Babur Jahid is a young entrepreneur from Afghanistan. He has multiple ambitions to solve social problems in society. He is still a student at Carleton, taking Health Sciences and Biology. Babur hopes that he will make it to Harvard University, his dream institution, to study MBA.

He has already secured an opportunity with his Afghanistan government. Babur Jahid is only 22 years old, and he has accomplished many things. His passion for social entrepreneurship drove him to innovate creative eyeglasses for his people. As a result, they are very clean, affordable, and reliable compared to other manufacturers.

Babur Jahid has promised to make the world better by using his school knowledge. Instead, he should use the scholarship he secured in a higher institution in the USA to create solutions for his country.

You See Clear

The startup “You See Clear “was launched in November 2021. He has maximum support from the 1125@Charlton Social program. The startup has been in operation since December. In addition, the Carlton innovation club selected 11 students, Babur Jahid being one of them, for a fellowship cohort.

According to the WHO, 1.5 million people in Afghanistan are visually impaired while others 400,000 are blind. Every year, 25,000 citizens in the country lose their sight. This condition affects women than men.

Many people are illiterate in Afghanistan hence minimal healthcare and education. There is a need to create awareness about the best way to protect ourselves. The burden of this condition has risen to around $100 million. Most people lose track of earning a living when they develop sight challenges. It’s a developing country and such conditions tempers with its economy.

Jahid was very privileged to use his skills in the fellowship program to bring “You See Clear” into an opportunity. His project has done well and is very promising. He has a positive attitude to change the vision care industry in Afghanistan. In addition to this, he wants to bring dignity and hope to the country. In every decade, Afghanistan is experiencing fierce wars. This problem destroys the economic, political, and social pillars.

Early childhood life

I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. During the same period, the Taliban had overtaken the government. My parents were very lucky to fly to Pakistan. Unfortunately, we experienced political violence on the way because my father had some different roles in the government.

In one situation, I remember my father being beaten in front of my family when he was buying drugs at chemistry. Furthermore, my sisters also passed the same oppression while taking me to school. Although life was tough in Pakistan, my mother made sure I attended the English class lessons.

After four years in Pakistan, my father decided we go back to our country. But, unfortunately, the war was still on. We couldn’t stay there for a long time, and we managed to go back to Pakistan. It took almost five years when we had nowhere to go but to return to our homeland.

Luckily, we had an Afghan-American family friend who enlightened my parents about the American school found in Kabul. The tuition fee was very high, almost $1300 US, so my family could not afford it. The friend promised to pay 10% of the free, as the rest was covered by a scholarship I earned. Most of the students in the school were children of high-ranking government officials and diplomats. Yet, I managed to study.

The school had a positive impact on my life. I sacrificed a lot to make sure am on top of the class. I translated a book by Ann Frank, “The Diary of Young Girl,” from English to Dari language. That made me secure a lot of academic awards in the school. That was the moment I took education as a life-changing path.

My family was still under threat from the Taliban. Although I was young, I served as the protector because of the engagement I had with my school. I joined a harmony band to raise money for an American charity organization to support girls’ education. The Taliban had banned females from accessing schools, and this fundraising was very risky.

In 2012, I got a scholarship to Virginia for an exchange visiting program. After that, my parents moved to Toronto, where they were blessed with jobs. So I managed to move to Canada as a refuge to study. Finally, in 2013, I was done with my high school education.

In Toronto, I met various friends and relatives who had studied at Carleton. So when the letter for different institutions came, I chose Carleton over the rest. My cousin, Ottawa, had studied there, so he prepared me mentally and physically. 2014 was my year to join the institution and take a biology and Health sciences course. The field has a real connection to the government. It is mainly studied by those who aspire to take the government’s roles.

This was the chance I was praying for. In my first year, I was very focused on my classes. My interest in learning more about health policy and lifestyle was deep. I also concentrated more on how cancer cells affect the body.

A friend introduced me to the 1125@Carleton challenge in my second year. This is a club that facilitates any research done by the student. In addition, they aim to bring ideas to life by supporting their community. Through the club, I met the “You see Clear” executive, Roy Jipp. Currently, he is taking a master’s degree at Norman Paterson School, studying International Affairs.

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At that moment, I was very blind about social entrepreneurship. But having been born in a country that faces political instability, I knew what social problems were. So I thank the program because my project got full support from the official. That is why I love the school, its vision to help students change the world.

One of the motivations that pushed me was a very sad occasion in Pakistan. We visited a group of homeless individuals with a philanthropist. Then, I realized how women struggled with manual work, yet they were blind. Some kids did not attend school because they couldn’t see clearly. That’s the reason why I took the vision test as my first project.

The Carleton school has offered me a lot of opportunities. For example, I recently enrolled in a 10-week internship with Scottish biotech company EuroBiotix CIC. This is one opportunity brought by the British Councils for Student Impact program.

Last year in Toronto, Jipp and I presented our project at MaRS Discovery District. Fortunately, we won the People’s Choice Award. Such activities act as a motivation in my life.

In September, Carlton institution sponsored my ticket to Ottawa to attend the One Young World Summit. I also won another prize in Resolution Project Venture Challenge at the event.

I am very glad because I get to share my ideas with other innovative talents worldwide. One of my biggest collaborations was with EyeNetra, a technology developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a result, you can use your phone to prescribe yourself rather than visiting a doctor. Another link was with the New York-based company called VisionSpring. The company manufactures glasses and distributes them in India and Bangladesh.

Furthermore, I am planning on another project. The university is hosting a Global Challenge. Being one of the social fellowship’s active members, I must showcase my ideas. Both the recent and graduate students are invited to present their research and findings. One has to understand the environment to tackle a global challenge.

In December 2021, I managed to raise some amount from Capital Ventures that could aid in running my company during the pre-seed moments. In January, I plan to offer almost 500 sunglasses to less fortunate people free to act as a testing plan.

After the test, I will run fundraising again to create various clinics in different parts of the country. But at first, I want to set up a large clinic in the city to act like a headquarter. But over time, all the 34 provinces must have their stores.

Together with Jip, we have set an affordable price for single glasses. They will be sold at $5, and the manufacturing fee is $3 per glass. All the revenue generated during the first year will expand the “You See Clear.”

To a young Babur Jahid, you can always become innovative when looking at the problems you passed through. I believe we still have many opportunities for everyone. I have vast visions for the country. ‘You see Clear’ is just a portion of almost 20% of my capabilities. War and violence have been the worst cases in Afghanistan. We need more educated people to change that.

I feel good being part of the Carlton community. At some moment, I think I will relocate to Canada for the rest of my life. However, the condition in my country sometimes doesn’t allow it. I can’t stay away as my people suffer. The small changes I can make will become big. Let’s see what the future holds for us.