Acumen Fund, a pioneering nonprofit global venture firm addressing poverty across Africa and in South Asia, held a selection conference today in Karachi as part of the process to identify the inaugural class of Pakistan Fellows. In partnership with JS Bank, Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation and the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, Acumen is working to develop the next generation of social change leaders who are building innovative businesses and strong institutions across Pakistan.
The first cohort of Acumen Fund Pakistan Fellows will include 20 individuals who are actively driving social change initiatives in Pakistan to participate in the year-long fellowship. Fellows then directly apply learnings from the fellowship to the work they are doing as social entrepreneurs and leaders within the private, NGO and government sectors.
“This new program is designed to support a new generation of Pakistani leaders who see opportunities where others see only challenges,” said Farrukh Khan, Country Director, Acumen Fund Pakistan. “It is invigorating to see the amount of interest we have received, both in number and quality of applicants from across Pakistan. We are grateful for the overwhelming support from our partners and local communities. Through this collaboration, we are broadening the community of leaders with financial skills, operational excellence and moral imagination to address pressing social and leadership issues faced by Pakistan today..”
The year-long program is comprised of four multiday seminars and two collaborative projects – a regional trip and an innovation conference. The seminars will give Fellows access to world-class speakers, trainers, and mentors who allow Fellows to deepen their skills in leadership, social change, and innovation. The Fellows also have the opportunity to travel within Pakistan to broaden their understanding of social change models. The innovation conference is meant to be a chance for Fellows to put into practice their new skills, as well as provide a platform to showcase their projects to a larger community of leaders.
“We at Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation and JS Bank believe that the path to a better society comes from investing in its leaders,” stated Ali J. Siddiqui, CEO, Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation. “Keeping in view the enthusiasm shown by the number of excellent applications received, it shows the hunger and the desire among the many talented people of this nation to seek ways to improve the prevailing conditions and challenge the existing status quo. It is our belief that the Pakistan Fellows Program will pave the road to a brighter future of this country by providing the tools and the knowledge required to develop the new generation of Pakistani leaders”.
The Pakistan Fellows program is just one part of Acumen’s investment in leadership and community of the Acumen Fund alumni network. The East Africa Regional Fellows Program is in its second year and just held its selection conference last week. Acumen intends to launch similar Regional Fellows Programs in India and West Africa in the coming years.
For additional information on Acumen’s Regional Fellows Programs, please visit www.acumenfund.org or contact Sabina Ansari atsansari@acumenfund.org.
