Client Name

Bondh-e-Shams

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Usman Nazir

SBS Thought Leadership Areas

Behavioural Studies

SBS Thought Leadership Area Justification

The "Entrepreneurship and Innovation" thought leadership area is relevant to our Experiential Learning Project because we intend to support the work of Bondh-e-Shams, a social enterprise, the concept which relies on the solar-powered innovative approach to managing one of the most pertinent issues affecting Pakistan today clean drinking water (SDG 6). Key products of the organization, such as OASIS Box and Hand Pump, are examples of frugal Innovation and scalable impact, particularly where it is needed the most, i.e., under-served, rural areas.

Being a student group, together with Bondh-e-Shams, we created a strategic roadmap of CSR and partnership engagement to reach corporations that hold the values of sustainability, water accessibility, and renewable energy (SDGs 6, 7, and 13). This involved over 600 company outreach, development of corporate communication and shaping of partnership proposals which posed the solution of the NGO as both socially-benefiting and innovative.

The practice we did not only illuminated the entrepreneurial nature of a mission-driven startup but also offered us effective ideas to place its technological innovation to fit into the CSR context of Pakistan and elsewhere as well. This goes hand in hand with IBA vision to drive sustainable and practice improvement business solutions by being innovative and strategic-minded.

Aligned SDGs

GOAL 1: No Poverty

Aligned SDGs Justification

This project undertaken by us in alliance with Bondh-e-Shams falls under SDG 3- Good Health and Well-being as it helps in making clean drinking water reach the beneficiary and this will help decrease the number of water-borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera and typhoid to a great extent. The solar energy of the OASIS Boxes and the hand pumps have both direct impacts on health of communities, particularly those underserved areas where contaminated water is one of the main causes of disease and deaths in children.

The project addresses the SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, which is under immense demand in Pakistan since safe water is not readily accessible to the population. Water technologies Sustainable and solar-powered water systems developed by Bondh-e-Shams offer decentralized water to marginalized populations in a manner that heightens their water security and dignity

In tandem with SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy, Bondh-e-Shams makes use of the sun as the fundamental technology and provides an alternative energy solution to the conventional energy system and decreases reliance on diesel or electric pumps that supply water.

The activity satisfies SDG 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities as well, as it helps to develop resilience and infrastructure of peri-urban and rural settlements. The project enables fair distribution of water especially in the climate-vulnerable regions, which improves the living standards and significantly relieves urban stress.

Climate Action SDG 13, the project promotes the work of low-carbon, renewable technologies and awareness with stakeholders on the information on climate-resilient development solutions in relation to CSR. We focused our outreach to customers based on environmental implication of doing business with Bondh-e-Shams

Lastly, our project also entirely fits the SDG 17-Partnerships for the Goals, since our primary focus was creating CSR and funding partnerships between Bondh-e-Shams and the corporates. We have established contact with more than 600 organizations, which allowed the prospect of long-term strategic alliances that facilitated a lasting impact

NDA

Yes

Abstract

Bondh-e-Shams is a social enterprise addressing Pakistan’s water scarcity through solar-powered water filtration technology. This Experiential Learning Project (ELP) aimed to develop corporate partnerships and CSR support for Bondh-e-Shams’ Solar Water Project, which directly contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation) and SDG 7 (Affordable & Clean Energy), while yielding climate co-benefits aligned with SDG 13 (Climate Action). We conducted outreach to corporations and held fifteen meetings with domestic and international companies to pitch the solar-powered clean water mission. The Results detail each meeting’s feedback and how each company’s CSR response aligns (or not) with SDG priorities. Key findings indicate that companies with CSR agendas or sustainability commitments overlapping Bondh-e-Shams’ focus on clean water and renewable energy were receptive but required additional information (e.g., on tax benefits, impact metrics), whereas others lacking alignment or constrained by ongoing commitments were less inclined. The Discussion analyzes these outcomes in the context of corporate CSR trends and SDG alignment, noting barriers such as mismatched priorities, timing (budget cycles), and due diligence requirements. Recommendations are provided for Bondh-e-Shams to enhance future partnership development: emphasizing SDG alignment in proposals, targeting companies whose CSR focuses on water, energy, or climate, and preparing tailored documentation (tax incentive details, impact reports, legal compliance) to address corporate partners’ concerns. Visual evidence of meetings (collated screenshots and photos) is included as Appendix D, and the outreach communication templates (initial cold email and follow-up email) are provided in Appendix E. Overall, this project demonstrates the challenges and opportunities in mobilizing corporate support for an SDG driven social innovation, concluding that strategic alignment with corporate CSR goals and global sustainability frameworks are critical for fostering successful partnerships

Document Type

Restricted Access

Document Name for Citation

Experiential Learning Project

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