Susan Salem
Nationality: Egyptian
Living in: Alexandria, Egypt - currently studying in London
Programmes: ELP 2011
An Arabisque Story
Over a year after the life-changing international leadership program, how did your life change? Mine did tremendously! In the International Leadership Program, I was taught to use what I know to try and serve the world, what I know is business and my community really needs all the helping hands they can get right now. So as a mean of active citizenship towards where I come from, here's another chapter in my story, www.Arabisque.org
We were asked in the ILP to think of what we are passionate about and what we can do about it. My passions towards Business, Making a Difference & the Arab World are what brought me to think of a way to where social progress can leverage on business models for a stronger impact. There are such beautiful initiatives started by nonprofit organizations all over the world that are unfortunately dependent on the luck of getting a grant in order to make a difference, thinking about why should money stop these initiates from helping make the world a better place, got me to think ''Let's make the money to make a difference!''
And that's how I came across social entrepreneurship, a field where businesses can help the community and then my life started to change with a career change by starting a social enterprise With a vision of contributing to the Socio-Economic progress of the Arab world starting with one business at a time, to market the trend of including charity in business models and promoting creative mindsets including Aspiring entrepreneurs, Small-to-medium enterprises and Nonprofit organizations to the international marketplace through e-commerce, donating a percentage of profits from each sale to create a sustainable fund to a community development project that addresses the two main blocks to development: Poverty & Ignorance.
For individuals, businesses provide a platform to actualize their full potential and provide training to sharpen personal and professional skills. On a community level, every business creates employment opportunities. As companies grows so too does the number of jobs. The dual power of business to develop individuals and communities has yet to be sufficiently tapped in the region.
The ILP lead me to discover my passion and I'm on an exciting road that started with winning 1st Prize in Regent's College best business idea contest so now I can't wait to know what'll happen next!