TORONTO: On behalf of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Senator Salma Ataullahjan presented the Government of Canada sesquicentennial pin to Tara Dawood, in recognition of her work to educate young women and youth through her ‘Educate a Girl’ initiative. The sesquicentennial pin is made with the original copper that covered the roofs of the centre block of Parliament Hill-a Canadian symbol-from 1918-1996. “As a token of appreciation, I am giving you one of the Government of Canada’s sesquicentennial pins,” stated Senator Ataullahjan as she presented the pin to Tara Dawood. These pins were commissioned by the government for parliamentarians to individuals during Canada’s 150th independence year, Canada 150, to recognize their achievements. Heritage Canada identified four themes for Canada 150: promoting a diverse and inclusive Canada; supporting efforts towards national reconciliation of indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians; reaffirming the importance of strong environmental stewardship; and engaging and inspiring youth. Tara was awarded the pin under the fourth theme for her uplift of youth as well as significant contribution to the community. “Tara Dawood’s work to educate young women through ‘Educate a Girl’, in my view, perfectly embodies the theme,” stated the senator. To date, ‘Educate a Girl’ has vocationally trained 2500 girls in Nigeria and Pakistan. The project partnered with Facebook to educate 1 million girls digitally through the latter’s free basics programme under its internet.org foundation. Tara attended Facebook’s F8 conference this year as part of the key training necessary for the implementation. The World Bank had also recognised ‘Educate a Girl’ as a top 2% woman-led initiative in MENA and Tara Dawood as top 2% woman SME leader in the region, as announced at a WeMENA event in Morocco this past Spring. The awarding of the sesquicentennial pin is the latest of a series of recognitions being given globally to Tara for the impact of Educate a Girl. Published in Daily Times, November 9th 2017.