Sister Zeph, birth name Riffat Arif (born 1983/1984), is a Pakistani Christian teacher, women’s activist and philanthropist from Gujranwala, Pakistan.
[3] Growing up, Arif faced bad treatment and discrimination from her schoolteachers because she was Christian, a religious minority in the country.
[4] The girls initially studied in rented, open roof houses with Sister Zeph’s financial support.
[6] In 2013, Sister Zeph won an award which gave her $20,000 in prize money, which she used to expand her school, hire more teachers, and establish a vocational center in Gujranwala, which serves both students and local women.
[2][4] The center offers classes on IT and digital literacy skills, English, stitching, hairdressing and makeup, and martial arts.
[3] The Zephaniah Women's Education and Empowerment Foundation (ZWEE) also organizes twice weekly afternoon classes for children who can't attend school full-time because they are working to support their families.
[4] In 2015, a documentary, Flight of the Falcons, was made about Arif's life, and the lives of three of her students in their struggle against child marriage, corporal punishment and societal pressures, towards empowering girls and young women through education.