"It is important for me to give back to society," says Zubair Ahmed, a young Indian entrepreneur who knew that the best way to help his community was to start a successful business. Back in 2015, Zubair had tried to get his computer business off the ground, but he wasn't able to scrape together enough cash to satisfy India's minimum capital requirement—which meant that in order to incorporate, a mandatory minimum of 100,000 Indian rupees (about $1,400) must be deposited in the bank.
For small entrepreneurs like Zubair, it was enough to kill his dream. But thanks to Centre for Civil Society, a New Delhi-based Atlas Network partner,Zubair is making his dreams come alive.
It's been such a pleasure to have you along for the ride as ourDoing Development Differentlyfilmmakers have visited Costa Rica, Peru, Argentina, Nepal, and India. In the last few weeks, the team has been shooting new footage in Ukraine and Lithuania—so there's more to come! So far, more than 3 million people have seen the series, and it's so exciting to be able to tell real stories of real people whose lives are changed when local leaders are working to remove barriers to progress—such as minimum capital requirements—that keep people from thriving.
We're also gearing up for the November 1 release ofPoverty & Freedom, a new book edited by Atlas Network President Matt Warner, that illustrates how economic freedom must be at the center of any viable poverty reduction strategy—and that local, independent think tanks like Centre for Civil Society can and should play an important role in leading this approach. Centre for Civil Society's "Leveraging Indices for Free Enterprise" (LIFE) project, which was instrumental in ending the minimum capital requirement, is one of Poverty & Freedom's 13 featured case studies that is creating opportunity and prosperity for all.
Thanks again for your investment in Atlas Network. With your help, we are reaching millions of people with real-world stories of how economic freedom is helping to end poverty and bring hope to people all around the world. (And if you'd like to support our efforts and the work of our partners, you can make a donationhere).
Stay tuned for our next video—we're heading back to Nepal!
Cheers,
Melissa Melissa Mann
Vice President of Communications
Atlas Network
Melissa Mann