Influencer Editorial Team
From a humble village in Pakistan to global recognition, Ghulam Dastgir’s journey is not just a story of personal resilience. it’s a movement. Nominated for the Social Impact Champion Award at the 2025 Influencer Magazine Awards, Dastgir represents a new era of community-rooted leadership. As a passionate educator, youth mentor, and social reformer, his decades of service are transforming public health, education, and social equity across South Asia and beyond.
The founder of Jehaad for Zero Thalassemia (JZT), Dastgir turned a college classroom initiative into Pakistan’s largest youth-led health awareness movement. Tackling thalassemia, a misunderstood genetic blood disorder, JZT now operates in over 100 cities, with more than 8,000 volunteers. Through blood donation drives, policy advocacy, educational campaigns, and a deeply human-first approach, the organization has donated over 100,000 blood bags, supported 500+ chronically ill children, and even launched ambulance services and tree plantations in underserved areas.
Dastgir’s leadership defies conventional paths. Not a policymaker or doctor, but a physics teacher, he has mentored students to compete on global STEM stages from Yale to CERN, while simultaneously building grassroots healthcare infrastructure. His initiative is proof that decentralized, youth-powered solutions can shift public narratives, shape policy, and save lives—even in the most resource-challenged regions.
But it doesn’t end at the national level. Recognized by the Thalassemia International Federation, UN Volunteers, and WHO, and featured in global publications from Norway to the UK, Dastgir’s work is now influencing how health advocacy is structured in other developing nations. By blending education, digital outreach, and inclusive leadership, especially empowering women in deeply conservative regions, his model is as scalable as it is impactful.
From launching the SAKE education sponsorship program for orphans to leading Pakistan’s largest youth-led blood camp, Dastgir exemplifies everything the Social Impact Champion Award stands for. His life’s mission isn’t about fame or accolades it’s about building systems that empower people to lead themselves. In a world seeking sustainable models of change, Ghulam Dastgir is not just a nominee. He is a blueprint.
