#BridgingTheGap Volume IV: Building Digital Literacy and Mental Resilience. A Workshop for Female Microentrepreneurs

Building on its long-standing mission of sustainable community development, CBS-LUMS launched the fourth volume of its flagship programme “#BridgingTheGap: Workshop Series for Female Microentrepreneurs”.  Launched in 2022 in partnership with Kaarvan Crafts Foundation, each volume is rooted in a distinct thematic focus which aims at skill development of microentrepreneurs hailing from the product & service industry in various districts of Punjab. 

The fourth volume of the programme titled “#BridgingTheGap Volume IV: Building Digital Literacy Skills & Mental Resilience” was held on May 19-20, 2024, in the Suleman Dawood School of Business-LUMS. Understanding the pertinent need of stress management and understanding mental health, especially for the strata comprising of women microentrepreneurs who have to navigate tough terrains in the socio-economic fabric of the community, this workshop broadened its thematic focus to build for a more holistic foundation of knowledge-sharing and learning. 
Thus, the two-day programme comprised of sessions focusing on key digital marketing components i.e. Whatsapp Business, Facebook, and Instagram. Furthermore, an exclusive session on Stress Management was led by Counselling & Psychological Services at LUMS. 

Owing to its framework of reciprocal learning, CBS onboarded 10 students from the graduate programmes at SDSB-LUMS. The students were selected in the roles of Volunteer Presenter and Volunteer Coaches. Dr. Misbah Tanveer (Faculty Director, CBS) was the Faculty Lead of the programme. The beneficiaries of the cycle were 30 female microentrepreneurs from the product industry, belonging to various districts such as Lahore, Multan, DG Khan, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur. The workshop offers a one-of-a-kind experience to its participants of reciprocal learning in which, the microentrepreneurs get valuable coaching lessons on key business skills, while the LUMS students also have much to learn from the lives of these artisans and how they have built their businesses amidst their own personal struggles. 

“Such programmes are a key enabler of grassroot development and play an immensely important role in women empowerment through skills development for their economic liberation. We have far more to learn from the microentrepreneurs, than they from us.” – Dr. Fazal Jawad Seyyed (Dean, SDSB-LUMS)

“The most heartwarming thing in this entire programme is the dedication that every individual involved, puts into making these two days an enriching and enlightening experience through not only key knowledge sharing but also the mannerisms of interactions”. – Danish Khan (CEO, Kaarvan Crafts Foundation). 

The programme concluded with a certificate and shield distribution ceremony, and an exhibition showcasing the products of the microentrepreneurs.