Onika Maheshwari/ New Delhi

In 2007, Farah Usmani was working at the United Nations headquarters in New York when she made a pivotal decision that sparked a movement aimed at empowering women worldwide through financial independence.

Dr. Usmani, a physician from Uttar Pradesh, relocated to the city six years ago for work. During her search for a rental apartment, she discovered that New York's rental prices were soaring and becoming unaffordable. After doing some quick calculations, she opted for a low-interest mortgage from the UN Federal Credit Union to purchase an apartment. She ended up buying a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, with a monthly mortgage payment that was only slightly higher than the rent she would have paid.

"This slightly higher expenditure (along with a down payment) would enable me to own an asset, and not fritter away my money on rent. It was such a wise decision. Today, 15 years later, I am on track to be a mortgage-free homeowner," Usmani shared with the Morning Star newspaper. This experience inspired her to launch a campaign aimed at educating women around the globe about the importance of financial freedom and empowering themselves through financial independence.

Today Dr. Farah Usmani is an international health, gender and development expert based in New York.

Dr. Farah Usmani with her husband Javed Usmani

Dr. Usmani is also the first Muslim woman from India to work with the United Nations International Civil Service at Director Level. She is the recipient of the 2021 Mahatma Award for Social Impact for her work with women, girls, and minorities.

She has 25 years of experience working with the United Nations International Civil Service with UNFPA, focusing on women and girls and their reproductive health and rights.

Carrying forward her mission to empower women, Dr. Usmani is the Global Vice President of SAFAR Foundation,(Supporting Action for Advancement and Rights), a philanthropic organization focused on uplifting marginalized women and girls.

She is the Founder of "Rising Beyond The Ceiling", a global initiative supported by SAFAR to shine a spotlight on Muslim women of India and contribute towards changing their stereotypical narrative.

The organization has published its first volume on Muslim women from Uttar Pradesh and is working on the rest of the Indian states.

Farah has received several awards and recognitions including the British Council and the Joint-Japan World Bank Merit Fellowships. 

Dr. Farah Usmani

At the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), Dr. Usmani played a pivotal role in policy, planning, technical leadership, and health services across more than 50 countries, working on the rights of women and girls. She became the first Indian Muslim woman to reach the Director level in the UN’s International Civil Service in New York.

She noticed that Muslim women were often boxed into stereotypical roles on every platform. Farah made it her mission to break that mold.

“Why are our stories limited to the veil and the home?”

Inspired by this question, Dr. Farah Usmani launched Rising Beyond the Ceiling a global initiative that highlights the achievements of Indian Muslim women, brings their hidden stories to light, and challenges societal stereotypes.

This initiative didn’t stay confined to books or speeches it became a movement. A beacon of hope for every woman in a small town who dreams of a bigger world.

Dr. Usmani believes that money is not just a necessity it is power. She says, “Instead of being afraid of money, we need to befriend it.” Her husband taught her: money that doesn’t generate returns slowly vanishes. And that’s where her journey into financial literacy began.She started investing in tax-free savings, fixed deposits, and NRE (Non-Resident External) deposits. Today, her daughter Saba is also a real estate investor in Manhattan. This is not just a financial legacy it is an intellectual one, building a story of empowerment across generations.

Dr. Usmani has received numerous accolades, including Merit Fellowships from the World Bank and the British Council, and the Mahatma Award in 2021. She has worked globally for the rights of women, minorities, and marginalized girls.

She also serves as the Global Vice President of SAFAR Supporting Action for Advancement and Rights a philanthropic organization focused on uplifting marginalized women and girls.Breaking many gender barriers at different stages in her life, she has the distinction of being the first woman student to top the merit list in the pre-medical examination of the Aligarh Muslim University, where she completed her medical training.

She is the recipient of the 2021 Mahatma Award for Social Impact for her work with women, girls, and minorities.

Farah Usmani comes from a middle-class Muslim Family in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

She holds a Master’s in Health Policy, Planning & Financing given by the London School of Economics & London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine & a M.D. in Obstetrics & Gynecology from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh India. She has certifications in leadership and organizational management from Cornell University, Cranfield School of Management, Stanford University & the American Management Association, New York.

Farah is married to Jawed Usmani, an Indian civil servant, who rose to the position of Chief secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government. They have two children Faraz Usmani and Sabah Usmani.

Dr. Usmani says, “The coins our mothers and grandmothers hid in their mattresses were not just savings they were their attempt at independence

Indian Muslim Women who feature in the list of Rising Beyond the Ceiling 

the “The time has come for women to see money not as shame, but as strength.”

Her mindset, her struggles, her smile they are a source of inspiration for every woman who dreams of flying in an open sky, not a cage.

Dr. Farah Usmani’s story reads like a novel with trials, a determined heroine, a journey of transformation, and a path toward the light.

It teaches us that with courage, even the walls of a house can become the rooftop of the world’s tallest building.

READ MORE: Purkazi leader Zaheer Farooqui shows the way to transforming India at grassroots

Because when a woman shapes her identity by herself, she doesn’t just create a path for herself but for every generation that follows.