SheLeads: Afsheen Jiwani

Afsheen Jiwani is an inspiration to her family and community from her South Asian roots.

Born to a middle-class family in Karachi, Pakistan, Afsheen was always fascinated by the community leaders and volunteers working tirelessly for the community, including the Aga Khan University Hospital.

"My family has a tradition of volunteering at various levels of AKDN and Jamati leadership and I think that habit was inherently given to me. I was always so inspired to see how my family members work relentlessly for the well-being of the community. The cheerfulness and contentment on their faces after volunteering was a motivation for me to get involved and serve the community. That's why I choose to work for a non-profit organization professionally."

For over 10 years, Afsheen has been working in the non-profit sector, in both professional and voluntary capacities. She started her career at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi before moving to Canada. Afsheen continued to pursue her passion for community well-being by working at various Canadian non-profit organizations, such as the United Way Toronto, Pathways to Education Canada, Daily Bread Food Bank, Mackenzie Health Foundation, and most recently at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

Apart from her professional career, Afsheen has been volunteering in various roles, previously in Pakistan and now in Canada. She has been a member of the Aga Khan Education Board, Aga Khan Social Welfare Board - Pakistan, and the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board - Pakistan. Afsheen also worked as a team lead at the World Partnership Walk in 2015. Currently, she is serving on the Board of “Up With Women”, a charity dedicated to helping recently homeless and at-risk women to build sustainable, prosperous careers and businesses with the aim of permanently exiting poverty. She is also the principal of East York pre-primary Bait-ul-Ilm Centre.

"I was born in a Pakistani liberal family. I feel fortunate that my parents supported me immensely in high education despite minimal resources. However, that's not the case with every woman in that part of the world. Every day, many women face the risk of being sexually harassed and assaulted within and outside their households. Attitudes around violence are one of those ‘sticky’ norms issues. That is why I am passionate to work for women’s well-being in our community through Up with Women platform."