Ifrah Faiz
2020-21 Asia Foundation Development Fellow
Ifrah Faiz is a pilot and the first female paratrooper from Pakistan’s General Duty Pilot branch. Originally from Peshawar, Pakistan, her desire to work for women’s empowerment led her to join the Pakistan Air Force. After serving three years, Ifrah left the Air Force to join the development sector. She has advocated for female Afghan refugees and female internally displaced people in camps, especially gender-based violence victims, women-headed households, and unaccompanied minors. She led UN Women’s project for the government, was involved in gender policymaking, and has worked for UNHCR determining female asylum seekers’ refugee status. She is currently a district project coordinator with the Pakistan Peace Protective. Ifrah received the gold medal award for her master’s degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Management Sciences in Pakistan, and is an Emerging Leaders of Pakistan and Queen’s Young Leader Fellow.