Distinguished US magazine Forbes has included 28-year-old Fiza Farhan, co-founder of the Buksh Foundation, in its list of 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs for 2015.

Buksh Foundation, operating in Pakistan since 2009, is a microfinance institution that brings clean energy projects to poor and rural areas of the country.

The foundation has trained 135 women as energy entrepreneurs and brought solar-powered lights to 6,750 households across the country.

Read: A bright future?

The foundation's business and clean energy loans have been extended to some 12,000 entrepreneurs.

Buksh Foundation CEO and Director of Buksh Energy Fiza Farhan was also nominated as the “Future Energy Leader” at the World Energy Council in September last year.

Bukh Foundation and Buksh Energy are part of the Buksh group which was established in 1950’s with a departmental store chain and has now reached the third generation and branched out into lifestyle brands.

Fiza is the 4th woman from Pakistan who has been included in the Forbes list of young game changers, movers and makers.

Last year, Forbes had named another Pakistani, the 24-year-old Shiza Shahid in its list of 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs.

Shiza Shahid is the co-founder of the Malala Fund. She helped oversee Malala Yousufzai's medical care in London after she was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen.

Follow Dawn Business on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Energy shock
Updated 05 May, 2026

Energy shock

The longer the crisis persists, the more profound its consequences will be.
Unchecked HIV
05 May, 2026

Unchecked HIV

PAKISTAN’S HIV surge is no longer a slow-burning public health concern. It is now a system failure unfolding in...
PSL thrills
05 May, 2026

PSL thrills

BY the end of it all, in front of fans who had been absent for almost the entire 11th season of the Pakistan Super...
Interlinked crises
Updated 04 May, 2026

Interlinked crises

The situation vis-à-vis the US-Israeli war on Iran remains tense, with hostilities likely to resume if the diplomatic process fails.
Climate readiness
04 May, 2026

Climate readiness

AS policymakers gather for the Breathe Pakistan conference this week, the urgency is hard to miss. Each year, such...
Kalash preservation
04 May, 2026

Kalash preservation

FOR centuries, the Kalash people have maintained a culture, way of life, language and belief system that is uniquely...