Attaullah Abbasi
2024-2025 University of Chicago Scholar
Pakistan
Co-Founder & President, The Jiddat Initiative
Dismantling barriers to education for girls in rural Pakistan through direct service programs and opportunity awareness to build a brighter, self-reliant future.
Attaullah Abbasi is an economist and civic leader with a proven track record of promoting economic prosperity by advocating for education and financial literacy. Coming from a rural area, education transformed his life. This experience inspired him to co-found The Jiddat Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing girls’ education in rural Pakistan. Leveraging his technical expertise and network, his organization has engaged with 200 families and 400 students via technology-enabled distance learning and personalized coaching. The Jiddat Initiative has also secured resources for a library in his hometown, Moro, with the aim of increasing girls’ literacy rates by 50% in targeted areas within three years. Through the Scholars program, Attaullah aims to expand his model to five more rural districts through culturally sensitive programming and to advocate for education policy reform to prioritize girls’ education in Pakistan.
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More About the Scholars Program
More About the Scholars Program
The Obama Foundation Scholars program gives rising leaders from around the world who are already making a difference in their communities the opportunity to take their work to the next level.
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