Wherever I have been during my Indian stay, even in small tribal villages, while talking to people, it happened after a while: People came closer, interested to find out more on what I was doing with the smartphone. Nearly everyone of the younger generation (not just the youngest, but also men and women up to…
Tag: change
NGOs of the future: innovation, business skills and thinking across traditional borders needed
The fact that the business world is changing is well known. Continuous business innovation is requested – everywhere. No doubt. There are all kind of efforts going on such as continuous training offers for business people, be it for employees, be it for employers: trainings around administration, marketing and computer skills, the call for innovation,…
Education in India- Tribal girls go for more goats, a lipstick and microbiology
We stay in one of the tribal villages close to Coimbatore where in the last years a lot of change has happened. It is a village with about 350 people/hundred families. Three women Self Help Groups have been set up six years ago and since then a huge number of trainings and awareness programs…
Women education is key, but what about men?
Women education is key For change but not enough Everyone who is somehow involved in development issues knows that education is one of the basics to build a real sustainable progress in a personal life, a village, a region. Women are those who generally are known to be keen to learn. Women Are Social multiplicators…
Nearly a fifth of all women are Indian. Where are they going? A book recommendation
In India, there live more than 17% of all women in the world. The rate of women below the age of fifteen is even higher: 20%, this corresponds to 174 million young women. Have you ever thought what this could mean economical- and development-wise if these women got a chance of a good education and…
Social entrepreneurs, where are You going to? One man or woman shows are not enough!
The trend is obvious: social entrepreneurship is ‘hip’. The number of social business conferences, socent challenges, courses offered at universities and numbers of articles published in all kind of magazines is growing obviously. Not just in USA, U.K. and a few more countries, but all over the world. In tapped and untapped markets, countries…
Social Entrepreneurship has many faces
This week I participated in the Ashoka Social Entrepreneurship conference in Berlin. Besides the official workshops and speeches given in the big glass building of the Allianzforum I had the possibility to speak to many social entrepreneurs cooperating with investors, traditional NGOs and Corporate enterprises. It is fascinating to see how all are looking…
Selfhelp groups: Everyone says women are social drivers, but men are active, too!
Everywhere strong women are changemakers in the society. In rich and in poor countries. Many publications and articles pay attention to their achievements. Social organizations set up programs around women and support self-help groups for women, women are celebrated as social entrepreneurs, women taking care on health and children education are interviewed and celebrated. Women…
Poor people as change drivers: What if we became partners instead of empowering dependencies
Have you ever thought if poor people can have innovative ideas for your business or become a real partner for development not in their poor villages, but in large and wealthy industries? It is true: many poor people often have no opportunity to get a good school or professional education. Many of them can not…
Back from India – issues with ‘development’
Coming back to my home town in Germany after seven weeks in India was not really characterized by a “big shock”. Although many friends have asked exactly that question during the last days: “Isn’t it a big difference and somehow strange to come back to a completely different, developed and modern world?” It is cold,…
Go India, go future! 