December 5, 2013

Hope for Youth in Pakistan

As a young man in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, Jawad Ahmed Khan dreamt of furthering his studies but opportunities in the capital city of Quetta did not match his talent or ambition. In 2011, Jawad Ahmed Khan participated in a Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) exchange program, which focused on the concepts of leadership and community service. SUSI bolstered Jawad’s leadership potential and solidified his vision for the future. As a direct result of his U.S. exchange program participation, Jawad is now working with youth in his home province to bridge the gaps between innate capacity and future success. After his exchange, he registered the Organization for the Development of Youth (ODY), a youth-led organization that aims to provide a healthy, positive environment for the youth of Balochistan. As the Executive Director for ODY, Jawad worked with his fellow youth to combat poverty, gender bias, illiteracy, and extremism, espousing the mantra “together towards tomorrow we should march today.”

A student of health sciences, Jawad expresses a deep desire to serve his nation as a “good and sincere doctor.” Through ODY, he established the “One Coin” campaign to provide medicine, food, and blankets to those affected by the most recent earthquake in Balochistan. With leadership skills honed during his SUSI exchange, Jawad continues serve his community. He was elected General Secretary of Student Affairs at Bolan Medical College, and was nominated to be the Youth Leader in Balochistan by the Youth Affairs Department of the Government of Balochistan.

Jawad is currently the President of the Balochistan Chapter of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni-Network (PUAN). After his U.S. exchange experience, Jawad reactivated the Balochistan Chapter of PUAN with the assistance of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi. He served as the chapter’s General Secretary and collaborated with PUAN’s officers in Islamabad and Karachi to host programs for alumni in his province during his tenure as PUAN General Secretary.

Each month, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) Alumni Affairs Division, which supports alumni as they build on their exchange experiences, recognizes one outstanding alumnus or alumna. Throughout December, Jawad Ahmed Khan is that outstanding alumnus and his work will be recognized on the International Exchange Alumni website, ECA’s official website which caters to more than one million Department-sponsored exchange alumni worldwide.