We recently connected with Miss Rizwana and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Miss thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
The SOL Foundation is a non-profit organization that is devoted to improving the lives of underserved communities around the world. By providing access to education, training, and other resources, they are helping to create a better future for those in need. Through the global initiatives, we are helping to create a more equitable and prosperous society for all. From providing educational opportunities in rural areas of Africa to providing environmental based training services in India, the SOL Foundation is dedicated to making sure that everyone has access to the resources they need for success. Our work is making a real difference in the lives of people who may not otherwise have access to these resources.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I joined The SOL Foundation as an ED, upon its inception, which was in 2018. We started our research with the intention of connecting to the environment. While our paperwork was processing, lockdown occurred, leaving us stranded. We shifted our focus to assisting orphanages and communities in need across the world by educating kids about local agricultural and environmental science.
Covid made us realize that not everyone in this world has equal access to necessary resources, so we decided to step in and become the voice of the under served communities, which are largely made of poor people, women from abused homes, girls that are runaways and/or human trafficking, orphans, and individuals with disabilities.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
While we were aware that it would be challenging, culture shock was undoubtedly unprepared. We encountered challenges in nations like Kenya and Bangladesh due to language barriers, cultural differences, customs, and disparate legal systems.
Making sure the communities we deal with have access to everything in their own nation is not simple. We have all experienced the want to give up many times, especially now that collecting donations has become nearly hard for us because of Covid and inflation.
We are only able to continue because, upon seeing these orphans and young children, we understand that we are their sole source of sustenance, education, and food.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Numerous things have to be both unlearned and relearned. We are fortunate to reside in a nation where everyone has access to a wide range of resources.
However, much of the world doesn’t operate that way or the way we prefer; instead, each region has its own customs and laws, with which we may or may not agree, but which we must nevertheless respect and follow.
Unbelievably, there are approximately 8 billion+ perspectives because we now recognize that there are more than 8 billion+ people in the planet. Although we may or may not agree with them, we have no right to categorize someone simply because their opinions differ from our own.
That was the most important lesson I had to learn, and I came to understand that thinking is everything if we want to change the world for the better.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.the-sol-foundation.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesol_foundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesolfoundationorg
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesolfoundation/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_solf_org
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCReEOrM58AIFTFRUf3mllPQ
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesolfoundation?
- Blog: https://the-sol-foundation.blogspot.com/
- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thesolfoundation