Two Pakistani Girls on a journey to reduce inequalities

Young people around the world are engaging in initiatives aimed at bringing about positive change in society. It is evident that the youth of today possesses a deep drive and passion to change the status quo and put an end to social inequalities by proactively looking for solutions using the latest technologies.

Fortunately for many of these ambitious young people, there has been a rise in the number of programs and initiatives designed to provide a platform and allow them to tackle society’s challenges head-on. One of the biggest programs geared towards leading young minds for the greater good is Telenor Youth Forum.

A global platform that is built upon the idea of engaging young people to help reduce inequalities, the Telenor Youth Forum attracts young leaders from Telenor Group’s eight markets in Scandinavia and Asia to tackle global and social challenges connected to United Nations’ SDGs. The forum is the result of a partnership between the Telenor Group and the Nobel Peace Center (NPC).

For its sixth cohort, Telenor Youth Forum 2018-19 is focusing on reducing inequalities and solving issues related to health, specifically a lack of access to quality health care/medical facilities and malnutrition, which are just a handful of the issues faced by people across the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least half of the world’s population still does not have full coverage of essential health services.

In 2010, it is estimated that nearly 97 million people were impoverished by out-of-pocket health care spending. Since the provision of proper health care facilities plays a vital role in human development, empowerment and equality, it has been selected as this year’s theme for all participants.



A country that currently has the largest youth population in its history, according to a report developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Telenor Pakistan has, for the second year in a row, selected two extremely talented girls to represent the nation. Asma Ladak, aged 20 and a medical student from the Aga Khan University, has for many years enjoyed serving the community as a Girl Guide and educator and is currently working in a national institution where she is responsible for managing issues pertaining to substance abuse and mental health.


Maieda Janjua, aged 22 and a recent graduate from Dartmouth College with a degree in Computer Science, has dabbled in digital marketing for travel tech startup in Latin America, managed business projects for a global education and travel company, worked in product development at an international Telco and has most recently been recruited to work for a fin-tech startup in Boston. Both individuals hold a strong belief in the use of technology and innovation for the purpose of reducing inequalities and transforming people’s lives and hence, are the perfect candidates for this year’s Telenor Youth Forum.



As part of this year’s challenge, the youth delegation will be divided into four teams, each given a unique health issue to work on. The projects for each team will be announced as part of the forum’s kick-off session in the second week of December. In addition, a team of experts at Telenor Group will be made available to provide guidance and mentorship for the entirety of the six-month programme in order to help them move from challenge assignment to solution proposal. These include:

• Ieva Martinkenaite, VP of Telenor Research, Member of AI High Level Expert Group of EU


• Alanna Solberg, Head of Marketing for e-Health, Telenor Norway


• Austin Menyasz, Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs, Telenor Group, Region Asia


• Bjørn Taale Sandberg, SVP and Head of Telenor Research.


 

The team that is able to develop the best solution for the challenge assigned to them over the course of the programme will emerge as the winner and will receive NOK 100,000 in funds to help them further build on their idea.

The Telenor Youth Forum is one of the few initiatives out there that aims to provide talented youth with the opportunity to empower people as well as solve real world problems related to inequality through the use of digital technology. Through such programs, many young people around the world are able to connect with the resources and expertise needed to bring about a positive change.