Syrian social enterprise takes center stage at Jusoor competition

Any questions about what drives Syria’s entrepreneurs were answered at the recently concluded Jusoor Entrepreneurship Competition in Los Angeles.

“We had a lot who were focused on social enterprise,” Dania Ismail, Jusoor cofounder and director of entrepreneurship, told Wamda.

“It was a bit different from what you would see in Jordan or the Gulf,” she continued. “In the Gulf or Jordan you see them focused on commercializing [their projects].”

Jusoor’s competition is similar to other entrepreneurship and startup contests. Entrepreneurs present their ideas to a panel of judges and hopefully pick up practical tips and advice along the way. The goal is to support and encourage all participants, not just the top finishers.

The Jusoor Entrepreneurship Competition, however, is open strictly to Syrian entrepreneurs. It was organized by Jusoor, an NGO founded by expatriate Syrians nearly four years ago, when Syria’s conflict was in its early stages.

Priority on Syria’s youth

The NGO focused on education when it began in 2011. More than 150 Syrian students in North America are now on Jusoor scholarships.

Jusoor launched its first Syrian refugee education center in Lebanon about a year and a half ago. That program now has more than 1,500 students between the Bekaa Valley and Beirut. The goal is to raise their educational level to that of their Lebanese peers so they can enroll in Lebanese schools, Ismail said.

Still, Ismail and her fellow cofounders felt they could do more for Syria’s youth.

Original article by Antoine Abou-Diwan

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Syrian social enterprise takes center stage at Jusoor competition