Similarly a low-cost engineering and construction enterprise, Ghonsla, was set up in the aftermath of Pakistan’s devastating earthquake in 2005. With 73,000 people killed and large parts of its cities and villages destroyed in the north by the disaster, the plight of 2.5 million people left homeless hung in the balance.
While carrying out field work during this time Zehra Ali, the company’s founder, saw a demand for sustainable, greener insulation for the housing solutions being offered to those affected by the earthquake.
“Since our product is linked directly with making people’s homes more comfortable in the winter and reducing consumption of fuel wood, it provided a part of the solution to reducing indoor smoke,” Ali explained.
In the coming months she is looking into increasing production and collaborating with another insulation firm based in Germany while working locally to increase the company’s footprint in Pakistan’s northern district of Chitral, a scenic yet underdeveloped area bordering the Himalayas.
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/oct/10/social-enterprise-is-an-emerging-force-in-pakistan