SAIYNA BASHIR

Saiyna Bashir is a Pakistani photojournalist currently based in the capital, Islamabad. After studying journalism at the Columbia College, Chicago, Bashir worked as a staff photographer for Cap Times in the U.S for two years.

Most recently in 2020, she was awarded the National Geographic Emergency Fund for Journalists for an in-depth photo-essay that depicts the socio-economic impact of covid-19 on Pakistanis living in Urban Slum communities. The story covers the struggles to survive as well as innovative ways of continuing their livelihoods.

The over-arching theme of most of Saiyna’s long-term project publications involves human rights, healthcare, migration, climate change and gender. Saiyna’s photos have been published alongside news stories in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Al-Jazeera, The Telegraph among others. Alongside these projects, she has also worked for international non-profit organizations such as Unicef, Sightsavers, Medicin du Monde and the WHO.