Company:I Change Her Life, Lahore, Pakistan & Istanbul, Turkey
Company Description:I Change Her Life is a Social Business Enterprise committed to changing the lives of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Pakistan and refugees in Turkey. We create positive social impact in the lives of vulnerable and weak.We use our platform to create awareness about issues that we feel strongly about such as Gender Violence and Rights Of Minorities.
Nomination Category:Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category:Community Involvement Program of the Year

Nomination Title:I Change Her Life

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated organization since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

I Change Her Life is a social Business Enterprise that is creating phenomenal changes in the lives of women in conflict-ridden regions of Pakistan and the refugees in Turkey. We create positive change in lives of disadvantaged women by employing and training them. The induction program has been updated since last year to include breakthrough 'Life Coach' training manual to help women overcome their suffering and enable them to become productive contributors towards their communities.

In Pakistan, our outreach and visibility increased tremendously due to our collaboration with local non-profits and sister organizations. As a result of our relentless efforts to improve the socio-economic conditions of the vulnerable and weak women, we were able to increase the scope of positive social impact from 20 to 85,849 in Pakistan. This was a direct result of our collaboration with many diligent organizations already working in the region such as Nida Pakistan, Blue Vein, and Sawera Pakistan. We are also in the process of initiating a joint program with the prestigious Agha Khan Foundation to work alongside their organization CIQAM to increase the scope of social impact.

We have increased our presence, visibility and managed to penetrate into the heart of KPK region by establishing close ties and creating relationships based on mutual trust and a strong belief in the process of positive social change.

In Turkey, we have formed key alliance with Women Entrepreneurship group Kadiger Turkey and Macka and Flying Bloom. The vision and goals of these organizations are closely aligned with our values and beliefs.

We have used the platform created by our organization to fight against gender violence in Pakistan. We are actively involved in the process of drafting a legislature to modify the bill against honor killings and Sharia law in Pakistan that demeans the status of women in society and constricts their rights and civil liberties. Furthermore, it directly obstructs the process of justice for women and girls. We are now actively involved in the process of social and legal change to create a positive atmosphere for women to flourish.

Through our cooperation with WEF (Women Empowerment Forum) in Pakistan, we have been able to bring subtle changes in the network of Pakistan Society as well as institutions. The subject of gender violence is our priority, but it must be handled very delicately as to not offend certain segments of the society. We have learned to create small but meaningful changes through our workshops, to create awareness against gender violence and focus on gender development. Our unique approach has helped us win over the critics as well as the conservative members of the institutions that we want to change. This is unprecedented accomplishment because most other organizations have failed because they could not negotiate and ended up being attacked or abolished by the fundamental groups. By combining good negotiation skills with open dialog instead of pushing our agenda in the face of rigid opposition, we have managed to dissolve the boundaries of gender discrimination, leading to an overall change in perception of general population.

We also use our platform to voice concerns about the violation of rights of minorities living in Pakistan.

Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated organization (up to 125 words):

Dr Ambreen Zaman Riaz is a medical doctor, Social Entrepreneur, renaissance scholar and a polymath. She left her prolific career as a cosmetic dermatologist to help disadvantaged women because she firmly believed that educated people needed to get actively involved in the social- service sector. Dr Zaman worked as a volunteer in non-profits both in Pakistan and Turkey. This further enhanced her to serve the vulnerable and weak women. Dr Zaman is an active advocate of women's rights and participates in highlighting the rights of Christian, Agha Khanis and non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan. Her commitment to change the lives of underprivileged women has enabled her to achieve the status of "change maker" in international circles.

Choose one (even if both apply):

The CEO (or other principal manager) of this company is a woman, and at least 40% of the management team is comprised of women.