Two Pakistanis among BBC's 100 inspiring women of 2023
Entertainment
Afroze-Numa and Neha Mankani from Pakistan have made it to prestigious list
(Web Desk) - The BBC has announced the names of 100 ‘inspiring and influential women’ worldwide in observance of their yearly tradition, honouring their contributions to society.
Two Pakistani women, Afroze-Numa and Neha Mankani, have also made it to the prestigious list.
They are featured with notable people like Hollywood star America Ferrera, human rights attorney Amal Clooney, former US First Lady Michelle Obama, AI specialist Timnit Gebru, Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, and beauty mogul Huda Kattan.
Afroze-Numa, who is considered as ‘one of the last Wakhi shepherdesses’ is recognised by the BBC for her community work in maintaining the ancient customs.
She devoted nearly thirty years of her life to care for goats, yaks and sheep, and the significance of the family trade—which is currently in danger of disappearing in Pakistan's Shimshal valley—is highlighted by her name.
Herds of sheep to high-altitude pastures 4,800 metres (16,000 feet) above sea level are led by Wakhi shepherdesses. They ensure their cows graze while producing dairy products for barter in this rough terrain. The village is now prosperous and able to afford to send their kids to school thanks to the money made.
On the other hand, Mankani has received praise for her efforts to alleviate the effects of the climate calamity, especially in the wake of the devastating floods that hit Pakistan last year.
In order to share her knowledge of negotiating ‘low-resourced settings, emergency response, and climate-affected communities’ the midwife-social worker travelled to the impacted areas.
Mankani, the founder of Mama Baby Fund, and her colleagues provided over 15,000 flood-affected families with life-saving delivery supplies and midwifery support.
"The work of midwives in communities facing climate-related disasters is vital," Mankani said in an interview with the BBC.
The list, which includes 28 Climate Pioneers in addition to Mankani, emphasises the seriousness of catastrophes linked to climate change and the requirement for prevention and adaptation measures. Extreme heatwaves and flooding, which disproportionately affected already vulnerable groups, saw a sharp increase in 2023.
The BBC launched ‘100 Women’ multiformat series in 2013 and it looks at how women's roles have changed in the 21st century.
In addition to ‘climate pioneers’ other categories are ‘entertainment and sport’, ‘science, health, and tech’, ‘culture and education’, and ‘politics’.
