The King Khalid Foundation (KKF) and Mowgli Mentoring have collaborated to strengthen the growing social enterprise sector within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the provision of 360-degree mentoring, that will support the personal and professional development of social entrepreneurs. In addition, the EMCC accredited and award-winning mentoring organization built the capacity of Saudi mentors by instilling best mentoring practices and sharing experience which has been gained during Mowgli’s successful 10-year tenure.

Globally, the concept of social entrepreneurship is increasingly gaining momentum and positive attention as it combines commerce with social good, allowing entrepreneurs to go beyond profit to positively impacting communities and societies. Supporting these entrepreneurs therefore falls in line with KKF’s vision which is to have a Saudi society with equal opportunities, striving towards prosperity.

In this regard, and in alignment with KKF’s mission to mobilize and enable stakeholders, the foundation is interested in creating an ecosystem that adequately supports the unique needs of social entrepreneurs. To this effect, KKF collaborated with Mowgli Mentoring to implement the “Athar Mentoring” Program in order to build and increase the capacity of Saudi mentors, and equip them with the necessary tools to be able to provide mentorship, support and guidance to social entrepreneurs in the Kingdom. Matching mentors with social entrepreneurs and managing their mentorship relationships is a key benefit of this program.

To officially commence the mentoring program, Mowgli Mentoring delivered a 4-day workshop in King Khalid Foundation premises Riyadh which saw 14 professionals and business leaders trained as 360-degree mentors before being matched with 14 social entrepreneurs, providing both groups with the guidelines to build solid foundations for their 1–2–1 mentoring relationships. In addition, the matched pairs will be supported over a duration of 6-months, during which structured on-going support will be provided to ensure that trust-based and impactful mentoring relationships are developed.

Speaking on the program, Mowgli Mentoring’s CEO Kathleen Bury shared, “We see this program supporting the three themes in which the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 was built upon; developing a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation. By supporting social entrepreneurs, we’re working towards achieving the Kingdom’s economic aspirations of increasing SME GDP contribution from 20–30 percent by 2030. We are therefore excited to be back in Saudi Arabia and are honored to be working with the King Khalid Foundation in delivering this program, and building Saudi’s mentoring capacity to sustainably support changemakers and their surrounding ecosystems for years to come.”

With social entrepreneurship still being a new concept in the Kingdom and one that lacks proper structure and support, Mowgli is looking to re-introduce 360-degree mentoring as a vital and cost-effective means of empowering entrepreneurs. The key to developing entrepreneurship and fostering economic development lies in having a well-balanced ecosystem with equal investment in 4 key pillars, namely; environment (schooling, parenting), finance (working capital, debt and equity financing), infrastructure (incubators, accelerators, utilities and sound legal frameworks) and human capital development (mentoring, skills and knowledge development). Mowgli supports the latter and having successfully delivered 110+ mentoring programs across the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, they will continue to build the recognition of mentoring as a tool that supports long-term sustainable growth as it strengthens personal leadership and drives business growth, which contributes to the much sought after social and economic development.

About the King Khalid Foundation

King Khalid Foundation is a force for meaningful social change since its inception in 2001. As a leading philanthropic institution in Saudi Arabia, it supports the development of an equal Saudi society through the pursuit of progressive social and economic growth, underpinned by an active and effective nonprofit sector.

The foundation’s impact is focused on three areas — capacity building, policy and advocacy, and social investment — and is further leveraged through collaborations with nonprofit organizations, corporate partners and government agencies.

About Mowgli Mentoring

Mowgli Mentoring is a not-for-profit organization driving inclusive economic and social change in the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Mowgli’s unique, award-winning methodology provides a supportive framework which empowers entrepreneurs, corporate employees, women and youth to unlock their potential and seize new opportunities.

Over the past decade, Mowgli has worked with philanthropists, and local and international governmental and private sector partners to provide mentoring across 17 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and the UK.

Mowgli has trained more than a thousand mentors who have supported entrepreneurs (across all levels including micro, refugee and SMEs), leaders and corporate employees from all sectors. They create and ensure the retention of jobs, producing a significant economic and social return on investment.

As a recognized leader in the field of mentoring, the organization was awarded the European Quality Award by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council in 2016 for their program syllabus. In the region we received the Ta’atheer Employment Generation Award in 2016 and the Mohammed bin Rashid Best Mentor Network in the Region in 2012.