Articles by Sarah Karim

I found this article in YaleGlobal, written by our friend Rohini Nilekani, founder of Arghyam, an interesting read. It proposes that given the politics around water, a valuable lesson can be learned from the approach that has been taken (and mistakes that have been made) in managing oil, as the sector has had similar problems with demand management, appropriate pricing, pollution control and sustainability — and how it’s important to get the urban consumer involved in solving the problem.

The Chinese proverb in the article (“Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand”) that refers to local buy-in reminded me of our work in Thar, Pakistan, specifically and how Acumen Fund looks for creative solutions while increasing the ownership the poor have - and how when we speak of sharing knowledge, it’s not just with our partners and investors, but also with those with whom we work on the ground.

At the Acumen Fund Pakistan office, we’ve had a lot of discussions about the fact that AF has a lot of young, driven people behind it who are committed to making a difference. This is noticeable in Pakistan even in terms of the inspirational individuals with whom we work – from Roshaneh Zafar at Kashf to Jawad Aslam at Saiban. Given the above, I found this article in Newsweek International to be really interesting, especially as it notes that this social consciousness is increasingly becoming a common phenomenon in Asia – which I personally hope translates into more people engaging in entrepreneurial approaches to poverty.