© Nutrition International

The air in Skardu is thin, crisp, and cold enough to sting, but the welcome is warm. As Johanna Knoess, the project head of Social Protection – Social Health Protection at GIZ Pakistan, stepped off the plane at the small mountain-ringed airport, her excitement was written all over her face.

For her, this wasn’t just a routine field visit. It was a chance to meet the young “change agents” driving the SOPRAN initiative, a school-based programme that provides nutrition education iron supplementation and access to fortified wheat flour for their families to help adolescent girls grow healthier and stronger. These girls are trained to champion better nutrition and healthier habits within their communities.

A Warm Welcome in the School Courtyard

The next morning, the delegation visited a middle school where the students had prepared dances, speeches, and displays about healthy and unhealthy foods. Their message was simple but powerful: nutrition matters, and it begins with awareness.

“Thank you very much for welcoming us here,” Johanna told the students after the warm welcome “The topic of junk food versus healthy food is something that we battle with ourselves at home. I know how hard it is to teach children  especially adolescent girls to eat a balanced diet.”

She took a moment to thank everyone working behind the scenes, Benazir Income Support Programme, food authorities, teachers, health officers, the SOPRAN team and the district  administration for turning an ambitious programme into real behaviour change.

Meeting Adila: A Ninth-Grader With Big Dreams

Among the many bright faces in the schoolyard, one girl stood out: Adila Bano, a ninth-grade student with a shy smile, sharp curiosity, and an unexpected dream.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Johanna asked.

Without hesitation, Adila replied, “Prime Minister of Pakistan.”

Her confidence surprised and delighted everyone. But as the conversation unfolded, it became clear that Adila already exercises a kind of leadership, one rooted in knowledge and quiet persuasion.

A Home Where Junk Food Once Ruled

Just months earlier, Adila admitted, her meals were guided by cravings rather than nutrition.

“Before these sessions,” she said, “I used to tell my family I wanted burgers, biryani   etc. I used to bring junk food to school. I even brought money to buy snacks every day.”

But after attending SOPRAN’s awareness sessions and receiving iron supplements, her habits changed dramatically.

“Now I prefer protein, vitamins, vegetables, carbohydrates and minerals (fruits),” she said proudly.

“Health isn’t something you get from the market. I realized I have to take care of my own health, no one else will.”

Waking up earlier, she now prepares hot home-made snacks for school. If she has no time, she simply packs leftovers from the night before.

Changing Minds at Home

Changing her own habits was one task—but convincing her family was another.

Her father, like many parents, was skeptical about supplements.

“Her father came to me,” a teacher explained, “and said he wouldn’t allow his daughter to take the tablets.”

But after multiple sessions, he began to understand their importance. Yet it was Adila’s quiet determination and her conversations with her elder sister that sealed the shift.

“I didn’t tell my father,” she said, “but I told my sister  that the supplements are good for me.”

At home, it is Adila who now guides her mother and sister on what to cook and why certain foods matter. Her awareness sessions in school have turned into daily reminders at the dinner table.

Leading Friends

Adila doesn’t stop at home. She has turned her new lifestyle into a message for her classmates.

“I motivate my friends,” she said. “A lot of them now avoid junk food.”

Her shift is changing the culture in her school, one lunchbox at a time.

Understanding the Barriers

When Johanna and her colleague Franziska (Advisor at GIZ Pakistan)  asked  about why some girls refuse supplements, Adila responded with maturity and honesty:

“Some parents refuse. Some girls felt dizzy after the first dose. Some are busy with household work. Some just don’t understand.”

Her explanation showed not only awareness of the challenges but empathy for her peers’ circumstances.

A Future Leader in the Making

By the end of the conversation, Johanna and Franziska were struck by her clarity, confidence, and storytelling.

“You speak perfectly English,” Johanna told her.

Adila shook her head shyly, insisting she couldn’t. But the evidence was right in front of them, a young girl navigating languages, nutritional science, peer pressure, and cultural resistance.

In a remote valley of Skardu (Gilgit-Baltistan), where mountains stand like stone guardians, a ninth-grade girl is learning not just how to eat better but how to lead.

One day she might stand at a podium in Islamabad . For now, she is already a prime minister in the making, in her classroom, her home, and her community.

Farman Nawaz and Faiza Wahab
December 2025