“It was in 1977 that we have started to put a lot of energy into social work and to set up Self help groups and skill trainings for poor women from urban, rural and tribal areas around Karamadai,” Rev. sister Anila from the Good Shephard convent in Karamadai, Tamil Nadu tells me. She is really…
Tag: social entrepreneur
I was born with nothing, I was an Untouchable – and an early social entrepreneur
It’s one is the stories we all dream of: A very poor man of one of the most disadvanged villages in the world gets a chance to study at school and because he is very smart and lucky he gets even the chance to do studies abroad and becomes a doctor. The luck stays with…
We suffer from Pseudo solutions and money waste
Do you know this situation? There are teams sitting together and are looking for solutions. A lot of proposals are coming in and a lot of creativity is in the air. We listen to them, maybe still write them down, but somehow the last or first one or the one given by a specif person…
Combine Social entrepreneurship & charity activities!
The concept of social entrepreneurship is highly discussed: social labs, industries, universities and huge organizations from the social sector are very interested in it. The entrepreneurial idea behind is amazing: the promising win – win approach – that goes beyond the traditional charity events -, the potential sustainability behind and the innovative character are an…
Becoming a changemaker, working with young people
Young changemakers and learning from each other – an excellent example how it works
From India’s mountain of waste to fashion
When I went the first time to India I was shocked by all the plastic waste on the streets, in front of the houses, in the Indian Ocean… Plastic bags, a thousands and thousands of plastic bottles, often combined with a bad smell. It does not just look ugly, but is the source for disease…
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…
How an iron fish can change a huge health problem
Anemia is a huge problem in the developing world. In many countries. Iron deficiency is the cause of weakness and impairs cognitive development in children. The Lucky Iron Fish™ is a social entrepreneurship organization implementing a simple health innovation to alleviate iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in Cambodia, especially in women and children. How?…
Change the world – on the streets working with kids
During the Ashoka changemaker week in Paris last week there was one particular social entrepreneur that still remains in my mind. He gave a short intro during one speaker session. His name is Arnoud Raskin, Founder of Mobile Schools and Streetwize. Mobile Schools develops innovative education programs that enhance the qualities of resourcefulness that underprivileged…