Neha Mankani, a midwife from Sindh province and founder of Mama Baby Fund in Pakistan, has been recognized by the world-renowned TIME magazine, making her the only Pakistani woman featured in the publication’s annual TIME 100 Climate 2025 list.
She has been included in the list as a “Defender,” sharing space with CEOs, ministers, heads of state, and global leaders, including Pope Leo XIV, for her efforts against climate change.
Neha’s initiative, the Mama Baby Fund, started a decade ago as a small fund to provide life-saving facilities for women and children in coastal and climate-vulnerable areas. Today, the organization runs a clinic on Babi Island near Karachi, where last year over 4,000 pregnant women received check-ups and 200 newborns received neonatal care. The organization also operates an ambulance boat that transports patients to Kemari Hospital.
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In an interview with TIME, Neha highlighted that women in frontline communities are the most affected by climate change, yet their challenges often remain unaddressed. She emphasized that maternal care is a low-cost, accessible solution in countries like Pakistan, which faces one of the highest neonatal mortality rates globally, yet policies fail to prioritize it.
Prior to this recognition, Neha was featured in the BBC’s 100 Women list in 2023, alongside Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, and Huda Kattan.
The “TIME100 Climate” list is an annual recognition by TIME magazine of the 100 most influential leaders who are making significant, measurable, and scalable progress in addressing climate change.
