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Global Encounters was so captivating that when another opportunity presented itself in the summer of 2018, Insha felt it was a calling that needed to be realized. Along with her cousin, Arysha Madhani, Insha returned to Hunza to extend the service ethics of the Global Encounters Camp for a second time.
Insha and her cousin had submitted a proposal to the Aga Khan Education Board (AKEB), Pakistan to teach conversational English. The idea stemmed from the fact that although students in Hunza were surrounded by ample academic opportunities, conversing in English remained a challenging obstacle. Hence, the girls had developed a curriculum to help build confidence and fluency in English.
Upon approval from AKEB, they embarked on their journey to teach high school students in Hunza. Insha says, “It was a dream come true!" After 5 plane flights, followed by a long and treacherous drive on the Karakorum Highway, and a lot of support from their family, the pair finally arrived in Hunza.
“My cousin Arysha, and I had prepared lessons for a group of 12-15 students,” says Insha, adding that when they arrived at class on the first day, they realized that there were about 60 students who were ready to learn. “This was our first experience leading a class and we were not prepared for so many students. We tried to stay calm and quickly made changes to our lesson plan and activities to accommodate this large group.”
They had anticipated the worst, as they did not expect these students to know much English. However, says Insha, the students exceeded their expectations. The girls modified their lessons to include advanced grammar and vocabulary and focused their efforts on encouraging students to converse in English.
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The students said that through the classes, they found a sense of confidence in their English speaking abilities, and in themselves. They realized that they were able to communicate with anyone in English. ”They have big dreams for the future,” commented Insha, and that, “most of the girls want to go abroad to further their education and then return to their hometown. With this newfound confidence in their English abilities, these students can go to any country because English opens up the world for you."
The endeavor was not without challenges. Staying with a local family, Insha truly experienced daily life first-hand—and life’s daily difficulties. Electricity was only available every other day, and that too, for only for four hours, and water had to be heated on a stove before it could be used to bathe. Despite the discomforts, Insha says that the hospitality in Hunza is incomparable, and she would “return in a heartbeat.”
Without the foundation that Global Encounters helped build, which encompassed the ethics of service and global citizenry, this endeavor—in its ambitious scope—would have remained an unmet need. The bonds of friendship that are fostered at Global Encounters become lasting relationships, and for Insha it was no different. Soon after her return from Hunza, she went to Lisbon for the Diamond Jubilee festivities. Here, she reconnected with many of her friends and faculty at the Global Encounters Reunion that brought together about 250 participants from all of the previous camps.
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Insha has volunteered in many other capacities. She and her sister Sheza are founders of an organization called Supplying Hope Around the Globe. Over the last five years, they have collected over 2,500 pounds of unutilized school supplies and children’s books from fellow students at their school, Pace Academy, and have supplied these items to needy students locally, as well as globally, in South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Insha’s most memorable experience with ‘Supplying Hope Around the Globe’ was in the Sacred Valley of Peru. She says, “We were driving through a village and it was noon, about the time when kids get out of school. Our tour guide told us that we can identify the kids who are most in need by looking at their shoes. The ones wearing torn homemade sandals are the poorest. As we approached a group of school children, we stopped our car and they ran towards us. We handed out pencils, markers, and crayons, and could not believe the smiles on their faces from these simple things that we take for granted."
Over the past few years, Insha has received the President's Volunteer Service Award at the gold level. She was also recognized at her school where she received the Cara Isdell Service Award. This award provided a monetary fund, which Insha used to equip computer labs for students in Karachi and Northern Pakistan.
"Through my service, I have realized that I can impact people's life even though I am just a teenager. Also, I now know that people around the world are extremely motivated to learn and change their future. They just need encouragement and opportunities."
