Ashoka wants to create a new framework for social change in Pakistan by supporting social entrepreneurs and developing social entrepreneurship. It plans to identify and support the next generation of Pakistani social innovators, engage the Pakistani diaspora business community, and develop collaborations and communities of social entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Some examples of successful Pakistani social entrepreneurs already supported by Ashoka include Roshaneh Zafar, Asher Hasan, and Raziq Fahim.

1. ASHOKA
Creating a New Framework for
Social Change in Pakistan
7th February 2013

2. Ashoka and Social Entrepreneurship: A Story of
Success
Social entrepreneurs are not
content just to give a fish or
teach how to fish. They will not
rest until they have
revolutionized the fishing
industry.
Bill Drayton, CEO &
Founder, Ashoka

3. Ashoka and Social Entrepreneurship: A Story of
Success
1% 3,000+ Fellows in 70+ countries
GLOBAL
FELLOWS

4. Ashoka and Pakistan
In Pakistan, Ashoka elected its first cohort of Fellows in
1997 and, so far, has supported 47 Fellows in areas such
as education, environment, health, economic development,
civic participation and human rights. Some of the most
respected leaders in the Pakistani social sector are
Ashoka Fellows – such as Roshaneh Zafar, Asher Hasan,
and Shoaib Sultan Khan.

5. Pakistan Now
Now, with an estimated population of over 187 million
and a citizen sector in need of support, Pakistan is at a
stage where strategic investments in social
entrepreneurship can shape a positive future for its
citizens and the region.
Social entrepreneurship has a crucial role to play in
realizing Pakistan’s needs – advancing youth leadership
and economic development.
Ashoka wants to tap in to this potential in order to
create a new framework for social change in Pakistan.

6. Pakistan Now
The EPG study showed that there is a need to re-engage
entrepreneurs in Pakistan and to upgrade and support
the strengthening of the skill-sets of the youth.
The study showed that a fifth of global young
entrepreneurs see a gap in the market that they think
they can fill and a fifth also feel that their knowledge and
skills are best suited to being an entrepreneur.

7. What is needed
The world is changing at a rapidly accelerating pace and new
challenges are being globalized (because of the phenomenon of
globalization as a whole, which means that problems in Pakistan and
the Middle East affect global social and business markets).
What is needed is a hybrid:
• Social enterprises and not for profit organizations.
• Social enterprises and financially sustainable/for profit
organizations.
• Not only inclusive businesses or businesses with a social heart.

8. What is needed
The new models are not only new in terms of their focus and
expertise, ie:
• Renewable energy
• New financial models
• Mobile banking
Their implementation also involves a new approach:
• Combining the social sector with the business sector.
• Involving the poor and marginalized (in capital and in knowledge),
a process which increases their participation and brings them many
benefits, thus upgrading or improving their situation.

9. What Ashoka Can Do
The goals needed to promote
social entrepreneurship in Pakistan
should be:
1. To scale up existing models.
2. To simultaneously prioritize
finding/identifying and supporting
new comers or early cycle
initiatives.
3. Working on creating and
improving the ecosystem for a
hybrid sector so that it will
thrive.

10. Ashoka Value Added
We want to:
1. Identify and support the next generation of Pakistani
inspirational leaders.
2. Through our Diaspora initiative, create a community of
citizens who will support innovators and promote
innovation as a concept
3. Through our network of global fellows support elected
fellows in Pakistan and also create group entrepreneurships
to tip the sectors

11. How to Engage Diaspora Business Leaders and
the Corporate Sector with Social Change?
Engage a group of diaspora business leaders and companies to mentor, support
and co-develop groundbreaking initiatives with Ashoka in Pakistan.
Examples:
• Skills: Ashoka has developed a range of strategic partnerships with companies
such as McKinsey & Co, Intel, Google and Hogan Lovells, offering Fellows
essential services to their development.
• Strategy: the Ashoka Support Network members (ASN) is a network of
business people who personally engage with the Ashoka Fellows on a regular
basis through sounding boards or coaching sessions, helping them to define and
implement the development strategy of their ventures.
• Ecosystem: Ashoka and its community establish partnerships with companies
that want to play a role in local development and co-create initiatives to support
innovations impacting the social sector.

12. Additional Annexes

13. 1. Select and Support Role Models for Social
Innovation
In Pakistan, Ashoka will focus on supporting Social
Entrepreneurs working with Youth & Women
Empowerment, Empathy (and tolerance),
Education, Health, Human Rights and Economic
Inclusion.

14. Ashoka Selection Process
Ashoka identifies and selects Fellows based on one of the most extensive and rigorous
application processes found anywhere in the world.
30 years of expertise in leading the Ashoka Venture ensures that we elect the most
innovative, dedicated and successful social entrepreneurs.
Research Second
Nomination Candidates’ Global
and Site Opinion Panel
Retreat Board
Visits Interview

15. Some of the most respected leaders in the Pakistani social
sector today are Ashoka Fellows - such as:
Roshaneh Zafar who pioneered the development of a women-centered and women-managed initiative that
combines a micro-level lending and savings operation with related training and support activities at the
community level. Her organization, Kashf Foundation was the first microfinance institute in Pakistan to
achieve financial self-sufficiency and demonstrate the business case for investing in women’s economic
empowerment.
Asher Hasan has founded Naya Javeen to finance low-cost, private health insurance for the working poor
in Pakistan by sharing costs across the well-to-do corporate executive and the informal domestic worker of the
corporate executive who is the end beneficiary of the health plan. Asher’s team negotiates exclusive pooled-
risk agreements with insurance underwriters and leverages the underwriters’ existing nationwide networks of
quality, inpatient/ER-trauma healthcare delivery systems.
Raziq Fahim launched the College of Youth Activism and Development (CYAD) to empower youth to
channel their feelings of anger and frustration in to peace and community building in some of the most
politically turbulent areas of Pakistan. After identifying at-risk youths between the ages of 15 and 26, Raziq
comprehensively addresses the problems they face. He gives them the option to help build ventures for the
benefit of their communities, and provides them with learning opportunities they need to become leaders and
mentors for other at-risk youth.

16. 2. Develop Collaborations and Communities of Social
Entrepreneurs
Ashoka unites its Fellows into a dynamic community that produces cross-cutting synergies
that are much greater than the sum of its parts. The combined efforts of these
entrepreneurs allow us to explore many methods for systemic solutions to local and
global challenges. Ashoka shares these principles with the larger population of
changemakers by seeding innovation into, through and between our various programs. In
Pakistan, Ashoka aims to develop five programs:
• Changemakers
• Youth Venture
• Ashoka U
• Empathy
• Women’s Initiative for Social
Entrepreneurship

17. Women’ s Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship (WISE)
Ashoka believes that the development of a country depends on the role of women in that
society. The Women’s Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship (WISE) is a platform for
cooperation among women entrepreneurs at all stages to address the obstacles
they face and foster an environment where they are empowered as changemakers.
Ashoka will:
• Elect Leading Social Entrepreneurs working to empower girls and women in different
fields, such as education, economic development, health, and human rights;
• Create a network of women social entrepreneurs, organize a media campaign
highlighting the success of existing women Fellows, facilitate specialized problem-solving
sessions and community-building activities and train the women in management, networking
and leadership;
• Support young girls as changemakers through our Youth
Venture and Ashoka U programs. Ashoka Fellows and partners
will mentor young women to develop and start their own
initiatives for social change, motivating them to become active
and empowered citizens.

18. 3. Ashoka Cohort of Partners
Examples:
Mark Cheng (ASN member) has more than 15 years of experience in finance, having worked at
Deutsche Bank and AMBAC Assurance. In 2007, he joined Ashoka as an ASN member and has
assisted many Fellows in raising investment for social causes, in areas including micro-finance,
renewable energy, conservation, healthcare and education. Mark is a now the Director of Ashoka UK
and continues to work as an advisor for Fellows expanding their work into multiple countries. He
also serves as Board Member and Trustee for several social enterprises, including two set up by
Ashoka Fellows.
McKinsey & Company: Ashoka and McKinsey & Co. share offices and expertise in several
countries. McKinsey consultants provide pro bono management services to Ashoka Fellows,
strengthening institutional capacity and training them to write business plans, make effective
presentations, and market their work.
Intel: Ashoka and Intel recently joined forces to sponsor, showcase and spread the most important
technology based innovations and learning of Ashoka fellows and changemakers related to women’s
and girls’ issues. Intel employees will further engage by partnering with Ashoka Fellows and our
network through voting in Changemakers competitions, connecting with ICT-focused Ashoka Fellows
as possible volunteers, and eventually through engagement with our Fellows through the Ashoka Hub
online communities.

19. Contacts:
Iman Bibars, Ashoka’s Vice President & Regional Director for the Arab World ibibars@ashoka.org
Maria Clara Pinheiro, Global Diaspora & Expansion mpinheiro@ashoka.org
Mark Cheng, UK Country Director mcheng@ashoka.org