Carrying the flame forward: education and opportunity are not just privileges, but lifelines

On International Women’s Day, empowerment is often framed as a global ideal: policy, parity, progress.

For me, it began at home, in the quiet courage of my mother, who refused to let convention dictate my path. She understood, long before the world would, that education and opportunity are not just privileges, but lifelines. 

Some lives are shaped as much by what is denied as by what is given.

My mother was a poet and a writer in her youth, her notebooks full of imagination and possibility. Yet the world offered her no stage. Expectations confined her, and the creative life she nurtured was never allowed to take flight. 

In me, she recognised a spark she could not follow herself, and she made sure it would not be dimmed, defending my choice to pursue a creative life and supporting me to explore a world she had once dreamed of. 

I travelled widely, studying across four countries and immersing myself in knowledge and new ideas, a freedom few women in my country are granted. I was fully aware of how rare that privilege was in a society where around 40% of women are illiterate, and girls are often denied the same opportunities as boys. 

She celebrated my victories as if they were her own, each one a reflection of the life she had once imagined but never fully been able to claim. 

Through that foundation, I discovered not only my love of learning but also how education can open doors, build confidence, and shape futures. It was this understanding that drew me to EBM Schoolgirl Newscasters. 

Impact BBDO, Dubai, reached out with minimal budget and a bold idea, one that resonated deeply with me.

Its intent was pure and aligned with my belief in education’s ability to create meaningful change. I poured myself into it because its purpose reflected the values that shaped my own life. I directed and produced a film that was simple in form but full of heart, designed to spotlight educational inequality and gender disparity in Pakistan, where many girls are denied opportunities. 

The narrative was authentic and raw, grounded in the campaign’s reality and the lives it sought to impact. The campaign won Pakistan’s first Glass Lion for Change and Gender Empowerment at Cannes Lions, a milestone for both creative achievement and cultural impact. 

Beyond recognition, the work inspired tangible change. 

Girls’ enrolment increased by 57% across more than 60 schools in Pakistan, a reminder of the power of visibility, belief, and opportunity. For me, the film was a living reflection of what my mother had given me: the chance to claim a space in the world, to pursue an education, and to show how creativity can be used for the greater good. 

The urgency of this work was pressing then, and it remains just as critical today. 

Around 130 million girls worldwide remain out of school, denied access to education that shapes not only their own lives, but the next generation. That belief continues to guide my next chapter: ROAR Collective, a platform dedicated to amplifying creative women globally, a space to celebrate voices that might otherwise go unheard. 

With my mother’s support, I was able to explore, learn, and create. Though she is no longer with me, I carry her legacy forward, honouring her life and the opportunities she ensured I could have. 

Through my work, I hope to create spaces where girls and women can take flight, and to instil the same values in my own two little girls, showing them the power of education, creativity, and the courage to pursue their own voices. Change begins with belief, support, and determination. Every small act can shape a life, a community, and a future. Above all, the most lasting change begins at home.