OUR LEADERSHIP

I joined the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine and later served as Director of Fahmi Health Education Clinic under Baqai Medical University. During this time, I conducted community healthcare programs and completed family data research on how lifestyle habits affect the future risk of diabetes.

From the beginning, I believed health awareness should extend beyond hospitals and clinics. Families, schools, teachers, children, and educational institutions all needed to be involved. For almost 18 years, I arranged seminars, workshops, awareness walks, speech competitions, debates, art competitions, blood donation drives, and vaccine camps across Karachi. I also remained involved in awareness programs related to World AIDS Day, No Tobacco Day, Thalassemia, Diabetes, Hypertension, Tuberculosis, Asthma, and Hepatitis B & C.

Losing my mother to renal failure made kidney health awareness deeply personal for me. I also studied the risk of chronic renal failure in diabetic patients through regular lab tests and ultrasound monitoring with intervals. I currently serve on the Board of Directors at SWWAB Trust, a free dialysis center supporting patients in need of long term renal care.

Alongside healthcare initiatives, I remained involved in community and cultural activities through Baqai Foundation. I organized mushaira programs, musical events, institutional celebrations, and gatherings related to art, culture, poetry, and music. I also contributed to the editorial work of the monthly magazine Baqa-e-Sehat.

Motherhood changed the direction of my life. While still in medical university, I became a mother of two children and later completed my house job as a working mother. That experience showed me how difficult it was for women to continue their careers without safe and dependable childcare support, especially during the early 1990s when childcare facilities were very limited in Karachi. This later became the reason behind starting Dr. Sofia's Daycare and Learning Center in 2007. I stepped away from medical practice because I wanted to create a safe place for children and dependable support for working mothers. At that time, private daycare systems were still uncommon in Karachi, making our organization one of the first of its kind in the city.

Child safety has always remained one of my biggest priorities. I strongly believe early learning should help children build confidence, discipline, and a strong academic foundation. One of my goals has always been helping children prepare for some of Karachi's leading schools including Mama Parsi Girls' Secondary School, BVS Parsi High School, St. Patrick's High School, Convent of Jesus and Mary, Habib Public School, and St. Joseph's Convent School regardless of economic background.

When I first started, I never imagined the daycare would grow into multiple branches. The goal was simply to create one safe and caring place for children. Today, I hope to see affordable and reliable childcare available in every local area of Karachi so more women can continue working and studying with peace of mind.

My professional journey allowed me to work across early learning systems in both Pakistan and Canada. In Ontario, I worked at Mighty Wonders, a Christian childcare program based within a church setting, which introduced me to community centered and relationship based learning environments. In Nova Scotia, I worked with Kids & Company, one of Canada's largest corporate sponsored childcare providers, where I experienced structured large scale childcare systems and organizational approaches to early learning.

Besides developing the program for our system, I conduct short trainings and full certification courses on Early Childhood Education for educators and parents. I also provide workshops around child development, emotional wellbeing, abuse prevention, healthy relationships, and raising children in the 21st century.

I run a book club called "Readers and Not Reeelers" to encourage adults and children to reconnect with books and healthier reading habits in a screen heavy world. I also curate interest based and age appropriate books and maintain a private library to make reading more accessible and engaging.

During my Women's Studies program, I contributed to the "Dictionary of Feminism (250 Words)" under the supervision of Dr. Nasreen Aslam Shah, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Karachi. In 2018, I was also honored for contributing views, comments, and suggestions regarding curriculum and syllabus formulation for special children under the chairmanship of Tipu Sultan, Deputy Secretary, Special Education Department, Government of Sindh.

One of the most meaningful moments in my journey was being recognized as one of the "Noteworthy Alumni" in the Centenary Book of Mama Parsi Girls' Secondary School (1918–2018), celebrating 100 years of legacy.

My work continues to focus on making quality childcare more accessible across Pakistan while creating supportive and inclusive early learning environments for children, educators, and families.

Experiencing both the Pakistani O Level system and the Canadian high school education system exposed me to different learning environments and educational approaches from an early age. That perspective later became valuable while working in the education and childcare sector.

After completing my engineering studies, I moved into entrepreneurship and business management. In Toronto, Canada, I worked on house construction projects, managed retail operations, and owned and operated my own restaurant. These experiences helped me build practical skills in customer service, team management, operations, and business development.

Later, I joined Royal Bank of Canada as a Banking Advisor, where I received several certifications and sales performance awards. After returning to Pakistan, I continued my banking career with Bank Alfalah as a Relationship Manager and was recognized for consistently achieving banking and sales targets.

Since 2016, I have been serving as CEO of Dr. Sofia's Daycare and Learning Center. What started as a single family founded center gradually expanded into multiple branches through steady planning and long term growth.

Becoming a father changed my perspective in a very personal way. It made me understand the trust parents place in childcare providers and the importance of children feeling safe, emotionally secure, and cared for during their early years.