Introduction

Hello all,

My name is Belsem Shireen Aljobory and I am the founder of As We Rise Foundation. I thought it would be best to allocate a blog post for an introduction since I do expect this to be a lengthy read. I am half Pakistani, with roots from Peshawar and Lahore as well as half Iraqi. I co-founded a foundation when I was 13 years old with my former best friend, Emily called For the Girls Foundation. Unfortunate actions were taken against me and I was coerced off the foundation. My words, work, and passion were funneled in a direction I did not approve of. But I do not wish to highlight my past, As We Rise Foundation is dedicated to the unity I seek for women, across the world. I feel as though there was a disconnect for some members of the co-founder in my past foundation and that is why I transformed and used my passion for women's rights and education into a new non-profit.

I thought of the name As We Rise because it is crucial to me that there is a sense of an interconnected, global community of women who are willing to join our cause. Our initial project is a school for young girls to teach them how to read and write Urdu (the most commonly spoken language in Pakistan), mathematics, and powerful women figures both in the present and the past. Our ultimate goal is to have powerful women who are willing to speak to these girls come in and speak of their difficulties having their voices heard. Unity is of the utmost importance. In life, school, work, community, is an integral part of the growth of oneself alongside those they are surrounded with. Throughout history, union and perseverance have shown to yield beneficial progress. Women’s needs and rights are something that has been swept under the rug throughout every era of history, worldwide, and being able to have the resources to aid that, one girl at a time, has made it impossible to not advocate for my message. We together can help unify communities, nations, and the world with the growth of women. Educating young girls that their aspirations are important and aiding them with the resources necessary to pursue them is the first step. If you have any wishes for our school or recommendations for the course of the foundation or our mission we would love to hear them.