From vaccination campaigns to disease surveillance, women are at the forefront of the fight against polio across Pakistan, defying challenges, overcoming social norms, building trust and protecting the most vulnerable children from this lifelong paralytic disease. They are leading the way to run the last mile and end the global threat of polio.

They are people like Ayesha Raza, a polio survivor who earned global recognition in 2024 for her dedication to fight this deadly disease, Bakht Roza and Basmina – who reach nomadic children in the harsh terrain of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa­ – and Dr Sarwat Wajahat Sheikh, whose efforts were recently recognized by the Government of Sindh.

Ayesha, the polio survivor protecting Pakistani children from disability

“It’s not easy for me to walk during polio campaigns due to my limited mobility, but I cannot miss the chance to bring hope and resilience to the children of Pakistan.”

Polio eradication is a personal mission for Ayesha Raza, a Pakistani polio survivor and health worker whose remarkable commitment earned her global recognition at the Golden Jubilee Ceremony of the Islamic Development Bank – a polio eradication donor – which took place in Saudi Arabia in 2024.

Every year, Ayesha is one of 400 000 vaccinators who go door-to-door to implement massive Government-led vaccination campaigns, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, to protect over 45 million children against paralytic polio in Pakistan.