Eight Pakistanis have been honored with the Diana Award this year for their work in education, health and climate action, the charity announced Nov. 4.
They are among 198 recipients worldwide recognized by the award, which the charity describes as a "global honour celebrating young social activists driving positive change in their communities and beyond."
"Rooted in the legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales, the award celebrates young people who are working tirelessly to change the world — particularly those championing change for individuals from socio-economic disadvantaged backgrounds," the charity's website states.
Each year, up to 200 exceptional young people receive the Diana Award, which recognizes youth-led projects aligned with four key Sustainable Development Goals: quality education, good health and wellbeing, reducing inequality, and climate action.
The Pakistani recipients are:
- Ali Ahmed Manj, who has worked to improve healthcare access for underserved communities in Karachi and rural Sindh. Through Humanity Initiative, he has helped lead student-led medical camps and collaborations with NGOs, serving more than 10,000 patients over five years.
- Areeba Suleman, founder of SheRise Pakistan, the first student-led youth organization in Dera Ghazi Khan. She has built a network of young women advancing educational equity across south Punjab and directly impacted more than 6,000 students.
- Mariam Rehman, a law and finance graduate who founded The Pro-Justice Project, a pro bono initiative supported by more than 250 volunteer lawyers. The project creates opportunities for people to understand and exercise their rights through legal advocacy, community engagement and youth leadership.
- Muhammad Ibrahim, who used digital mapping to help flood-affected people. He collaborated with the Punjab government on GIS-based damage assessments and field surveys across high-risk areas, supporting fairer compensation planning for nearly 300,000 families. He also mobilized communities through the Murree Rainwater Harvesting Project, which provided free rooftop systems to about 4,000 families.
- Noor Abdul Ghani, who founded WinSci Pakistan to close the gender gap in science and technology and encourage more girls and women to pursue STEM fields. A machine learning engineer and master's student in artificial intelligence, she helps students through STEM sessions, school outreach and scholarship guidance.
- Reya Yassir Khawaja, a student at Nord Anglia International School Dubai who founded SAFE — Sanitation and Female Empowerment — with the KCS Foundation to challenge stigma surrounding menstrual health. She has distributed menstrual hygiene packs and organized educational sessions encouraging open conversations about periods.
- Sara Ali, who founded the Pakistan Polio Project to strengthen vaccine confidence, combat misinformation, support frontline health workers and protect zero-dose children. She has inspired more than 100 volunteers to educate families and promote immunization awareness.
- Vishal Parkash, who grew up as a Hindu in Pakistan and became passionate about expanding financial and legal access for excluded communities. He founded RUBAN, connecting more than 200 women artisans across Karachi, Lahore and Sindh with formal markets and generating over 5 million rupees in revenue. He also founded Emprende, which provides financial and legal literacy training to refugees and migrants worldwide.
Recipients received letters from Kensington Palace, the office of Prince William and his wife Kate, as well as Prince Harry.
In a letter to Suleman, seen by Dawn and appearing identical for all honorees, Prince William praised her resilience, courage, compassion and belief in kindness.
"The impact you are having on your community and the lives of those around you is remarkable," the letter read. "The world we live in today can feel challenging and uncertain, and creating change is not easy. Yet, in the face of these challenges, you have shown extraordinary resilience, courage and a belief in the power of kindness to make things better."
The Prince of Wales added: "My mother, in whose memory you receive The Diana Award today, would be so proud of your achievements and the deep care you show for others."
In his letter, Prince Harry wrote that the award is "deeply personal to me, not only because it carries my mother's name, but because it champions her belief that young people have the power to change the world."
Noting that recipients made it their mission to solve challenges in their communities, he said: "You are already leading with purpose and the rest of us have a responsibility to listen, invest in you and give you real opportunities to take that work further."
"This year's Diana Award recipients represent some of the most inspirational young people from across the UK and around the world," the charity said.
