Hanifa Nakiryowa

Patient Advocacy Board

It is estimated that 1,500 acid attacks takes place every year around the globe, with approximately 1.3 million women victims of domestic violence each year. Hanifa is 35 years old and the mother of two children.

Hanifa was picking up her children from her estranged husband’s house (a university professor) when she was viciously attacked. Her husband threw acid in her face. The couple’s 18-month-old daughter also fell in the acid after she heard her mother scream in pain. She lost her nose and right eye, among other physical deformities. Hanifa has been undergoing a series of surgeries over the past 2 years as a result of her injuries.

Currently, Hanifa is working as the Global Health Associate for the Jewish healthcare Foundation in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania advancing the goals of the foundation’s Women’s Health Activist Movement (WHAMglobal) network by applying her internationally-recognized leadership and advocacy skills. She is a very brave, humble, and caring woman who is proud to be a part of the Face Forward Patient Advocacy Board.

Hanifa gave a Tedx talk about her experiences, which can be seen at:
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8Ytx4RyU6s&feature=youtu.be