Journey of Hope Fall 2015 | Page 20

“Both of my parents were illiterate and poor farmers; we say ‘diqunish’,” she said in a phone interview from Gilgit, Pakistan. “Even though my father Ghulam was not educated, he was wise and practiced sustainable, organic farming long before most other people. Both my parents were determined their children get education. Later, my father became fauji [army soldier] so he could have money to support us through school. “The first year in school was one of the happiest years of my life. Then, when I was 7, some soldiers came to our village with my father in a coffin with a Pakistani flag, and we learned he had become shaheed [martyr] and died. For a week, I tried to be brave as many people came to our house to offer duas [prayers], but at night I could not stop weeping, as my father meant everything to me. Then my mother, Shah Bibi, told me to channel my sorrow into my studies, because that is what my father wanted most for me.” When Khalida reached secondary school, 18 | JOURNEY OF HOPE there was no functioning school building in her village, so she had to walk, regardless of scorching heat, sandstorms, hail, rain, and snow, to Al-Amyn Model School in Gulmit village, 90 minutes away. She did this for several years. Through diligence and hard work — juggling up to 12 hours of chores during the day and studying in the dim light of a kerosene lantern at night — Khalida scored high on her high school matriculation exams. Some friends told her that a nongovernmental organization named Central Asia Institute was offering to help the brightest and most deserving girls with university scholarships, and subsidized room and board. She applied, was accepted and enrolled in the agriculture and food technology degree program at Karakoram International University (KIU), in Gilgit, the Hunza provincial hub. “Allah blessed me much, because without a scholarship I would have to stop my studies and go home,” she said. “Now I can focus full- time on my studies, and stay in a safe hostel with other motivated women, who inspire me to work even harder with education.” “Khalida is hard worker, which she learned from farming, and (a) top student,” says Saidullah Baig, director of CAI-Gilgit. “She also loves sports and playing cricket. But mostly she is a humanitarian who wants to make the world a better place.” “Khalida is an exceptional student and one of our more hard working stars,” says Najma Najam, former KIU vice chancellor. “We are excited she is paving new grounds in a profession typically reserved for men.” Khalida will graduate from KIU in December 2015, and finish her thesis in agriculture by March 2016, but she says it is only the beginning. “Next, I want to go to a number one agriculture university, hopefully in America or Europe, and learn about sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and soil science,” she said. “But most of all, I want to help end CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE