Sameen: ‘My community now has faith in me’

Because of poverty, a lack of education, and restrictions on their mobility, few young women in rural Pakistan work outside their homes. 

Sameen Batool has overcome these limitations and won respect in her community by building a flourishing social enterprise that employs six other women.

Sameen credits a British Council programme called Active Citizens with giving her the confidence and skills to develop a plant nursery business as a way to create jobs that are deemed socially acceptable for women.

My community now has faith in me. I have developed my confidence and I can deal with all types of people

She started her social enterprise on a shoestring budget in her backyard in 2013 but has since moved into a neighbouring enclosed lot and, thanks to contracts supplying bigger nurseries and Pakistan’s Department of Agriculture, she plans to expand yet again, with a view to generating more income and more job opportunities for women.  

As a result, says Sameen, “my community now has faith in me. I have developed my confidence [and] I can deal with all types of people.”

Sameen is one of 60,000 people in Pakistan who have received training through Active Citizens.

• The British Council's Global Social Enterprise programme draws on UK expertise to promote the development of social enterprise and social investment across the world. This is one of four new films the British Council is launching this week in the run-up to the Social Enterprise World Forum to raise awareness of the positive impact that social enterprises are delivering in communities around the world. To find out more about Active Citizens, join the group on Facebook.

Come back tomorrow to see the next inspiring film!