“I would like to invite impact investors to look at the region as an opportunity for revival” 

After 20 years of leading effective capacity building across social enterprises in the MENA regional through venture philanthropy, Alfanar are now launching the first regional impact investment fund for the Arab world, aimed for investing in scalable enterprises matching purpose with profit. Richard Mullane caught up with Alfanar Country Director for Lebanon Maya Rahal at the Impact Europe Bilbao conference to find out how Alfanar have managed to support so many brilliant start-ups, delivering critical social and environmental solutions, often under extreme circumstances, including:

- Stories from flourishing regional Social enterprises across edtech, circular fashion and culture

- What it takes to stay working towards positive solutions in zones devastated by conflict 

- How Alfanar select enterprises and help them transform from being reliant on philanthropy to being self-sustaining

- Lessons learned from 20 years on the ground for other global venture philanthropists 

- How Maya made the journey from being a journalist and communications expert to an Impact leader

- Why the relationships between funds and enterprises can be like a marriage, the social ingredients that make Lebanon such a special place to live, tips for staying grounded and healthy - and more!

“It’s rare for you to be in a job when you can actually see the results in people’s faces”

Alfanar Venture Philanthropy

Alfanar: Tabshoura: Digitising education across Lebanon and the region 

Alfanar: Fabricaid - Socially and environmentally conscious value chain for the apparel industry: optimizing the collection, sorting, up-cycling, and resale of secondhand clothesd 

Alfanar: Inaash - dedicated to improving the lives of women in the Palestinian refugee camps of Lebanon, while preserving the embroidery culture and tradition

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#venturephilanthropy #socialenterprise #menaimpactfund

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