Begum Jan

Begum Jan is a doctor and the founder of the Tribal Women Welfare Association, which educates tribal women in Northwest Pakistan about their rights, and gives them medical training. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} She grew up in South Waziristan,village khon Khel of tehsil Sararogha a conservative area of Pakistan, but her father encouraged her to become a doctor. ^[4] She attended a school for boys as a child because there was no school for girls, and when her tribal elders forbid her to attend high school she studied with a tutor instead. ^[3]

In 2007, at a nationwide women’s protest against clerics advocating suicide bombings and other violence, Jan led the Tribal Women Welfare Association's protest. ^[5] As of 2008 she is the Tribal Women Welfare Association's chairwoman. ^[1]

She received a 2008 International Women of Courage Award, making her the first Pakistani woman to receive that award. ^{[2] [3]}

References

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