Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cara Yar Khan
Born
Hyderabad, India
EducationUniversity of Guelph (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MPP)
Websitewww.carayarkhan.com

Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan is a

Disability advocate, public speaker and United Nations humanitarian [1][2]

Yar Khan was born in Hyderabad, India to an Indian father and English mother, and was raised in Canada.[3]

Her interest in humanitarianism began while watching a telethon to raise money for children in Africa, when she was six years old.[4]

Education and career

Yar Khan studied at the University of Guelph, earning a B.A. in international development, before attending Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Italy.[5] After graduating college, earning her Master's in public policy, she travelled in 2001 with the United Nations World Food Programme to Ecuador to begin her career as a humanitarian.[1][4][6] For 15 years she worked in different humanitarian roles in 10 different countries, including work as a fundraising officer and child protection specialist for UNICEF.[4]

In 2007, at age 30, Yar Khan was diagnosed with the rare muscle-wasting disease hereditary inclusion body myopathy. While at first she hid her diagnosis, fearing people would begin to doubt her capabilities, she began to open up as the disease progressed.[1] She was advised to quit her career to go home and move in with her parents upon her diagnosis, but instead continued working, travelling to Angola with UNICEF.[4] The next year, when Yar Khan travelled to China as member of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake emergency response, she needed the use of a leg brace. Two years later, in 2010, she used two canes and two leg braces on a humanitarian trip to Haiti in response to the earthquake.[4]

Currently, Yar Khan works at the International Human Trafficking Institute, part of the

Ted Talk discussing the importance of courage and fear coexisting together.[7]

Achievements and awards

Yar Khan began horseback riding in 2014, and was recognized as the

In 2015, she was given the Driving Force Award from Porsche North America and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, for her activism and community engagement.[5]

Atlanta magazine named Yar Khan as one of their Women Making A Mark, in 2018.[1] That same year, she was honored with an Outstanding Voice Award from Atlanta Business Chronicle for advancing equality in the business community in Atlanta.[10] As of July 2022, a documentary about Yar Khan, called Her Inescapable Brave Mission, created with filmmaker Sam Pollard and executive producer Brenda Robinson is in the works.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hunt, Emma (2018-05-30). "Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  2. ^ "'The balance between courage and fear is where the magic lies'". The Indian Express. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  3. ^ "Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan". Purpose Possible. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  4. ^ a b c d e Monsy, Karen Ann. "'I've found purpose because of my disability'". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  5. ^ a b "Creating champions for disability inclusion tonight at Berry College". Northwest Georgia News. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  6. ^ a b c Khan, Cara E. Yar. "Cara E. Yar Khan | Speaker | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  7. ^ a b "The beautiful balance between courage and fear". TED. 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  8. ^ "Path Intl. Keynote And Awards Luncheon". www.omagdigital.com. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  9. ^ "Wayfinders: Notes from Session 6 of TEDWomen 2019 | TED Blog". Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  10. ^ Chastain, Bill (November 20, 2018). "Three advocates in metro Atlanta speak out for diverse groups". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved June 29, 2022.