Hajira has four years of experience in the nonprofit sector and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Kinnaird College, Pakistan. She worked as a marketer, recruiter, and fundraiser for nonprofits from around the world by applying her knowledge of management and starting an action group in 2010. Due to her strong communication skills, she was able to establish affiliations with international organizations like British Council and Peace Child International. Her four years of work experience taught her management and interpersonal skills, created in her a passion for campaigning, and showed her how progressive organizations can be by creating new partnerships. For a year, she served on the Steering Committee of a youth-led advocacy campaign ILMPOSSIBLE which is working on making sure that Pakistan’s government’s promise of free and compulsory education is implemented. Hajira is one of the few female delegates who represented Pakistan at various international events like the 5th World Youth Congress, Commonwealth Young Professionals’ Forum, and 4th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. Last year she spoke of her experiences as a volunteer and the importance of volunteerism at TEDxKinnaird. Due to her determination to help achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals she has been recognized by organizations like the British Council that awarded her the National Active Citizen Award 2010, and the U.S. Department of State that granted her Study of the United States Institutes Scholarship on Women’s Leadership, 2011.
Host Organization: Meridian International Center
Role at Host Organization: Hajira will join Meridian International’s Global Connect division focusing specifically on international exchange for leadership development. She’ll leverage her skills and experience to support the development of service learning criteria and programming.