About Khalida Brohi
Khalida Brohi grew up in a small village in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Her parents had been married in a practice known as an exchange marriage, or watta satta. Her mother was 9 years old at the time, her father was 13. Khalida, the second oldest became the first girl in her village to go to school. Khalida, grew up in poverty, but her parents were keen to give their children opportunities they never had. The family grew and moved many more times, eventually landing in the slums of Karachi where Brohi continued her education. She had planned to study medicine and become the first doctor in her tribe, already an unusual path for girls, when an event changed everything. Her good friend and cousin was killed in the name of honor for falling in love with a boy who was not her betrothed.
This is when at 16 years of age, she decided to stand up for women’s rights and fight against honor crimes by unleashing potential in women. Brohi began her activism by writing poetry about the experience and reading it at any event that would allow her to speak.
Youth and Gender Development Program
Soon Khalida started going door to door and mobilized the youth in her community and launched the Youth and Gender Development Program (YGDP). This initiative began as a weekly gathering of young women to discuss economic opportunities in their communities. The program soon started providing skills trainings to young women and men while raising their awareness about honor killings and how they can take a stand against it.
WAKE UP Campaign Against Honor Killings
In 2008, Khalida launched her first international campaign calling it WAKE UP Campaign against honor killing. Using Facebook, Brohi organized WAKE UP rallies to pressure the national government of Pakistan to close the loopholes in the law that allow honor killings and domestic abuse. Her Facebook campaign garnered thousands of international followers and led to numerous demonstrations.
Sughar Foundation
Despite the success of the WAKE UP campaign, Brohi realized that the awareness she was creating in Karachi and globally was not reaching the women and communities who were suffering from domestic violence and the custom of honor killings. In response Khalida launched, the Sughar Empowerment Society, which is a non-profit organization which helps women in Pakistan learn skills related to "economic and personal growth." Sughar means "skilled, confident woman" in Urdu. The Sughar Empowerment Society provides women in the villages of Pakistan with income from their work, and the ability to "challenge negative cultural beliefs with education and information about women's rights.”
Social Entrepreneurship
In 2015, while continuing her activism Brohi married David, an Italian-American, in a rare love marriage because of their different cultural and social backgrounds. Together the couple founded The Chai Spot in Sedona, Arizona, a peace-building social enterprise focused on promoting Pakistani arts and hospitality, while at the same time working to grow Sughar Foundation’s projects in Pakistan.
In 2018, Khalida and David opened their second Chai Spot in Manhattan and Khalida published her book I SHOULD HAVE HONOR.
Awards and Recognitions
Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Social Entrepreneurs, 2014 and 2016
Women of Excellence Award by Ladies Fund Pakistan 2014
The Buffett Institute's Emerging Global Leader Award, 2016
Young Champion Award by National University of Singapore
MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow, 2014
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Martin Luther King Angel Award by The King Center, 2014
Young Women in Business Award by Women Development Department Government of Sindh, Pakistan 2012
Learn more about the life of this fierce woman by reading her memoir
“Khalida Brohi’s moving story is a testament to what is possible no matter the odds. In her courageous activism and now in I Should Have Honor, Khalida gives a voice to the women and girls who are denied their own by society. This book is a true act of honor.”—Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org
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“Honor is not murder. Dishonor is not a girl who goes to school, not a girl who speaks up, laughs and takes the opportunities that come her way. Honor is identity, dignity and the protection of those you love”.
— Khalida Brohi
Photo: Khalida with her family members in Balochistan. Faces hidden for privacy