Islamabad, Aug 27: Women entrepreneurs taking part in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program have received $20,000 in initial cash from the US Embassy.
The last event for the 2024 AWE participant cohort was a pitch competition, from which the winners were chosen. The grants are meant to aid in the expansion and improvement of their companies. The details state that Iman Khan from Peshawar, who was representing Gricks International, was honored for her creative approach to meeting housing needs and environmental concerns. She produced building materials from recycled plastic, repurposed plastic bottles into bricks for rebuilding homes in flood-affected areas.
Funding was granted to Rawalpindi resident Alishba Sajid in support of Cardana Utensils for her project to develop biodegradable, environmentally friendly plates and cutlery as a sustainable replacement for plastic items. For her delivery software “QuickUp,” which offers equitable and reasonably priced delivery services exclusively to women-owned companies in Balochistan, Quetta resident Sahar Munir won an award.
Along with these top winners, the US Embassy also granted honorable mentions to two deserving candidates: Zarmina Sanam from Lahore, whose company, Skill2Success, provides students aged 5-18 with hands-on learning experiences in robotics, coding, and artificial intelligence; and Sana Rehman from Quetta, whose Physiotherapy Clinic in Khanozai is addressing a significant healthcare gap in Balochistan. The goal of the AWE program is to give ambitious women the tools, networks, and resources they need to start and grow profitable businesses.
This year’s cohort consisted of 100 female entrepreneurs, both aspiring and seasoned, who took part in a three-month online course on entrepreneurship designed by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. Along with developing a solid support system within the community of women-owned businesses, participants also got mentoring from seasoned Pakistani women business owners.
Future AWE program possibilities will be publicized on the Lincoln Corners Facebook page, which may be found at https://www.facebook.com/LincolnCornersPakistan. It is recommended that entrepreneurs follow this page in order to be updated about future events and programs.
