British Council Enterprise Challenge: Central South Asia 2008

To celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008, The British Council ran an enterprise competition for students in Nepal, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. The Youth Social Entrepreneurship Award challenged the students to come up with a product aimed at reducing pollution in their local area, which for many students was a remote village.

The students said the competition was appealing as it would help develop their skills in enterprise, communication, project planning and the English language. Saima Haider, a young participant from Lahore, said, ‘I was dependant on others in the past, but now I am independent and a source of example for others.’ As a result of the Youth Social Entrepreneurship Award, Saima is now setting up stitching centres in the community aimed at empowering women and helping them develop new skills.

Faryal, a visually impaired young participant from the same city said, ‘This is a new hope for me… I was considered a useless member of the society [but] now I can contribute towards building the nation.’

The competition has been praised by British High Commissioner Robert Brinkley: ‘Youngsters are the vital component of society who posses immense potential to contribute to its betterment’.

The winners of each country will come together for a regional final in London on 9 - 11 March, which will be attended by Make Your Mark ambassadors and Make Your Mark Challenge winners.