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Making a Difference ...

We’d like to introduce you to a Christian Pakistani woman who is doing just that, making a difference...

Josna Azim

Josna Azim was born into a very poor family, in a small village about 30 miles from Lahore Pakistan. Josna was adopted out to her unmarried Aunt, a custom common among poor families. Her Aunt took her to a city north of Islamabad, which gave her a chance for a better life. She was sent to a convent school, where she received an excellent education, thereby changing the course of her life. The very same school attended by Benazir Bhutto. She went on to receive her B.S. degree at FC College in Lahore. She became a social worker, and has dedicated herself to that field for the past 33 years.

Although raised in and educated in a Christian environment, Josna was still embarrassed about her faith, in Pakistan’s overwhelmingly Muslim and intolerant culture. In 1974 God placed a desire on her heart to know Him better, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior. Faithfully following Him ever since, in her business and in her home, Josna continues to rejoice: “My Lord lives in me!”

Josna Azim is the mother of five adult children, three son and two daughters. (Due to job discrimination, her husband worked n Saudi Arabia for 14 years in order to educate all of their children equally.) With many responsibilities to her family and friends, the greatest of these is her commitment to educate women and children in Pakistan. The general literacy rate for women in Pakistan is under 25% and, for Christian women, it is only between 10-15%. These lower literacy rates and the poor health conditions are among the worst in the world. In order to achieve her goals, Josna has made contacts all over the world with different donor agencies, pastors, other NGO’s and government officials.

In 1996, she read about a female domestic worker who had been brutalized by her “employer”. This article provided gruesome details that changed her life and prompted her to take immediate action. In conjunction with her church, she began working on behalf of Christian domestic workers in Pakistan, by setting up literacy and empowerment classes. She joined A.M.E.N. (All Mothers Educated Now) and began to train teachers. Attending the Middle East Prayer Seminar in 1996, she was introduced to several like-minded American women, who shared her burden for the oppressed women of Pakistan. An overseas bond was formed which eventually resulted in the establishment of the non-profit organization Women’s Development Association (WDA). Josna formed its counterpart, Christian Women’s Development Association. (CWDA), and serves as the Director of the Life Impact and children’s classes in Lahore, Pakistan.

Josna believes that, “To educate a man is to educate a person, but to educate a woman is to educate a family thus educating and changing an entire nation.”