FLIGHT OF EMPOWERMENT

‘Disability is not a curse, it’s a god gift for special person!’

Faisal NawazFounder of ‘Light for Life’ fighting against

gender discrimination and aiming to empower women

Born with polio and life-threatening disease Scoliosis (a severe curvature of the spine), Faisal never let his illness hamper his vision to achieve his dreams or help others to spread their wings.

Today his project ‘Light for Life’ under the banner of Foundation for Indian Integration and Rights (FIIR), encourages numerous Muslims to step outside their household and make a name for themselves.

Through his project ‘Light for Life’, Faisal and his team provide education, employment and skill development training to young girls.

A central government employee, Faisal talks about his journey toward women empowerment. “It was a visit from a neighbour’s daughter that made me realise that gender inequalities are still prevalent in my community. How a girl’s education is stopped midway because of the conservative nature of the family.”

Currently, the centre has about 100 regular students between the age of seven to 30. Nawaz aims to bridge the gap between religion and modernity.

In Faisal’s own words on future roadmap, “The aim is to work towards bringing an all-round development of Muslim girls in the area to help them break stereotypes and gain education to find employment. I want to continue my work with upgrading the techniques and technology in the training methods and increase the reach of my centre to maximum number of students.”

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