Team
Women For Change
UMBREEN MARTHA (Founder and President)
A founding member of Women for Change, a social anthropologist, author and feminist activist, Ms. Umbreen has worked for more than 20 years in this field. She is the recipient of several national and international human rights awards. Her writings, with a special focus on the interface of culture, gender, religion and the state, have been published extensively. She received the Prime Minister’s award for her co-authored book in Pakistan. She also received the International Award for Peacebuilding in recognition of her untiring work as a researcher and rights activist. She has represented Pakistan and Women for Change Pakistan at various international forums. She also served as the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights.
Women For Change
ARFA DAVID (Program Director)
Arfa David is a feminist activist who has worked extensively on human rights issues, particularly for women and minorities in areas targeted by social and political turmoil. She has led Women for Change, Pakistan humanitarian and peace building efforts in such areas and closely monitors organization’s role in supporting women’s efforts to organise. She serves on the boards of several charities and charitable foundations.
Women For Change
Kianat Shoukat – Executive director (Women for Change Pakistan)
Kianat is a passionate and inspiring young women’s activist who has dedicated herself to advocating for gender equality and women’s rights. Born and raised in Khanewal Pakistan, she became interested in activism at a young age and has since become a powerful voice for change in her community. Despite her young age, she has already made significant contributions to the fight for gender equality. She has been involved in various initiatives and campaigns aimed at promoting women’s rights, including advocacy for equal access to education, reproductive rights, and ending violence against women.
Women For Change
History
Initiated as a small voluntary women’s collective in Pakistan in 2010, Women for Change Pakistan was the self-avowed feminist organisation. Women for Change Pakistan has played a pivotal role in the women’s movement in Pakistan and in the formation of a women’s alliance that was formed to challenge the reversal and suppression of women’s rights during the Talibanization era in Pakistan through a period of Islamisation that saw the passing of many controversial laws such as the Hudood Ordinance. Women’s rights including access to public spaces were rescinded. Women for Change Pakistan opposed these oppressive laws and fought back.
As one of the leading women’s rights organisations of Pakistan, Women for Change Pakistan has established itself as a resource centre for advocacy, capacity building, knowledge production and dissemination. Women for Change Pakistan houses historical archives pertaining to women’s and minorities’ rights and laws from Pakistan’s early existence.
Today, Women for Change works in 23 districts across Pakistan through offices in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. The organisation acts in concert with other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as key allies championing gender equality and social justice. Women for Change Pakistan is an invited member of multiple government committees for policy making and implementation.
