Hi, my name is Sidra Zahid and I’m raising funds to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Neurodevelopmental Science. I am the first female in my family to attend a postgraduate degree, and due to the scarcity of opportunities for education in STEM fields in my country and scarcely any women studying them, I have secured a chance to study at Kings College London. With this degree I hope to be able to provide necessary support to a highly vulnerable community in Pakistan and devise sustainable systems for the advocacy and empowerment of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions.

People with neurodevelopmental conditions have been a source of stigma in Pakistani society and despite the prevalence of neurodivergence in an estimated 8% of the Pakistani population, little work is being done to cater to their needs or to understand their brain functioning. I was first inspired to pursue this field based on my experiences as a 12 year old. While standing at the local store, a young man approached me and started tapping my shoulder wordlessly, until the shopkeeper shooed him away. It wasn’t until later that I learnt that the man had been born with a neurological condition. He was labelled ‘pagal’ (mad) and left to roam the streets, with no one for help. That episode stayed with me as I felt quite distressed for his wellbeing. As I grew older, I came across similar people: some denied entry in public places, some hidden away in houses and some left to their own devices, wandering the streets with no diagnosis other than ’mad.’

Determined to build a future for myself in this field, serving a thus far neglected community, since the last 5 years I have worked in the development sector in Pakistan, with numerous organisations focusing on the social advancement of neurodivergent individuals. The projects I have developed and implemented have ranged from providing training opportunities and raising awareness to creating curriculum for the academic advancement of individuals with intellectual disabilities in inclusive schools and my latest work at the Karachi Down Syndrome Program in the Early Childhood Intervention and Healthcare departments, working to provide high quality services to individuals with Down syndrome in the Global South for their health, early development and wellbeing.

Through obtaining this degree, I hope to be able to do more and establish a platform for others, not only to cater to the vast community born as neurodivergent but also to inspire others to pursue STEM fields. Recently Pakistan was reported as the second worst nation in terms of gender parity, in fact at university level gender parity places less than 23% of women pursuing STEM subjects. In the last year I joined as a Science Communicator with a local organisation to make interactive science based curriculum accessible to youth across Pakistan in order to increase science capital and literacy rates in STEM fields across the genders.

Any support you offer will help me achieve my dream, in turn benefit others and contribute to my career. I have already secured 65% of the tuition fee, through the support of my family, and I need a little more to help bridge the remaining gap.

Thank you,

Sidra Zahid