Breaking boundaries and building bridges: Lubna's Story

In a world often overshadowed by challenges and adversity, stories like Lubna's stand out.

The very first Essex Futures scholar, Lubna Shah Zaman is 39 and from rural Pakistan. She travelled over three and a half thousand miles to the University of Essex where she is now studying an MA in Refugee Care in the Department of Sociology.

Lubna wants to transform the refugee policy in Pakistan, a country currently hosting over 4.4 million Afghan refugees, 1.73m of which are undocumented and have recently been demanded to leave or face deportation detailed in an Al Jazeera article.

"I want to contribute to developing of a comprehensive and inclusive migration management and refugee policy for my country which will help achieve the desired better outcome for the migrants, refugees, and host community.

Ignoring the gender stereotypes which shape traditional Pakistani society and driven by the confidence and determination that her late grandmother had instilled in her from a young age, Lubna (pictured on the right in the above photo) had already carved out a successful career as a civil servant. But she still found herself discriminated against.

"I belong to a middle-class Pakistani household, settled in a conservative and traditional rural setup where leadership traits are rarely associated, if not actively discouraged, with women. I was fortunate to be raised by a superb lady full of passion and enthusiasm, my late Grandmother, who guided and supported me throughout my life; still, I witnessed decimation through my personal and professional career at various stages."

In breaking down gender stereotypes in Pakistan, and transforming the country's migration policies, Lubna also wants to pave the way for a brighter future for generations to follow. When talking about how her Masters in Refugee Care will enable her to reach her goals, she said:

"After completing this course, I will have the tools to give back and contribute to the betterment of my community and beyond through research, community service, or advocacy for human rights. "I am confident that the immense international exposure this scholarship offers, a strong graduate degree from a world-class UK research university, and my previous work experiences will enable me to effectively channel my capabilities and professional networks toward materialising these aims."

The Essex Futures Refugee Care scholarship covers the cost of her international tuition fees and is the reason she made it to Essex. Without it, she simply could not afford the fees in addition to accommodation and rising living costs.

Supporting scholarships at Essex

The Essex Futures fundraising appeal is over halfway to it's target of raising £1 million to invest in pioneers, innovators and trailblazers. It's clear that Lubna is one of them with her dreams of bringing skills and knowledge gained at Essex to transform the treatment of refugees in Pakistan.

Since the appeal's launch in 2022, over £510,000 has been raised by alumni, staff and friends of the University. Among them are more than 400 members of staff who donate monthly via their payslip through a staff giving scheme, Donate Your Pennies.

Donate your Pennies gives members of staff from the University the option to round down their payslip to the nearest pound, donating the leftover pennies - anything from 1p to 99p - to support scholarships. If you're a staff member interested in signing up to donate your pennies, email the Philanthropy Team at [email protected].

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