Deputy First Minister John Swinney has joined entrepreneurs in India to announce further support for social enterprises.
The second round of Scotland:India Impact Link will help five Indian social entrepreneurs with direct financial support. Once again, twelve finalists will join the five entrepreneurs to receiving mentoring from Scottish social enterprises and gaining access to the Social Enterprise Academy India leadership programme.
Speaking in Delhi, Mr Swinney said
"Scotland has a great reputation for supporting and developing social enterprises and it is our responsibility as good global citizens to share that expertise. Social entrepreneurs have the power to transform communities as many enterprises focus on early intervention on tough issues.
I am proud that the Scottish Government is able to support them. There is also much we can still learn, especially in India where social enterprise growth has been rapid in recent years and the challenges faced are very different to our own."
Representatives from five companies that received funding and mentoring during the first round of the programme were present at the event in Delhi.
Eshan Sadasivan, CEO at Prosoc Innovators, which develops products to support people out of poverty, explained that the support the company received during Round 1 helped him understand how to be a better leader and improve as a Manager.
Khwaab Welfare Trust, which provides support to low-income women, used its Round 1 funding to double the number of women it could train, helping them and their families, as well as to sustain its operation.
Sam Baumber, Managing Director of Social Enterprise Academy International CIC, said,
"Accelerating impact-driven enterprises aims to help increase the sustainability of organisations leading change, and also develop the capacity of the people taking the difficult responsibility of stepping up to change the world.
With Impact Link, we are delighted that the Scottish Government is helping build connections between a global team of people working towards Sustainable Development Goals, sharing challenges, advice and focusing our efforts on doing things differently. We have lots to learn from each other - and the world needs us to work together."
Read more about Mr Swinney's visit to India here