Aware Girls was formed in Peshawar in 2002 by sisters Gulalai Ismail and Saba Ismail, at the time aged 17 and 15 respectively. They began by campaigning in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area against gender based violence such as honour killings and acid attacks and then by educating girls and women about their human rights, giving them negotiating skills to use within their families and empowering them to become leaders and educate others in their own local communities. Saba Ismail explained the catalyst for the organisation's formation was experiencing gender inequality while growing up in Swabi and an incident when a girl cousin who had wanted to study and become a pilot was, age 12, made to marry a man 15 years her senior and discontinue her education. Sana was already active in promoting women's right to education and healthcare while in college and Jahangir met the others at a seminar about violence against women and was a co-founder of an organisation called the Child Rights Advocates Forum.
Campaigns
In addition to empowering young women at home and in their communities, Aware Girls also aims to educate young people against extremism with peaceful resistance to the Taliban by educating peers against radicalisation and to encourage more women into positions of political influence. This is done through their Youth Peace Network outreach work including workshops and seminars, creating local youth groups and using peer to peer education and support to reach at-risk young people in rural areas. Malala Yousafzai was an attendee of Aware Girls training in 2011 and in 2016 the Malala Fund, with financial sponsorship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation set up the Gulmakai Network to support local organisations such as Aware Girls who campaign and work on the front line of education for girls and who aim to influence policy change, making Gulalai Ismail one of the Gulmakai Champions. Aware Girls also runs a programme of HIV prevention amongst women in Pakistan which aims to educate women about sexual health, the transmission and treatment of HIV as well as reducing the stigma of living with a diagnosis. This programme is sponsored by the MTV Staying Alive initiative. Aware Girls also conducts research, provides support and counselling and advocates for policy change for women in Pakistan affected by trauma as a result of terrorism and violence. Saba Ismail's research has revealed that women are disproportionately affected by the economic problems associated with terrorism and by the increase in domestic violence associated with family psychological problems. She said in 2015, "Terrorism has destroyed houses, properties, businesses and livelihoods. Children are frightened and weep. Women have lost hope." Aware Girls also runs a referral helpline for victims of domestic gender based violence. The Marastyal helpline connects women with providers of emotional support, legal advice and emergency medical treatment.
