Sohaib Arif

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Social Entrepreneurship Individual Assignment

Personal Diary about positive news
Date /
2020 Day Diary Entry

April

6 Monday I read up online that a 99-year-old woman from Italy completely recovered
from Corona virus. A much-needed positive news.
7 Tuesday I learnt that the university society I reside in setup a fund to ensure that the
sanitary staff is looked after during the epidemic.
8 Wednesday I managed to secure full marks in an online course I am taking from
Coursea. Moreover, I started learning Google Analytics.
9 Thursday A female student from LUMS too the initiative to start a ration drive in her
city, Layyah. This was inspirational for all of us.
10 Friday I was pleasantly surprised to note that the peach tree within our home – that
had not given any fruit for quite some time – had started growing little
flowers.
11 Saturday Our business communication group managed to secure the second highest
marks for a project. We sent a thank you note to the local entrepreneur who
aided us it.
12 Sunday One of my friends managed to get into the EC of a society in LUMS. I am
glad that he got rewarded for all the hard work he had put in.

I completed a beginner’s course about google analytics. This would help me

in my endeavor to explore the field of data analytics further. Moreover, it
Weekly review would also help me in my aim to start my own website during the lockdown
period. This could be in the form of a I started a course called ‘Business
Metrics for Data Driven Companies’ on Coursea. This course will enable
me to learn a few critical business analytics tools. It is also a requisite for a
business analytics certification. I also managed to buy ration from my
savings for individuals who cannot afford it. I plan on distributing it after
identifying a few families that are in need for it. Even though online
learning is a novel experience, I have managed to learn a few skills –
especially from my Decision Analysis course. I am slightly concerned about
people not completely abiding by the lockdown protocols. We need to
realize that social distancing is the only way through which we can tackle
this issue – especially considering the lack of a vaccine at this point in time.
13 Monday We got a news that the two guards within the university who got tested for
corona got their results back. It was negative!
14 Tuesday My siblings decided to divide up the chore within the house to ensure that
our parents didn’t have to do anything on their own.
15 Wednesday I cleared the second quiz for the online course I was taking on Coursea –
again with full marks.
16 Thursday The weather here was extremely pleasant today. If anything, the lockdown
has had a positive impact on our environment.
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17 Friday Since we had given our gardener a paid leave, I decided to look after the
plants.
18 Saturday I was relieved to see that there had been a decrease in the number of cases
within district Gujrat. Hope this persists!
19 Sunday I got in touch with an old classmate from Quetta. I was delighted to find out
that he was in a renowned university abroad on a 100% scholarship.
It is noticeable to see the impact that the lockdown has had on the
environment. It makes me wonder how much we pollute it on a daily basis
and for how long can we sustain it. I noticed that the birds and other stray
Weekly review animals have difficulty in foraging for food due to limited waste outside. So,
I have asked my parents and neighbors to feed these animals and birds the
leftovers so that they do not starve. The pandemic has brought communities
together in the sense that they are actively trying to help another. Globally,
this week experienced a rapid increase in the number of positive cases of
COVID-19 which is incredibly worrying. The fact that developed countries
like U.S and Italy are suffering the most makes me worry a lot about what
can possibly happen in developing countries such as ours.
20 Monday I have managed to successfully take good care of the flower bed within our
garden which is now in full bloom. The peach tree is also doing good. Hope
it brings fruit this time around.
21 Tuesday We came across our old VCR that has a large number of videos from our
childhood. All our family members got together in the evening to watch
them. It felt good to relive the past.
22 Wednesday I have been doing the dishes for over a week now. It is interesting how
washing dishes can be so therapeutic.
23 Thursday While the number of COVID-19 cases throughout the world are increasing, I
was delighted to know that New Zealand had effectively dealt with the crisis
and had minimum cases.
24 Friday Since it is Jumma and it is advised not to go to the mosque to pray, we
decided to pray together at home. My father has a beautiful oratory voice.
25 Saturday A close family friend who had contracted corona was about to be discharged
from the hospital. This was a relieving and motivating news.
26 Sunday I finally managed to complete all my pending assignments for the week.
Considering that the house help had been given a paid leave because of the
pandemic, I had decided to look after our garden. Even though I had little
prior experience of tending to a garden, YouTube tutorials and internets
have helped a lot. I managed to trim the hedges and the flower beds
Weekly review properly. I also discovered quite a few birds nest in strange places. It is
incredibly refreshing to see your efforts bearing fruit in the form of
blooming flowers and fresh grass. I have been particularly attentive towards
this peach tree, hoping that it gives off fruits this time around. With each
passing day comes the gloomy news of increased COVID-19 cases within
the country, especially in Gujrat district. I hope that the healthcare facilities
here is sufficient in dealing with the increased number of patients
effectively.
27 Monday I finished the third quiz for the course I was taking on Coursea. Now I need
to complete one assignment to have the certification.
28 Tuesday I had a productive online meeting with my Decision Analysis group. Since
most of the group members are my friends, it was nice to see them all.
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29 Wednesday A junior from my college messaged me to tell me that he got admitted into
LUMS. I was glad to see how excited he was about this opportunity.
30 Thursday I finished the final assignment for the course I had taken on Coursea. It will
take a day or two to learn whether I got the certification or not.

May

1 Friday Since it was our mother’s birthday today, we decided to make Aftaar and
bake her a cake. She was incredibly happy with the effort we had put in.
2 Saturday I got the certification for successfully completing my first course on
Coursea. I’m planning on starting another after the finals.
3 Sunday I finished ‘The Plague’ by Albert Camus that I had started reading after the
outbreak. It was an incredibly moving story and highlighted the importance
of living in the moment and being happy for what you have.

I managed to successfully complete my first Coursea course and got the

certification from Duke University. This course was instrumental in
providing me with a nuanced perspective of not only the metrics that are
Weekly review instrumental for data analytics, but also about how data can be used to
improve the efficiency of a company. I also got done with nearly all my
course projects for this semester. These projects helped me in learning a
wide range of skills which will aid me in both my personal and professional
life. Since the finals week is about to begin, workload has increased. This
coupled with Ramadan has made me change my schedule a bit. This week, I
went out to buy rations for our family and for charity and was incredibly
worried to see how the underprivileged were struggling through this
pandemic. It made me realize the responsibly individuals such as myself
have to ensure that these people are properly looked after.
The peach tree has finally started giving fruits! I had to make arrangements
4 Monday for a few branches since they had come dangerously close to the ground.
5 Tuesday Distributed ratio in a local community. It was a humbling experience and
made me realize how blessed I am and the responsibilities I have.
6 Wednesday My younger sister had her first roza of this ramazan. Seeing her so happy
warmed my heart. I also learnt that my close friend was made the President
of his society.
7 Thursday I read that Italy, one of the most affected nations from COVID-19, had
started to flatten the curve gradually.
8 Friday I got done with all my projects for this semester. I learnt quite a few tools
through these projects.
9 Saturday I had managed to complete read half of the Holy Quran for this Ramazan –
with translation.
10 Sunday We finally plucked the fruits from the peach tree. I distributed a portion of
these within our neighborhood.
Despite the fact that this semester did not go to plan due to the pandemic, I
am glad of the fact that I took this course, Social Entrepreneurship. This
course practically taught me how to set up and run a social enterprise, how
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to collaborate with various stakeholders and how to bring about a positive

Weekly review change within the society. We managed to create an enterprise that had
originally planned on opening dream rooms but couldn’t execute it due to
the pandemic. However, our group members decided that we will open at
least one dream room as soon as the pandemic is over. I was taken aback by
the new fee structure that the university had implemented, especially during
such a time. It is distressing to see that this revision had taken place with
little student body input, especially considering that they are the ones most
affected by this. However, I am glad that students are raising their voice
against it and hopefully the administration will revise its decision.

Individual Intervention
A few weeks into the lockdown, I noticed that the birds, the stray cats, and dogs had started
behaving a little strangely. Whenever I took some food – leftovers and seeds – out to feed the
birds, they would come in a swarm and gobble it up in seconds. I even noticed that the
number of birds that came to eat the food had increased a lot. Moreover, the stray cats and
dogs would sneak into various houses just to find something to eat. This made me realize that
because of the lockdown, there was a severe reduction in the amount of food that was wasted
and thrown out. Consequently, animals that relied on this food for survival were now
struggling. I decided to do something to ensure that these animals are properly fed. It was
impossible for me to feed them on my own since they were quite a lot. I suddenly hit upon a
unique idea. I asked my parents whether they could contact the neighborhood and ask them to
collect their leftovers for the day in a bag and leave it outside their homes at night. Every
night at around 12 AM, I would make rounds around the neighborhood, collecting the
leftover food. I had noticed that the sweepers still came to the university each morning. So, I
contacted the relevant personnel within the university administration and requested them to
ask the sweepers to collect the gathered leftovers from our house. I requested them to take
that food to the nearby ground where most of the stray animals roamed about and leave it
there for them. Thankfully, everyone agreed, and we managed to ensure that the stray dogs
and cats are properly looked after. As far as the birds were concerned, a few people from my
neighborhood collected some money and bought a large amount of seeds which were then
distributed to the entire neighborhood. We asked them to scatter the seeds on the roofs each
morning, along with a plate full of water for the birds. This intervention also aided me in
getting to know my neighborhood better – something I wasn’t able to do due to being away
from home for majority of the year. It also made me realize the immense potential
community work has within Pakistan. The fact that people were so receptive towards this
idea and played their part in making it happen was indictive of the goodwill and kindness that
is common within our society. In a few days, other kids from the neighborhood joined in the
efforts. We even managed to expand our domain and started feeding animals that were
outside the university’s vicinity. I was glad to see a number of people who were willing to
keep this work going when I was occupied with my assignments and exams.
The main lesson that I learnt from this individual intervention was the importance of taking
initiative. I realized that our society has immense potential to do good. It is just that we need
a little push, a little inspiration to leave a positive impact on not just our lives, but the lives of
countless others. I have learnt how to take a lead and act upon any positive impulse I have,
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irrespective of what others might make of it in the beginning. I have also learnt the
importance of collaborating with others and inspiring others to do good. I plan on continuing
this intervention even after the pandemic by hopefully opening up an animal shelter within
the university.