Afshan Iqbal

struggle brings happiness.

struggle brings success.

Career: Business Administration

Meet Afshan Iqbal. After two hours on a city bus, Afshan returns home to her family, tired and hungry. It has been a challenging day at university. At home, her family waits for her. They have been busy since 4 a.m. working, as they do every day, weaving baskets to sell to wholesalers. Each basket garners only 10 cents towards the family income. Her mother, father, older sister, brother, sister-in-law and their child, and even her elderly grandfather relentlessly work together to keep the family afloat and Afshan in school. 

For all of Afshan’s life, the family’s financial situation had balanced on the knife edge of security. Afshan’s father once owned a thriving toy store, but during the tumultuous years of gang violence and rampant crime in their neighborhood of Lyari, Karachi, he was forced to shut it down. Afshan, the youngest of four siblings, grew up in a household deeply impacted by these challenges. Her three older siblings bore the brunt of the instability. Their home was destroyed multiple times by gangs, creating an environment so precarious that continuing education became nearly impossible; they all left school by the age of 16. Today, however, Lyari has undergone a remarkable transformation. Often referred to as “Little Brazil” for its enduring love of football, the neighborhood is now a hub of culture and energy. The neighborhood’s resilience is reflected in its community spirit. Despite ongoing struggles with poverty and infrastructure, Lyari’s revitalized streets now pulse with hope, ambition, and a renewed sense of identity.

Afshan settles in beside her mother to weave a basket or two before catching some much needed sleep. Despite her family’s troubles and challenges, she is grateful for a loving home with supportive parents. Her father’s words echo in her mind.Struggle brings happiness. Struggle brings you success. She knows she must work harder because of her circumstances. She is determined to keep going to support her family and fulfill her dream of becoming a social entrepreneur. 

After only a few hours of sleep, Afshan rises early to catch the bus to university. Her family is already hard at work, weaving more baskets. She is a second year student, studying Business Administration at Iqra University. Her bus fare is expensive and she often goes without a meal during the day so she has enough to pay for transportation. Despite the hunger pains, she pushes on. Her family is depending on her success. 

Before university, Afshan remembers how her parents saved “pennies” so that she could attend a private junior high school, something her family viewed as an investment in her future. During this time, her parents had friends who were more affluent and educated than hers. Their oldest daughter, who attended university, became a friend and a role model to Afshan. She encouraged Afshan to dream big - to continue her studies after junior high. She made it seem possible that Afshan could change the trajectory of her life. 

Even though she qualified academically, the cost of the university fees were too high for Afshan’s family. One day while searching online, Afshan discovered the U-GO scholarship, in partnership with Developments in Literacy (DIL) Foundation. Afshan began thinking that this could be her reality too to attend university! With her exceptional grades, her application was accepted, and she received the U-GO scholarship. 

The adjustment to university life was difficult. Iqra University is an excellent school in Karachi, known for its rigorous academic standards and attended by students from a higher socio-economic status. Afshan felt like an outsider, arriving by public bus while her peers came to school by private transportation. Over time though, she learned to adapt to her new surroundings and her infectious and outgoing personality won over her fellow peers and professors. 

Afshan often stays late at university to finish up. With a home crowded with extended family members, she has no space to do her studies. She wishes she could talk to her parents or siblings about her schoolwork and daily struggles, but they simply cannot relate to her new life at university. Her peers have so many more resources at home. She meets with her professors for additional support with her coursework, deeply appreciating their mentorship. Their unwavering confidence in her abilities fuels her determination and drive.

Today, though, she wraps up early at school to head to her volunteer work. She leads a community-based organization, dedicated to youth development and mental health advocacy. Here, she becomes the mentor, creating the spark for the next generation of young women, dreaming of attending university and creating a better life for themselves and their families. Inspired by her role models who encouraged her to dream big, she is now paving the way for others.