Perween Rahman, a Pakistani social activist, architect, and urban planner, was honored with a Google Doodle on her 65th birthday on Saturday.
Rahman committed her life to strengthen marginalized areas, according to a Google statement.
Perween Rahman was born in Dhaka, Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on January 22, 1957, and moved to Karachi with her family in 1971. She studied architecture then moved on to the Institute of Housing Studies in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to receive her master’s degree in housing, building, and urban planning.
This group focused on sanitation, housing, and healthcare in Orangi Town, one of the world’s largest informal settlements, on the outskirts of Karachi. Many inhabitants in this area were unable to rely on legal protection to keep their homes and were repeatedly evicted for construction projects.
Rahman’s work eventually became crucial in maintaining the region’s precarious community, from scrupulously documenting property boundaries and ownership information to championing education and community involvement activities.
Rahman was named head of the OPP’s housing and sanitation programs because of her commitment to helping Orangi Town’s 1.5 million citizens safeguard their land rights. The OPP cooperated with the government to establish 650 private schools, 700 medical clinics, and 40,000 small companies under Rahman’s leadership.
She has been given numerous accolades for her achievements, notably the Sitara-e-Shujaat (Order of Bravery award), and her efforts have played an important role in defining how Pakistani settlements are developed today.
Parween Rahman was murdered near her office in Orangi Town on March 13, 2013, and joint interrogation teams that probed her murder found the roles of militant and political groups behind her murder.
