A Kashmiri girl, from Srinagar, is fighting the status quo seeks funds for her higher education. Ifra Shah is one of the few female computer science engineers from the beautiful valley of Kashmir. The 28-year-old in her quest for helping develop tangible change has been seeking funds to join the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Due to the ongoing political discord, and chaos, the girl already lost four years of schools and college. Recently, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) endured the longest Internet shutdown which continues to the present time. In addition to this, there is no high-speed Internet access and it shuts down from time to time.
Source: Milaap
In point of fact, Ifra had to travel 1000 km to the capital, just to complete video interviews. Moreover, that was the only way to reliably dispatch paperwork for her graduate degree applications. Subsequent to completing her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, the girl learned about the massive mismanagement of affairs. In all domains of politics, administration, society, education, economics, and governance.
A young Kashmiri girl is looking to raise funds for her degree to LSE. It can be a life changer for her and those around her. Please help out if you can. @_missvagrant https://t.co/4K2AdqUmLP
— Ahmer Naqvi (@karachikhatmal) August 5, 2020
Additionally, Ifra has also worked with various NGOs, helping the distressed, including duties with an International Human Rights organization. However, as she comes from a lower socioeconomic background, she has been facing obstacles in continuing her education.
Ifra faces online hate for wanting funds
With all that the Internet can offer us, it oftentimes offers a platform for promoting hatred and violence. In addition to this, the line between hate speech and free speech is a thin one. While being on the quest of funds, Ifra has been coming across a lot of online hate.
https://twitter.com/tsaavij/status/1289490157356249088
While some have come forward to support her!
Salaam, my dear brothers and sisters in Kashmir.
Her father is on ventilator.
She doesn't have enough money to finance her admission in the LSE graduate program. She hasn't claimed that she is poor. She took to crowd funding as a matter of last resort.
— Basant بسنت (@KangriCarrier) August 2, 2020
She opens up about the hatred and generosity she has seen throughout her journey.
Facing some serious trolling from some anon handles, I realized the immense strength that is needed to get back up. I want to thank all those who participated in it for making me stronger and increasing my faith in myself and in the immense good still existing in this world.
— Ifra Shah (@_vibratinghigh) August 4, 2020
While I saw kindness, generosity, hope, I also learnt how people will try everything in their power to bring you down but you keep going, anyway.
The good still outnumbers the bad.— Ifra Shah (@_vibratinghigh) August 4, 2020
Ifra has been fighting her way through local hardships, gender restrictions, politics, and countless logistical and communication hurdles. Fortunately, and successfully she gained admission in the Graduate Degree Program for Public Policy at the LSE.
Source: Google
As a result of the on-going global pandemic, many of the scholarships that she applied for canceled. Thereby making it impossible for her to pay for her first year of graduate studies. Standing on the shoulders of hope, the girl has publicly asked for financial help.
While some have tuned out to be excessively generous, others did not miss the opportunity to troll the girl. As can be seen from her thread of tweets, Ifra has been facing backlash from the public for her fundraising appeal. We sincerely hope that her dream comes true and she becomes one of the Pakistanis with an inspirational story!
Read More: From Chiniot To Harvard – This Is The Success Story Of A Talented Pakistani Boy
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