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Sumaira Ishfaq

Women participate in dialogue group
Sumaira continued her career in rural development in Pakistan after expanding her agricultural and gender development skillset and network during her Humphrey Fellowship in 2017-2018. Photo provided.

Sumaira continued her career in rural development in Pakistan after expanding her agricultural and gender development skillset and network during her Humphrey Fellowship in 2017-2018. She utilized this expertise to integrate gender equity into social inclusion strategies while working for US-based international non-profits Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) and Winrock International in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Her drive to broaden her horizon in women empowerment led her to becoming a Vital Voices Visionaries Fellow in 2022 and a member of the Intersectional Feminist Collective (IFC). 

Sumaira recently joined Pathfinder International as their Social Development Advisor on Gender and Climate. In a recent podcast, she shared that her prime focus is to empower women and girls by imparting leadership capabilities that enable them to play a greater role in establishing climate resilient communities in Pakistan. She mainly works with women from remote areas of two highly climate-vulnerable provinces, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She loves travelling and exploring so she is excited to start this new chapter in a different province and is looking forward to experiencing new cultures and cuisines.