Media Update-2: United Nations Pakistan, 11 October 2021

UNDP

PRESS RELEASE

Four social enterprises emerge victorious in UNDP-Jazz SDG Bootcamps 1st cohort

Islamabad, 11 October 2021—Four social enterprises have emerged victorious from the first cohort of the UNDP-Jazz’s SDG Bootcamps for Social Enterprises. Overall, 70 social enterprises from across Pakistan participated in the first cohort with over 40 percent participation by women.

The winning social enterprises include Digital Libas, an initiative from Balochistan providing skilled women workers with the opportunity to become financially independent; Sukoon, a health-tech initiative from Punjab aiming to revolutionize mental health care; Asani.io, an IoT and automation based social enterprise from Sindh working on solving water scarcity and mismanagement issues; and Peshawar Waste Management Company from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,  a social enterprise working towards building sustainable communities by converting daily waste into natural fertilizers.

Thirteen of the total participants were from Balochistan, 19 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 from Sindh and 21 from Punjab. Held online, these five-day bootcamps aimed at capacity building essential for enterprise market success and outreach. These bootcamps also managed to attract participants from some of the country’s most remote areas i.e., Bhurewala, Mastung, Naushki, Pishin, Bajaur, Jamshoro and Bahauddin.

Knut Ostby, Resident Representative UNDP Pakistan, said at the conclusion of the first cohort, “UNDP is proud to work with Jazz to support nascent social enterprises in Pakistan. We hope our SDG Bootcamps will help these young entrepreneurs play a vital role in addressing the development challenges of the country to ensure that we Leave No One Behind.”

Syed Fakhar Ahmed, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Jazz stated, “As a technology-driven company, our focus remains on digitally enabling the masses, especially the youth and women. We hope the social enterprises part of the first cohort have gained valuable knowledge on scaling up their innovative solutions. Wishing them luck on their respective journeys, we look forward to the second cohort to be conducted later this year.”

These five-day bootcamps, organized by School of Leadership Foundation (SoLF), were led by master trainers and covered a wide array of modules including Branding and Customer Engagement, Marketing and Digital Transformation, and Financial Management, Feasibility and Scaling. On the final day of each regional bootcamp, the social enterprises pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges of industry experts.

The winner of the national bootcamp, planned later this year, will be provided with an opportunity to join Youth Co:Lab, the largest youth social entrepreneurship movement in Asia and the Pacific along with access to mentorship opportunities and exclusive digital giveaways by Jazz. Registrations of second cohort are now open https://bit.ly/3tHwqTu.

These bootcamps are a part of the agreement inked between Jazz and UNDP in December 2020. The program comprises overall 20 bootcamps nationwide by December 2022 targeting close to 800 youngsters and 50 percent women participation. The aim is to promote promising social ventures that are addressing the country's developmental challenges.

###  ###  ###

About UNDP:

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

Ayesha Babar, Communications Analyst, UNDP Pakistan at ayesha.babar@undp.org  or +92 (51) 835 5650

About Jazz:         

Jazz is Pakistan's number one 4G operator and a leading digital service provider with over 70 million subscribers, including 32 million 4G users. By providing the most extensive portfolio of digital value-added services, Jazz continues to be the country's undisputed telecom leader. www.jazz.com.pk

Khayyam Siddiqi at Khayyam.siddiqi@jazz.com.pk or 0300-1115855

Twitter: @mkhayams