| The Other Side of Pakistan  There is a story about Pakistan that is easy to tell. It begins with poverty, slides into extremism and stars bearded terrorists. It features women floating down the street in burkas and armed men in the hills. And as our eyes wander over the names of strange lands like Waziristan and Balochistan, we do our part as readers, believing what we are told. It all fits easily into the framework we've built in our minds.
When we arrived in Pakistan last month to do research on urban development, we had visions of terrorists riding up next to our car to show us their guns. Just a few days before, Karachi had been in the headlines for "target killings." We weren't sure who the targets were, but to be a stranger in Pakistan makes one feel like a target. However, Pakistan's two biggest cities didn't fit into this frame. While Lahore was armed to the hilt, it was noticeably well-kept. Wide boulevards ran the length of the town, past beautiful British-era museums and colleges, golf-courses and parks, Citibanks and Levi's stores. Karachi, a city on the sea, has flyovers and underpasses, relatively clean streets, and a café culture. Given the news we read about Pakistan, we were not expecting the level of infrastructure and development. Mental note: Pakistan may need to consider hiring a new Public Relations Director. While the country faces significant challenges, the place is a living, breathing organism where life keeps on despite the unrest. While the cities are functioning, Pakistan's overarching systems are still rife with corruption, and the country has a history of bringing leaders to power who favor quick wins over long-term planning. In 1971, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto won the support of the people of Pakistan on the slogan "Roti, Kapra aur Makan" (food, clothes, and shelter), enabling him to become the president (and later the first elected prime minister in the country). However, for various reasons which I won't go into, he and all subsequent Pakistani leaders, have not been able to fulfill those promises. Nearly forty years later, Pakistan's people are still in need of many of the basic necessities. Of course, the situation in the country right now is incredibly complex, and we do not claim to understand the country as a whole. However, what we noticed and learned from our conversations with locals and experts in planning, development, government and entrepreneurship, is that there are many good things happening amidst the country's tempestuous landscape. Over the next few days, we'll be covering some of the people and models we discovered on the trip, in an effort to tell you a new story about what's happening in Pakistan today. - Lindsay Clinton | Behind the Numbers: the Social Enterprise Landscape in India  With a population of more than 1 billion, the challenges that India faces are numerous, and its Government is not necessarily prepared or equipped to solve all of these problems. New solutions to bridge the gaps are developing within local communities, driven by foresighted leaders with innovative solutions and big dreams to take their models to the masses.
This spring, Beyond Profit launched a large-scale survey of social enterprises and the people who lead them in India. The survey was designed to better understand who these social entrepreneurs are, and learn more about their business structure, financial viability, challenges and their core values and motivation to work in this rewarding, but often challenging field. The results are fascinating. The data reveals the profile of a typical social entrepreneur in India, the time of life that they decide to take on the role of "changemaker," the path that led them to take the leap into this space, and the challenges they see ahead. We also find out how these entrepreneurs finance their ventures and locate funding gaps that the right investors may be able to fill. Want the details? Visit our website to buy the survey report TODAY | Beyond Profit Issue 4: Inside the Issue What's Wrong With Being Poor? Picture this: You are walking down a bustling boulevard in a developing-world megacity of over 10 million people. You're in Mumbai, or Jakarta, Lagos, or Sao Paulo. You pass shanties and pavement dwellers, vegetable vendors, and the occasional beggar. You wipe the inevitable sweat from your brow (it's the tropics, remember) and stop for something cool and soothing to drink - perhaps some coconut water, maybe fresh lime juice. As you sip, you look to your left and you see a woman next to you, boiling rice - a developing world staple - at the entrance to a slum. Immediately, what thoughts cross your mind? An instantaneous, almost visceral, emotion might be pity. You assume that her life is difficult. Because you are standing at the entrance to a slum, you assume that she lives inside, that she is poor, that she can’t feed her children. Continue reading on our blog | |
"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington CarverWhat is Social Entrepreneurship?Statement of Faith
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