!
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