Raised in Pakistan’s remote Hunza Valley amid glacial lake outburst floods, landslides, and flash floods, Aaliya pursued environmental sustainability despite local expectations for girls. After studying at the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, she completed a Master’s degree in Canada with SoHF support, including fieldwork in Pakistan on climate-resilience planning and conservation strategies for under-served rural communities.

She has worked with organizations including WWF and Focus Humanitarian Assistance, and was selected for programs such as the UN Summer Academy and the Asia Foundation Development Fellows. Now completing a PhD at Duke University, her research will examine how environmental risks intersect with mental health in Himalayan communities, and will prioritize community-led, indigenous strategies for resilience.

She says, “The scholarship from the Spark of Hope Foundation enabled me to pursue my Master’s degree in Canada, during which I completed a thesis project with fieldwork in Pakistan on rural communities and climate change, with a focus on resilience building including planning, management and conservation. My education has helped me to take advantage of an array of diverse professional and academic opportunities that would have otherwise not been possible. To date, I have worked as a research assistant for several international organizations including Focus Humanitarian Assistance and the World Wildlife Fund and even had the chance to complete an internship in Malaysia with a consultancy firm.

My education has grounded me and honed my skill set in this competitive economy. By exploring connections between agriculture and climate change, including adverse effects on land and crops, we can identify ways in which communities can improve food security and sustainability. It has been a tremendous asset to my family that I am financially independent and was able to return to Pakistan to work full-time in Karachi and support my family in the mountains of Northern Pakistan.

The academic work that I am invested in – climate change in Pakistan and building resilience – is very timely and relevant in the wake of global warming. Particularly for vulnerable and remote communities in the mountainous regions of Pakistan, equipping these communities with the right information and tools through surveying and workshops is contributing to safer practices and minimizing hazards in high-risk areas. I would like to continue pursuing my studies in climate change, the environment and peoples’ well-being.

I have witnessed it firsthand: women in power, empower.”