The leadership program seeks social change leaders driving innovation to tackle Pakistan’s problems of poverty
Acumen—a global nonprofit social venture fund changing the way the world tackles poverty—has opened applications for its Pakistan Fellows Program. Created in 2013, the Pakistan Fellows Program is a leadership development program that equips emerging social leaders with the skills, knowledge and moral imagination to drive positive change in their communities.
Designed to develop the next generation of social leaders with the audacity to transform society and create a better, more inclusive world, the fellowship provides 20 individuals from across Pakistan with the knowledge, training and support system to create a lasting social impact. Acumen seeks individuals committed to creating positive change in Pakistan, who are either entrepreneurs who have built their own startups or entrepreneurs working in a position of influence within an organization.
Over the course of the year, Fellows take part in five week-long seminars, where they receive the tools, training and space to innovate new ideas, accelerate their impact and build a strong network of social leaders from across Pakistan and around the world. The Fellows program is fully sponsored, allowing participants to remain in their jobs so they can apply what they learn to their work in real time. Fellows receive training from both local and international facilitators to help them harness their strengths and become better, more effective leaders. At the end of the fellowship, each cohort joins an extensive global community of social leaders.
“The most value I derived from the Fellowship was the understanding of social change in its entirety—and that comes from Acumen’s manifesto’s emphasis on dignity,” says Shahab Siddiqi, a 2015 Acumen Pakistan Fellow. “It cuts across all aspects of social problems, and was very well molded into the design of all seminars. This was very effective in keeping me focused on the larger issue.”
