Building Bridges. Opening Minds. Empowering Communities.
November 2019
News
APF Launches Thanksgiving Week of Service
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving over deep fried turkey, biryani, or tofurkey, one thing remains constant across all communities - and food preferences - that the holiday presents a chance for reflection and dialogue on what's important to us.

For APF, this means renewing our dedication to community service and empowerment. On November 29 in Washington, D.C., APF will prepare and serve meals at the Central Union Mission. To join us, please register here. Space is limited.

We invite you to join APF by participating in volunteer activities across the United States during our Thanksgiving Week of Service. Don't forget to take photographs of your service and share them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn with the hashtags #APFService and #APF.

Submit your photos of service here to be featured on our website and social media platforms.
Looking for a place to volunteer?
Giving Tuesday is December 3, 2019
Please support APF this Giving Tuesday. Your donation will expand APF’s reach, programming, and impact in the United States and in Pakistan.
APF Trailblazers
Each month, APF honors trailblazers whose accomplishments honor and exemplify the APF mission to empower the Pakistani American community and to build bridges between the United States and Pakistan.

To nominate an APF Trailblazer, fill out this form.
Faraz Alam is an L.A.-based filmmaker & actor who recently produced " Abu," an Urdu-language feature length film exploring the relationships between Alzheimer patients and their family caregivers.
Saadia Faruqi is an author of several children's books, including the " Meet Yasmin" series about a spirited second grader and her multi-generational Pakistani American family.
Join the APF Leadership Council
The APF Leadership Council is a network of leaders who enthusiastically and generously give their expertise, time, and energy to APF. Members attend private salon discussions, webinars, and networking events. APF provides a platform for members to convene and organize events, dialogue, and initiatives relates to the APF mission.

From the APF Blog
Active Voice: Reclaiming the Narrative
APF Fellow Aleeza Ali interviewed actor Shahida Kazmi on being a woman in Pakistan's media industry.
Artist Umair Najeeb Khan created a comic book about Pakistani superheroes that promotes cultural diversity.
APF Talks to Actor Kal Penn about immigrant stories and South Asian Americans in the entertainment industry
APF attended a screening and discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations of Actor Kal Penn's Sunnyside, a NBC sitcom about immigrant experiences in Queens.

APF Leadership Council member Fatima Salman and APF President Shamila N. Chaudhary talked to Penn about the emerging community of South Asian Americans in the U.S. entertainment industry.


Opening Minds
APF Roundtable on Education in Pakistan with the Atlantic Council and the Citizens Foundation
APF and The Atlantic Council hosted experts from the Citizens Foundation and Teach for Pakistan to discuss challenges and opportunities related to public education in Pakistan.
Karachi Kid Exhibit on Adoption in Pakistan
In partnership with Johns Hopkins SAIS, APF hosted photographer Kashif Javaid and Faiza Javaid who shared their story of adopting their son Haris from an orphanage in Karachi, Pakistan. They discussed how adoption is interconnected with gender inequality and socioeconomic challenges in the country.
APF displayed the Karachi Kid exhibit at the OPEN DC annual conference in McLean, Virginia, where APF team members joined discussions on entrepreneurship, professional development, and leadership.
We Are APF
Meet Shariq Faruqi
APF EngageDC Intern
"The APF EngageDC Internship allows me to work with an incredibly qualified team whose connections in foreign policy benefit my education in countless ways. Through direct mentorship and tangible work experience, I have received so much knowledge that would otherwise be inaccessible to me."

Shariq is a sophomore at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
Building Bridges
APF Delegation to the U.S. Department of State
APF met Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ervin Massinga to discuss building bridges between the United States and Pakistan.
Briefing with House Foreign Affairs Committee
An APF delegation discussed current events and U.S. policy in South Asia with staff members from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
APF Fellows Meet with DC Think Tank Community
APF Fellows Program alumni visited Washington, DC to share their experiences of working in rural development NGOs in Pakistan with experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace, CSIS, the Atlantic Council, The Middle East Institute, Johns Hopkins SAIS, Georgetown University, and the Albright Stonebridge Group.
Empowering Communities
APF Hosts Mentorship Panels at New York University and American University in D.C.
APF hosted a conversation on careers in policy and international affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. with Neha Ansari, The George Washington University; APF President Shamila N. Chaudhary; Myra Khan, The World Bank; Hijab Shah, CSIS; and Jumaina Siddiqui, U.S. Institute of Peace;
APF hosted a mentorship panel at New York University with Mayor Sadaf Jaffer from Somerset County, New Jersey; Filmmaker Faraz Alam; Oncologist and author of The First Cell , Dr. Azra Raza; BlackRock Managing Director Kashif Riaz; and APF President Shamila N. Chaudhary

APF Mentor Spotlight
Dr. Azra Raza Publishes The First Cell : And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last
An oncologist at Columbia University who trained at Dow Medical College in Pakistan, Dr. Azra Raza writes of the challenges of treating cancer patients and the relationship between medicine, compassion, and hope.

Dr. Raza is the Chan Soon-Shiong Professor of Medicine and Director of the MDS Center at Columbia University. Previously she was the Chief of Hematology-Oncology and the Gladys Smith Martin Professor of Oncology at the University of Massachusetts.

A dedicated reader of Urdu Literature, Dr. Raza believes the best way to "tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world" is to promote and publicize the achievements of humanity in science, art, and literature.