Empowerment thru Creative Integration (ECI) is a Pakistan-based capacity development organization with a mission to create 'change-makers' who promote socio-economic transformation. The organization has over twenty years of national and international experience in strategic planning, institutional development, project design and implementation. The organization focuses its work on four thematic areas of expertise: livelihood and enterprise development; gender mainstreaming; good governance; and institutional development.
Born in 1989 as a sole proprietorship and home based enterprise, ECI was set up to serve the development sector as a private sector Business Development Service Provider (BDSP) and in 2004, ECI was registered as a Private Limited Firm with the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) . From 2006-09, ECI channelled its profits towards establishing its own offices and residential training facilities in Barakaho, Islamabad as well as building a cadre of trainees and associates across Pakistan. Today, ECI Associates of 200 male and female grass-roots professionals represent the organization's most valuable resource, physically based in over 40 districts of Pakistan. Together with this team, ECI is proud to claim a project outreach that spans over 85 districts across all four provinces of the country. In addition to Pakistan, ECI has extended organizational services to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sudan and Uganda.
As a learning, and knowledge creating organization, ECI is constantly identifying and implementing national and international best practices for Enterprise
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To keep enterprise development efforts current and anchored to field realities, ECI undertakes field based action research. Currently, ECI is working with 3400 farmers in 10 districts, 5000 women in four districts in Balochistan, and 105 Industrial Training Centers (ITCs) in 16 districts of NWFP.
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The organization subscribes to the ‘Value Chain Approach to Economic Development’, that emphasizes the importance of market-based solutions towards development problems. This approach is now used in design and implementation of all economic development projects and programmes.
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ECI undertakes Value Chain Research studies. To date ECI has assessed the following sub-sectors: Embellished Fabric, Marble Mosaic, Gems & Jewelry, Dates, Pottery, Livestock and Dairy.
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The organization has a specialized thematic focus in Agribusiness. ECI’s work in this area includes creation and strengthening of Farmer Enterprise Groups (FEGs) as well as development of farm-focused enterprise and skills training material.
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Design & development of training curriculum is an organizational expertise. ECI’s extensive resource library has over fifty training curriculums for specialized audiences including: youth, non-literate individuals, women as well as vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities and the poorest of the poor.
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ECI works towards creating and strengthening capacity of grassroots organizations to deliver business development services . To date, thirteen such organizations have been registered in Haripur, Charsadda, Peshawar, Islamabad, Vehari, Chakwal, Mansehra and Nowshera.
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ECI designs and implements cascade enterprise development training programs, where a module is developed, lead or master trainers are trained, and then rolled-out to thousands of end beneficiaries across Pakistan.
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In addition to Enterprise Development, ECI’s organization expertise also includes gender mainstreaming, good governance and institutional capacity building .
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The Mera Maan Training Centre , situated at the banks of the Korang River, just out of Islamabad, is ECI’s residential training facility. This purpose-built facility caters to the development sector as well as corporate clients and provides a beautiful, serene and secluded venue where participants can treat
