Almost 60% of Pakistan's population is under 30. Yet, too often young people from religious and ethnic minorities face social exclusion and a lack of opportunity leaving them isolated, overlooked and vulnerable to violence.

HIVE, a youth-led social impact organisation working to address issues of extremism and marginalisation, built an alternative option for Pakistan’s young people. NextQadam is a peer-to-peer mentorship platform connecting young people with experienced professionals who can open doors and share knowledge. The platform is built around access for youth from underserved communities. Making it easy for young people who would never otherwise encounter these networks to find mentors, build skills and start imagining what their futures could look like. 

Across the country, HIVE is also working on a different kind of issue faced by people in Pakistan. In upper Swat, Khyberpakhtunkhwa, water shortages have dried out pastures and left little for livestock, bringing landowners and nomadic groups into repeated, sometimes violent, conflict. A local teacher and founder of a climate-resilience group saw a practical solution - restore the water irrigation channels. After bringing this idea to HIVE, they supported community leaders to make it happen.

The results reached further than anyone had planned. With water flowing again, the long-running dispute between landowners and nomads settled. Biodiversity began to recover. Most impressively, other communities started reaching out, asking for similar help, with local residents stepping up to offer advice from their experience.

In Pakistan, conflict rarely has a single cause. HIVE understands this and meets it with the same scope, working wherever the need is, alongside the people who know it best.

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