WORKING ON A PROJECT WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, TO IMPLEMENT YOUR SKILLS

In our mega project for the Amal fellowship, we are given an opportunity to implement all the skills which we have learned from our fellowship. This includes leadership skills, communication skills, problem solving skills, growth and entrepreneurial mindset etc. We are supposed to work on a problem in the society, which is close to our heart. We can also work on an entrepreneurial idea for a business which we have always wanted to do.

The problem which concerns me the most in my surroundings, is hunger. As a food technologist, I know that if all the food losses in the world could be covered up, there would be more than enough food for all the hungry people in the whole world. Still there are people all around us who do not even get one meal a day. Hunger can lead people to do even some criminal acts, which they may not dream of doing under normal conditions. Also, when people do not have enough to eat, they can’t spend their money on other necessities of life like health and education. So, food security must be provided to every household in the whole world. In Pakistan, we know that most food insecure areas are desert areas of Thar etc. where many infants die of malnutrition on a regular basis. But this hunger and improper food distribution also extend to city areas.

Also, the second related problem is unemployment which also leads to hunger and lack of growth mindset in people. Especially in covid-19 crisis many people have lost their job, and it was difficult for them to manage food for their family. I think there must be some new business idea introduced in the market that can be a hope to unemployed people.

To solve these both problems simultaneously, I thought of a socio-entrepreneurial idea which includes the starting of a “food truck business” which is rare in Pakistan. It will sell the items (which are not usually sold on carts) in a more presentable and hygienic way among different colleges and universities. Some sponsorships can be taken to start the business, and then the share of profit from that business can be used to distribute food among the food insecure households of the city at night, using the same truck. We can also collaborate with foundations like RIZQ Foundation to help distribute the food. The business can be started at small scale but when it will be expanded to bigger level, it can help to work on food insecurity in Thar.

This experience helped me to use my creative skills and design a solution which covers both of my problems and has many growth opportunities. Implementing this plan, by the will of ALLAH, will be more helpful as a learning and socio-entrepreneurial experience.