Pakistani activist and entrepreneur Tanzila Khan has been awarded the Prince’s Trust International Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award at The 2022 Prince’s Trust Awards for her work on increasing women’s access to menstrual, pregnancy and reproductive health products.
The activist received the accolade at the The Prince’s Trust Awards in London on Tuesday for her work on the menstrual hygiene app GirlyThings.
According to the Times, Clooney shared why she’d chosen Khan for the award, saying, “I could sense the grit and I loved that she’s not waiting for other people to fix global issues.”
“Step aside, Amazon,” Clooney had joked, “hers arrive in 20 minutes.”
Taking to Twitter, Tanzila Khan shared the exciting news saying “Pakistan yeh aapkey liye! (Pakistan, this is for you!)”
In an exclusive conversation with this writer, Tanzila shared, “I want everyone to know that this is a step forward for all the menstruators in the world, in my country, for women with disabilities.”
GirlyThings.pk was Tanzila’s initiative to make menstrual hygiene products accessible for everyone no matter the circumstances. Since its release, the app has gotten notable praise, previously being awarded the 2018 Summit Award.
But a hustler like Tanzila has yet to celebrate her award as she’s already focused on the next step to better the world.
“The thing is that anybody who is extremely serious about the work that they do and the type of opportunity that they want to bring to their country, probably cannot enjoy an experience because they’re constantly thinking about the way forward. They’re constantly thinking about connecting resources with opportunities. So, though I am in this amazing space with amazing people, I am constantly thinking about how we can leverage this opportunity as much as we can.”
“So I still need to take a break and enjoy some afternoon tea but before that I have to do a lot of work around this award.”
However, this doesn’t mean the activist didn’t enjoy her big day. Khan shared the joyous moment on her social media, sharing herself getting ready by the Charlotte Tilbury team and getting caught in the rain on her way to the awards. And we all lived vicariously through her.
“I got to do a red carpet for the first time in my life! It was great. As a woman with a disability, as someone with a hijab, to be on the red carpet, posing, presenting a fashion sense, presenting my cause and my country. That was exciting and I loved it and I was trying not to get my wheelchair tangled. That’s also something I have to consider all the time!”
The Amal Clooney Award aims to highlight the work of young women who have succeeded against the odds to make a difference in their communities. Amal Clooney personally selects the woman who is presented the award.
At the time of its launch in 2019, Clooney had said in a press release, “It is a privilege to be able to play a part in a project that will draw attention to incredible young women who are the future leaders of our world.”
On meeting Amal Clooney, Tanzila revealed, “Amal Clooney is absolutely amazing , she’s so real. I got a chance to have a one-to-one with her, I had a tea party with her, in which she sent everybody outside and she said ‘Tanzila, you and I will just talk,’ and we did.”
“We spoke a lot about her own experiences and we are trying to come up with more collaborations together. So menstrual healthcare will be a very strong area within the community to work on and when it comes to human rights and health in the future and other than that.”
We’ve always admired the unstoppable force that is Tanzila Khan. From being a motivational speaker to author to the founder of GirlyThings, the activist works hard to elevate the voices of several disabled communities. She makes sure to highlight issues concerning folks with different disabilities, all the while spreading the message of love and joy. Whether it’s through her podcast “Brain Masala” or comedy short films like “Fruit Chaat”… we’re seeing a pattern here, should we add foodie to the numerous titles Tanzila holds?
“We have to believe that if Tanzila has reached this point by being bold enough to talk about periods and by having a team of supporters that inspired her and supported her, you all can step up and own up your causes as well. I really wanna inspire every young girl out there to believe in ourselves, to have faith in ourselves.”
“The pressure would be there, but you’re stronger than the pressure”
With the ultimate goal being inclusivity and accessibility for all, we wish her the best and have no doubts there’s more in store for us to celebrate.
Report by: Sonia Ashraf
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