Pakistani shepherdess, midwife make it on BBC 100 Women 2023 list

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani shepherdess from the remote mountainous Shimshal valley and a midwife who provided life-saving care during record breaking floods last year have been featured on the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2023.
Among the 100 women on the list are attorney and former US First Lady Michelle Obama, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, Ballon d’Or-winning footballer Aitana Bonmatí, AI expert Timnit Gebru, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, Hollywood star America Ferrera and beauty mogul Huda Kattan.
In a year where extreme heat, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters have been dominating headlines, the list also highlights women who have been working to help their communities tackle climate change and take action to adjust to its impacts.
“One of the last Wakhi shepherdesses, Afroze-Numa has taken care of goats, yaks and sheep for almost three decades,” the BBC said, introducing the Pakistani shepherdess on its list, who was the first woman in Shimshal Valley to own a pair of shoes.
“Having learnt the trade from her mother and grandmothers, she is part of a centuries-old tradition that is now dying out in Pakistan’s Shimshal valley.”
Every year, shepherdesses like Afroze-Numa take their flocks to pastures 4,800m (16,000ft) above sea level, where they prepare dairy products to barter, while their animals feed.
The second Pakistani woman featured on the BBC list is Neha Mankani who through her charity, Mama Baby Fund, provided life-saving birthing kits and midwifery care to more than 15,000 flood-affected families.
“Her typical practice focuses on low-resourced settings, emergency response and climate-affected communities,” the BBC said. “Mama Baby Fund has now raised enough money to launch a boat ambulance that will transport pregnant women living in coastal communities to nearby hospitals and clinics for urgent treatment.”
“The work of midwives in communities facing climate-related disasters is vital,” Mankani was quoted by the BBC as saying.
“We are both first responders and climate activists, who make sure women can continue to receive the reproductive, pregnancy, and postpartum care they need, even when the situation around them is deteriorating.”