As a keystone provides strength and stability to an arch, allowing for a structure to be built higher and stronger, Keystone initiatives are those that we in Samdani Consulting feel have the potential to contribute significantly to the overall development of society.
Keystone initiatives usually begin as ambitious ideas, interesting concepts, imaginative opportunities or simply as wishful dreams. In some cases, it could be an existing initiative that has lacked the necessary capacity or resources to be fully realized. These are explored and elaborated with a careful assessment of the context, stakeholders, risks and opportunities, and a clear concept is developed that leads to a concrete plan of action to help make the imagined a reality.
With our current focus in Pakistan due to our local presence and deep experience, Samdani Consulting will develop such proposals through dialogue with all core stakeholders and work to link them with likeminded partners to provide the necessary technical and financial resources that may be required.

The core principles of a Keystone Initiative are that they need to be sustainable (very likely to continue even after external support ends), ownership (sincere local partnerships are the basis for any successful development initiative), and relevant (the need for the initiative is clear and demonstratable). Keystone initiatives, once initiated, will thus be led and managed by the stakeholders themselves with Samdani Consulting providing advisory or management support if so required.

We have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a national educational institute to begin work on what is to be our first such initiative. While an MOU represents the maturation of the exploration stage of the initiative, we have now begun to design this initiative, create a coalition of partners with the necessary technical and financial resources required. We hope to initiate implementation in the coming year.