Asia 21 Young Leader Completes School for Girls in Pakistan with Madonna's Support
Humaira Bachal, the Pakistani women’s education activist and an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader, has finished construction on her foundation’s flagship school in the outskirts of Karachi. The Dream Model Street School aims to empower the women and girls in Bachal’s community so that they will have jobs, opportunities and rights.
Pop star Madonna partly funded the school’s construction. At a Chime for Change televised event in 2013, she asked viewers to help contribute to the school and personally committed to funding its completion if viewers funded the first floor.
Bachal was named an Asia 21 Young Leader in 2013. The Asia Society initiative, founded in 2006, creates an active network of leaders from Asia and the U.S. to build relationships, engage in interdisciplinary dialogue, and develop responses for addressing common challenges.
Madonna celebrated the construction of the school with a post on Instagram. "The Revolution of Love continues in Pakistan,” she wrote. “The Dream School is finally finished. 1200 kids attending. Knowledge is Power!”