BIO
Sharifah Shakirah was born in Buthidaung Township, Burma, in 1993, as the eldest of six siblings. At age five, she fled the genocide of the Rohingya people and spent the next two decades of her life in Malaysia. She became involved in community work, translating and volunteering for a number of NGOs and international aid organizations. Through her work, she recognized the need for a leader within the Rohingya community, especially to represent and address the needs of refugee women. Miss Shakirah began laying the groundwork for the Rohingya Women’s Development Network, building a community center, performing outreach, and connecting local women to counseling and language and job training to empower them to reach independent futures. For her vital contributions through the RWDN, she has been nominated for the US State Department’s International Women of Courage Award and has advocated for the Rohingya people through global platforms such as Our Better World, the IRF Summit, and the UNHCR. After resettling in Houston with her family in 2019, Miss Shakirah continues her community work and activism there and across the United States. In this interview, Miss Shakirah discusses her family life and childhood in Burma and Malaysia, her sustainable, community-based model for safe spaces and concrete financial and social resources for Rohingya women, her efforts to expand the Rohingya Women Development Network, and her current life with her family in Houston. She also shares her hopes for an end to the Rohingya genocide and freedom for the Rohingya people and proudly reflects on her Rohingya identity.