Sophia Hussain
Sophia Jaffery (born February 19, 1995) is a Pakistani-American mental health advocate, philanthropist and entrepreuneur most notable for founding Pakistan's first self-publishing mental health initiative, Mujhe Suno.[1]
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Early Life and Background
Sophia Jaffery was born in New York City, New York on 19 February 1995. Jaffery was raised between New York and Los Angeles, California[2]. Her maternal side is the Fakir family, who own the Fakir Khana Museum – the largest privately owned museum in South Asia.
The Fakir family settled in Lahore around 1730, and established a publishing house. Their status in Lahore society derived from its connections to the Sikh Empire and three of the family's ancestors, Fakir Nooruddin, Fakir Azizuddin, and Fakir Imamuddin[3].
In 2006, her father passed away from medical negligence in what would have been New York States biggest medical malpractice lawsuit[4]. Her family is well settled in America with businesses in real estate, pharmaceuticals, technology, and various franchises.
It is believed she is related to Pakistan’s ambassador to Tajikistan, Imran Haider, and longtime veteran actor and model Azfer Rehman and several high profile personalities. Her paternal side is from Sindh and her maternal side is from Punjab.
Education & Career
Sophia Jaffery is a psychology major, she studied at private institutions in America. Her education in psychology served as her motivation to help change the mental health stigma in Pakistan.
Jaffery has claimed to have an explicit interest in politics and government. For leisure, she revealed she has taken numerous individual courses in various topics like politics, government, population, corruption, and negotiation at world renowned universities such as: Stanford University, Duke University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Edinburgh, John Hopkins, Higher School of Economics, and Emory University[5].
Activism
Mental Health
Jaffery is a well known mental health activist in Pakistan [6]. She is committed to removing the stigma and taboo of mental health in Pakistan. According to Jaffery, "the silence regarding mental health in Pakistan is not only deafening but frankly, dangerous.[7]"
Women's rights
Jaffery is a strong advocate of women’s rights in Pakistan. She is a strong supporter of Pakistani women's empowerment and believes that “empowered women, empower women” – and taking them on board in all matters is the sole guarantee of the country's progress.
In an interview with Independent, Jaffery said that her organization has rescued numerous domestic violence victims from abusive marriages and provided them with shelter and resources for rebuilding their lives[8].
Freedom of expression
Jaffery is committed towards using Mujhe Suno to advocate for democracy in Pakistan alongside mental health. She claimed, Mujhe Suno shares stories of Pakistan’s most vulnerable people and to stifle their voices would be against democracy[9]. Jaffery has spoken against misuse of censorship in Pakistan to stifle the populations' freedom of expression.
References
"مفت آن لائن علاج کرنے والی ماہر نفسیات سے ملیے". Independent Urdu (in Urdu). 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-12-12. " امریکہ میں مقیم پاکستانی ڈاکٹر کا احسن قدم," retrieved 2021-12-20 "ذہنی صحت ایک ایسا مسئلہ ہے ۔جس کے بارے میں لوگ کھل کر بات نہیں کرتے۔پاکستانی امریکی صوفیہ جعفری "مجھے سنو" کے انسٹاگرام پیج سے ذہنی پریشانیوں کا شکار افراد کی مدد کرنے کی کوشش کر رہی ہیں۔ ویڈیو دیکھئے". Voice of America. Retrieved 12-27-2021. https://fb.watch/agaDteDuwk/ https://fb.watch/9SMpLMnz1j/ https://www.independenturdu.com/node/86321 https://www.instagram.com/p/CX-8MZ7rsg-/ https://www.instagram.com/sophiajaffery
