In this episode, we dive into the Sujaan Initiative, a community-focused program that trains and supports female and minority entrepreneurs in Mirpur Khās, Pakistan. The discussion covers how working with local male leaders fosters local buy-in, the gender and regional disparities the project tackles and the financing and governance hurdles to scaling the model across more regions.

Professor Ahmad Timsal:

https://www.derby.ac.uk/staff/ahmad-timsal/

‘Sujaan: a social enterprise of socio-economically disadvantaged women in rural Sindh, Pakistan’:

https://derby-repository.worktribe.com/output/735857/sujaan-a-social-enterprise-of-socio-economically-disadvantaged-women-in-rural-sindh-pakistan

Timestamps

00:00: Intro

00:49: The Sindh Region (Pakistan)

08:45: The Sujaan Project

14:33: Ahmad’s Motivation for the Research

17:59: Gender Disparities in Pakistan

23:20: Getting Community Buy In

31:44: Is There Support for Sujaan?

36:28: Sindh’s Feudal Mindset

45:32: How Sujaan is Providing Support

50:46: The Effects of Sujaan on the Region

54:15: What’s Next?

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