Noshin Paracha

Pakistan

I hail from the beautiful historic city of Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. My parents were progressives and advocates of equal education opportunities for all genders. I finished my undergraduate studies in Kohat, then moved to capital Islamabad. I completed my Master in Education from AIOU.
While things have changed a lot in recent decades, our society used to treat girls’ education casually. During my upbringing, boys usually got preferential treatment for better schools and education opportunities. I had my fair share of challenges but overall, my parents stayed committed to my education. I keenly watched my mother teaching my brother and absorbed knowledge as a secondary learner.
Perhaps the biggest challenge was the formal pressure of considering proposals at such a young age of 15.
Add all these challenges to the pursuit of higher education. It is common for girls in rural communities to face the non-cooperation of their families if they want to pursue higher education and graduate studies. Unfortunately, this societal stigma is still prevalent in patches across Pakistan.
I took a firm stand with my goal of graduate studies and finished my Masters in Education. I also continued to work as a professional in various institutions.
Throughout my career as a teacher, I never missed the chance to learn and develop my skills. I took multiple training courses to develop and complement my professional capabilities.
These skills enhanced my ability to think “outside the box” and grow further and faster. By then, I was a tested and proven educationist and had been in various challenging positions in the field.
I have always dreamt of being an entrepreneur. I took a big leap of faith and chased after my lifetime dream of becoming a woman entrepreneur. In 2017, I launched my school venture and experienced rapid growth in a very short period.
As we all know and have lived through the pandemic. In 2020, Covid hit us with devastation. Covid 19 impact was so significant that we lost almost 90% of our enrollment and therefore that much revenue. The challenge of continuing to run was so huge that I thought of quitting many times. In spite of this, my determination once again remained strong and prepared me to handle this scale of the crisis. Despite the harsh criticism of many of my close relatives and friends, I didn’t QUIT. Instead, I became MORE determined to prove myself. Adapting online teaching to continue students’ learning process and keep school activities open was one of my outside-the-box strategies.
Now that I had conducted some very difficult and some almost impossible tasks, I know what it takes to be shield yourself from criticism of your loved ones and others alike, while also staying focused on your goals. I know how to continue to stand tall and believe in myself.
We need to inspire other women to be able to remain determined and become model entrepreneurs. They should be able to be unleash their full potential and become model citizens and contributors to our society and the world.
Whenever girls came for teaching and said that their parents are not ready for their education, I helped them, coached them, supported them encouraged them, talked to their parents to convince them to support the dreams of their daughters and not let them go!
“It’s a saying that whatever you impart and share it will come back to you”
… and I am a firm believer.

This motivated me to expand my entrepreneurial journey to support Girl’s Education in Pakistan and hence I established my Nonprofit NGO Maymaar Educational Foundation which aimed to empower women by education, skill, and tech education.
I kept on moving and started to extend the learning and development journey as a certified trainer and certified life coach who engages learners from all sectors of lives and professions to develop their personal and professional growth.
Many universities invite me as a speaker to train youth for startups and enhance their skills. As they say that once an educationist is always an educationist hence I was also offered by one of the leading universities of Islamabad to deliver lectures on Business Management and entrepreneurship startups and hence I am also a University lecturer.
Understanding my professional achievements and profile of work organizations nationally and internationally awarded me with prestigious awards I was internationally claimed and awarded as a best emerging leader and international speaker in Dubai, UAE.
I was also awarded high civil award by the Governor of KPK (Pakistan) at Governor House for women empowerment and many more.
When I look back and reflect upon what kept me motivated despite all the odds stacked against me, I realize it was not just the combination of several things that made my journey interesting.
My determination to get higher education, venture out as an entrepreneur, and strike a balance between being a professional and a wife and mother at the same time, made my path easier.
In this journey, I found solid support from my parents, husband, and circle of friends who believed in me and became my support network. To make a difference and to go farther, determination alone will not be enough, so build your support network. Be a collaborative member of your network to create breakthroughs. You will find mentors, investors, influencers, coaches, and motivators. You will be inspired and propelled to the next level by all of them.
In the end, this whole journey even though very challenging, was worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It gave me hope and optimism that it could be done. That things are changing for the good of society and the country, and women are much more empowered now than a few decades ago.
Pakistan has made tremendous progress in the last decade when it comes to the roles of women and women’s empowerment. I am extremely optimistic that Pakistani women will play a major role in almost every sector of Pakistan’s economy and even rock on a global scale.
I strongly believe as a woman; you are an army of one and not alone if you believe in yourself. Stay focused. Stay determined.
Noshin is a Global Award Winner Leader (Education), a seasoned educationist, a serial entrepreneur, a keynote speaker, an author, a thought leader, a trainer, Program Director/Advisor of Family Relief USA, Founder/CEO of Maymaar Educational Foundation (MEF), Founder of Stepping Stones International School System Islamabad, NUST Certified Train the Trainer Course, Master trainer of UNICEF and PAFEC for early childhood development ECD, Cambridge Certified Leadership and Management Professional, Developer of Montessori Curriculum Model and Author of Montessori books.
She has learnt over the years the Skills, Substance, Speed, and Smartness result in successful Sustainability of any venture in any walk of life. Handling brainstorming, managing paperwork and managing overall execution of major tasks has led her to interact and manage people with variety of intellectual capacities, outlook and motivation. She trained numerous people in public and private sector with national and international organizations and instilling leadership skill in herself as well as in others. Noshin’s passion is to touch numerous lives by imparting education and empowering them with skill sets in Maymaar. She prepares young girls and women to solve their problems and find better solutions and coaches them in their career enhancement.