Australia Awards alumna leads Pakistan’s AI-powered prosthetics project for rural women

In the field of prosthetics and orthotics, we tend to measure success in small, hard-won gains: a grip strong enough to hold a cup, a socket comfortable enough to wear through a working day, a patient who walks back into a life they thought was over. So a story like Zarqa Khan’s deserves attention not because of the technology alone, but because of who it is reaching, and how.

Zarqa Khan grew up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in an environment marked by cultural conservatism, gender inequality and limited educational opportunities for women and girls. Despite those obstacles, she completed a bachelor’s degree from a public university in Peshawar and went on to enter the workforce.

She was working with the non-government organisation Sarhad Rural Support Programme in her province’s tribal region when she first learnt about Australia Awards Scholarships through her professional circle. For her, the opportunity was more than a scholarship. It was a chance to work toward a more inclusive society, one where people are treated fairly regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or disability, and to make life easier for young girls and women by helping build a society without systemic inequality, economic exclusion or gender-based discrimination.

With the support of an Australia Awards Scholarship, Zarqa completed a Master of Development Studies specialising in Gender and Development at the University of Melbourne in 2021. She describes the two years as transformative, saying the academic environment strengthened her critical thinking, research skills and understanding of global development frameworks. It was not only the study that shaped her, but also Australia’s multicultural and inclusive society, which she credits with helping her build lifelong friendships across the globe and value diversity and inclusion.

On returning to Pakistan, she joined a programme directly linked to women’s economic empowerment at UN Women. Her passion, she says, was reinforced by the realisation that empowering women has a multiplier effect on families, communities and national development. Through that work she has had the opportunity to help provide rural women amputees with prosthetic limbs powered by artificial intelligence, described as a first in Pakistan. Most of these women lost their limbs in accidents while working as agricultural labourers in rural Pakistan, after which society considered them worthless.

The programme began in May 2025 and is currently being piloted in interior Sindh. It provides sensor-based, 3D-printed prosthetic arms designed for agricultural and home-based work, and pairs the devices with a holistic pre- and post-support model that includes rehabilitation, psychological counselling, and vocational and digital skills training. So far, five women with disability have received and benefited from the AI-powered prosthetics under the project, which Zarqa describes as only the beginning.

The work has brought international recognition. She was nominated for the United Nations Secretary-General Awards 2025 under the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities category.

Looking ahead, Zarqa wants to engage more effectively with government and contribute to policy change that strengthens the implementation of laws and policies for women with disability. Her longer-term vision, she says, is to scale inclusive technology solutions for marginalised women across Pakistan and the Asia-Pacific region.

She credits her Australia Awards experience for this achievement, and advises those who intend to apply to be clear about their development purpose, demonstrate passion, highlight leadership and, most importantly, believe in themselves. Australia Awards, she says, is not just an ordinary postgraduate scholarship but a transformative and life-changing leadership journey.

Australia Awards in South Asia and Mongolia are managed by Palladium on behalf of the Australian Government.

Image credits and News Source: https://australiaawardspakistan.org/stories/zarqakhan2026/