KARACHI: The Green Innovators 2022 programme has been launched by Ministry of Climate Change, Sindh Education Foundation (SEF), Sindh government and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to promote social entrepreneurship among youth in remote districts of Sindh.
Sindh has been facing major socioeconomic issues which have exacerbated in the past decade. According to Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey of 2017-2018, 39.4 percent of households do not have any proper sanitation system in Sindh. Furthermore, solid waste collection and its safe disposal is also a major challenge of rural and urban areas of the province. While the government and development partners are working together to bring socio-economic development in Sindh, youth also need to be involved to address these challenges.
Thus, to involve the youth, the Green Innovators Programme 2022 has been launched in Sindh which will be implemented under Youth Education Employment and Empowerment Project (YEEEP) - a joint initiative of UNDP and SEF by School of Leadership Foundation. Under this programme, three 4-day boot camps across Sindh will be organized in which young social entrepreneurs working in the thematic areas of water, sanitation, plantation, hygiene and solid waste management will be assisted in planning, sustaining and scaling up their social enterprise through capacity building workshops and mentoring sessions.
Speaking about the Green Innovators Programme, Lal Kumar, Assistant Director, Sindh Education Foundation, said, “YEEEP UNDP under the Green Innovators Challenge is providing opportunities to young social entrepreneurs to polish their skills to sustain their enterprises and present their innovative solutions to a larger audience including the industry experts and government. This will not only bring visibility to their enterprises but also help them form right partnerships to scale up and address complex issues of Sindh related to health hygiene, water and sanitation.”
Moin Zaidi, Project Manager, YEEEP-UNDP, said, “Youth form the biggest segment of the population and need to be realized as one of the most important stakeholders in development of the country. Green Innovators Challenge is an excellent initiative of Ministry of Climate Change, Sindh Education Foundation and UNDP which will help to economically empower young social entrepreneurs of remote districts of Sindh while also addressing pressing development issues of the province.”
The youth between the age group of 15 to 35 years, belonging to one of the target districts of Sukkur, Hyderabad, Sanghar, Jacobabad, Karachi (Malir, Korangi), Larkana and Tharparkar will be initially participating in these boot camps by 22nd April, 2022. The programme ensures inclusion of all segments of the society including women, transgenders, people with disabilities and individuals belonging to ethnic and religious minorities and residents of remote areas.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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