Muniba Mazari is first Goodwill Ambassador for UN-women Pakistan, a content writer, an artist, a speaker, a model, an anchor person, a TV show host and a mother of a beautiful son. A multifaceted personality like her deeply believes that we all are sent to earth with a mission to fulfill. She was born on 3rd March but her life took a U-turn on February 27th, the date which she says mark her rebirth. Her life incident involve, she surviving a traumatic car accident which she narrates and says that it broke her physically but it transformed her soul and gave a new way to her life . In all the nothingness and pain she found a reason to live and that reason determined her path in life. To her the reason is connecting with those who are in the dire need of love and light and where her journey of pain helps her as it connects her with the people on human level. So her life journey began after the incident. Rightly said by Mark Twain: “the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why?!”It totally applies to her life.
With all her power woman on wheelchair says, Do Not Give Up!
Herself been a survivor, when asked about the mission of life, she beautifully replied that she wants to remind the world everyday to “Do Not Give Up!” No matter how cliché it might sound but that’s the only advice she has to give and the essence of the statement multifold when it comes from a woman who happens to be in the wheelchair for last 12 years, a woman whose body is half fractured and half paralyzed, a woman who adopted a child when she was told she could never have a child of her own, a woman who was scared of facing people and became a public speaker, a woman who was told that she won’t be able to paint and today she’s an artist and lastly it’s coming from a woman who has admitted that she’s perfectly imperfect and that’s perfectly alright. So, despite all the challenges that life has thrown towards her, if she can be who she always wanted to be, so can we! Her story reminds of a beautiful Bengali song written by Rabindranath Tagore which utters: “Jodi tor dak shune keu na ashe tobe ekla cholo re, Ekla Chalo Re” which when translated in English means, If there is no-one responding to your call – then Go On All Alone.
Drive for Humanity and it’s the Drive for Equality
An initiative which is very close to her heart is that’s of Food Drive. It all started with a DRIVE, literally to do something worthwhile for those who are neglected. Just on a whim, a couple of friends decided to do something to feed their souls by feeding a few – thus Food Drive was born! Since then the Food Drive never stopped. The biggest challenge was to include / accept food from transgender community. They tried their best to change the mindset and they wanted people to sit down and have a meal with everyone without any gender / religion based discrimination. With a diverse team (which includes men, women and transgender) that they have, the Food Drive shows that this nation has a lot to offer in terms of love, respect, tolerance and hope. They know how to share, how to give and how to receive with gratitude! It’s not just The Food Drive, it’s the Drive for Humanity and it’s the Drive for Equality.
Her Son, Her biggest Achievement
Muniba is the first Goodwill Ambassador for UN-women Pakistan. She has been awarded with the “Go Excellence Trainer Certificate” by “Canada Global Consulting & Training Centre Ltd. (CGC)” in December, 2017. She has been presented with “The Humanitarian Prize” by “The Karic Brothers Award 2017” in Belgrade, Serbia. She is Forbes 30 under 30 for 2016 in Media and Marketing Category. She is BBC’s Top 100 Women for 2015. She is named in the list of “The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2020” (The Muslim 500), She is a Panelist for the high-level event on “Women in Power” at United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), New York, USA in March, 2019. She gave a Motivational Speech to the people of Nicosia, Cyprus in the event “Repaint Your Life” and a Motivational Speech at Doha International Conference on Disability and Development (DICDD) by the Qatar Foundation for Social Work (QFSW) in Doha, Qatar and list is long but apart from other professional achievements she loved to add one more achievement and that she is blessed to have an amazing nine years old son. Even-though she was told that she won’t be able to be a mother because of spinal cord injury, she chose to adopt him and that was the best decision that she ever took. She didn’t give him the gift of life; life gave her the gift of him. So inspiring!
The first step is always the hardest but also the bravest.
We live in a world which tends to celebrate sameness & which unfortunately doesn’t shy away from labeling people. They call her disabled she calls herself differently-abled. They call her wheelchair her weakness and she calls it her strength. They see her disability, she sees her ability. But she is not the only woman who faces these labels. There are many like her all around the world who now have learnt to overcome their fears, they also have learnt to stand tall and to appreciate what has happened to them but they do want from those who are in the power to implement the laws of accessibility all around the world. They want them to ensure that nobody is left behind. Because disability is not in humans’ body, it’s in the environment, you make it accessible for people and you’ll see so many differently-abled women shining all around the globe. She was told that if she wants to achieve something in life it won’t be easy because she is a woman in a wheelchair. There’s neither accessibility nor acceptability. She will be labeled and judged at every step. She said she knows she might be the first one but she wouldn’t be the last. She will take the first step in her chair and the rest will follow! Today the world proudly looks at her and calls her an inspiration.
Her journey as a public speaker
Where we see these worldly borders separating us from one another; our words have the power to heal those who need the healing and it’s our responsibility to reach out those who want to be seen and helped. When Muniba became a public speaker she realized the power of words. Through her words, her art, her philanthropic work (Food Drives) and her television programmes, she has always aimed to spread the message of hope, kindness, resilience and humanity. She shares her story of gratitude and survival, she shares how your inner power can help us overcoming obstacles and fears, she tells the world that how our inner light can spread so much positivity & last but not least she reminds people that in their down moments they are not alone and that she truly feels what one feel!
Never say Never
Muniba’s story herself is a motivation for the world, when asked her how she being such an inspiration keeps her motivated, she replied motivation dies everyday so one has to nurture it. Those who motivate others are at times in the dire need of motivation. So, she looks at herself in the mirror everyday and reminds herself that she don’t know how her story will end but nowhere in her text people will ever read that she gave up!
Kindness is free, Sprinkle it everywhere
Muniba’s message for nation is full of kindness. She says, in a world where you can be anything, be kind! We all belong to just one race and that’s the Human Race! Let’s wholeheartedly accept this wonderful message coming from a person whose story is touching the strings of the heart.
Her insight in future
She sees herself doing exactly what she is doing right now but she doesn’t see herself alone in this journey. She sees many people like her lighting the candles of hope, courage, empathy and kindness around the world!
Hey! You, the survivor and inspirer, we wish all the good and every success.
