Meet the Women Building Pakistan’s Civic Future

Hi All!

This May, the KP Women Civic Digital Internship returned for its third powerful year, connecting women from underserved districts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the digital tools and training they need to lead change in public service. Powered by our partnership with KPITB, this fully remote program is creating pathways to leadership and financial independence.

Over six months, our interns gain hands-on experience building civic tech tools with government partners, while receiving mentorship, leadership training, and career coaching. For many, it’s their first professional opportunity, and their first time owning a phone, a bank account, or a space to lead.

Meet Our Interns

Through civic tech, our interns are leading by example — showing what’s possible and opening new doors for women in their own communities.

Featuring this month:

Farhana Bibi – From Dera Ismail Khan and now pursuing her MPhil, Farhana is passionate about building inclusive education systems that reach and uplift rural girls.
Isra Rafique – Hailing from Mansehra, Isra applies her data science skills to build tech for good — and hopes to inspire more women to do the same.
Marwa Jee – One of the few female software engineers from Swabi, Marwa envisions platforms that amplify women’s voices through greater visibility and access.
Maria Sial – Originally from Karak, Maria taught herself Flutter and is determined to make tech education reachable for girls everywhere.

Each of them brings their own vision and energy — a different way of asking the same big question: What could digital access make possible?

A Paycheck of One’s Own: Financial Inclusion through Civic Tech

How a remote civic internship helps women register mobile SIMs, open bank accounts, and receive income in their own name — often for the very first time.

🔗 See how access begins

Women Who Inspired Our Interns

When asked who inspired their journey, our interns shared these remarkable women, each a symbol of possibility and courage:

Fatima Jinnah – Pioneer of women’s rights in Pakistan.
Arfa Karim – Tech prodigy and the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional.
Muniba Mazari – UN Women Ambassador and advocate for resilience and representation.

Civic Innovation in Action: E-Abiyana System Expands

While our interns are reimagining civic life from their homes, our Fellows are doing the same from within government departments.

This month, our team marked a major milestone in the E-Abiyana system — a digital platform for streamlining agricultural water billing with the KP Irrigation Department.

In District Mardan, over 30 village accountants and officers were trained in digital billing workflows.
The system is now in live testing, with Fellows providing on-site support.
A pilot launch is planned for mid-June, backed by a dedicated WhatsApp support group for users.

Watch this space for updates on our Government Innovation Fellowship Projects.

Citizen Change-maker Corner

After co-creating Koh-e-Atlas Karachi, a landmark mapping project of the city, Zaineb is now leading Routes to Access , a citizen-driven effort to map every active bus route. She’s inviting young mappers to explore Karachi through data, transit, and lived experience.

👉 Get involved here

From Our Team to Yours

This month, we’ve celebrated trailblazers: women building civic futures, researchers mapping justice into cities, and public teams modernizing systems from the ground up.

At Code for Pakistan, we believe civic innovation starts with empathy and equity — and with all of us. Thank you for being part of this journey.

Let’s keep building — together.