When Sidney Sheldon said, “Try to leave the earth a better place than when you arrived“, PUAN alumni like Afia Salam captured it’s very essence to core because “the earth is what we all have in common“. Afia Salam, our CVE 2017 alumna, holds a Masters in Geography and is a career journalist having 4 decades of experience with print, electronic and web journalism. She is also a development practitioner, and current elected President of Baanhn Beli and is a board member of several prestigious organizations.
Through Indus Earth, Afia was involved in the Water for Women project that provided water access besides serving as an ecosystem service through replenishment of the underground water in the arid region of Thatta, Sindh. As part of Baanhn Beli, Afia has been involved in the Vulture Conservation Project of IUCN Pakistan in Tharparkar, Sindh who are considered to be nature’s cleaners.
Afia is also LEAD, FNF’s International Academy of Leadership & Australia Awards Fellow and member of IUCN Commission on Education & Communications and Commission on Economic & Social Policy. She is member of several bodies like National Coordinating Body for Marine Protected Areas, Working Group on Climate Change and National Security, Committee to review the Single National Curriculum in the context of Climate Change and stakeholder group formulating the Water Policy of Sindh.
Afia has been actively highlighting issues related to environment and climate change through her writings, and advocacy through seminars and moderation of panel discussions and round tables. You can follow her work on Twitter @afiasalam.