Kanwal Ahmed and Nadia Patel Gangjee selected for Facebook’s Community Leadership Program

Kanwal Ahmed of Soul Sisters Pakistan and Nadia Patel Gangjee of Sheops have been selected as fellows for Facebook’s first Community Leadership Program and that is a great achievement for Pakistani women.

Kanwal and Nadia are two of 115 community leaders selected from a pool of over 6000 applicants from around the world for this program. The agenda aims to empower leaders who are building communities around the world.

The selected participants will be trained and funded by Facebook. Each will receive up to $50,000 to be used to further their vision for their individual groups.

The program comprises of  three main components: an educational curriculum designed around leadership development, strategic community engagement and technical skills, financial support for offline community building activities and help and guidance from community-building experts, Facebook leaders and other participants.

“They saw something special in Soul Sisters Pakistan. They recognised my relentless drive to empower women with THEIR voice. They thought my vision for my community was worth investing in. They wanted me to be part of their program with a hundred brilliant leaders and minds from around the world. I am humbled. Honoured. And absolutely drenched in gratitude,” wrote Kanwal who started Soul Sisters Pakistan which is an online safe space for Pakistani women to share their issues and seek help. “Humbled and extremely excited to represent Pakistan on the biggest social media platform of the world inshaAllah”

https://www.facebook.com/soulsisterspakistan/posts/2095494460701135

Nadia Patel Gangjee is the founder of Sheops which is Pakistan’s first online marketplace for women. “My mission is to economically empower women and to increase digital and financial inclusion of females, enabling them to contribute more to the economy. As I worked tirelessly for the last three years towards this mission – through hard work, sweat and tears – resilience and hope are two things I have held on to, as it’s not easy financing and running a start-up with a social cause in Pakistan,” shared Nadia.

https://www.facebook.com/nadiapatelgangjee/posts/10156474312140155

“The big news came in the form of an email at 6 AM on my birthday that I was selected as a fellow for the Facebook Community Leadership Program. Humbled and honoured beyond words for this recognition of my efforts for empowering women and yet another opportunity to make Pakistan proud.”