Yesterday we asked for your support and you delivered!
Ismailimail is most grateful to our readers for the outpouring of support to help Salima reach her goal.
Over 450 amazing people exercised their commitment to making a world of difference. Salima has reached and exceeded her target of $40,000.
We bring you one of her remarkable moments pitching the Soular Backpack at the Global Social Business Summit. Watch the YouTube video below, following her picture with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
November 29th, 2014: The Soular Backpack being introduced at the Global Social Business Summit 2014, hosted by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus in Mexico City. November 29th, 2014. Among the audience was Professor Muhammad Yunus, 700 delegates and Fortune 500 CEOs.
About the Soular Backpack
Over the past 6 months, I designed and put together The Soular Backpack, which would allow kids in rural areas to leverage the power of the sun on their long walks to and from school every day.
The backpack would have a solar panel on it, whose storage battery would later connect to an LED lamp, hence allowing children in rural areas, who have no access to electricity or who use kerosene, to study through the night. 3-4 hours in the sun would result in 7-8 hours of light.
The first prototype has been manufactured.
About Salima Visram
From the age of 4, my parents ensured that my siblings and I understood the complexities of poverty, and that as I grew as an individual and learnt more about the world, I also needed to ensure that the people around me, grew too. Every year since I was very young, I would collect the money I got for my birthday and sponsor an additional child’s lunch for the entire year at the Kikambala Primary School, until a feeding program was introduced.
When I was 12, I formed a social business entity which employed local women from the Kikambala village to make jewelry that I designed. This was sold at a local boutique, and the money raised went towards funding a girls’ choir, so that they could develop a talent and passion, giving them an incentive to stay in school and not turn to child prostitution. Two years later, this choir stood first nationally in all categories at the Kenya Music Festival.
Since then, I have had the opportunity to implement projects with UNICEF, Microsoft and the Government of Kenya, and carried out initiatives in healthcare, education and childrens’ rights.
In 2010, I was invited by Her Highness Suzanne Mubarak to attend the “End Human Trafficking” Conference in Egypt, among delegates such as His Highness the Aga Khan.
This exposed me to child trafficking and modern day slavery, which is a reality for millions of children who do not have an income, or an education to fall back on. The Soular Backpack is an intervention that can break this cycle.
Via Indiegogo | The Soular Backpack
Earlier & Related about Salima Visram from the Ismailimail Archives:
 |
Spirit of Service: Forbes features Salima Visram, Transforming Lives In Kenya With Solar-Powered Backpacks - Support Salima reach her goal, with less than 2 days to go she is shy… |
 |
Salima Visram: As she grows, so grow the people around her - Life is not easy for the 22,000 inhabitants of the Kikambala village just outside Mombasa,… |
 |
Salima Visram’s Indiegogo Campaign: The Soular Backpack - A backpack that channels the energy of the sun into creating a brighter future for… |
 |
Mahmud Visram – family owns the SUN N SAND BEACH RESORT - Mahmud Visram’s family owns the SUN N SAND BEACH RESORT, a 5 star, 600 bed… |
Earlier & Related on Women & Leadership at Ismailimail
![Tajik women teach veiled Afghan women how to bake traditional bread in a tandoor oven in Darvoz, Tajikistan, in June. [Central Asia Online/Nadin Bahrom]](https://ismailimail.blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/tajik-women-teach-afghan-women-life-skills.jpg?w=150)
Be the First to Know – Join Ismailimail
Get breaking news related to the Ismaili Imamat, the world wide Ismaili Muslim community and all their creativity, endeavors and successes.
Inspired? Share the story
Want to inspire? Send your stories to us at Ismailimail@gmail.com
Subscribe and join 20,000 + other individuals – Subscribe now!
Ismailimail 