The graduation ceremony for the Urban Youth Project, an initiative of the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship (LCE) was recently held in which 30 micro entrepreneurs received their certificates. The Urban Youth Project aims to increase employment opportunities for youth from low-income communities through the development of successful enterprises.
The Project is funded by Citibank Pakistan and coordinated by the British Asian Trust. The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world.
According to the spokesperson LUMS partnered with two nationally renowned micro finance institutions, Akhuwat Foundation and Kashf Foundation to scout for potential beneficiaries possessing an entrepreneurial idea or those already running a small scale business within their communities. After an intense selection procedure, LUMS carried out a needs assessment exercise to identify priority areas where participants required extended support, based on which they developed a customised curriculum constructed on experiential learning. In the first batch, 30 micro entrepreneurs from various areas such as academia, beauty, fashion, transport and electronics were selected for the project. Rector LUMS, Abdul Razak Dawood, and Karim Seifeddine, Head of Public Affairs (Middle East & Africa) at Citibank NA, Pakistan, distributed the certificates and highlighted the importance of supporting entrepreneurs for a real impact on the society.