E-motive learning exchange, from Pakistan to Nepal.

As part of an E-motive trajectory, the learning group of Pakistan visited 4 initiatives in Nepal during a 10-day visit. Each initiative tackles local challenges. Inspired by new insights and knowledge, an action plan was drafted on how to implement the learning's into the local context in Pakistan. A return visit is scheduled for the beginning of 2018, when representatives of the Nepali initiatives will come to visit the learning group.

Read Shahzad Shakeel's experience in his blog below.

Hello! My name is Shahzad Shakeel and I'm a project officer at Oxfam Pakistan. I joined the E-Motive learning exchange to learn around women mobility, tools for entrepreneurship and sustainability of HUB. Moreover, to learn around issues prevail different context and their solutions.

The experience was quite rich and able to broaden the horizon to look at the enterprise development in a different perspective. I have been able to learn around various services that helps me to rethink services that an incubation centers can provide. I am very delighted to see how R&D develop a value of chain of different products that come straight from farms. I am very hopeful to replicate the model in Pakistan and share learning with others.

What I was expecting from the learning exchange:

My expectations were to learn real, practical and workable models of incubation or alike centers. Moreover, their sustainability and model of services that they offer in villages. In addition, how do they engage women especially their economic engagement at village level.

My biggest learnings are:

1) It is very important to make clear plans and focus on the products or services that are viable, feasible and your target audience have related skills.
2) Do not engage everyone in entrepreneurship, first learn about their inspirations and show them model, pathways that are relevant to their context and be a catalyst.
3) Market linkage is an important component but broaden your horizon and try to link in a non-traditional manner such as create reliable innovative agents in value chain.
4) Always start humble, try little thing, fail fast and move on.

What I want to do with my learnings in the future: I really want to implement successful models such as R&D, that we hope to be beneficial for the people we work. These learning will be incorporated at different levels such as sustainability of HUB. I would like to share my learning with other project team members and work together to replicate model.

Finally, I would like to share:

 I really like the idea of return visit, which is a mean to stick to our plans and analyze the work we are doing. Moreover, a combination of diverse group not just enhance learning but a chance to lobby and work for a bigger purpose. Lastly, it is important to personalize the learning to get maximum out of it.

Learn more about the E-motive learning exchange between Pakistan and Nepal.