Brochure Schwab Foundation 2009

Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs 2009
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship provides unparalleled

platforms at the national, regional and global levels for leading social innovators
that highlight social entrepreneurship as a key element to address social and
ecological problems in an innovative, sustainable and effective way.
In partnership with
Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs

2009
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Our Partners
“Social Entrepreneur of the Year” Selection Partners
Partners
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Route de la Capite 91-93
1223 Cologny/Geneva
Switzerland
Phone +41 22 8691212, Fax +41 227862744
Email: info@schwabfound.org
www.schwabfound.org
© 2009 Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

All rights reserved
Klaus and Hilde Schwab
In 1998, we created the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship because we

recognized that the most promising and innovative solutions to our world’s problems were
often spearheaded by rather unknown individuals working tirelessly in the shadows of the
market and the public sector.
We became acutely aware of the urgent need to provide a global platform for these
innovative, bottom-up efforts when we met Muhammad Yunus in the 1990s. His tireless
work to change forever the belief that poor women were not creditworthy began in the
early 1970s. And yet, it took over 30 years for the world to recognize the power of
microcredit!
This experience triggered our determination to set up the Schwab Foundation as a

separate entity, dedicated to promoting social entrepreneurship as a key element to
address social and ecological challenges. The Foundation identifies leading social
entrepreneurs around the world through its “Social Entrepreneur of the Year”
competitions. The World Economic Forum and the Schwab Foundation work in close
partnership to provide these selected social entrepreneurs with a platform to showcase
their important role in today's society and to access a network of key corporate, political
and media leaders, namely at the Forum’s regional meetings in Latin America, Africa,
Middle East, Europe and Central Asia, and India, as well as at its Annual Meetings.
When we initiated the Schwab Foundation, the notion of “social entrepreneurship” was
almost unheard of in Europe and in the rest of the world. It was just beginning to emerge
in the USA. Today’s landscape for social entrepreneurship is substantially altered. A
multitude of institutions and activities have mushroomed across the globe, a number of
well-endowed foundations have been set up to support social entrepreneurship,
international gatherings draw thousands, and major business schools are teaching the
subject. This past year, we saw the emergence of many new funds investing in social
entrepreneurs for both a social and financial return.
We are proud that the Foundation has been part of this historic shift to change mindsets
and practices. Over the last years, we have witnessed within the World Economic Forum
and its Members a dramatic change in the level of interest in and openness to these
grassroots innovators.
The economic crisis will surely put many of these advances to a test. The level of donations
and financial support for social entrepreneurs will suffer. Yet, we strongly believe that
social entrepreneurs have the creativity, resourcefulness and resilience to master these
challenges.
Hilde Schwab Klaus Schwab

President and Co-Founder Founder
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Mirjam Schöning
During the course of the year 2008, the Schwab Foundation has added 16 social
entrepreneurs from around the world to its network. They have been selected as “Social
Entrepreneur of the Year” in their respective countries from among a pool of close to 1,000
applicants. We are proud to include them for the first time in this publication of
“Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs”.
The Schwab Foundation has, since its inception, applied the same criteria in selecting
social entrepreneurs: 1) innovation and social transformation, 2) direct social impact and
3) sustainability are the key criteria. In addition, Schwab entrepreneurs need to have well
established models that have significantly expanded and show further potential for
replicability.
The field of social entrepreneurship is growing and more and more social entrepreneurs
are being recognized as such. Despite, or maybe because of, the popularization of the
concept, the confusion around the definition remains. This debate highlights the fact that
there is not one social entrepreneurship model, but several. As the field matures, we feel
it is important to highlight these different organizational models. They should help guide
potential donors and investors, who seek both a financial and social return.
Two years ago, we started to categorize the social entrepreneurs in the network according
to three categories, particularly related to their financial sustainability and interlinked with
their legal status. The three models, leveraged non-profit, hybrid not-for-profit and social
business, are explained on the next page. You will find that each organization in this
publication is labelled according to its primary organizational model.
This year, we have also introduced a second distinction, primarily related to the geographic
relevance and spread of the organization. The social entrepreneurs who are currently
working on a regional or worldwide level or have a model of global relevance and the
conditions in place to scale their impact are “Schwab Fellows of the World Economic
Forum”. We currently have identified close to 70 in the network and are placing a particular
emphasis on bringing their approaches to the attention of World Economic Forum member
companies.
We hope that the additional categories will prove to be useful in the discussions around
social entrepreneurship, but they should not distract from the tremendous value and
inspiration each one of the social entrepreneurs brings to our society.
Mirjam Schöning
Senior Director
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Organization models
Leveraged non-profit ventures

The entrepreneur sets up a non-profit organization to drive the adoption of an innovation
addressing a market or government failure. In doing so, s/he commits private and/or
public organizations as well as volunteers, to drive forward the innovation through a
multiplier effect. The organization depends on outside funding for its survival, but its
longer term sustainability is enhanced because of the commitment of a multiplicity of
actors to the vision and objectives of the organization. Over time, the founding
entrepreneur can morph into a figurehead, in some cases for the wider movement.
Hybrid non-profit ventures

The entrepreneur sets up a non-profit but generates significant revenues the model
through the sale of goods and services to individuals or institutions as well as to target
population groups. However, to be able to sustain the transformation activities in full and
address the needs of clients, who are poor or otherwise marginalized from society, the
entrepreneur must mobilize other sources of funding from the public and/or the
philanthropic sectors. Those funds can be in the form of grants or loans, and even quasi-
equity.
Social business ventures

The entrepreneur sets up a business to drive the transformational change. While profits
are generated, the main aim is not to maximize financial returns for shareholders but to
grow the social venture and reach more people in need effectively. Wealth accumulation is
not a priority, and profits are primarily reinvested in the enterprise in order to fund
expansion. Entrepreneurs seek investors who are interested in combining financial and
social returns on their investments.
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The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
The Foundation now represents 153 social entrepreneurs
from 139 organizations
19 31 32
11
35
2
Geographic repartition of organizations
Africa: 11 Latin America: 35
Middle East and

Asia: 32
North Africa: 9
Australia: 2 North America: 19
Europe: 31
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Index by geographic area
Africa
APOPO / HeroRAT / Bart Weetjens 30-31
Association pour le Soutien et l'Appui à la Femme Entrepreneur (ASAFE) /

Gisele Yitamben 32-33
CAMFED International / Ann Cotton 34-35
DMT Mobile Toilets Nigeria / Isaac Durojaiye 36-37
Heartlines / Garth C. Japhet 38-39
Johannesburg Housing Company / Taffy Adler 40-41
KickStart International / Martin Fisher and Nick Moon 42-43
Mobility Aid and Appliances Research and Development Centre (MAARDEC) /

Cosmas I. Okoli 44-45
Riders for Health / Andrea and Barry Coleman 46-47
Service d'Appui aux Initiatives Locales de Développement (SAILD) / Bernard Njonga 48-49
Streetwires / Patrick Schofield 50-51
Asia
Action Research for Shelter (SAIBAN) / Tasneem A. Siddiqui 52-53
aidha / Sarah Mavrinac 54-55
Aravind Eye Hospital / Thulasiraj Ravilla 56-57
Association of Craft Producers (ACP) / Meera Bhattarai 58-59
Barefoot College / Sanjit (Bunker) Roy 60-61
Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women / Wu Qing 62-63
Bhartiya Samruddhi Investments & Consulting Services (BASIX) / Vijay Mahajan 64-65
Bina Swadaya / Bambang Ismawan 66-67
BRAC / Fazle H. Abed 68-69
Centre for Mass Education in Science (CMES) / Muhammad Ibrahim 70-71
City Harvest Education Center (CHEC) & O School / Kenny Low 72-73
Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) / Shobha A. Arole and

Rajanikant S. Arole 74-75
Development Alternatives / Ashok Khosla 76-77
Duck Revolution / Takao Furuno 78-79
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Gram Vikas / Joe Madiath 80-81
Hagar International / Pierre Tami 82-83
International Development Enterprises (IDEI) / Amitabha Sadangi 84-85
Kashf Foundation / Roshaneh Zafar 86-87
Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Medical Sciences / Devi P. Shetty 88-89
Nidan / Arbind Singh 90-91
People Tree / Safia L. Minney 92-93
Phulki / Suraiya Haque 94-95
Population and Community Development Association (PDA) / Mechai Viravaidya 96-97
SELCO Solar Light / Harish Hande 98-99
Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) / Ela Bhatt and Mirai Chatterjee 100-101
SKS Microfinance / Vikram K. Akula 102-103
Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) /

Jockin Arputham and Sheela Patel 104-105
Telapak / Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto and Silverius Oscar Unggul 106-107
Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation / Maria A. Villalba 108-109
Waste Concern / Iftekhar Enayetullah and A. H. Md. Maqsood Sinha 110-111
World Toilet Organization / Jack Sim 112-113
Yayasan Dian Desa / Anton Soedjarwo 114-115
Australia
CAMBIA / Richard A. Jefferson 116-117
cool nrg International / Nic Frances 118-119
Europe
Acta Vista / Arnaud Castagnède 120-121
Aflatoun, Child Social and Financial Education / Jeroo Billimoria 122-123
Agentura ProVás / Vojtech Sedlácek 124-125
Barka Foundation for Mutual Help / Barbara Sadowska and Tomasz Sadowski 126-127
Belu Water / Reed Paget 128-129
Bily Kruh Bezpeci (White Circle of Safety) / Petra Vitousova 130-131
Bosnian Handicrafts / Lejla Radoncic 132-133
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Center for Citizenship Education (Centrum Edukacji Obywatelskiej) /
Jacek Strzemieczny 134-135
Dialogue in the Dark / Andreas Heinecke 136-137
Distribution Services Industriels (DSI) / Jean-Louis Ribes 138-139
Doga Gözcüleri Dernegi (Nature Observers’ Society) / Mustafa Sari 140-141
Ethno-Medizinisches Zentrum / Ramazan Salman 142-143
Freeplay Energy, Freeplay Foundation / Kristine Pearson and Rory Stear 144-145
Hey Tekstil / Aynur Bektas 146-147
Homeless World Cup, The / Mel Young 148-149
Infoklick.ch / Markus Gander 150-151
Job Factory / Robert Roth 152-153
Kamer / Nebahat Akkoc 154-155
Kinderzentren Kunterbunt / Björn Czinczoll 156-157
La Fageda / Cristóbal Colón 158-159
LifeGate Group / Marco Roveda 160-161
Liga o.s. Bruntal / Josef Balaz 162-163
Napra Forgó (Sunflower Non-Profit) / Péter Orbán 164-165
Network of Mother Centers, The / Rut Kolínská 166-167
Off Road Kids Foundation / Markus H. Seidel 168-169
Optimomes / Anne-Karine Stocchetti 170-171
Összefogás Industrial Cooperative / Erzsébet Szekeres 172-173
San Patrignano Community / Andrea Muccioli 174-175
Stiftung Blind-Liecht / Stefan Zappa 176-177
Way Home, The / Sergey Kostin 178-179
wellcome / Rose Volz-Schmidt 180-181
Latin America
abcdespañol / Javier Gonzalez 182-183
Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption / Helio Mattar 184-185
Arte Sana / Monica E. Urquijo Illera 186-187
Asociación Nacional de Empresas Comercializadoras de Productores del Campo

(ANEC) / Víctor Suárez 188-189
Associação dos Pequenos Agricultores do Municipio de Valente (APAEB) /

Ismael Ferreira Oliveira 190-191
Associação Saúde Criança Renascer / Vera R. G. Cordeiro 192-193
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Centro Ginecologico Integral (CEGIN) / Jorge G. Gronda 194-195
Centro Popular de Cultura e Desenvovimento (CPCD) / Sebastião (Tião) Rocha 196-197
Cinepop / Ariel Zylbersztejn 198-199
Ciudad Saludable / Albina Ruiz 200-201
Committee for Democracy In Information Technology (CDI) / Rodrigo Baggio 202-203
Coronilla / Martha E. Wille 204-205
Escuela Nueva Foundation (Fundación Escuela Nueva Volvamos a la Gente) /

Vicky Colbert 206-207
Fundación Arcandina / María E. Ordóñez 208-209
Fundación Gente Nueva / Gustavo Gennuso 210-211
Fundación Origen / Mary Anne Müller Prieto 212-213
Fundación Paraguaya / Martin Burt 214-215
Fundación Parque Tecnológico del Software (ParqueSoft) / Orlando Rincón Bonilla 216-217
Fundación Social / Álvaro Dávila 218-219
Gente Nueva / José I. Avalos Hernández 220-221
Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda (GESG) / Martha I. Ruíz Corzo 222-223
Grupo GEA / Anna Zucchetti 224-225
Grupo para Promover la Educación y el Desarrollo Sustentable (GRUPEDSAC) /

Margarita Barney 226-227
Institute for the Development of Natural Energy and Sustainability (IDEAAS) /

Fabio Rosa 228-229
Parceiros Voluntários / Maria E. Johannpeter 230-231
Pró-Cerrado Foundation / Adair Meira 232-233
RECYCLA Chile / Fernando Nilo Nuñez 234-235
Renctas / Dener J. Giovanini 236-237
Rodelillo Foundation / Macarena Currin 238-239
Saúde e Alegría / Eugenio Scannavino Neto 240-241
Social and Economic Recovery of National Rural Villages at Risk of Disappearing

(RESPONDE) / Marcela Benitez 242-243
Terra Nova Regularizações Fundiárias / André Luis Cavalcanti de Albuquerque 244-245
Turma do Bem / Fábio Bibancos 246-247
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Un Techo Para Chile / Felipe Berrios 248-249
Unión de Ejidos de La Selva / José E. Juárez 250-251
Middle East and North Africa
Access Israel / Yuval Wagner 252-253
Basata / Sherif El Ghamrawy 254-255
CID Consulting / Laila Iskandar 256-257
Etgarim / Yoel Sharon 258-259
INJAZ al Arab / Soraya Salti 260-261
Kav-Or / Bilha Piamenta 262-263
Sakhrah Women's Society Cooperative / Zeinab Al Momani 264-265
Sekem Group / Ibrahim and Helmy Abouleish 266-267
Yedid / Sari Revkin 268-269
North America
Benetech Initiative, The / James R. Fruchterman 270-271
City Year / Michael Brown and Alan Khazei 272-273
College Summit / J. B. Schramm 274-275
Endeavor / Linda Rottenberg 276-277
Evergreen / Geoffrey Cape 278-279
First Book / Kyle Zimmer 280-281
First Peoples Worldwide / Rebecca L. Adamson 282-283
Green, David / David Green 284-285
Independence Care System / Rick Surpin 286-287
Institute for OneWorld Health / Victoria G. Hale 288-289
Novica / Armenia Nercessian De Oliveira and Roberto Milk 290-291
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) / Christopher J. Elias 292-293
Rubicon Programs / Rick Aubry 294-295
Rural Development Institute (RDI) / Roy L. Prosterman and Tim Hanstad 296-297
ShoreBank Corporation / Ron Grzywinski and Mary Houghton 298-299
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Teach For America / Wendy Kopp 300-301
TechnoServe / Bruce McNamer 302-303
TransFair USA / Paul Rice 304-305
Working Today - Freelancers Union / Sara Horowitz 306-307
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Index by Field of Activity
(Organizations may be active in several fields)
Agriculture
Asociación Nacional de Empresas Comercializadoras de Productores del Campo (ANEC) /
Víctor Suárez 188-189
Service d'Appui aux Initiatives Locales de Développement (SAILD) /
Bernard Njonga 48-49
AIDS / HIV
Animals
Children and Youth

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Civic Participation
Communication/Media
Consumer Awareness
Culture/ Handicrafts
15
Disabilities
Education
16
Energy
Fabio Rosa 228-229
Enterprise Development
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Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) / Jockin Arputham
and Sheela Patel 104-105
Environment
Development Alternatives / Ashok Khosla
Fabio Rosa 228-229
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Financial Inclusion
Health
19
Homelessness & Housing

Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) / Jockin
Arputham and Sheela Patel 104-105
Human Rights
20
Labor Conditions and Unemployment
Rural Development
Fabio Rosa 228-229
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Technology
Freeplay Energy, Freeplay Foundation / Rory Stear and Kristine Pearson 144-145
Fabio Rosa 228-229
Trade
22
Waste Management
Water
Women
23
Index of Schwab Social Entrepreneurs
Abed, Fazle H. 68 Gronda, Jorge G. 194

Abouleish, Helmy 266 Grzywinski, Ronald 298
Abouleish, Ibrahim 266 Hale, Victoria G. 288
Adamson, Rebecca L. 282 Hande, Harish 98
Adler, Taffy 40 Hanstad, Tim 296
Akkoc, Nebahat 154 Haque, Suraiya 94
Akula, Vikram K. 102 Heinecke, Andreas 136
Al Momani, Zeinab 264 Horowitz, Sara 306
Arole, Rajanikant S. 74 Houghton, Mary 298
Arole, Shobha A. 74 Ibrahim, Muhammad 70
Arputham, Jockin 104 Iskandar, Laila 256
Aubry, Rick 294 Ismawan, Bambang 66
Avalos Hernández, José Ignacio 220 Japhet, Garth C. 38
Baggio, Rodrigo 202 Jefferson, Richard A. 116
Balaz, Jozef 162 Johannpeter, Maria E. 230
Barney, Margarita 226 Juárez, José E. 250
Bektas, Aynur 146 Khazei, Alan 272
Benitez, Marcela 242 Khosla, Ashok 76
Berrios, Felipe 248 Kolínská, Rut 166
Bhatt, Ela 100 Kopp, Wendy 300
Bhattarai, Meera 58 Kostin, Sergey 178
Bibancos de Rosa, Fábio 246 Low, Kenny 72
Billimoria, Jeroo 122 Madiath, Joseph 80
Brown, Michael 272 Mahajan, Vijay 64
Burt, Martin 214 Mattar, Helio 184
Cape, Geoffrey 278 Mavrinac, Sarah 54
Castagnède, Arnaud 120 McNamer, Bruce 302
Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, André L. 244 Meira, Adair 232
Chatterjee, Mirai 100 Milk, Roberto 290
Colbert, Vicky 206 Minney, Safia L. 92
Coleman, Andrea 46 Moon, Nick 42
Coleman, Barry 46 Muccioli, Andrea 174
Colón, Cristóbal 158 Müller Prieto, Mary Anne 212
Cordeiro, Vera R. G. 192 Nercessian De Oliveira, Armenia 290
Cotton, Ann 34 Nilo, Fernando 234
Currin, Macarena 238 Njonga, Bernard 48
Czinczoll, Björn 156 Okoli, Cosmas I. 44
Dávila, Álvaro 218 Orbán, Péter 164
Durojaiye, Isaac 36 Ordóñez, María E. 208
El Ghamrawy, Sherif 254 Paget, Reed 128
Elias, Christopher J. 298 Patel, Sheela 104
Enayetullah, Iftekhar 110 Pearson, Kristine 144
Ferreira Oliveira, Ismael 190 Piamenta, Bilha 262
Fisher, Martin J. 42 Prosterman, Roy L. 296
Frances, Nic 118 Radoncic, Lejla 132
Fruchterman, James R. 270 Ravilla, Thulasiraj 56
Furuno, Takao 78 Revkin, Sari 268
Gander, Markus 150 Ribes, Jean-Louis 138
Gennuso, Gustavo 210 Rice, Paul 304
Giovanini, Dener J. 236 Rincón Bonilla, Orlando 216
Gonzalez, Javier 182 Rocha, Sebastião (Tião) 196
Green, David 284 Rosa, Fabio 228
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Roth, Robert 152
Rottenberg, Linda 276
Roveda, Marco 468
Roy, Sanjit (Bunker) 60
Ruiz, Albina 200
Ruíz Corzo, Martha I. 222
Ruwindrijarto, Ambrosius 106
Sadangi, Amitabha 84
Sadowska, Barbara 126
Sadowski, Tomasz 126
Salman, Ramazan 142
Salti, Soraya 260
Sari, Mustafa 140
Scannavino Neto, Eugenio 240
Schofield, Patrick 50
Schramm, J. B. 274
Sedlácek, Vojtech 124
Seidel, Markus H. 168
Sharon, Yoel 258
Shetty, Devi P. 88
Siddiqui, Tasneem A. 52
Sim, Jack 112
Singh, Arbind 90
Sinha, A. H. Md. Maqsood 110
Soedjarwo, Anton 114
Stear, Rory 144
Stocchetti, Anne-Karine 170
Strzemieczny, Jacek 134
Suárez, Víctor 188
Surpin, Rick 286
Szekeres, Erzsébet 172
Tami, Pierre 82
Unggul, Silverius O. 106
Urquijo Illera, Monica E. 186
Villalba, Maria A. 108
Viravaidya, Mechai 96
Vitousova, Petra 130
Volz-Schmidt, Rose 180
Wagner, Yuval 252
Weetjens, Bart 30
Wille, Martha E. 204
Wu Qing, 62
Yitamben, Gisele 32
Young, Mel 148
Zafar, Roshaneh 86
Zappa, Stefan 176
Zimmer, Kyle 280
Zucchetti, Anna 224
Zylbersztejn, Ariel 198
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Index by Organization Model
Hybrid Non-Profit
CAMBIA / Richard A. Jefferson 116117
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Fabio Rosa 228-229
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Leveraged Non-Profit
Social Business
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Bart Weetjens
Schwab Fellow of the World Economic Forum
Geographic Area of Impact: Mozambique, Tanzania
Model: Leveraged Non-Profit
Focus: Health, Mine Action, Detection Rat Technologies
The Innovation
Detection rat technology is the core of APOPO’s key innovation for faster, replicable, cost-
effective models for humanitarian demining and detection of Tuberculosis. This technology
comes in the unusual form of the African giant pouched rat, a species prevalent throughout
sub-Saharan Africa. APOPO trains its rats to detect landmines, based on the vapour
emitting from the explosives within them. Since APOPO’s rats are saving human lives, they
are called HeroRATS.
For landmine detection, a trained rat works along mine-proof vehicles and manual
deminers. With a maximum weight of 1,5 Kg’s, the HeroRATS are too light to set off
landmines. HeroRATS can process 100m2 of a landmine-affected region within 30 minutes,
twice the amount covered by a manual deminer in one day. HeroRATS indicate the location
of a mine or UXO by scratching the soil surface in the vicinity of the mine. HeroRATS—are
accredited according to International Mine Action Standards, just like mine detection dogs.
De-mining services in Africa are expensive and largely based on foreign expertise and
equipment. By employing locally available resources and people, the APOPO model allows
for such local solutions to become scalable, while promoting competitiveness and local job
creation via humanitarian detection applications.
More recently, APOPO has applied the vapor detection technologies of trained rats to the
rapid detection of pulmonary Tuberculosis, another humanitarian challenge where much
can be gained from a quick, cheap and effective screening tool in sub-Saharan Africa.
Preliminary studies that are currently researching and testing this method are proving
successful: a lab technician can screen a maximum of 40 samples in one day, while with
the APOPO screening tool the same 40 samples are screened in 7 minutes, at comparable
accuracy and lower levels of skills in the operators. Apart from the humanitarian
applications is pursuing, a wide range of detection rat technologies are at the horizon:
cargo screening in harbors and airports for contraband, detection of small arms and light
weapons at border crossings, environmental detection.
Background
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines estimates that approximately 55 million
landmines and unexploded ordinance in over 84 countries cause between 10,000 and
20,000 casualties each year. With the current funding and technology available for mine
action worldwide, it will take more then 500 years to clear all suspected areas in the
world’s over 30 countries with a severe landmine problem. The danger of landmines is thus
a global problem for which there are no easy solutions. The United Nations, country
governments and international institutions are attempting to find cost-effective and
scalable solutions, but particular difficulties lie in finding minimum-metal landmines in
Sub-Saharan Africa where laterite soils trigger the metal detectors indiscriminately
because they contain iron. Since standard methods require the scrutiny of every signal,
this method is not extremely useful in certain soils. In addition, humanitarian mine
clearance is a highly specialized industry where foreign expertise has to be attracted and
imported to operate in countries that are trying to create jobs for their people and rebuild
post-conflict peacetime nations. After several years of researching the demining issue,
APOPO established the unique cost-effective and safe approach to finding landmines with
30
APOPO and HeroRAT
Founded in 1998
Belgium
Africa
www.apopo.org
www.herorat.org
mine-detection rats. In the TB detection application, the potential social impact is obvious.
Approximately 1.9 million people die from TB as a direct cause worldwide. TB detection
with microscopes has not changed much in the last 100 years. The TB pandemic is also
fuelled by HIV/AIDS coinfection, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. In a country like
Tanzania, with well-established public health services, still 55% of TB cases are not
diagnosed before they die. With TB sniffer rats, an active case finding strategy is a realistic
option, for fast screening of vulnerable populations in refugee camps, slums, prisons and
schools.
Strategy
Relying on local populations to form the human resource base, the technology not only
provides jobs for an economically disadvantaged group, it also reduces the risk of death
and the costs of demining. APOPO has gathered the evidence and proven its model despite
the skeptics. A Belgian partnership between Antwerp University and Sokoine University of
Agriculture (SUA), APOPO relocated its laboratory to Tanzania in East Africa. Tanzania
provided the right environment for APOPO to concentrate on developing and expanding the
reach of the technology. APOPO’s world-class training facility in Morogoro is 200 kilometers
west of Dares- Salaam. The Tanzania People’s Defence Forces supplied APOPO with 1550
de-activated landmines of different types for the training program and Sokoine University
of Agriculture provided the space to build the training facility and training minefield.
APOPO has attracted funding from numerous public and private sources. Its initial
supporter, the Belgium government, continues to support APOPO, while more operational
contracts in the Great Lakes Region (GLR) are at the horizon. The International Conference
for the Great Lakes Region has identified APOPO as lead agency for the clearance of
minefields in the border zones of the eleven GLR countries. Recent supporters of the TB
project are the National Institute of Health in the USA and the UBS Optimus Foundation in
Switzerland.
APOPO employs 130 people, most are within Tanzania, though 54 are in Mozambique,
which is the first country where APOPO replicated its work. APOPO is currently modeling a
hybrid business, providing income generating detection services through spin-off
applications, to feed the social profit enterprise. APOPO’s strategy is based on the
establishment of a Centre of Excellence in rat detection technologies in Morogoro,
Tanzania. Continued R&D and training, and implementation of the technology in the GLR
support the Centre of Excellence. APOPO established a rat-trainers curriculum at Sokoine
University to allow expansion in the GLR and Southern Africa. APOPO builds a large citizen
based support group via the HeroRAT adoption program, while building the required
organizational capacity to respond to the enormous humanitarian call.
The Entrepreneur
Since his ninth birthday when he got a hamster as a gift, Bart Weetjens has had a life long
fascination with all kinds of rodents, distributing hamsters, mice, and rats to pet shops for
sale in his early teenager years. He quit at the age of 14, when he found out that his
rodents served as snake food in the pet shops. Bart was born and educated in Antwerp,
Belgium, graduating as a product development engineer. He designed an appropriate
soybean-threshing machine for rural communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, his
first experience in Africa. Bart gained work experience in European industries, including
designing buses at VANHOOL in Lier, Belgium. He contributed to the concept of low step-
in buses that provided access for the disabled, a model now used in public transport all
over Europe. Bart is ordained a Zen Buddhist monk. His meditation practice has strongly
influenced his business attitude, putting people and social impact upfront. Bart lives and
works with his family in Tanzania.
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Gisele Yitamben
Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2001
Geographic Area of Impact: Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Guinea
Model: Hybrid Non-Profit
Focus: Enterprise Development, Technology, Women
The Innovation
Gisele Yitamben seeks to shift the focus from poverty reduction to wealth creation in
Africa, beginning with her own country, Cameroon. While the fight against poverty has
existed for a long time, it has had the adverse effect of disempowering those it seeks to
help. Yitamben founded the Association pour le Soutien et l'Appui à la Femme
Entrepreneur (ASAFE) to shift the focus from depending on international aid to stimulating
national development by cultivating local entrepreneurship. ASAFE provides business
training and development services, alternative financing and access to e-commerce to
support thousands of women entrepreneurs in Cameroon, Guinea, Benin, Chad and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. Today, ASAFE is actively engaged with technology
companies and business incubators to help African entrepreneurs overcome the digital
divide.
Background
In 1986, Gisèle Yitamben completed a study for the African Development Bank that
revealed that women in Africa were systematically deprived of credit because their
businesses were too small and they could not provide collateral. Convinced that many of
these women could develop into successful entrepreneurs, Yitamben convinced a group of
professionals and businesswomen from Douala, Cameroon's largest city, to support
women's entrepreneurship. While fighting for legal permission to establish ASAFE, the
group began providing business services to micro-enterprises and small businesses in
regions throughout Cameroon. In 1992, ASAFE launched the Femme Credit Epargne, a
credit and savings service designed specifically for low-income women. Since 1992, over
5,000 women have benefited from their services.
32
Association pour le Soutien et l'Appui
à la Femme Entrepreneur (ASAFE)
Founded in 1989
Africa
Cameroon
www.asafe.org
Strategy
ASAFE's strategy includes building competency in adaptive management, bookkeeping and
marketing to continuously expand knowledge of their socio-cultural environment. Many of
ASAFE's 5,000 members have created flourishing micro-enterprises. Using information and
communication technologies (ICT), ASAFE has brought its entrepreneurs closer together
and connected them to larger markets. ASAFE has created web portals that promote the
services of professionals, businesses and associations from Cameroon, including travel
agents, hotels, accountants and lawyers. ASAFE wants to shift the focus from poverty
reduction to wealth creation. Shifting the focus enables ASAFE to prevent creating a
mentality that reinforces the acceptance of poverty and enables organizations to recognize
their capacity for change. Recognition of talent and ability is the foundation for creativity
and the source of all wealth creation.
The Entrepreneur
Gisele Yitamben grew up under the authoritarian regime of Cameroon's first president,
Ahmadou Ahidjo, after Cameroon's independence in 1960. Political oppression went hand
in hand with relative economic and social stability. Ahidjo's literacy campaigns forced every
Cameroonian to attend at least seven years of school. After graduating from high school
in Yaoundé in 1976, Yitamben studied Economics in France and earned an MBA in the US.
On her return in 1982, she became a lecturer at the Pan-African Institute for Development
in Douala. When she lost her teaching job she decided to become a consultant and,
through the projects that she dealt with, developed an expertise on a wide range of
women's business activities in Cameroon. She was impressed by the business savvy,
vibrancy and financial planning capability of the women. The combination of traditional
laws that were discriminatory towards women and lack of government support led
Yitamben to set up ASAFE in 1988.
33
Ann Cotton
Geographic Area of Impact: Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Focus: Children and Youth, Education, Women
The Innovation
Camfed has successfully challenged the conventional wisdom that cultural resistance is at the
heart of girls’ exclusion from education in rural Africa, proving instead that chronic poverty
is the main barrier. Since 1993, Camfed has pioneered a holistic and grassroots approach to
advancing opportunities for girls and young women in order to guarantee a model that is
locally-inspired and owned. Camfed has proven that girls’ education is the most effective
means by which girls and their communities can break the devastating cycle of poverty that
currently plagues sub-Saharan Africa.
There are four key components to the Camfed model, all of which strive to transform the
lives of girls and young women from some of the poorest regions of Africa. Firstly, Camfed
identifies vulnerable girls who risk leaving primary school on account of poverty or family
illness, and provides full educational support, including covering school-going costs. Camfed
has put in place a comprehensive support system to protect the rights and welfare of the
child. Secondly, Camfed continues to support vulnerable girls through secondary school,
providing them with four-year bursaries. This assistance is critical especially during the
junction between primary and secondary education, when the rate of female drop-out
escalates. Thirdly, Camfed provides school graduates with the chance to become
economically empowered and independent members of their communities. Through the
Camfed Association (CAMA), a pan-African network of Camfed graduates, Camfed offers
ongoing training in finance, health, and leadership. Camfed also fosters local enterprise
through its microfinance program. Fourthly, Camfed encourages young women’s leadership
and empowerment, through its advocacy of these issues, the CAMA network, and ongoing
leadership skills training. Camfed works hard to ensure that the voices of rural women have
the chance to directly influence and inform policy and legislation related to girls’ education
and gender equality on national and international levels.
Camfed’s reach and impact reflects its success to date. In 2007, Camfed provided four-year
bursary support to 12, 374 girls in the four countries. 392, 100 children received material
and social support. In 2006, Camfed-supported girls in Zambia were 41% more likely than
their non-Camfed counterparts to pass their Grade 9 exams; in Zimbabwe that year, 87% of
Camfed-supported girls in basic secondary school went on to the next grade. CAMA has 7,
488 members, many of whom have not only become community leaders, professionals or
entrepreneurs but who also re-invest in their communities by providing material support to
25, 852 children so that they too can benefit from education.
Background
In sub-Saharan Africa, only 70% of children complete primary school, and even less
complete secondary school. The percentage is significantly less when girls are isolated: in
2004, only 60% of girls completed primary school in Ghana and Zambia, as opposed to
71% of boys. These national figures mask the reality in rural areas where access to
education is lowest. Faced with few resources, many families choose to educate only their
sons due to the perception that it represents a better ‘investment’; their daughters are
34
Camfed International
Founded in 1993
Africa
United Kingdom
www.camfed.org
sent instead to work in cities or face early marriage. The effects of these trends are
devastating particularly for rural girls, who have even less access to educational resources
than their urban peers. Education is a vital lifeline for these girls. For example, girls under
20 are experiencing rates of HIV infection 5 times that of boys while research shows that
girls with a secondary education are 3 times less likely to become HIV positive than those
who receive no education.
Strategy
Camfed-supported girls come from the neediest families from poor rural regions of Africa.
Camfed’s model revolves around the child’s right to education; Camfed has therefore
structured its model and programs to ensure that all relevant stakeholders protect this
right. Education is seen as a long-term investment which has significant benefits for the
entire community and must therefore involve all members of the community. With this
approach, the model aims to catalyze a systemic shift in community attitudes towards
girls’ education and bring about sustainable change.
Camfed’s strategy is based on building up the capacity of local stakeholders and working
together with them to support girls’ education. Education ministries, head teachers,
teachers, chiefs, parents and girls are all consulted: programs are flexible and act in
response to local needs. Camfed has established and continues to invest in district-level
committees and school-based committees in all four countries. These committees identify
vulnerable girls and act swiftly to respond to the changing needs of each individual child.
The process is overseen and monitored by our country teams, many of whom are former
Camfed beneficiaries themselves and are, therefore, fully committed to changing girls’
educational and social status quo. On average, for every UK £ Camfed received between
2000 to date, 91 pence were channeled directly to support girls education, 6 pence were
used to generate another pound, and 3 pence to manage the organization. The
transparency of Camfed’s governance systems and its investment in girls’ education has a
transformative effect not only on girls and young women, but on whole communities. From
the grassroots up, Camfed is helping to narrow the gender gap in education in Africa, and
fostering the empowerment of a generation of girls and women.
The Entrepreneur
Ann Cotton was first inspired to change the fate of girls in rural Africa during a research
trip in a remote village in Zimbabwe in 1991, as part of a Masters program. What she
discovered there profoundly changed her view – and the standard thinking – that girls’
exclusion from education was culturally based. She met many parents who wanted to keep
their daughters in school, but were unable to due to their poverty. Moved by this
experience, Ann decided to found Camfed and has worked tirelessly ever since to ensure
that poor girls are given the chance and the resources to go to school. Her work has been
recognized with several international awards including an Honorary Doctorate in Law from
the University of Cambridge in 2007.
35
Isaac Durojaiye a.k.a Otunba Gadaffi
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Nigeria, 2005
Geographic Area of Impact: Nigeria
Model: Social Business
Focus: Enterprise Development, Environment, Health
The Innovation
Isaac Durojaiye conceived DMT Mobile Toilets as a commercial enterprise that produces,
hires out and maintains safe, sanitary, portable toilets. DMT is the first manufacturer of
mobile toilets in the West African sub-region. The business model aims at improving public
health, sanitation and encouraging social transformation via job opportunities. Durojaiye
has devised a system whereby idle youth, popularly know in Nigeria as “area boys” (gang
leaders), and poor women (especially widows), find gainful employment maintaining and
managing the mobile public toilets. The toilets are placed in high traffic areas, such as bus
stations and markets, where there is a demand for sanitation facilities.
Background
Nigeria has a population of about 140 million people, making it the most populous African
country. In 1999, before DMT Toilets started, there were fewer than 500 functional public
toilets in Nigeria, and most of these were inadequate and poorly maintained. DMT was
conceived to offer an alternative to these facilities, and to the widespread, unhygienic
practice of public urination/defecation. It also aims to address the unemployment
situation, particularly amongst youth. More than half of the population of Nigeria is under
35 years of age, and many are unskilled. Nigeria’s estimated economic growth of 6% in
2004 was driven by the oil sector that accounts for more than 90% of its foreign exchange
earnings. However, this high growth rate masks an extremely high unemployment rate, as
the oil sector is capital intensive and does not require much labour. While Nigerian
unemployment statistics are under debate, it is believed to be around 17%, and higher
amongst urban youth. Up to 55% of the unemployed are secondary school graduates,
underlining the fact that education and skills do not guarantee employment.
Strategy
DMT manufactures the toilets and provides them, free of charge, to ‘area boys’ and women
who are wishing to franchise them. In turn, the franchisees oversee the maintenance of
the public toilets facilities and enter into an arrangement whereby DMT staff and their
specialized trucks evacuate the waste twice a week from each toilet. Each toilet can be
used by about a hundred people per day, for a small cost of 20 Naira, (equivalent to 25
US cents). In the end, 60% of the profits go to franchisees and 40% to DMT for evacuation
services. As a result, local area boys and widows earn about US $160 a month, far more
than the national monthly average of under US$30. DMT transports the waste to
government approved recycling plants for disposal. In the future, it plans to set up its own
plant where waste will be reprocessed into biogas. About 60% of all DMT revenue comes
from this franchise system. In addition, about a quarter of the revenue comes from
advertising, as the colorful plastic toilets make an excellent placement for promoting other
companies that sell hygiene products. With a life span of fifteen years per toilet, the
advertising capacity of one toilet pays for the production of four extra toilets. DMT also
generates additional income by providing toilets for parties and outdoor activities.
36
DMT Mobile Toilets
Founded in 1999
Africa
Nigeria
www.dmttoilet.com
Recently, the Lagos State government signed an agreement with DMT to set up 3,000
public toilets within Lagos over the next three years, using its social franchise model. DMT
has also just been contracted by the World Bank to produce and install over 500 public
toilets in slum areas around Lagos. DMT’s involvement is being sought throughout Nigerian
states and elsewhere in Africa across all sectors. DMT works with regional schools where
toilet facilities are abysmal, donating both toilets and evacuation services. It has provided
mobile toilets for the police and army in Nigeria, as well as for some universities in Nigeria.
DMT Toilets prides itself on cleanliness and professionalism. It uses the latest equipment
for evacuation; its trucks are well maintained and capitalize on the Nigerian sense of
humour. Staff proudly wear the orange smocks that identify them as DMT professionals.
Through the enterprise, Durojaiye and his team have directed much public and
government attention towards issues of hygiene, sanitation and the environment.
The Entrepreneur
Isaac Durojaiye is a big man. One can understand why he was employed as Chief
bodyguard and head of security to the late Chief M.K.O Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the
June 12, 1993 presidential election in Nigeria. At one-time, he was even a credit card fraud
investigator for American Express in their UK security division. He is also a man with a
huge vision, an enormous heart, incredible optimism and energy and an avid passion to
bring about change in his country. He graduated as a graphic artist from a technical college
in the UK and received a higher diploma in Business Administration from Lagos State
Polytechnic, but found himself doing security and intelligence world. His nickname, Otunba
Gadaffi, originates from that function. As bodyguard to Chief M.K.O Abiola, he was
extremely tough, so much so that people would tell him, “Why do you behave like
Gadaffi?” Otunba means “high chief.” DMT Toilets came about as a result of a request from
Chief M.K.O Abiola, who wanted to have a large celebration for his son’s wedding and
charged Durojaiye with the task of organizing security. Durojaiye immediately noticed the
lack of toilets at the venue and found that no toilets could be hired in Nigeria for such
occasions and the few toilets that were available were situated in unsafe areas.
Consequently, he suggested creating makeshift toilets for the occasion. Inspired by Dr
Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh International in India, who has set up many toilets across
the Indian sub-continent, Durojaiye allowed his idea to evolve into the company that
became DMT Mobile Toilets. DMT looks forward to a future of expansion across Nigeria and
the African continent.
37
Garth C. Japhet
Geographic Area of Impact: South Africa
Focus: AIDS / HIV, Civic Participation, Communication / Media, Education, Enterprise

Development, Health, TB
The Innovation
Garth Japhet’s success as a highly innovative social entrepreneur was established in
creating Soul City, now a international, multimedia "edutainment" initiative that seeks to
positively impact people's lives by integrating health and development issues into
serialized prime-time television programs, radio dramas and easy-to-read booklets.
Reaching 79% of South Africa's population (40 million people), the Soul City television and
radio shows have consistently ranked number one or two in audience ratings during the
past five years. Two-thirds of its audience is between 16 and 24 years of age. Soul Buddyz,
a similar multimedia intervention for children aged 8-12 years, is complementary to Soul
City and reaches over 68% of South African children. Large-scale independent evaluations
have clearly demonstrated the programs’ effect on positive social change. In the last five
years, it has extended its operations to another 8 countries in the southern African region,
making it the largest development communication organization in Africa.
In 2002, a separate organization was launched, called Heartlines, using a similar approach
to Soul City of multimedia, but adopting a strategy that leads to individual value changes
in order to deal with priority health and development issues. It also mobilizes over 50% of
all faith-based organizations in South Africa in support of the initiative (More information
can be found on www.heartlines.org.za).
Background
As a physician working in Soweto in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Garth Japhet had
become increasingly frustrated that his medical skills were doing little to improve the
health and quality of life of his patients in poverty stricken townships. Lack of information
on issues surrounding health and poverty was the main "disease." Existing educational
programs had little effect because they did not reach enough people and the information
was delivered in a dry, bureaucratic manner not conducive to learning. Japhet turned to
the media. In South Africa, radio reaches 98% of the population, television reaches 76%
and print media reaches 46%. By making education entertaining, he believed, knowledge
would be retained and debate stimulated.
Garth built Heartlines modeled on the success of Soul City in reaching people through
multimedia. Based on the premise that South Africans - no matter what their race, color
or creed - share many of the same core values, Heartlines aims to use multimedia to
create debate about, and reinforce these core values, through a variety of projects.
Initially, the program created eight stories in feature length films highlighting eight values
that were aired for eight weeks, sparking national awareness. Values include responsibility,
forgiveness, perseverance, self-control, honesty and compassion. This has been followed
by frequent calls to respect these values and act as a change for good through a number
of ongoing media campaigns through multiple channels.
38
Heartlines
Founded in 2002
Africa
South Africa
www.heartlines.co.za
Strategy
In setting up both Soul City and Heartlines, Japhet concentrated on four strategies.
Recognizing that television, radio, music, theatre and print reach different audiences and
could serve to reinforce messages, he opted, first, for a multimedia approach. Second, he
decided to focus on quality. Media owners would not donate prime space for educational
content; the programming had to attract large audiences with compelling plots and
characters. Third, he chose to create a drama, rather than a documentary or talk show,
since drama is the most popular form of television in Africa. Historically, drama is also the
best way to deal with social issues. Finally, he decided to create a popular social brand that
would provide credibility to all initiatives with which it was associated. Since its inception,
Soul City has stirred public discussion and challenged attitudes about HIV/AIDS, youth
sexuality, hypertension and violence against women, as well as complex development
issues like land rights and access to banking services. Heartlines aims to do the same. Soul
City is active in another eight African countries as well as Surinam and Colombia and
Egypt, where materials are adapted and training undertaken.
Heartlines is embarking a new strategy that will see a web and cell phone based social
networking platform set up which will be like “facebook” but with social content. This forms
the core of a strategy aimed to move people from dialogue to values-based action. The
strategy includes the use of mass media and the mobilization of faith-based organizations
and schools.
The Entrepreneur
Garth Japhet was brought up in South Africa during the Apartheid era. Due to his family's
liberal upbringing, he was able to comprehend the injustices prevalent in South African
society. This led him to embark on a career in medicine. He felt that in doing so he might
be able to make a difference in the development of better health facilities for his fellow
citizens. But his enhanced medical expertise only aggravated his frustration towards
stagnating health and developmental problems. Japhet realized that in order to change the
environment in South Africa, he would have to create an interesting access to knowledge
in this particular field. This idea finally crystallized into Soul City in 1991. "I see my work
as giving people and communities tools that will make a tangible difference in their lives,"
explains Japhet. "I want to reach more people in Africa and beyond, and make the
interventions increasingly relevant to all facets of their lives."
39
Taffy Adler
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, South Africa, 2007
Focus: Homelessness & Housing
The Innovation
The Johannesburg Housing Company refurbishes occupied buildings and constructs new
ones to offer affordable, safe housing in the Johannesburg Inner City. The Inner City had
been abandoned by businesses and become centers of crime. Through its 24 buildings,
which offer homes to more than 8500 people, the JHC has managed to be the main motor
behind the regeneration of entire street blocks and districts in the city. It has invested
more than R220m in creating an additional 8% of housing stock in the inner city for low
and moderate-income earners. JHC standards of management and maintenance are
considered international best practice, and social housing institutions worldwide admire
JHC’s levels of customer satisfaction, rental arrears, bad debt and vacancies. Innovative
architectural design,product innovation and rigorous construction management with a
focus on long-term sustainability have become JHC trademarks, as have its firm, fair and
caring approach to building management and administration.
Every JHC building operates sustainably while keeping both the vacancy levels and the
non-paid rents at less than 2%, far below any other social and some private housing
businesses, making it possible for JHC to operate at a surplus since 2003. It has even
mobilized commercial funding, with the negotiation of the first commercial loan from a
commercial bank to a social housing institution. The work of the JHC’s dedicated
community development subsidiary, Makhulong a Matala Community Development
Services, is pioneering in the urban development context, giving rise to activities which
address the social disintegration so evident in Johannesburg’s urban transition and giving
rise to safer, cleaner neighborhoods. The success of JHC’s innovations can be measured to
the extent that its best practices have become the norm in the sector. Its most important
achievement in pioneering new approaches is their contribution to the normalization of
investment, and the provision of well managed rental accommodation in Johannesburg’s
inner city. For these achievements, the JHC was the global winner of the prestigious United
Nations World Habitat Award 2006 for the best innovative and sustainable housing
solutions.
Background
Johannesburg has always been a divided city, predominantly rich and white at the centre,
and poor and black on the outside. The inner city was traditionally home to businesses,
banking institutions, gold mining houses and corporate headquarters. But the twenty-year
transition to a democratic South Africa saw the demographics of the city change with
mounting intensity. Social discord and rising crime rates instigated the flight of businesses
and investment capital from the urban center. Buildings became overcrowded and run
down. Drug dealing and prostitution flourished while landlords lost control over their
properties. As a result, property values in the inner city plummeted and banks redlined the
district. Confronted with this chaos, JHC saw its challenge as the recreation of an
environment of order, trust, good governance and dignity out of the inevitable turmoil of
the transition to democracy.
40
Johannesburg Housing
Company
Founded in 1995
Africa
South Africa
www.jhc.co.za
Strategy
The JHC model is similar to social housing practices developed in Western Europe over the
last 50 years. However the adaptation to the South African context with its particular
challenges has required numerous innovations and comprehensive strategies. As a social
housing and urban regeneration initiative, the Johannesburg Housing Company’s
contribution is multifaceted. In its new developments (both new build and upgrade) it
overcomes apartheid geography, pioneers new architectural design, integrates living
environments for mixed income families and multi usage, supports emerging service
providers and creates cost effective construction management and financial solutions not
previously available to low income developments.
In its building management arrangements, JHC brings a unique standard of customer

service and value for money to poor communities in degraded neighborhoods resulting in
world-class levels of high occupation (currently at around 99%) and low arrear levels
(currently at 1.2% and less than 5% throughout its entire history). Through its focus on
precinct development, it pioneers community based neighborhood development and has
built replicable programs that are being rolled out in other areas of the city by other private
and public sector players. As a community development program, it pioneers counseling
services, including HIV-AIDS support, to social housing programs in South Africa as well
as a variety of life skill and asset building activities, especially for young people. As an
organization it builds management and governance skills and systems which are widely
recognized as industry best practice both nationally and internationally, while it works with
housing NGOs, associations, local, provincial and national government in furthering the
policies and practices of the social housing movement in South Africa and worldwide.
The Entrepreneur
Taffy Adler graduated with a B.A. in African Studies and a M.Sc in Building Science in South
Africa. For ten years, he worked as an official in the non-racial union movement. In 1987,
he initiated the formation of the Labor and Economic Research Centre. In 1991, he
established the Land Investment Trust, a non-profit organization providing working capital
for developers of low-income shelter. Taffy was also a serial entrepreneur in the social
sector, founding South Africa’s first internet service provider, Sangonet to provide email
services for various groups, such as trade unions, reporters of the independent
newspapers and progressive development organizations throughout Africa facilitating
international networking. He remained chairperson from inception until 2006. Taffy was a
founding member of the Platinum Development Trust that opposed the attempt by the
apartheid government to remove the population of Oukasie some 30 kms away from their
urban centre. He is chairman of the eKhaya Neighborhood Association, the first residential
improvement district to be established in the high-density living areas in South Africa.
Taffy is now the Chief Executive Officer and first employee of the Johannesburg Housing
Company. He is also a member of the national advisory panel to the National Minister of
Housing, and a director of the Social Housing Foundation and the Trust for Urban Housing
Finance. He is a former General Secretary of the National Association of Social Housing
Organizations. In 1999 the SA Institute of Housing recognized Taffy as the Gauteng
Housing Person of the Year.
41
Martin Fisher and Nick Moon
Schwab Fellows of the World Economic Forum
Geographic Area of Impact: Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania
Focus: Agriculture, Enterprise Development, Technology
The Innovation
KickStart seeks to develop a significant middle class in Africa by stimulating the growth of
a thriving entrepreneurial sector. Beginning with Kenya and Tanzania, it seems well on its
way to attaining that goal. KickStart creates new businesses and jobs by developing and
promoting new low-cost technologies that are bought and used by local entrepreneurs to
establish profitable small-scale businesses. By identifying, developing and marketing
technologies with a high cost-benefit ratio, KickStart enables the entrepreneurial poor to
play an effective role in the market economy, substantially increasing their income levels
and creating new jobs. According to KickStart’s Impact Monitoring results, as of September
2008, 107,000 MoneyMaker pumps were sold, 71,000 enterprises created, and 355,000
people were lifted out of poverty. Every month more than 800 new businesses are
created. Between these , new revenues equivalent to more than 0.6% of Kenya's GDP and
0.25% of Tanzania’s GDP are generated. With an ROI of 17:1, every $1 donated results
in $17 in new profits and wages for the new business.
Background
In the industrialized world, governments subsidize research, development and market
development to promote new technologies. In developing countries, governments have
other priorities and there is very little expenditure on this front. And because it is not
profitable, private sector companies rarely develop new products and technologies for the
poor, who have minimal purchasing power. This market failure can be addressed by
innovative, affordable technologies and equipment that can be used to start small
businesses in Africa. But to do so, a private sector supply chain needs to be established
while understanding and building a market demand.
42
KickStart International
Founded in 1991
Africa
Kenya
www.kickstart.org
Strategy
KickStart identifies profitable, new small-scale businesses that can be established by
thousands of local entrepreneurs with an initial investment that can be recovered within
three to six months. KickStart then designs the equipment and tools required to start and
operate these new businesses. This equipment must be affordable (less than a few
hundred dollars) to buy, manually operated, energy-efficient, durable and easy to
transport. And it must require minimum training to install, use and maintain. KickStart
designs the methods for mass producing the equipment and trains private sector
manufacturers to do large-scale high quality production. It then buys the equipment from
the manufacturers and uses innovative marketing techniques to sell it to poor
entrepreneurs through a network of whole-sellers and hundreds of local retail shops.
KickStart uses donor funds to subsidize the initial design and market development and
continues rigorous marketing until the new equipment becomes commonly known and
firmly rooted in the society. At this point the equipment can be profitably and sustainably
manufactured, and continue to be sold to millions more poor, but entrepreneurial, local
families – who will use it to establish profitable businesses and climb out of poverty.
Because 80% of the poor in Africa are poor rural farmers, KickStart’s best selling devices
are their MoneyMaker micro-irrigation pumps. These simple, human powered pumps
enable farmers to start small businesses growing and selling high value fruits and
vegetables throughout the year. They recover their investment in three months, make on
average $1,100 in new profits per year, and increase their farm income by 1000%.
The Entrepreneurs
Nick Moon grew up in India and South East Asia. He learned woodworking and general
building skills and started a small enterprise in London that prospered from working with
big city firms. Uneasy in his role as a full-fledged businessman, Moon sold his share of the
company and left for Kenya, where he joined ActionAid and met Martin Fisher. In addition
to managing KickStart, Moon found the time to earn an MBA in 2002. Martin Fisher
received his PhD at Stanford in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. However, it wasn't until
he made friends from developing countries in graduate school and spent a summer in Peru
that he considered applying his knowledge to help the developing world. He went to Kenya
on a Fulbright in 1985, and has never looked back. KickStart’s micro-irrigation pumps
have been identified as one of Ten Inventions That Will Change the World by Newsweek
magazine.
43
Cosmas I. Okoli
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Nigeria, 2006
Geographic Area of Impact: Nigeria
Focus: Advocacy, Education, Health, Technology
The Innovation
MAARDEC was born out of Cosmas Okoli’s quest to find solutions to challenges faced by
millions of people with disabilities in Nigeria, himself included. MAARDEC seeks to address
the lack of adequate mobility aids and appliances as well as the architectural and
attitudinal barriers facing persons with disabilities. It aims to empower such persons
through a holistic approach that facilitates rehabilitation, re-orientation and integration
into society through the provision of standard mobility aids and appliances, and
complementary services, enabling meaningful employment and enhanced quality of life.
Cosmas has been able to devise creative solutions to the problems endemic to people with
disabilities. For example, he has developed a more effective and efficient leg brace than
existed previously in Nigeria, and has also designed hand controls that allow those who
have lost the use of their legs to drive automobiles.
Cosmas believes that by empowering the disabled to become fully contributing members
of society, not only do the disabled feel a sense of accomplishment and purpose, but their
societies benefit as a result of having a greater number of productive individuals.
MAARDEC offers counseling and guidance for such persons and promotes sports for
persons with disabilities, spurring public education around the capacities of disabled
persons. It has dispelled the notion that mobility aids and appliances are for the well to do
only. In addition, it has been at the forefront of research about the causes and
consequences of disabilities in Nigeria. MAARDEC founded Association for Comprehensive
Empowerment of Nigerians with Disabilities (ASCEND), which is at the forefront of
advocacy for persons with disabilities.
Background
According to the United Nations, about 10% of most populations are disabled. However,
the population of persons with disabilities is almost double that average in Nigeria, with
an estimated 24 million disabled people in that country alone. Like many other emerging
economies, Nigeria sees investment in services for the disabled as a luxury. As a result, a
great many people with disabilities are dependent on their families. Where no family is
available to help, the disabled often are forced to become street beggars. In any scenario,
few are able to support themselves, with the rest becoming liabilities, rather than assets
to the economy of their nation. In addition, many people, whether disabled or not, are
ignorant about the rights of the disabled and how these citizens can contribute to society.
Brought up with defeatist and fatalistic attitudes about disabilities, affected individuals
tend to have poor self-esteem, and experience a lack of opportunities for personal and
social growth be these in education, employment or sports. In Nigeria, there are almost
no facilities for the disabled. There is no wheelchair access for street crossings or public
buildings and no special provisions for public transportation. Affordable and practical
mobility aids are rare. Though some government rehabilitation centers do exist, they are
limited in number and their training programs have little relevance to realistic
opportunities. Additionally, there is no follow up when such training is completed.
44
Mobility Aid and Appliances
Research and Development
Centre (MAARDEC)
Africa
Founded in 1991, Nigeria
www.maardec.net
Strategy
Cosmas Okoli set out to tackle a specific challenge – the need for designing,
manufacturing, assembling and repairing mobility aids and appliances for people with
disabilities in his country. But as with most social entrepreneurs, he ended up branching
out, and found himself working in many related aspects, including counseling and
guidance, employment, recreation and advocacy for the rights of the disabled.
From the outset, Cosmas wanted to ensure that he was not dependent on donor funding
to enable him to fulfill his goals for MAARDEC. Thus, he established two separate
businesses, one a transport company and the second, a company that facilitates the
clearing of goods through Nigerian ports. Contributions from these companies have
allowed MAARDEC to function, as it cannot yet do so solely on the profits from its goods
and services. However, Cosmas seeks to make MAARDEC fully self-sustaining, and to that
end, he has engaged in a series of organizational improvements and staffing. He has also,
as a result of coaching in the Trendsetters program run by LEAP, elaborated a business plan
for the first time (lack of a business plan is not unusual for entrepreneurs – either business
or social). Cosmas has reconstituted MAARDEC’s Board and brought in a marketing
expert, an administrator to monitor MAARDEC’s progress, finance and corporate affairs
person, and an engineer to take charge of the workshop where the manufacturing and
repair takes place. In this way, Cosmas hopes he will be freed up from much of the micro-
managing that he has had to do to date.
About 50% of the staff that work at MAARDEC have disabilities. Cosmas has also headed
Special Sports Federation of Nigeria and National Paralympic Committee that runs its
events in the same venue and year as the Olympics and is closely affiliated with the IOC.
He took Nigeria to the Atlanta and Sydney Paralympics where Nigeria won a number of
gold, silver and bronze medals. However, he has had to pull back from his leadership
commitments there because MAARDEC was suffering as a result.
MAARDEC has entered into a partnership with fellow social entrepreneur David Green of
Conversion Sound to assemble and market digital hearing aids in Nigeria; making them
affordable to the indigent and providing employment for persons with disabilities. This
partnership takes off in 2009. Cosmas dreams of setting up an “Empowerment Village”
that would ensure that 20,000 Nigerians with disabilities are equipped with efficient and
sustainable mobility aids and appliances by the year 2015, with at least 4,000 fully employed
and another 200 in elected or appointed positions within the public sector. Actualization of this
dream has commenced with the establishment of the first empowerment centre in Lagos.
The Entrepreneur
Cosmas is a hero and a role model for persons with disabilities as well as the able-bodied.
Disabled by polio at the age of 4, Cosmas could not walk until he was 10 because
rehabilitation and prostheses were unavailable during the civil war that ravaged eastern
parts of Nigeria. Though his father was a headmaster, he did not know that Cosmas could
cope with the challenges of formal education; and covertly planned to have him trained as
a cobbler. Cosmas had ideas of his own. Unaware of his father’s plans, he demanded to be
enrolled in school after his elder brother was enrolled. His father jettisoned his plans and
supported him. Siblings and other students carried him to and from school; where he
crawled on all fours. When he was finally able to go through a rehabilitation program in
1973, he continued his studies. His abilities impressed his teachers, and he was
encouraged to pursue further studies. He graduated from the University of Lagos as a
medical physiologist. His role model was Franklin Roosevelt, and like the late U.S.
President, he was driven to excel. He has invented support devices and designed sports
equipment for persons with disabilities; becoming a silver medalist in international table
tennis. He was bestowed with the National Honors Award of Officer of the Order of the
Niger (OON) by the Federal Government of Nigeria in December 2006.
45
Andrea and Barry Coleman
Geographic Area of Impact: Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Focus: Health
The Innovation
It only takes a few hours to reach any capital in the world by plane, but it can take days
and many hardships to reach the more rural areas in developing countries. Many
development efforts fail because distribution proves to be a key neglected component.
Food supplies, new drugs, vaccines and other critical health products including mosquito
nets and condoms are useless unless they reach their destination. Riders for Health
(Riders) addresses these delivery barriers by managing vehicles to support those
organizations whose remit is to reach the rural poor in sub-Saharan Africa with health care
and vital services.
Riders has proven that adequate modern-day technology can perform without breakdowns
even across the unforgiving terrain of rural Africa. To achieve this success, Riders had to
bring about a change in traditional practices. By working closely with local communities,
governments and other agencies they have gotten across the message that, rather than
using something until it breaks down, the life and performance of a vehicle or equipment
can be extended through preventative maintenance. In addition to cost savings, Riders has
a significant impact in the area of primary health care delivery. By using a motorcycle, for
example, health and other development workers have increased their number of visits to
remote communities by at least 300%.
Riders manages more than 1000 vehicles involved in direct health care delivery and a
conservative estimate shows that 11 million people are receiving regular, reliable health
care thanks to Riders’ programs. These figures were confirmed by an independent report
carried out in 2005. In one district in Zimbabwe, death rates from malaria decreased by
20% after health workers were equipped with motorcycles and could cover 96% of the
district with preventive services, mosquito nets and anti-malarial drugs.
Background
Currently, 30,000 children under the age of five die each day across the developing world
from preventable or treatable diseases including measles, diarrhoea and malaria.
Immunization programs still do not reach 30 million children each year and measles and
tetanus kill more than one million children under five each year. Birth-related complications
contribute to nearly one-third of all newborn deaths. Access to skilled attendants could
reduce these deaths, but more than half of women in sub-Saharan Africa give birth alone
or with untrained assistance. Often, the one factor preventing the delivery of health care
is the lack of managed transportation. Most of Africa, as well as rural areas in other parts
of the world, have no infrastructure for motor vehicle maintenance that would ensure
lasting and cost-efficient transportation and facilitate a lifeline for needed goods and
supplies.
46
Riders for Health
Founded in 1988
Africa
United Kingdom
www.riders.org
Strategy
Riders for Health has developed a focused expertise in planned preventive maintenance
and fleet management. Their innovative transport systems incorporate training in driving
skills, daily maintenance procedures, fuelling supply-chain logistics for replacement parts
and interval preventative maintenance. Riders places great emphasis on building local
capacity to manage and maintain its vehicles. As a result, Riders is able to operate fleets
of vehicles in the harshest conditions with a zero breakdown rate for five years or longer.
Riders has demonstrated that a properly managed vehicle under its system will save more
than 50% of costs over a six-year period, compared to an unmanaged vehicle.
Riders has a solid base of experience, expertise and specialist knowledge built over nearly
20 years of operating in sub-Saharan Africa. They currently operate on a national scale in
Zimbabwe and the Gambia in full contractual partnership with Ministries of Health (MoHs)
and work on a sub-national scale with partner agencies (either MoHs, NGOs, UN agencies
or community-based organizations – CBOs) in Lesotho, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria. In
2002, Riders set up the International Academy of Vehicle Management in Harare, where it
has trained more than 1400 men and women in safe riding and driving, vehicle
maintenance and fleet management. The values held by Riders are fundamental to the
design of the system and to how it is run on a day-to-day basis. They are essential for
appropriate sustainable development, systematic behaviours and predictability. Riders’
operational values are to maintain focus and keep standards high in core competence,
create and establish appropriate and replicable models, build competence and a replicable
skills base, encourage and respect public/private/business partnerships, produce costings
for budgeting, transparency and accountability and maximise available resources, employ
only nationals of the countries concerned to run the programmes. During the last three
years, Riders generated over 70% of its revenues from its own social enterprises (running
events, for example) and from contract partners. In addition, Riders receives donations
from motorcyclists and other supporters around the world.
The Entrepreneurs
started in the motorcycle community when a group of people working in the grand prix
paddock began general fundraising for children in difficulties in developing countries.
During several trips to Africa in the late 1980s to see the fruits of this fundraising, Barry
and Andrea Coleman and American racer Randy Mamola noticed that vehicles intended for
use in the delivery of health care were not being used because they had broken down. The
Colemans realized that progress in the vital area of disease prevention and eradication in
Africa was being hampered by the lack of reliable mobility, particularly for local health
professionals. They became engaged in active fundraising for a programme of vehicle
management initiated by Save the Children and acted as consultants in the setting up of
management programmes in Lesotho, Ghana and Zimbabwe. In 1996, so that funding
raised in the motorcycle community could go more directly to vehicle management
programmes, Riders was set up as an independent NGO. Andrea Coleman is chief
executive officer and has guided the financial/funding and advocacy development of
Riders, including establishing the entrepreneurial income streams and innovative
fundraising initiatives that have enabled organisational growth. Barry Coleman, executive
director, is designer of the groundbreaking Transport Resource Management and Transport
Asset Management systems and the Riders cost-per-kilometre calculator.
47
Bernard Njonga
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Cameroon, 2005
Geographic Area of Impact: Cameroon ,Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon
Model: Hybrid Non-Profit ,Social Business
Focus: Agriculture, Civic Participation, Communication / Media, Consumer Awareness,

Education, Enterprise Development, Rural Development
The Innovation
Before SAILD began operating in Cameroon, farmers' organizations (including
cooperatives) were non-existent. In part, this was because Cameroon lacked legislation
regarding civil society organizations. SAILD grew out of a pilot project implemented by
farmers who joined together to address critical problems to their survival. The results of
the pilot project demonstrated that farmer’ organizations were key to agricultural
sustainability. SAILD initiated a new model of practice for Cameroon, as it stimulated and
supported the creation of organizations within which farmers could express themselves,
exchange information, help each other, take responsibility and negotiate.
SAILD supported farmers organizing into structured, informed and dynamic communities,
either building these cooperative groups from the ground up or working with interested
parties to improve existing organizations. As a result of SAILD’S work, strong, well-
structured farmers’ cooperatives exist today at both the regional and national levels,
positively transforming the lives of thousands of farmers. SAILD also introduced and
popularized various agricultural products including papaya, watermelon and soybeans. It
also helped build a market for these products throughout the country. In various regions
of Cameroon, SAILD introduced maize, coffee, cocoa and small ruminants, providing
farmers the opportunity to diversify their crop choices. Additionally, SAILD developed
seedbeds from which 10,000 plants are grafted annually. As a result of these initiatives,
SAILD has helped thousands of farmers to create viable rural enterprises.
Background
Today, 60-70% of the population of Cameroon relies on agriculture to provide their main
source of income. About 90% of the country’s people depend on domestic crops to meet
their nutritional needs. In 1984, an initiative was taken by those within the agricultural
sector to organize farmers’ meetings in the four main regions of Cameroon. The intention
was to take inventory of the problems constraining agricultural development in the country
and to propose grassroots solutions. As a result of the consultations, five problems were
identified: lack of investment, information, technical guidance and of know-how, as well as
social problems, including jealousy and witchcraft. To address these issues, a pilot project
was undertaken. From 1985- 87, a group of small farmers implemented solutions to the
issues identified. The pilot effort was coordinated by SAILD, a service created within one
local organization (Centre pour le Développement Autocentré). The conclusion
demonstrated that farmers’ organizations were key to rural development. As a result of
SAILD’s central role in the pilot project, a strong bond was formed with the farmers and
leaders in the communities. The result was that SAILD became the channel for reaching
farmers and affecting positive development.
48
Service d'Appui aux Initiatives Locales
de Développement (SAILD)
Association Citoyenne de Défensedes
Intérêts Collectifs (ACDIC)
Africa
Founded in 1988, 2003
Cameroon
www.saild.org
Strategy
SAILD builds the economic and organizational capacity of farmers’ associations via several
strategies. It helps farmers conduct their own analysis of available resources. It supports
them in identifying the challenges and it guides them in implementing the steps to address
them. SAILD has 3 main operational entities: SAILD Support is active in Cameroon, Chad,
Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It helps farmers’ organizations innovate,
assign appropriate prices to their products and use every opportunity to improve their
success. SAILD Support provides training, professional, information and micro-finance
programs.
SAILD Communication publishes “La voix du paysan”, its monthly newspaper, in French,
English and Arabic. It sells over 30,000 copies per issue and has more than 150,000
readers. The newspaper has many applications. It is a tool for accessing economic
development information, promoting exchange and dialogue, linking/networking, lobbying,
citizenship development and as a good resource for improving farmers’ know-how.
The Documentation Centre for Rural Development (Centre de Documentation pour le

Développement Rural) is a low-cost information service for all farmers’ organizations,
families and individuals that belong to a farmers’ organization or federation. Through this
service, farmers can find the answer to simple questions, complicated procedural
explanations or explanations of global marketing tactics. The Centre handles around 7,000
requests a year. The center enables SAILD expert agronomists are able to follow and
support local production in all its aspects. In 2000, SAILD created an independent
consulting company, AFRICONSULT SA, to strengthen its financial stability.
One of SAILD’s newest initiatives is ACDIC (Association Citoyenne de Défence des Intérêts
Collectifs). Created in 2003, ACDIC is a non-profit, apolitical, and non-tribal citizens’
organization. Currently, it has close to 12,000 members. Its goal is to reach 40,000 by the
end of 2006. ACDIC is an association belonging to the masses from where it draws its
roots. The members are citizens, capable of assuming their citizenship, sensitive to the
problems of their society and ready to seek solutions. The mission of ACDIC is to improve
their awareness, removing barriers that limit life choices including participation in the
management of public affairs.
The newest and most recent creation of Bernard Njonga launched in 2008 is “Eclat
d’Afrique”, a rural people magazine which aims at: breaking the image of a “miserable”
Africa; boasting and promoting the beauty of our villages; revealing the extraordinary side
of ordinary men and women; valorizing the rural milieu. This rural magazine that is going
to accompany the already existing and technical “La Voix du Paysan” will be distributed in
Cameroon, Africa, Europe and America.
The Entrepreneur
Bernard Njonga is convinced that Africa does not need external help to progress and
develop. He firmly believes that Africa’s needs can be met by Africans. An agronomist, he
left his job at the Institut de Recherche Agronomique (Institute for Agricultural Research)
to dedicate himself to facilitating the capacity of his countrymen and women to improve
their own future.
49
Patrick Schofield
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, South Africa, 2008
Focus: Enterprise Development, Fair trade
The Innovation
Streetwires is a social enterprise, an art project, a job creation program and cooperative
management system that is bringing together two distinct craft forms – wire and beads
into one. Through the creation of new craft, Streetwires has been able to create an
environment of camaraderie and team work. Using the core tenets of upliftment,
sustainability and innovation as their guide, Patrick Schofield and his team are seeking in
Streetwires to create a microcosm of what South Africa is striving for - individuals, taking
responsibility for their destiny, bringing their diverse skills together and working to build
their future and the future of the country. Streetwires has revolutionized and formalized
an informal wire and bead market industry for craftsmen and women in South Africa. It
has not only grown the social business model and the business of its artists, but it has
lifted the status of these wire and bead crafts into art forms assigning proper aesthetic and
economic value. By creating innovative and formal systems of craft development, team
cooperative manufacturing, quality control and marketing to local and international
audiences, Streetwires ensures the producers a fair price for their art, making it the first
certified fair trade craft organization in South Africa.
Background
Unemployment is one of South Africa’s biggest challenges, and is the origin of numerous
other social issues such as crime and poverty, hampering the growth and development of
communities. Without formal employment, many citizens carve out a meagre living for the
families in informal industries. Street wire art, unique to Southern Africa and once largely
unavailable beyond its borders, is a living testimony to the industriousness and creative
spirit of the country’s people. Born in the townships and dusty backroads and baptised on
the streets, this genre of craft was undervalued and only available in the informal markets
of South Africa and typically not very profitable. In 2000 a team of three co-founders and
two artists started Streetwires to tackle the problems of unemployment and poverty in
South Africa through combining and formalising the wire and bead craft industries and
ascribing value to the design and labour that goes into craft production. Today this genre
is a thriving and legitimate art form in its own right, with many artists making a living
selling their creations not only on street corners and at craft markets, but also in up
market shops and galleries around the world.
50
Streetwires
Founded in 2000
Africa
South Africa
www.streetwires.co.za
Strategy
Written on the wall at the Streetwires studio is: ‘the history of wire art is a human story’,
which describes the thread of values running through the organization. The primary aim
of Streetwires is to create sustainable, meaningful long-term employment for as many
unemployed and needy South Africans as possible achieved through growth within the
organisation, supporting members to branch out on their own and in a wider role as a
leader by example in the broader craft sector. This aim is realised through the creation of
an organization that is marketing driven. Recognised as a leader in craft, both as a design
house and in efficient systems, by operating as a professionally run organisation, the long
term social objectives are ensured.
Focusing on the unique and dynamic genre of wire art, the “Proudly South African” project
has over the last 7 years provided the skills training, support and raw materials to enable
over 600 formerly unemployed men and women to channel their creative energies into this
vibrant art form, many receiving a formal, certified training in small business and art in
the process. Others have risen from street art to running their own art studios. Streetwires
applied a business but human oriented approach to production, designing a local
management system that enabled design, supply, production, quality assurance and
delivery tasks to be professionally managed. Streetwires finds markets for the high quality
and appropriate priced products in South Africa and exports to 15 other countries including
those in Europe & the USA.
Their management software system has been adopted by the umbrella craft body as the
standard for the industry as most other craft projects that aim to develop sustainable
livelihoods are heavily subsidised and unsustainable. Wire and bead craft has experienced
the highest levels of growth of any genre in the craft industry over the past 5 years and
can certainly be attributed to the output of designs from Streetwires (with over 8,000
different designs emerging). They have opened up the potential for designers, decorators
and street artists alike outside of Streetwires to showcase the potential of this new
medium. The overwhelming majority of these artists have previously come from the
unemployed or informal sectors of the economy. A parallel non-profit organization, called
Streetwires Training and Development, sets the company’s broader social and community
development goals in terms of skills training, individual artist development and a series of
outreach initiatives in orphanages, schools and impoverished communities.
The Entrepreneur
Patrick Schofield is a multi-talented individual with a ‘left field’ brain and a passion for
Africa. Inpsired by creative thought and action, his business grounding came through his
formal education at the University of Cape Town where he graduated with an Honours
Degree in Business Science. In 2002 he was the recipient of the Cape Times Business
Personality of the Year Award – Editors Choice, primarily for his work at Streetwires. In
2007 he received the Top Billing Entrepreneur of the Year award recognising the success
of Streetwires as a sustainable enterprise. Patrick previously built his own company in the
publishing industry catering to lower income groups. Schooled in business, Patrick
recognised that social enterprises often fail due to the lack of competitiveness resultant
form a ‘hand-out’ mentality that can develop in the ‘non-profit’ environment often implicit
in social development projects, and hence set to work with a hybrid social/business model
that became Streetwires. Patrick is focused on developing the social/business model both
through Streetwires and in related projects that builds on the tenet that a business should
be built around the symbiotic relationship of the individual within the community.
51
Tasneem A. Siddiqui
Geographic Area of Impact: Pakistan
Model: Hybrid Non-Profit, Social Business
The Innovation
In 1987, Tasneem Siddiqui conceived the Khuda-ki-Basti approach because the urban poor,
particularly in developing countries, cannot afford to buy “fully serviced land” (land
equipped with water, sanitation and electricity) or a completed house. Siddiqui has worked
for the last 20 years to test, improve and replicate the approach. Having achieved this
through the two non-profit organizations he founded, he is now launching the Social
Housing Company, a for-profit hybrid where the public sector’s House Building Finance
Corporation and other financial institutions will be shareholders. Their equity will enable
Saiban to purchase land either from the government or from the open market and pass on
the benefits to the poor.
The Khuda-ki-Basti approach represents a dramatic departure from the public sector
development model, building instead upon the informal sector’s model with modifications
to overcome its various deficiencies. In the public sector model, state-owned land is first
serviced with essential infrastructure and then plots are made available for purchase – but
because development costs are high, the poor cannot afford them. Moreover, the
application process is slow and cumbersome, involving bureaucratic red tape and
corruption. As a result, the plots are sold to middle-class or real estate speculators. This
has resulted in a huge suppy-demand gap with respect to small-size plots. The informal
sector’s approach guarantees greater access but it is also not ideal. Middlemen sub-divide
lands after acquiring it with the collusion of corrupt officials and make the plots available
for purchase. Initially, there is no infrastructure, and so the plots are affordable to the
poor. The allocation process is hassle-free and plot delivery is made as soon as payment
is received. The major drawbacks of this approach are that tenure is insecure because the
land is illegally acquired and infrastructure and services develop slowly, in an unplanned
manner, and are consequently of poor quality.
The Khuda-ki-Basti model formalizes this informal approach. Saiban works mostly in
partnership with government agencies, purchases land, subdivides it as per zoning
regulations into small plots and then markets these to the poor. Payment schedules are
flexible and burdensome paperwork is kept to a minimum. The approach has provided
housing to over 8,000 families and has benefited around 60,000. New projects initiated by
Saiban will provide housing to another 6,500 families, benefiting an additional 42,000 and
saving the public sector about 30 million rupees (US$ 670,000).
Background
In Pakistan, as elsewhere in the developing world, the proportion of the urban population
living below the poverty line is rising at an alarming rate. Currently that figure stands at
40%. Moreover, Pakistan’s urban population is growing at 3.5% per annum. Over 30% of
the country’s urban population lives in squatter settlements on municipal/ public lands and
close to 50% are located in the city of Karachi. The unchecked growth of these temporary
settlements continues as a result of shortcomings in the housing delivery system and lack
of access to affordable land tenure by the poor.
52
Action Research for Shelter
(SAIBAN)
Asia
Founded in 1991
Pakistan
Strategy
In 1991 Siddiqui founded Saiban, a non-profit organization to continue the work of scaling
and perfecting The Khuda-ki-Basti methodology. At the same time he also reactivated the
Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA), a quasi-governmental agency to regularize and
upgrade squatter settlements. SKAA was the “bridge” needed between Saiban and
governmental authorities to make the approach sustainable. Saiban ensures that housing
is offered to the poor at affordable rates and flexible payment schedules.
Plots with minimal services are sold to poor families for a down payment. Subsequent
payments are to be made over 6-8 years and are used to gradually develop remaining
infrastructure. The application process is handled on-site and possession of the plot is
given as soon as the down payment is made. The candidate’s family is required to move
into a reception site for about two weeks. This practice filters out real-estate speculators
and middle-income groups and provides families with lodging while construction begins. A
family must start constructing a house as soon as it receives plot possession. Families
must comply with these requirements to avoid the risk of having the allotment cancelled
and the down payment forfeited. The house a family initially constructs can be a simple
shack. The advantage to the residing family – in addition to affordable housing – is the
security of tenure. The plots are legally sanctioned and families have no fear of eviction.
By partnering with other non-profit social organizations, Saiban facilitates key social and
economic services to the residents of the housing community, including education,
healthcare and credit activities.
The Entrepreneur
Tasneem Siddiqui is from Sukkur, where his family migrated from North India after 1947.
He obtained his M.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Sindh in 1964. He
joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1965 and steadily rose in his career, becoming the
Deputy Commissioner of Sukkur in 1979. During 1983-84, he studied at Harvard
University’s Kennedy School of Government and received his M.P.A. He also has a Master’s
degree in English Literature and a degree in law. Siddiqui has held highly responsible and
prestigious positions during his service in the government. These include the positions of
Chief Secretary in the Government of Sindh, and Director-General of Hyderabad
Development Authority (HDA).
53
Sarah Mavrinac
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Singapore, 2008
Geographic Area of Impact: Hong Kong, Singapore
Focus: Education, Enteprise Development, Women
The Innovation
Aidha is a Singapore-based organisation whose mission is enriching lives through financial
education. Aidha serves women, primarily migrant women coming to Singapore from the
Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India in search of economic opportunity. Aidha is a
‘microfinance plus’ organization, providing credit plus education. It offers significant
financing enabled by committed students’ investment in learning, skills development, and
business plan construction. By leveraging migrant women’s time and exposure to
developed economy activity, and by providing them with both academic and hands-on
business/money training, Aidha helps impoverished women return home sustainably –
with social, intellectual, and financial capital necessary to spearhead new businesses in
their home countries.
Background
There are currently 300 million documented and undocumented migrants working outside
their home countries. Of these a significant number are women who look for economically
feasible means to support their families and eventually return home. The vast majority of
Aidha’s students come from those populations in Southeast Asia living on less than USD
$2 per day. Money earned in Singapore by these women is then sent home to their
families. Some of this money is used to further the education of their children, but
surprisingly a lot of the money is used to supplement consumption. Upon returning to
their home country, these women often go back to earning the same meager domestic
wages as before they left. Rarely are today’s migrants able to achieve change for
themselves and their families in the long-term. But Aidha seeks to defy this pattern. By
providing opportunity for study and applied learning, by providing emotional and
behavioural support, Aidha helps women realize the money skills, entrepreneurial insight,
and financial security that will take them home to their communities as business and social
leaders.
Under the leadership of Michael Ewing-Chow, UNIFEM Singapore launched a pilot Migrant
Workers Program in year 2004. This was the beginnings of Aidha. With an initial USD
$16K support from United Nations Development Fund for Women, Aidha was formally
established in year 2006, operating as a separate and independent entity since.
Strategy
The Aidha model is not merely class-room learning. It encapsulates action-oriented
learning, which creates real behavioural change, and is enforced through hands-on ‘work-
study’ initiatives, expanded student business opportunities, financial compass investment
clubs, life planning workshops, and other interrelated programming discussed below.
54
aidha
Founded in 2006
Asia
Singapore
www.aidha.org
First, as a learning institution, Aidha is committed to continuous innovation through

research that evaluates migrant women needs and trends, inputting these insights back
into its program development. With respect to its educational curriculum, currently, Aidha
offers an eight-course core curriculum organized into three structured learning modules.
Topics include building self-esteem, planning and time management, business
communications, managing money, computer skills, and entrepreneurship. Each course is
priced very affordably for the participant, and the participant’s employer is often encouraged
to help with student scholarships. The classroom learning is then put into practice through
work/study initiatives. Aidha’s work/study program provides hands-on management
experience at the centre where Aidha is housed. Students assume full responsibility for
student registration, lending library services, and the management of the centre café and
internet café activities. In response to community building needs, Aidha created investment
clubs. These monthly peer-led, self-help groups give women the opportunity to realize the
emotional and peer support necessary to motivate their saving and investment activity.
Through financial club reports, participants have been saving an estimated 15% of their
average pay and almost 50% of their disposal income after remittances. This is a staggering
sum for women who on average earn just over $400/month in Singapore, and who are
supporting on average 4 family members in the home country. Participation in the clubs
also builds confidence, self-organizing capability, and ‘voice,’ which encourages and
transforms students’ potential. In addition, life planning workshops bring students
together in small groups to work with Aidha coaches on refining savings goals, establishing
solid budgets, and launching rigorous savings plans. Finally, one-on-one business
counselling sessions allow participants to review their business plans with business
professionals on the feasibility of the strategy, launching costs, marketing initiatives, and
cash flow projections.
Aidha leverages the support of a large body of volunteers, who are involved in teaching,
administration, data entry, technology support, business counselling, and survey research
initiatives. Operations are largely financed through corporate sponsorships, individual
membership, student course fees and scholarships, merchandise sales, and research
activity. Because the Aidha model is highly replicable worldwide (partnership efforts are
already underway in Hong Kong), Aidha is also currently exploring a franchising model for
its program. The Aidha model can then be tailored and applied in other countries, as well as
to other groups, such as at-risk youth and other socio-economically disadvantaged
communities.
The Entrepreneur
Prior to starting Aidha, Sarah Mavrinac was a professor of accounting at INSEAD Business
School. In 2005, she joined the executive committee for the United Nations Development
Fund for Women, and was immediately inspired by the concept of financial education for
the socioeconomic empowerment of women. Since launching Aidha in year 2006, Sarah
has left her post in the academic world, and has dedicated herself to building the organization
full-time. While an increasing number of microfinance organizations now recognize the need
to provide essential money training along with their credit and savings services, Aidha is
one of the few organizations worldwide providing a full array of money management and
small business management training services to prospective micro-entrepreneurs.
55
Thulasiraj Ravilla
Geographic Area of Impact: Global
Focus: Health
The Innovation
Dr Govindappa Venkataswamy (“Dr V”) and his team grew an eleven-bed eye clinic in an
old temple city of Madurai in South India into one of the largest and most productive eye
care facilities in the world. Taking its services to the doorstep of rural India, the Aravind
Eye Care System treats over 2.3 million patients each year, two-thirds of them for free or
at a steeply subsidized fee. The hospital is an international resource and training centre
that is revolutionizing hundreds of eye care programmes in developing countries. With less
than 1% of the country's ophthalmic manpower, Aravind performs about 5% of all cataract
surgeries in India. Since its inception, Aravind has performed close to three million
surgeries and handled over twenty-five million outpatient visits.
By designing services attractive to the wealthier patients who pay market rates and by
providing low cost services for the poor who get the services free or at a steeply subsidized
rate, Aravind is fully self-sustaining in spite of the full paying clients accounting for only
35% of all patients. This has been achieved without compromising the quality of care
received by poor patients. Aravind has pioneered this model built on the principles that
large volume, high quality services with appropriate pricing, results in sustainability and
can in fact generate adequate surplus for expansion and growth.
Background
Worldwide, 37 million people are blind and an additional 124 million are visually impaired.
The global economic burden of blindness is around US$25 billion per year. Almost 90% of
the blind live in developing countries that face such challenges as growing population,
inadequate infrastructure, low per capita income, illiteracy and diseases in epidemic
proportions. In India, an estimated twelve million are blind, more than in any other
country. 60% of blindness there is due to cataracts that are curable. Given the magnitude
of the problem, the government alone cannot meet the needs of all at risk. The problem
is further compounded by the fact that 70% of India's one billion people reside in rural
areas while about 80% of the 11,000 Ophthalmologists in the country live in urban areas.
Realizing this predicament, Dr V. established an alternate health care model that would
supplement the efforts of the government but remain self-supporting. In 1976, he
established the Govel Trust that spawned the network of hospitals that now comprise the
Aravind Eye Care System. In a country like India where poverty levels are high and social
problems numerous, blindness can have devastating implications for society. Aravind
performs over two hundred and seventy thousand sight-restoring surgeries each year and
a majority of them are such patients. This enables them to re-enter the work force and
support themselves and their families. This effort has been recognized by the
Champalimaud Foundation which awarded ‘Champalimaud Foundation Vision Award 2007’.
In 2008 Aravind Eye Care System received the ‘Gates Award for Global Health’.
56
Aravind Eye Hospital
Founded in 1976
Asia
India
www.aravind.org
Strategy
Aravind has redefined eye care in developing countries by producing low-cost intraocular
lenses and other ophthalmic supplies to make eye care affordable. To bring about cost-
efficiency in human resources Aravind has developed a cadre of mid-level ophthalmic
personnel who enhance the efficiency and quality of eye care. It has also developed
outreach services with community participation to bridge the rural-urban divide. The
Aravind Eye Hospital has now developed into a 3900-plus-bed multi-hospital system
providing eye care with specialty clinics and comprehensive support facilities. The retina and
vitreous service was the first specialty clinic established at Aravind and is now in its twenty-
third year. The other specialty services at Aravind are glaucoma, cornea, neuro-ophthalmology,
orbit & Oculoplasty, uvea, low vision, paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. In addition,
there are several support services and departments at Aravind. These include ocular
microbiology laboratory, instrument maintenance laboratory, patient counseling services,
library & information centre, radiology department and biochemistry laboratory.
Aravind partners with over a thousand community organizations and international NGOs such
as the Lions Club International, Sight Savers International, Seva Foundation, International
Eye Foundation and ORBIS International. It is also linked with a number of prestigious
medical schools and public health institutes. The World Health Organization has designated
it as a Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Blindness. With funding from the Lions
Club International, Aravind established the Lions Aravind Institute of Community
Ophthalmology (LAICO) to help replicate the principles and practices that have worked well at
Aravind. LAICO now works with more than 200 hospitals located all over India as well as in the
developing world and has been helping them replicate the Aravind model in their own setting.
The Entrepreneur
Dr V. was born in 1918 to a farming family in a small village in South India. He received
his medical degree from the Stanley Medical College in Chennai and joined the Indian
Army Medical Corps. He was discharged from Army service in 1948 after developing severe
rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that left his fingers crippled and changed the course of his
life. Despite his condition, he returned to medical school and earned a Masters degree in
Ophthalmology. Dr V. trained himself to hold a scalpel and to perform cataract surgery. In
time, he personally performed over one hundred thousand successful eye surgeries. Dr. V
remained Chairman of the Govel Trust until he passed away in July 2006.
Thulasiraj Ravilla was born in 1951 in a small village in South India. He received his MBA
degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta and continued to work there
for a multinational company, British Paints (now called Berger Paints). In 1981, Dr V. was
in need of an administrator to put his ideas and vision into action. Thulsi left his corporate
job and joined Aravind for a fraction of his previous salary. He then spent about a year at
the University of Michigan as a visiting scholar to get an academic foundation in Hospital
and Health Management. Since then, he has been part of the leadership team that built
Aravind into the world’s largest provider of eye care. In 1992 he developed the Lions
Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology as a unit of Aravind Eye Care System and
continues to head it. Through this thousands of eye care professionals and over 250 eye
hospitals worldwide have been trained and mentored in adopting best practices for more
effective and sustainable delivery of eye care to their communities. He also served for five
years as the regional chair of the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness for the
South East Asia Region. In addition, he founded in 2003 “VISION 2020 The Right to Sight-
India”, a consortium of voluntary eye care institutions in India and headed it till 2008.
57
Meera Bhattarai
Geographic Area of Impact: Nepal
Focus: Enterprise Development, Trade
The Innovation
There is nothing new about traditional handicraft as a source of income; it is prevalent in
almost all countries. However, it is ACP’s engagement with local producers that is the
cornerstone of its model and the reason for its success. ACP is not just a cooperative; it is
a catalyst for women’s empowerment. In addition to providing training for producers, the
company offers a salary and a significant set of social benefit programs. There are eight
such programs offered to all producers including health and housing subsidies, an
emergency fund and aid for education (two children per family, at least one of them a girl).
Meera Bhattarai set up ACP to improve the situation of the Nepali poor by using a market
solution. She focused on providing women craft workers with fair-income earning
opportunities by helping them to further develop their skills. ACP started with thirty-eight
producers in three skill areas and five full-time staff in a small rented building. Today, ACP
works with a 1200 producers (90% women) from fifteen districts in Nepal, covering
twenty-one product areas ranging from ceramics and baskets to toys, tableware, wool
products and carpentry. ACP has sixty full-time staff and continues to grow. It has
remained fully self-sustaining since 1987 (only three years after it initiated operations) and
is now turning a profit. Its income in 2007/2008 was US$ 1,184,207, with 75% of its sales
to the international market. The Association for Craft Producers provides an example of
what carefully planned, socially conscious business investment can achieve. The success
of Bhattarai's cooperative scheme lies in the re-investment of profits to benefit her
employees.
Background
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Half of its
population of 24 million lives below the poverty line, and 80% live in rural areas and
depend on agriculture as their primary source of income. Only 45% of those over fifteen
years of age can read and write. The main contributing factor is the socio-economic and
political turmoil that has characterized the last fifty years of Nepal’s history. A stable
solution to the situation is not yet in sight. In this context, Meera Bhattarai set up the
Association of Craft Producers (ACP), a non-profit social venture, in 1984.
58
Association of Craft Producers
Founded in 1984
Asia
Nepal
www.acp.org.np
Strategy
One of the oldest and largest handicraft non-profit organizations in Nepal, ACP is dedicated
to providing design, marketing, management and technical services for low-income,
predominantly female, craft producers. Responsible for product marketing and sales, ACP
seeks to understand the fashion trends in the international market by conducting research
among a wide array of consumers. In order to achieve scale discounts and ensure quality
standards, ACP undertakes many administrative tasks, including sourcing. While raw
material preparation, finishing of the craft, final quality checks and product packaging take
place at ACP’s headquarters, the production of goods is in the hands of the selected village
artisans. Value chains vary slightly for different product groups. In addition to national and
international wholesale activities, ACP has launched a very successful and often-copied
retail brand called “Dhukuti.”
ACP’s product portfolio is oriented to the demands of the international market with regard
to style as well as quality. In order to ensure a long-term prosperous relationship between
the producers and ACP, the company provides training in handicraft-related skills. ACP’s
programs have economic and social impact as well. A woman's increased income boosts
nutritional levels, housing quality and education, as well as reducing levels of debt.
Increased self-confidence stimulates changes in gender relations within the household,
giving women a greater say in household decisions and increasing their determination to
educate their children, especially their daughters.
The Entrepreneur
Meera Bhattarai comes from a well-established Nepali family. As with most successful
social entrepreneurs, she sees the world and her place in it differently from others. Both
in her personal and professional life, Bhattarai has challenged social convention. As
illustrative of the former, she decided to forego marriage, much to the shock of her family.
Professionally, she has a different vision of how development should be undertaken. During
her ten-year tenure with a public sector entity, the Nepal Women’s Association, she
became increasingly frustrated with the bureaucracy, inertia, corruption and mistreatment
by government staff of very poor women that her project was set up to help. She resigned
her position to set up ACP in order to improve the situation of the Nepali poor. Since then,
Bhattarai has been able to introduce three major systemic changes in the way handicraft
businesses are run. ACP has ensured that its product portfolio meets international quality
and design standards, reintroduced ancient crafts and organized women with families and
farming responsibilities into a competent and reliable work force.
59
Sanjit (Bunker) Roy
Geographic Area of Impact: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia,

India, Mali, Mauritania, Sierra Leone
Focus: Education, Energy, Rural Development, Technology, Water
The Innovation
Barefoot College identifies poor, rural, jobless and unemployable youth who have been
unable to finish their formal education and have returned to their villages as dropouts.
These very individuals are trained to be "barefoot" doctors, teachers, engineers,
architects, designers, metal workers, IT specialists and communicators. The innovation lies
in the simple and informal method of confidence building. Barefoot College does not
believe that educational degrees are either relevant or important when it comes to
developing people; only a hands-on approach achieves results. The Barefoot method
challenges the notion that formal education is required to become a solar engineer, for
instance.
To date, Barefoot technologists have solar electrified several thousand houses in eight
Indian states and installed hand pumps in the Himalayas, a task which urban engineers
had declared technically impossible. Barefoot water engineers have planned and
implemented piped drinking water in their communities. Barefoot educators have been
trained as pre-primary and night schools teachers instructing some 3,000 boys and girls
who attend one of the 150 Barefoot-run night schools. The schools have been specially
designed to promote leadership amongst students- a Children's Parliament supervises and
all three elected prime ministers have been girls. In the local communities where
graduates live and work, Barefoot facilitators use puppets and theatre to change attitudes
around issues such as child marriage, rights of women, equal wages for women and child
literacy.
The Barefoot campus itself is a testament to the quality of its training programs: Barefoot-
educated architects and masons constructed the 30,000 square foot facility out of low-cost
materials. It is the only fully solar electrified College in India. Barefoot College is evidence
of the infinite capacity people posses to identify and solve their own problems with their
own skills, encouraging self-reliance and private initiative.
Background
The Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC) was created in 1972 by a group of students
from top Indian universities under the leadership of Bunker Roy. Inspired by Gandian
principles, the social drive of this group first materialized in the creation of Barefoot
College in Tilonia, Rajasthan. Barefoot College was built around the concept of the village
as a self-reliant unit. By applying informal educational processes to build and repair
technologies needed to provide basic needs, the illiterate or semi-literate rural poor can
gain control of and manage these technologies without help from outside experts. All
members of the Barefoot College receive a living wage, not a market wage, and earn a
maximum living wage of US$ 100 a month.
60
Barefoot College
Founded in 1972
Asia
Country: India
Website: www.barefootcollege.org
Strategy
Barefoot College operates in a decentralized and non-hierarchical manner where the
inhabitants from the surrounding villages who are part of the College follow the same
model: the village has a council where community issues are taken up and decided. On
the first week of each month, the democratically elected village council reviews and
evaluates all work carried out the previous month and organizes the agenda for the weeks
ahead. Collective, transparent and accountable decisions are at the core of governance.
Whether starting a night school or constructing a rainwater harvesting structure, for
example, costs are publicized for all to review, allowing villagers to assess the value of
their work.
The Entrepreneur
Bunker Roy has been a leading figure in the Indian NGO community for the past thirty
years. He is a source of inspiration for many younger social entrepreneurs. The code of
conduct debate he launched 10 years ago was then a groundbreaking, controversial, but
visionary initiative. It sought to promote the standardization of social auditing to render
the Indian voluntary social sector more transparent, effective, reliable and accountable.
The Barefoot College is the only community-based organization in India that has publicized
and opened its auditing books for the past ten years. Roy's initiative was cut short as the
social sector divided around the lines of pro- and anti-transparency advocates. However,
the campaign was successful in influencing government policy and a Credibility Alliance is
being developed today to readdress the transparency issue raised by Bunker a decade ago.
61
Wu Qing
Geographic Area of Impact: China
Focus: Education, Women
The Innovation
When one considers the challenges and constraints that Wu Qing has faced in carrying out
her efforts, her work is indeed innovative and transformational. To accomplish her vision
of rule of law and empowerment of women, Wu Qing has had to consistently think outside
of the box — while being within the box. As a democratically elected People’s Deputy, she
has worked tirelessly to fight for the rights of people in general, and women in particular,
using as her tool the Chinese Constitution. She has helped set up a women’s hotline and
co-founded the Rural Women magazine and its outreach projects. These have had a ripple
effect upon Chinese society, as both initiatives build women’s entrepreneurial spirit from
the grassroots.
Background
While Chinese society modernizes and globalizes, women’s roles and rights continue to be
heavily dominated by tradition, especially in rural areas. To change China, the situation in
rural areas must change, since China is primarily rural. As women comprise the majority
of the inhabitants in those areas, changing their mindsets will substantially change the
country. Wu Qing has been an adept advocate of women’s rights in China for decades. In
1988, she helped launch China’s first university course on feminism. She also helped set
up the first hotline to help women confront problems of family, marriage, divorce, sexual
harassment and domestic violence. Wu helped set up the “Rural Women Knowing All”
magazine to raise awareness of the importance of encouraging women to develop their
own potential and improve their health, knowledge of law, skills in different areas and
productivity.
Wu has been a legislator since 1984. She has been elected for seven terms as the People’s
Deputy to the Haidian District People’s Congress and four terms to the Beijing Municipal
People’s Congress (the city Parliament from 1988-2007). In those capacities, she has been
highly entrepreneurial, working long hours to hear the concerns of her constituents and
using the Constitution to supervise the authorities and pushing for rule of law and justice.
Such an approach is unusual in China. For Wu Qing, the “rule of law must override the rule
of men.” The first step is to train the public.
62
Beijing Cultural Development
Center for Rural Women
Founded in 1993
Asia
People's Republic of China
www.nongjianv.org
Strategy
The Practical Skills Training Centre for Rural Women is one of the projects organized under
the magazine umbrella. The centre is a place where rural women and girls learn skills for
economic and political independence. Since April 1999, over 2,600 women and girls have
participated in the programs of the centre. Wu focuses on grassroots training projects on
citizenship, gender, development, health and legal and political participation. She believes
that women are trainers of future generations—and the centre of the Chinese movement
towards democracy. She also talks to university students about citizenship, gender and
social responsibility.
The greatest challenge to Wu Qing’s work with women is the lack of an official policy on
NGOs in China. But she is optimistic now that China is a member of the WTO and has a
new government. The eyes of the world are on China, and particularly, on how it treats it
citizens. She is preparing women to assume an important role that will continue to
snowball as women seize future opportunities.
The Entrepreneur
Wu Qing is a role model for other Chinese women and for Chinese politicians. Her family
background undoubtedly contributed to instilling the leadership qualities she
demonstrates. Her mother was China’s most celebrated female author and her father
brought the study of Sociology to China. Both were Chinese, but studied in the best US
universities, returning to their country to serve its people. Wu Qing also played a seminal
role in ensuring that Chinese women participated in the 1995 UN Conference on Women
in Beijing.
63
Vijay Mahajan
Geographic Area of Impact: India
Focus: Microfinance, Rural Development
The Innovation
BASIX is the first microfinance institution (MFI) in India, and among the first in the world,
to attract commercial equity investments internationally and within India. By successfully
lobbying for changes in the Indian regulatory policy framework, BASIX helped create a
viable institutional space for MFIs in India. The mission of BASIX is to promote a critical
mass of opportunities for the rural poor and attract commercial funding by proving that
lending to the poor can be a viable business.
Background
While the concept of MFIs spread rapidly in neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and
Indonesia, India had a slower start. Until the early 1990s, banks were nationalized and
mandated to reach the poor with subsidized loans. While the intention was laudable, in
practice loans to the rural poor by the banking sector were riddled with corruption and red
tape, limiting what could have been a powerful economic intervention for social change. In
1992, India started to reform its banking system to restore financial health. As a result,
the number of small loans going to rural areas declined rapidly, since they are less
profitable. BASIX was set up in 1996 with an ambitious target: to disburse micro-credit to
one million of the rural poor in India.
64
Bhartiya Samruddhi Investments
& Consulting Services (BASIX)
Founded in 1996
Asia
India
www.basixindia.com
Strategy
BASIX tailors its lending techniques and distribution channels to different customer groups
and arranges technical assistance and support services for its clients. BASIX collaborates
with other organizations to provide market linkages for commodities produced by its
borrowers. It aggressively uses IT applications to process large numbers of transactions
and support innovative delivery channels, such as franchise agents using hand-held
devices to serve poor borrowers. But BASIX does not confine its loans to the landless poor
and self-employed, as do most other MFIs. Rather, it argues that most of the poorer
population groups prefer to be employed. Thus, providing credit to the micro-enterprises
that can employ them is as important as providing credit to the poor themselves. Studies
show that, on average, the income of BASIX borrowers increases 20-30% in two to three
years and that they also generate substantial wage employment for others.
Based in Hyderabad, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, BASIX has close to 250 full-time
employees, mostly in rural districts, and over 400 village-based customer service agents.
As of March 2003, the BASIX group was operating in 7,500 villages spread over 40 districts
in 9 states of India. It works with nearly 95,000 borrowers, including women in self-help
groups (SHGs) and federations. BASIX has cumulatively disbursed over 137,000 loans
worth over US$ 33 million, 41% of which are loans to SHGs. The current loans outstanding
amount to US$ 10.9 million. BASIX’s pioneering work with SHGs and its advocacy for
micro-credit has been one of the factors that led Indian banks to extend over US$ 44
million worth of micro-credit to more than twelve million rural poor women since 1998.
The Entrepreneur
Vijay Mahajan could have chosen many different life paths and lucrative careers. He
studied at India’s prestigious Institute of Technology in Delhi and at the Institute of
Management in Ahmedabad. He was a fellow at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of
Public and International Affairs. Instead, he chose to channel his talents and education to
improve rural Indian society. Inspired by role models such as Ravi Matthai of IIM
Ahmedabad, Verghese Kurien of the National Dairy Development Board, Ela Bhatt of SEWA
and Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank, he decided to focus on promoting rural
livelihoods to alleviate poverty.
In 1983, he co-founded PRADAN, which is one of India’s most respected rural development
NGOs. He left PRADAN in 1991 but continues to serve on its board as well as on the boards
of a number of development organizations. In 1998, he co-founded Sa-Dhan, the
association of Indian MFIs. In 2001, he helped found the Andhra Pradesh Mahila
Abhivruddhi Society (APMAS), a capacity-building institution for the over half a million
women’s self-help groups in the state. He has published a book on the rural non-farming
sector in India and over 50 articles on rural development and micro-finance.
65
Bambang Ismawan
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Indonesia, 2006
Geographic Area of Impact: Indonesia
Focus: Agriculture, Microfinance, Rural Development
The Innovation
Bina Swadaya has been focused on socio-economic development of Indonesia’s rural
communities for the past 40 years. Bambang Ismawan, Chairman of Bina Swadaya,
embraces a strong philosophy of directly empowering these communities through
education and training. Bina Swadaya’s origin arose from the Pancasila social movement
in the 1950s, with specifically the activities around the Pancasila Farmer Association
driving the creation of Bina Swadaya. To address strong demand for agricultural education
and knowledge dissemination, Bina Swadaya went into the publishing business and started
the “Trubus” agricultural magazine that is currently a market leader on the subject.
Building on the success of that publication, Bina Swadaya then leveraged its printing
infrastructure to enter other diverse publication segments like gardening, health issues,
language training and small business skills. To date, it has published around 1600
agricultural book titles, and 826 titles in other areas.
Besides generating profits from the sale of its own publications, Bina Swadaya has
developed significant expertise in the printing field to become a printing powerhouse while
at the same time offering market-leading consulting services. Aside from the success in
the publishing business, Bina Swadaya started a franchise operation for agricultural shops
in 2001 which provides market access for Bina Swadaya group’s products and since 1987,
has been operating a flourishing eco-tourism business that focuses on local, as well as
international, cultures and destinations. Meanwhile, it does microfinancing through 4 rural
banks and cooperatives.
Background
Indonesia is a nation comprised of about 18,100 islands in the Southeast Asia archipelago,
and has a population of close to 245 million people. With the bulk of Indonesia’s economic
activity concentrated in its capital, Jakarta, many rural communities in regions like
Sulawesi and Kalimantan find themselves struggling to keep up economically as the
country as a whole progresses. Roughly 44% of Indonesia’s labor force is still engaged in
agricultural activity, and introducing more effective agricultural production practices is one
way to immediately impact the income and livelihoods of these rural communities.
Through greater awareness and better education programs, the case can also be made for
better environmental protection in these agrarian societies. Over the past 50 years, as
Indonesia moved through various social movements, the need for a multi-prong solution
to foster socio-economic development became apparent; this started with the Pancasila
Social Movement in the 1950s and formed the basis for much of Bina Swadaya’s
operations. Despite having its roots as an agricultural society, the absence of good
publications in the field and structured education programs at the beginning of the social
movement made it a challenge to reach out and broadly engage the rural communities to
attain the prescribed goals of the movement.
66
Bina Swadaya
Founded in 1967
Asia
Indonesia
www.binaswadaya.org
Strategy
Bina Swadaya literally translates into the “Self-Reliance Development Foundation”. To
reach its vision and to carry out its missions Bina Swadaya diverts its activities into seven
categories as follows: 1. Community Empowerment; 2. Micro Finance Development; 3.
Agribusiness Development; 4. Development Communication; 5. Alternative Tourism
Development; 6. Printing Service; 7. Provide facilities for meeting, training, workshop and
seminar. Bina Swadaya organizes its members into self-help groups, which then
congregate in training centers for education and training in agribusiness as well as civil
society empowerment.
To date, there are 10,000 alumni members from these training centers. The self-help
groups also form the locus for Bina Swadaya’s microfinance activities, which since 2003
have been modeled after the ASA (Association for Social Advancement) microfinance
model. Bina Swadaya’s business operations are each profitable on their own, and overall,
30% of the profits generated from these operations get funneled back into the Civil Society
Empowerment operation which funds the expansion of Bina Swadaya’s work throughout
Indonesia.
The Entrepreneur
Bambang Ismawan has always been a contrarian in making life choices. When it came to
careers, he chose agriculture when his peers mostly joined in industry. While pursuing his
economics degree at Gadjah Mada University, he found that he was interested in neither
business nor politics, and wanted to identify something more meaningful that he could
pursue. His inspiration on social economic empowerment came from Father John Dijkstra
SJ, a catholic priest originated from the Netherlands. Father Dijkstra also shaped
Bambang’s view of socio-economic development of the rural poor by thinking of them as
the “have little” as opposed to the “have not” – as such, they should be offered a helping
hand, as opposed to a hand-out.
67
Fazle H. Abed
Geographic Area of Impact: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania,

Uganda
Focus: Culture/ Handicrafts, Education, Enterprise Development, Financial Inclusion,

Health, Rural Development, Women
The Innovation
BRAC, the former Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, is one of the most widely
studied non-governmental organizations in the world. For three decades, it has been
fighting poverty, illiteracy and child mortality, and supporting women's health and
development on a massive scale in rural Bangladesh. BRAC mobilizes the latent capacity
of the poor to improve their own lives through self-organization.
BRAC’s full-time staff of 28,000 has helped 3.8 million poor women establish 100,000
village organizations. BRAC's health programmes reach 10 million people; its non-formal
schools cater to 1.2 million children (of which 70% are girls) and its micro-credit
programme has disbursed US$ 1.8 billion in loans with a reported 98% repayment rate.
BRAC is now working with Afghanistan to support their reconstruction efforts.
Background
In 1970, Bangladesh was hit by a cyclone that killed 225,000 people. The following year,
the country fought its War of Liberation, in which more than a million Bangladeshis were
killed. The country lay devastated. Millions, especially those in remote areas bordering
India, had lost all means of survival. When Fazle Abed, then an executive in a multinational
corporation, returned to Bangladesh, he encountered widespread poverty and disease—
and an inefficient, corrupt government wholly unequipped to respond to the country's
problems. Abed resolved to apply his knowledge of management techniques and
accountability mechanisms to the task of rebuilding his country from the grassroots.
68
BRAC
Founded in 1971
Asia
Bangladesh
www.brac.net
Strategy
BRAC introduced many pattern-setting ideas in development, such as segmenting groups
into different target markets and designing customized programmes for separate client
groups. BRAC’s clients monitor and evaluate programmes themselves, as well as conduct
systematic research and development. In so doing, BRAC identified backward and forward
market linkages needed to boost economic opportunities for the poor. For example, when
BRAC found that poor women were not profiting from rearing milking cows, it improved
the breed of cow (a backward link) and set up a modern dairy (a forward link). Above all,
BRAC helped shift the global development paradigm from that of helping 'needy
beneficiaries' to 'encouraging villagers' self-development, particularly among women. Abed
had seen prior development programmes fail because they were run by state functionaries
rather than by the clients themselves.
BRAC's programmes today address problems such as unemployment, poor health and
education, environmental hazards and gender inequality. BRAC's campaign to disseminate
oral rehydration therapy (for diarrhoeal disease) played a major role in halving
Bangladesh's infant mortality rate in the 1980s.
The Entrepreneur
Fazle Hasan Abed comes from an affluent family in Bangladesh. When war broke out with
Pakistan, Abed was in his thirties. The war had a profound impact on him. He left his job
as a corporate executive at Shell Oil in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and went to London,
where he devoted himself to the war of independence from there. He returned to a
devastated Bangladesh, which was suffering from the after effects of war and cyclonic
destruction. Millions of refugees were returning from India. In 1972, he moved to a remote
area in northeastern Bangladesh to focus on relief and rehabilitation efforts. This was the
beginning of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, and Abed never looked back.
"The driving force behind BRAC is a belief that the people of Bangladesh do not have to
remain poor," says Abed. "They can change their destiny if empowered to do so."
69
Muhammad Ibrahim
Geographic Area of Impact: Bangladesh
Focus: Children and Youth, Education
The Innovation
The Centre for Mass Education in Science (CMES) is replacing traditional rote learning, a
widespread practice in rural Bangladesh. Instead, the CMES curriculum offers youth life-
oriented technological skills, thus integrating the world of learning with the world of work.
CMES reaches out to 20,000 students each year, half of them adolescent girls. This is done
through a network of 400 basic and advanced schools, influencing educational practices
throughout Bangladesh.
Background
Muhammad Ibrahim has been fascinated by science since he was a high-school student.
But the science education he received bore no relevance to the daily life of Bangladesh's
struggling millions. Most poor village children and adolescents fail to attend school or drop
out after a few years, typically because their families see no economic benefits from
education. In 1960, at 15, Ibrahim founded Bijnan Samoeeki, the country's first popular
science magazine, which became the platform for a popular national science movement
and later, CMES.
70
Centre for Mass Education
in Science (CMES)
Founded in 1978
Asia
Bangladesh
www.cmesbd.org
Strategy
CMES combines a basic curriculum with an emphasis on economically relevant life skills,
such as soap and candle making, computer skills and mechanics. Goods produced in the
school are marketed, providing both a revenue source and an economic incentive for
students to stay in school. Through CMES's groundbreaking Adolescent Girls Programme,
girls, whose education is often neglected in Bangladesh, gain important economic skills
traditionally limited to boys. They receive loans from the CMES micro-credit programme
for young people and learn about their rights and reproductive health.
Advanced basic schools and rural technology centres are available to students interested
in pursuing a higher level of education and technology. At CMES's Rural Centre for Joyful
Science Activities, researchers are developing appropriate technology solutions for village
life, such as low-cost, solar electric micro-utilities to electrify bazaars and village huts.
CMES has already put this technology to use in a commercial, affordable manner.
The Entrepreneur
Muhammad Ibrahim's education gave him the belief that all people should share the
knowledge provided by science and technology. He had already published the first science
magazine in the country when he decided to establish CMES, the next natural step to
achieve effective mass education in science. Ibrahim felt that this would be the best way
to unleash the power of the adolescent mind and provide equity for girls, especially in
areas related to technology. “Success for me," he says, "is to sense the mindset change
in an individual girl or boy, a necessary element to come out of poverty. My dream is to
spread the principle of education-work-empowerment linkages to all levels and bring
global technology and business to the grassroots."
71
Kenny Low
Geographic Area of Impact: Singapore
Focus: Education
The Innovation
City Harvest Education Center (CHEC) breaks just about every educational norm in
addressing the academic needs of the target youth population while doing so in a
sustainable manner. CHEC’s target population are the young people that have dropped out
of the mainstream school system, and ones who have essentially crossed the psychological
barrier of playing truant and are disenfranchised with going to school. As such, the
teachers at CHEC need to go the extra mile in engaging the students. Besides creating a
classroom experience that is fun (colourful walls, no school uniforms, irregular seating
arrangements) and interactive (latest smart board technology and lab equipment), the
teachers also serve as mentors, counsellors and friends to the students. At CHEC, the
teachers’ performance, and bonus, is evaluated by the students.
The classroom experience is geared towards creative use of graphics, games, video clips
and music to make it easier for students to absorb the concepts being taught, and the
teaching staff constantly exchange ideas among themselves on how to engage the
students. CHEC has a young teaching staff, none of which are older than 35 years of age.
Whereas other private schools might seize any opportunity to profit from an incoming
student, CHEC interviews all candidates to gauge their interest in pursuing an education
and only accepts those which are committed to academic progress. Every academic course
at CHEC has inherent lessons around good values. The Ministry of Community
Development, Youth and Sport has recognized the gap that CHEC is meeting in society
through this inculcation of values and has invested $100 for each lesson that incorporates
life skills trainings. CHEC also owns a social enterprise, O-School, which is a dance school
that provides funding for CHEC through its profits. O-School keeps disinterested youths off
the streets by offering them an outlet to express themselves while also providing a vibrant
platform for young dancers to perform, teach and earn income at the same time.
Background
National statistics indicate that from the approximately 3500 ‘O’ level private candidates a
year, only about 70 percent receive certificates – by receiving at least one credit – and 30
percent of these students will fail every single subject that they take. In a country where
education is everything, these students grapple with a system where the mainstream
schools will no longer accept them, and if they fall to the wayside, they will likely enter a
rehabilitation program but still not see a path towards educational advancement. There is
certainly a need to extend aid to these youths and to provide quality education at
affordable prices to these students. Many of them come from challenging family
backgrounds. At the same time, there is a trend of private schools that charge high fees
and yet neither actively monitor student attendance nor track the academic performance
of these students. This perpetuates the cycle of examination failure. Over the past decade,
there have been many new private education centers sprouting up that seize the
opportunity to profit from these higher-paying private candidates while not doing much to
further their academic progress.
72
City Harvest Education
Center (CHEC) & O School
Founded in 2002
Asia
Singapore
www.chec.edu.sg, www.oschool.com.sg
Strategy
Kenny Low started City Harvest Education Center (CHEC) in 2002 with the mission to
provide a safety net for Singaporean youth who have dropped out from mainstream
schools or have failed to perform well in their GCE ‘O’ Level examinations. CHEC offers 9-
month, 1-year and 2-year programs to prepare private candidates for the ‘O’ Level
examinations. Since starting operations, CHEC has helped 1259 youths in their academic
pursuit and about 60% of the current year’s intake will progress on to tertiary education.
CHEC candidates have outperformed the average private candidate in Singapore for the
past 5 years; in 2004, 92.5% of its students graduated with a GCE ‘O’ Level certificate,
compared to a national average of 76.6%. As of 2008, CHEC’s enrolment will represent
approximately 8% of the private candidate population in Singapore.
To date, CHEC has hosted more than 100 educators from mainstream schools, eager to
learn about its approach towards engaging what is commonly deemed as a “difficult”
student population. To track its ongoing performance, CHEC uses the following metrics to
assess the effectiveness of its programs: reduction of unemployment rate of its students,
achieving a higher literacy and educational status for school dropouts and improvement in
school attendance rates. O-School, the social enterprise arm of CHEC, provides dance
classes, choreography and event management services. All profits generated from this
social enterprise go towards supporting bursaries used to support CHEC students from
low-income families. Currently, O School has annual revenue of US$500,000 and a 20%
profit margin. O-School also aims to use dance as an outreach for at-risk youths, and to
provide training and employment for youth with performing arts talents. As of 2008, CHEC
has 20 staff and 245 students and at O-School, there are 9 dance instructors, serving over
3000 clients. O-School also has teaching contracts with 6 out of Singapore’s 9 teritary
institutions.
The Entrepreneur
Kenny Low spent 6 years in youth services (4 years volunteering at a local community
services agency and another 2 years coordinating their tuition services arm) before setting
up CHEC formally. He was motivated by a need for transformation and change in education
for the GCE ‘O’ Level private candidates, believing that those candidates should not be
limited in their educational options and purpose because of missed opportunities in
mainstream schools. At the same time, he was involved in dance since his school days and
experienced how dance has developed his confidence. This was what motivated him to set
up a social enterprise to promote dance as a healthy outlet of expression while creating
jobs for dance talents.
During his adolescent years, Kenny enjoyed school and had his share of good teachers,
and not-so-good ones. He recalls having an expatriate English teacher who took the class
out to the school field one day and had the students tie up one leg and then wobble from
one end of the field to the other. Upon returning to the classroom, the teacher told the
class to write an essay on what it feels like to be handicapped. This experience opened
Kenny’s eyes to how enriching education can be given different teaching approaches and
this continues to fuel his passion on the subject.
73
Raj and Shobha Arole
Focus: Health, Rural Development, Women
The Innovation
The Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP), a community-based healthcare program
for the rural poor, has brought about extraordinary health and social improvements in 300
villages, home of 250,000 people in India's state of Maharashtra. Despite extreme poverty,
severe gender and caste inequality and minimal public health services, CRHP has attained
phenomenal outcomes by training local village healthcare workers and by helping villagers
to address economic, social, and agricultural and health needs through self-organization.
Background
In 1970, malnutrition and infant mortality were pervasive problems in India’s state of
Maharashtra. Less than one percent of the population had systems for the disposal of solid
waste. Modern health services were non-existent and Cholera, Typhoid and Malaria were
highly prevalent. Having grown up in rural India, Raj Arole understood that any healthcare
delivery system would have to overcome superstitions about the causes of illness, as well
as caste, religious, gender and political divisions. After graduating from medical schools in
the US, Arole and his late wife, Mabelle Arole, returned to India. Using available resources
and respecting local customs and traditions, they began engaging villagers in the creation
of modern healthcare services for the rural poor.
74
Comprehensive Rural Health
Project (CRHP)
Founded in 1970
Asia
India
www.jamkhed.org
Strategy
The Aroles initially gained acceptance from village leaders by offering much-needed
curative services. To earn the trust of the community, they invited all groups to volleyball
games, which became meeting places for discussions about village development. These
discussions led to the formation of farmers' clubs working to solve problems, such as
inadequate drinking water and poor sanitation. The farmers' clubs eventually conducted
their own health survey, a crucial step towards overcoming traditional beliefs about the
causes of disease, and identified simple ways to improve health, such as draining puddles
that attracted mosquitoes.
The clubs also encouraged women to become village health workers. With coaching and
guidance from the Aroles, these women provided prenatal care, monitored child
immunizations and coordinated village waste management. The village health workers in
turn organized women's development associations, which initiated credit circles to fund
cooperative business enterprises. From 1971-93, infant mortality rates in CRHP's areas
plunged by 84% while maternal mortality dropped by 75%. In 1994, Raj Arole founded
the Jamkhed Institute in Primary Healthcare, which has trained 1,750 people from Latin
America, Africa and Asia to initiate and run similar primary health programs.
The Entrepreneurs
Raj Arole was born in Jamkhed to a dalit family (Untouchables) that had converted to
Christianity. Arole's mission is forged by his passionate rejection of all forms of
discrimination resulting from race, caste, sex or class. His parents were schoolteachers in
a government elementary school. His father supported him and worked to send him to a
private English school, where Arole remained consistently at the top of his class. Despite
his achievements, the school principal laughed sarcastically at his desire to be a doctor,
telling him that he should be content to be a clerk. To this, Arole replied, “I will surely be
a doctor.” He went to one of the most prestigious medical colleges in India, the Christian
Medical College at Vellore. There, he met his future wife. Arole had always been first in his
class, but for once in his academic career, no matter how hard he tried, she kept getting
first rank. During final exams, she got the gold medal and he trailed behind in second
place. During their internship year, they were posted together in a surgical unit. They took
an interest in each other, and soon found out that they both shared a passion for working
for the poor. They were married in 1960. On their wedding day, they took a vow to work
together and devote their lives to the marginalized and disenfranchised people living in
Indian villages. Today, their daughter, Shobha, follows in their footsteps. As a medical
doctor and anesthesiologist, she has taken over the work of Jamkhed. Raj Arole continues
to work with the communities he and his late wife dedicated their lives to serve.
75
Ashok Khosla
Focus: Climate Change, Empowerment, Energy, Enterprise Development, Environment,

Literacy, Livelihood Solutions and Sustainability Development Policy, Rural Development,
Technology, Water, Youth for Eco-action
The Innovation
Development Alternatives (DA) has turned out one new technology or method after
another for the last twenty five years, always combining two goals: creating income for
the poor and regenerating the environment. Among its successes are machines that
produce standardized and affordable products for rural markets, such as roofing systems,
compressed earth blocks, fired bricks, recycled paper, handloom textiles, cooking stoves,
briquette presses and biomass-based electricity. For example, the TARA micro-concrete
roof tile kit, consisting of a simple machine and various tools, provides employment for five
people. The recently introduced TARA Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln reduces energy use by 55%
and emissions by 50% and offers an officially recognized replacement for traditional
technologies that are now banned on environmental grounds. Each eco-kiln employs 16-
21rural people and has earned carbon credits from the World Bank. The paper production
units employ forty workers to produce textured, high quality paper out of rags and recycled
paper for use in stationery, cards and commercial products.
DESI Power, the electric utility of DA, installs mini power stations in villages, fuelled by
weeds and agricultural wastes. It is a global winner of the 2008 Tech Awards Laureate by
The Tech Museum of Innovation under the Economic Development category as one of the
25 best of the best technologies of the world. TARAhaat, the ICT affiliate of DA, brings
information technology to villages through its portal, www.TARAhaat.com, and its rapidly
growing network of over 400 franchised local telecentres provide a wide range of
information services including educational courses, e-governance services and Internet
connectivity to local people on a commercial basis. The Lifelines Project it is implementing
in rural India uses mobile telephone technology to connect poor farmers across 1000
villages to critical agricultural information though volunteers. This has also won the 2008
Tech Awards Laureate under the Equality category. Its functional Hindi literacy programme
of 35 days has made more than 50,000 rural women literate in less than 18 months. The
fuel efficient and low emission stoves designed DA are widely used in Indian homes. Local
groups and official agencies use DA's portable pollution monitoring kits to test water and
air quality in cities and towns across India. In addition, DA has built more than 130 check
dams to revive the water cycle of many micro watersheds.
DA’s technologies and products are used throughout India. The group has created more
than one million sustainable livelihoods across India. The technology solutions have an
immense potential for Africa. Most recently the DA technology solutions were used
extensively in the post-tsunami reconstruction projects in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The
website www.tara.in provides the details of the technology.
76
Development Alternatives
Founded in 1983
Asia
India
www.devalt.org
Background
In India, half of the rural population is either unemployed, underemployed or informally
employed. They need income generating jobs that provide them with economic security
and with the products and services required to satisfy their basic needs, as well as
appliances for their daily activities. At the same time, the industries that create these jobs
and appliances must reduce the wasteful use of energy, water, forests and other natural
resources. Modern industry cannot, and does not, address the needs of rural communities
and in any case requires heavy investment of capital, which is not available. Conventional
development practices only increase the gap between the haves and the have-nots. New
technologies and institutional systems are needed to achieve equitable and
environmentally sound development.
Strategy
DA’s strategy is to develop and deliver alternative technologies that are commercially
viable. The DA Group is a conglomerate of DA, TARA and its subsidiary companies. DA is
the non-profit design and research arm, focusing on environmental systems, technologies
and institutions. It develops appropriate technologies, which are then commercialized by
TARA, a for-profit entity with several subsidiary companies such as DESI Power, TARAhaat,
TARAenviro and the TARA Building Centres. TARA pays a royalty to DA for the products it
sells. The DA Group has set up 3 TARAgrams, testing and demonstration campuses near
Orchha and Datia, in Madhya Pradesh and Pahuj in Uttar Pradesh, which employ more than
500 people. The Group has a reputation for decentralized decision-making, giving
employees a high degree of responsibility based on accountability to a highly organized
planning and monitoring system. Turnover in 2007-08 reached US$ 5 million.
Approximately two-thirds of the DA Group’s income is from product sales, consulting,
sponsored research and policy advice, while national and international donors contribute
a third of the budget, which is used mainly for R&D.
The Entrepreneur
Ashok Khosla holds a PhD in Experimental Physics from Harvard University. He abandoned
a promising scientific career to focus on issues of environment and development. After
helping to design and teach Harvard’s first course on the Environment, he set up and
directed the environmental policy unit for the Government of India. Subsequently, he
worked for the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in Kenya. In 1983, he set
up Development Alternatives. Khosla reserves 30% of his time for global and national
contributions. He has been a board member of many global environmental institutions,
including the Club of Rome, IUCN, WWF, IISD, SEI and the Alliance for a New Humanity.
He is also an advisor to UNEP, UNDP and the World Bank. In 2002, he received the United
Nations Sasakawa Environment Prize. In 2007 he was elected president of The Club of
Rome and was invested with the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty, the Queen of
England this year. Khosla has just been elected President of IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature) for four years.
77
Takao Furuno
Geographic Area of Impact: Asia, Cuba
Focus: Agriculture, Environment, Rural Development
The Innovation
Takao Furuno has developed and disseminated a sustainable, integrated organic rice and
duck farming system. This method significantly increases yields and has been replicated
in thousands of locations across Asia. Rather than using chemicals, Furuno introduces
ducks into rice paddies to fertilize and strengthen rice seedlings and protect them from
pests and weeds. This process boosts farmers' incomes and decreases their workload,
while reducing environmental damage and increasing food security.
Background
In the next three decades, population growth will lead to a 70% increase in the demand
for rice. The Green Revolution, which increased food yields through intensive mono-
cropping and use of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, is recognized today as
unsustainable and environmentally unsound. Annual increases in the use of chemical
fertilizers now outstrip the growth of rice yields, causing declining incomes and intensifying
rural to urban migration. Alternative systems are necessary. In the mid 1970s, Takao
Furuno, a high-spirited farmer who had been influenced by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring,
was determined to turn his farm organic. Furuno spent ten years doing the backbreaking
work of pulling out weeds by hand. In 1988, he came upon a traditional practice of using
aigamo ducks to protect rice. The ducks eat insects, pests and snails. They also use their
feet to dig up weeds, in the process oxygenating the water and strengthening the roots of
rice plants. Furuno lovingly calls this method the "duck effect" and his farm yields have
soared.
78
Duck Revolution
Asia
Founded in 1989
Japan
Strategy
Furuno's duck-rice system is the result of continuous study of a natural symbiotic
relationship after years of trial and error adjustments. One season, disease destroyed his
entire crop. For three years, dogs ate Furuno's ducks until he got the idea to install electric
fences. Furuno has identified the optimal age at which ducklings should be released into
rice fields, the number that should be introduced per tenth of hectare and the moment
when ducks should be removed. Through experimentation, he discovered that the addition
of certain fish (loaches) and a nitrogen-fixing weed (azolla) to the field boosted rice and
duck growth.
In addition, Furuno has successfully marketed duck rice, which now sells at a 20-30%
premium over conventionally grown rice in Japan and other countries. Today, his 3.2-
hectare farm gives him an income of US$ 160,000 a year from producing rice, organic
vegetables, eggs and ducklings. After demonstrating that small-scale organic farming can
be highly productive, he is disseminating his ideas. He has authored best-selling books on
his methods, such as The Power of Duck, as well as an aigamo duck cookbook. Through
his writing, travel, lectures and cooperation with agricultural organizations and
governments, his methods have spread to more than 75,000 farmers in Japan, Korea,
Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, India, Cuba and
Bangladesh.
The Entrepreneur
The image of an Asian rice farmer is probably one of a taciturn man in a straw hat with
whom it is difficult to converse about anything except his local area. In contrast, you will
find Takao Furuno quite a surprise. His passion for the preservation and health of the small
family farm is supported by a deep understanding of how modern society works. "My
dream," says Furuno, "is to see ducks cheerfully swimming around in all the rice paddies
of Japan and other Asian countries." Furuno was also awarded a PhD by the Kyushu
University in September 2007 for "Comparative Research on Traditional Asian Paddy/Duck
Farming and on Rice-Duck Farming--with a focus on the meaning of enclosure".
From ancient times, the people of Asia have followed a tradition of releasing ducks into
their rice paddies without enclosures. However, in the 1960s and 1970s, these traditional
technologies began to disappear with the introduction of agricultural chemicals and
chemical fertilizers. By making use of net or electric fence enclosure, duck-rice farming
allows ducks free use of limited space resources enhancing the benefits free of the scourge
of agricultural chemicals. In other words, the introduction of this technology traditionally
more associated with livestock is an innovative technology beneficial for and integrative
paddy agriculture. This innovation represents a new revival for Asian paddy and duck
cultivation and an emergence from the scourge of agricultural chemicals of the last 30-40
years.
79
Joseph Madiath
Focus: Education, Health, Rural Development, Water and Sanitation
The Innovation
Working in isolated and extremely impoverished areas of Orissa, India, Gram Vikas helps
tens of thousands of villagers—many from the most marginalized indigenous groups and
the erstwhile untouchables – Dalits —organize themselves to solve a wide range of social
and health problems. Gram Vikas demands the participation of each and every adult in its
programs and provides incentives to encourage villagers to pool their resources to improve
village infrastructure and sanitation. This process has led to increased awareness of rights
and civic duties and more effective political mobilization.
The Gram Vikas Rural Health and Environment Program has won numerous international
awards, including the GDN Award for most innovative development project (2001), UN
Habitat Award (2003), World Bank Development Market Place Award (2003), 1st winner of
Kyoto World Water Grand Prize (2006), Skoll Award (2006) and many others.
Background
Joe Madiath became acquainted with Orissa's rural poor when he led a group of student
volunteers from Madras University who were providing relief after a cyclone devastated the
area in 1971. Struck by the terrible poverty, particularly among adivasis (indigenous
people) and dalits (Untouchables), Madiath remained to provide further assistance. At that
time, Orissa’s villages lacked even the most basic infrastructure. He quickly realized that
the limited economic options were driving villagers to urban slums in a futile search for
prosperity. Hoping to reverse this trend, he and a few friends started Gram Vikas with the
goal of improving living conditions in villages, increasing local economic options and
restoring dignity to marginalized populations.
80
Gram Vikas
Founded in 1979
Asia
India
www.gramvikas.org
Strategy
The core methodology of Gram Vikas is to harness, through full community mobilization,
all physical and human capital in a village. Every family in the village must agree to be
part of a Gram Vikas program before it will proceed. Gram Vikas works with the villagers
to create and manage a "village corpus," a fund that draws cash and in-kind contributions
from all families based on ability to pay. Once the fund is established, the organization
contributes supplementary resources or makes soft loans for specific projects. Under a
state project, Gram Vikas set up 55,000 bio-gas systems in Orissa to provide inexpensive
fuel for villagers.
Through its Rural Health and Environment Programme,as on 31st March 2008 Gram Vikas
has helped more than 35,362 families in 522 villages build low-cost facilities for safe
drinking water and proper sanitation. As a result, every family in the village has a toilet,
bathing room and protected piped water supply. As a result water related diseases have
been reduced drastically. Village ponds can be used for pisciculture and generate an
additional income. All constructions make use of the villagers' own resources, materials
and labour, demystifying construction techniques and enhancing their skills. The same
approach has been used to build roads, drainage systems, community halls and schools.
The Entrepreneur
Recognizing the poor conditions workers faced on his family farms, Joe Madiath at the age
of 12 led a movement to organize them to lobby for better treatment. His confrontational
role was met with hostility as his family banished him to a boarding school 2,500
kilometers away from home. When he returned at age 16, Joe embarked on a bicycle tour
across his country and worked with tribal people along the way to improve their conditions.
After the successful launch of Gram Vikas, Joe’s family finally accepted his views, and his
father became fully supportive of his son’s activities as a social entrepreneur. “My work is
about creating an enabling environment for sustainable development," says Joe, "one that
makes clear that poor people really do matter.”
81
Pierre Tami
Geographic Area of Impact: Cambodia
Model: Leveraged Non-Profit, Social Business
Focus: Enterprise Development, Women
The Innovation
Hagar initially began as a shelter for women and has evolved into an organization offering
an impressive array of social and market-oriented initiatives to break the cycle of poverty
among vulnerable mothers and children. In rural areas in Cambodia, as with the rest of
the developing world, there are an increasing number of women and children moving to
the city in search of a better life. In doing so, they exchange their rural lifestyle, often
characterized by poverty and domestic violence, for the hand-to-mouth existence of the
urban poor. Due to the lack of economic opportunity, many become beggars, prostitutes,
collectors/scavengers or vendors of recyclable scraps. It is these women and children that
Hagar targets by offering prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration possibilities. One of
the key success factors of Hagar’s approach is the understanding that rehabilitation will
only be successful if the participant has been able to reintegrate into society.
To ensure successful reintegration, women are given the chance to earn their living in one
of Hagar’s commercial enterprises after education and vocational training. Providing
employment in a more protected environment, these businesses supply additional
vocational training and enable women to develop and maintain independent and
productive lives in their communities. Hagar thus achieves its objective of reintegrating
vulnerable women and their children into society. The synergistic relationship between
non-profit and for-profit activities is essential to the rehabilitation and reintegration
process. Acknowledging that long-term social impact is best achieved through prevention
measures, Hagar has initiated projects to provide water filters and expand educational
opportunities in extremely vulnerable communities. Hagar continues to be challenged with
significant growth opportunities in Cambodia. Over the last ten years, over 100,000 people
have benefited from the organization’s efforts.
Background
Decades of civil war and violence have had a terrible toll on Cambodian men and women
and their development. Cambodia is now one of the most impoverished nations in Asia,
with the lowest child survival rate, the lowest caloric consumption in the region as well as
the highest human poverty index. Literacy rates hover at 35%, while 64% of the
population has no access to safe drinking water. Trafficking of women and children is an
increasingly common occurrence in Cambodian society. Tricked by promises of well-paid
work, many find themselves sold into Phnom Penh’s many brothels, forced into begging or
slave-like working conditions. The situation is further aggravated by persistent gender
discrimination that begins in the family and is reinforced throughout society.
82
Hagar
Founded in 1994
Asia
Cambodia
www.hagarinternational.org
Strategy
Hagar is a Christian development agency that seeks to empower vulnerable women and
children through a network of holistic social services and economic opportunities. It
consists of a number of diverse projects and businesses, all of which contribute to Hagar’s
integrated three-pronged approach of Prevention, Rehabilitation and Reintegration. The
Hagar Shelter helps vulnerable women and their children transform their lives so that they
can return to the community as independent and productive individuals. The Foster Home
Program provides a new, loving family home for abused children of all backgrounds. The
After Care Program provides long-term support and development opportunities for children
from sexually exploited situations. House of Smiles is home to children with disabilities,
and provides support services to disabled children in the local community. The Community
Learning Centre provides women and children in the local community with a high quality,
varied curriculum that covers education, vocational training and life skills.
Reintegration work is primarily focused on providing economic opportunities through

Hagar’s commercial enterprises: Hagar Soya, Hagar Catering and Hagar Design. Hagar
Design produces high quality women’s accessories and home furnishings of fine hand
woven silk for export and tourist markets. Hagar Soya produces and markets innovative
long-life nutritious soymilk. Hagar Catering services factories by providing healthy,
nutritious food. Hagar’s agricultural communities provide new settlements for formerly
landless mothers and their children. Hagar constructs schools, trains teachers, provides
basic supplies and supplements the income of public teachers in order to ensure primary
and secondary education in rural areas. It carries out health education in combination with
the installation of water filters.
The Entrepreneur
Pierre Tami, born and raised in Switzerland, visited Cambodia for the first time in 1990. He
had been working in Asia since 1983, but his initial trip to Cambodia changed his life.
Deeply moved by the needs of women and children and realizing the potential for making
a difference, Tami and his family decided to move to Phnom Penh. They arrived during the
first UNTAC peace mission and had to endure the daily challenges of living in a post-war
country with a legacy of political instability, violence, corruption and injustice.
In 1994, after a year of learning the language and carrying out a needs analysis, Pierre
and his wife Simonetta officially founded Hagar, a fast growing organization that engenders
transformational development through its various projects and businesses. In 2005, Tami
became director of Hagar International, and now focuses on replicating Hagar’s model in
other post-war countries where there is acute suffering, trafficking and abuse of women
and children.
83
Amitabha Sadangi
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, India, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: India, Africa
Model: Mix of Social Business and Hybrid Non-Profit Ventures
Focus: Rural Development, Agriculture, Water
The Innovation
Recognizing the high co-relation between rural poverty and lack of access to water, IDEI
has identified micro irrigation solutions as a strategic entry point to poverty alleviation. It
designs, develops and delivers small plot irrigation technologies that are commercially
viable, one-fifth the cost of its competitors and scaled down to fit one-tenth of a hectare
plots. The technologies are sold through village market suppy chains to subsistence and
cash farmers at an unsubsidized market price. Smallholder farm families in India have now
purchased half a million IDEI Treadle Pumps and 100,000 drip irrigation kits. A drip
irrigation kit starts at US $1.5. Treadle pumps cost between US $20 to $30.
IDEI sees that lowering the cost of irrigation technologies is clearly not enough as
impoverished farmers also need to overcome their water constraints. IDEI is equipping its
customer base with the skills and linkages they need to move on to high value commercial
agriculture. It provides technical, financial, consulting and business development services
to farmers. These services include introduction of high-value crops, opening up soil testing
facilities, developing village micro-entrepreneurs for marketing of seeds and piloting
partnerships with financial institutions to strengthen credit availability for farmers. As a
result, over 90% of the users of drip irrigation kits are now able to repay capital
investments in irrigation equipment and earn net increases in income within a single
season (2-3 months).
Background
60% of India’s cultivable land is rainfed and remains critically dependent on dry land
farming. Numerous analyses of the growing distress among farmers, which has led to
hundreds of suicides, point to the severe crisis of water faced especially by small farm
families.
Small farms in India comprise 70% of the total agricultural map. More than 60% of the
farming community in India holds less than 0.4 hectares of land. Most farmers lack any
insurance against risks caused by precarious monsoons and falling ground water levels and
fluctuations in the international farm commodity markets. Despite 80-90% subsidies
offered on irrigation and farm technologies, they remain out of reach for small farmers.
The result is large-scale distress migration.
Strategy
IDEI’s two main products are the treadle pump and the drip irrigation system. A treadle
pump is a foot operated pump that can irrigate small plots of land in regions that have a
higher water table than 25 feet. 58% of treadle pumps have been sold to farmers who had
previously not been able to afford any irrigation technology. 42% of treadle pumps have
replaced diesel pumps across Eastern India for which farmers would earlier have to pay
annual rentals of more than US $70.
84
International Development
Enterprises (IDEI)
Founded in 1991
Asia
India
www.ide-india.org
The drip irrigation system has been adapted by IDEI for farm families living in arid and/or
water scarce regions where groundwater pumping is not environmentally appropriate. The
technology saves up to 50-70% water and increases crop yield by 30-40%. The modular
assembly system allows small farmers to purchase basic, entry-level kits and then upgrade
the technology as cash and credit availability increase. Farmers can carry the kits in
handbags and can assemble them on-site with little or no investment. This gives
customers full control and ownership over the technology.
KB Technologies has a 60% market share among small farmers. 70 local manufacturers
produce the irrigation products sold under the KB brand by a network of almost 3000
dealers in 150 districts of India. All KB products come with strong after-sales services. IDEI
tracks customer satisfaction through an efficient MIS system leading to continuous
refinements. The treadle pump for example, now is available in 5 different versions, each
customized to meet the regional variation of Indian farmers.
IDEI builds the supply chains and credit mechanisms necessary for farmers to succeed.
KB dealers give up to 120 days of credit to small farmers to facilitate their entry into local
markets. This credit period enables farmers to harvest and sell their first crops and
organize resources to pay for the technology.
An independent, socio-impact assessment conducted by IDEI in 2006 revealed a notable

shift from subsistence to profitable small-scale commercial farming. Farmers now cultivate
throughout the year, migration to urban areas has been reduced and the food security is
increased. 20% reported investing their income in education for their children; 15% have
increased their spending on family health.
IDEI technologies are intentionally designed to be environmentally sustainable. The use of

manually operated treadle pumps results in reducing dependence on expensive fossil fuels
and leads to significant reduction of carbon emissions. IDEI is also exporting its
technologies to six countries in Africa, where it is working with local partners to develop
and sustain local supply chains.
The Entrepreneur
Amitabha Sadangi was born in a village in Orissa in a family that earned less than 20 cents
a day. He witnessed widespread hunger and saw communities around him breaking up
because men had to migrate in distress to seek construction labor. Amitabha holds a Post
Graduate Degree in Labor and Social Welfare and a degree in Law. While working for
Oxfam, he sharpened many of his ideas around market-based programs for poverty
alleviation. “I saw farmers consuming their subsistence crop and throwing out the surplus.
They had no access to market at all. They knew very little on how to sell their produce at
a competitive rate,” Sadangi remembers.
IDE International was founded in 1981 by Dr. Paul Polak. Amitabha Sadangi joined IDE
when the India office was launched in 1991. He partnered with the then country director
to launch the treadle pump program and later went on to serve as the first country director
of IDE in Sri Lanka. On his return to IDE India in 2000, he set out to develop the
organization into an independent organization. He launched a for-profit sister company,
Global Easy Water Products, in March 2003 to allow private investors to invest in the
spread and replication of its irrigation technologies.
85
Roshaneh Zafar
Geographic Area of Impact: Pakistan
Focus: Financial Inclusion, Microfinance, Women
The Innovation
Kashf Foundation continues to be at the forefront of pioneering inclusive financial services
for the poor, especially women in Pakistan. Today, Kashf Foundation has over 300,000
female entrepreneurs spread over two provinces of the country. In the past, Kashf has not
only adapted the Grameen Bank model to Pakistan, but has also achieved many near-
revolutionary successes in doing so. Today this also includes the Kashf Microfinance Bank,
which will target over 1 million small depositors through a very innovative and low cost
business model. Thus, like in the past when Kashf Foundation was the first specialized
microfinance programme in Pakistan and also the first to demonstrate sustainability, in the
future the Kashf Microfinance Bank will close the loop by providing low cost savings to low
income depositors across the country.
In today’s financial crisis, providing a range of affordable financial services is a very

important way of assisting poor households to tackle and manage income vulnerabilities.
Through its joint strategy, the Kashf Foundation and Kashf Microfinance bank will provide
both loans and deposit services to low-income households along with micro and small
entrepreneurs, this ensuring “Prosperity with Dignity”. In 2008, Kashf was listed as one of
the top 50 MFIs in the world by Forbes.
Background
The average per capita income of Pakistan is just US$ 420 and 34% of the population lives
in poverty. The role of microfinance in Pakistan continues to be fragmented, with just a
few players providing access to only 12% of those in need of microfinance services.
Several factors constrain growth in this field, including the perception that the poor are not
creditworthy, a general lack of credit discipline in the overall economy, a low ability to
enforce contracts and lack of viable lending approaches. Kashf has been working towards
changing the market’s perception of poor clients, demonstrating that poor women are
creditworthy.
86
Kashf Foundation
Founded in 1996
Asia
Pakistan
www.kashf.org.pk
Strategy
Kashf (meaning “miracle” or “revelation” in Urdu) focuses on economic transformation for
women, by women. Kashf has a well trained and growing staff base of 1,700 employees
who are spread over 160 branch locations in two provinces of Pakistan, Punjab and Sindh.
Kashf offers customers two loan products: a general loan (up to US$ 138) for productive
purposes and an emergency loan (up to US$ 35) for families to meet unplanned
expenditures or emergencies, and has also recently piloted a home improvement loan
which can be utilized by the households to improve their living conditions. Kashf has over
325,000 clients, though the organization's aggressive growth plan aims to cater to the
needs of up to 1 million female clients by 2012.
In 2001, Kashf entered into a partnership with Adamjee Insurance, Pakistan’s largest
insurance firm. Every Kashf member obtaining a general loan is required to pay a modest
one-time insurance fee to cover the member in case of accident. This innovative insurance
scheme has contributed to a 100% loan recovery rate, since Kashf will be repaid by the
insurance even in the case of accident or death. At the same time, Kashf is also piloting a
health insurance scheme in some of its branches, a product which has been piloted
through coverage of over 8,000 lives. It is expected that over the coming year the same
service will be provided to 80,000 clients. Kashf Foundation also intends to pilot a strategy
for rural markets.
The Entrepreneur
Roshaneh Zafar comes from an established Lahore family of intellectuals. She received her
BSc in Finance from Wharton, a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a
Masters in International Development Economics at Yale. Zafar worked as a WID/Community
Participation Specialist at the UNDP and the World Bank. In 1993, at a conference on Women
and Economic Development, she found herself discussing the idea of starting a microfinance
organization in Pakistan with Muhammad Yunus, who later sent Roshaneh a plane ticket to
Bangladesh to study the Grameen Bank model. In 1996, she decided to take the step from
thinker to practitioner by founding Kashf.
She is also the founding member of the Pakistan Microfinance Network and is a member on
the Board of several NGOs, including Women’s World Banking and is a member of the UN
Advisory Group on Inclusive Financial Services, and is a member of the following Global
Agenda Councils of the World Economic Forum: Gender Gap Council and Financial
Empowerment Council. Zafar has been recently awarded the Tamgha e Imtiaz, one of
Pakistan’s highest civilian awards, by the President of Pakistan. "Women who have never been
recognized for their contribution to their households are for the first time important conduits
of change for their families. The impact of microfinance is not only monetary but social."
87
Devi P. Shetty
Focus: Health
The Innovation
Dr Shetty, a leading cardiologist, strives to make sophisticated healthcare available to all,
regardless of their economic situation or geographic location. He founded the Narayana
Hrudayalaya Hospital (NH) in Bangalore in 2001 and previously co-founded the Asia Heart
Foundation. Together the network of hospitals performs 32 heart surgeries a day, making
it one of the largest in the world. Almost half of the patients are children and babies with
60% of the treatments being provided below cost or for free. The network is able to keep
treatment costs low, but quality of care high, by implementing cost saving methods, such
as increasing the volume of patients served and accepting donations. These measures
have reduced the cost of a major heart surgery from about RS 150,000 to 65,000 rupees.
In addition, to address the 70% of the population living in rural areas, Dr Shetty, in
association with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), has built a network of 39
telemedicine centers. To reach out to patients in remote rural areas NH created a chain of
coronary care units. This dedication to making healthcare accessible for all populations,
regardless of location or economic status, led him to also launch the "Yeshasvini" health
insurance program in association with the government of Karnataka, providing coverage
to 2 million farmers at a cost of only RS 10 per month.
Background
The ratio of physicians per 1,000 people is only 0.5 in India (compared to 2.7 in the USA).
Approximately 70% of doctors are located in urban areas though the same proportion of
the population still lives in the rural areas. Heart disease is one of the most common
illnesses in India. Approximately 2.4 million people need heart surgery annually, but due
to the lack of affordable treatment, only 60,000 surgeries are performed. The prevalence
of the disease has significant implications on its workforce—it is estimated that 28% of the
5 million Indians who die of cardiovascular disease every year are less than 65 years old.
The average age for heart attacks in the West is 65 years, whereas in India, it is 45.
Research showed that Indian genes are three times more vulnerable to heart disease.
Congenital heart disease is a particular concern—around 224,000 newborns in India are
affected every year and the rural population is particularly susceptible due to poverty and
unhygienic conditions. Given that less than 14% of the population is supported by health
insurance, treatment options are limited.
Strategy
Calling his strategy “the Wal-martization of healthcare,” Dr Shetty and his team leverage
their strong reputation in cardiac care to perform a high number of procedures. NH
performs approximately 24 open heart surgeries and 25 catheterization procedures a day,
almost eight times the average at other Indian hospitals. The operations strategy at NH
follows the dual principle of highest quality at the lowest cost consistent with that quality.
From its first day of operation, NH had a sufficient mix of paying and nonpaying patients
to sustain its mission not to turn a single patient away. This mission requires careful
planning and internal financial controls and to this end, the finance department employs a
88
Narayana Hrudayalaya
Institute of Medical Sciences
Founded in 2001
Asia
India
www.hrudayalaya.com
unique daily accounting system where all revenue and costs for the day (including prorated
salaries, cost of medical supplies, etc.) are accounted for. A major component of Dr
Shetty’s ambition to provide cardiac care to the rural poor is the use of telemedicine. Dr
Shetty set up nine coronary care units (CCUs) equipped with beds, medication, computers,
electrocardiogram (ECG) machines, video-conferencing devices and technical staff who are
trained to operate the equipment. The telemedicine centers have treated over 18,300
heart patients during the last four years.
NH also organizes outreach camps for cardiac diagnosis and care. Each weekend, two
buses are sent out to rural areas, up to 800 km away from the hospitals in Bangalore and
Calcutta, staffed with at least three doctors, including an experienced cardiologist.
In addition to clinical work, the doctors at NH are actively involved in training the next
generation of specialists. India has less than 90 training positions for cardiologists a year,
when it would need at least 3000 to meet the demand. NH runs postgraduate programs
for doctors and other medical staff with a particular focus on offering high-tech heart care
adapted to rural and semi-urban areas. The hospital also offers the country’s only formal
training program for pediatric cardiac surgery, reflecting the rich expertise of NH’s doctors
in pediatric care.
The NH health insurance initiative now impacts 2 million farmers and their families in
Karnataka. Yeshasvini was launched in 2002 as a state program, with the government
contributing half the premium in the first year. Subscribing farmers belong to various state
cooperatives—all farmers who have been members of a cooperative for at least a year are
eligible to participate, regardless of their medical histories. For Rs. 10 a month,
cardholders have access to free treatment at 150 hospitals in 29 districts of the state for
any medical procedure costing up to Rs. 100,000.
Currently, NH runs nine primary health care centers, has taken over nine more from the
Government of Arunachal Pradesh and is building 16 primary health centers in Amethi of
Uttar Pradesh State. Once the network of primary health centers is set up, NH plans to
launch a health insurance for primary health care with a premium of Rs 0.30 per person
per month.
The Entrepreneur
Born in south India, Dr Shetty studied medicine in Mangalore, India and trained and
operated for six years at Guy’s Hospital in London. When he returned to India in 1989, he
joined the Birla Heart Research Foundation, a hospital in Calcutta and co-founded the Asia
Heart Foundation (AHF) with Dr Alok Roy. AHF started the Rabindranath Tagore Institute
of Cardiac Sciences which was the largest heart hospital in East India by 2004. In
Calcutta, Dr Shetty was also the personal cardiac surgeon of Mother Teresa. According to
him, “I believe she is singularly responsible for much that I have achieved. Somehow, even
though I am a scientist and do not expect to find God, meeting her was almost like an
encounter with the divine.”
In 2001, Dr Shetty founded NH in Bangalore with a contribution from his father-in-law’s

construction company. Between 2001 and 2004, internal funds were used to expand the
building to six stories with 500 beds.
89
Arbind Singh
Focus: Advocacy for the Unorganized Sector, Entrepreneurship Generation, Livelihoods,

Waste Management
The Innovation
Nidan builds profitable businesses and ‘people’s organizations’ that are led by assetless,
informal workers. Nidan taps into the wealth of the poor – primarily their numerical strength
– and then aggregates them into economies of scale. This process of “collectivizing”
generates social capital, representation and “voice” for the unorganized poor, which they
then leverage to launch their own businesses and shift policy to be recognized as wealth-
creators. Cooperatives, SHGs, and individual and community businesses launched by Nidan
have brought together 360,000 unorganized workers and positioned them as legitimate
competitors in markets opening up in globalizing cities of India.
Background
There are over 340 million workers, roughly 92% of the country’s working population, in the
unorganized sector in India which contributes 60% to the national economic output. Despite
their vast numbers, and their substantial contribution to the national economy, they make
the poorest segments of our population. Privatization and the decay of the public sector has
exacerbated the situation as many informal workers migrate in distress to urban centres
having lost their job in the organized sector.
On average, unorganized sector workers do not earn more than INR 30-50 per day. For most,
work is seasonal and interspersed with long hiatuses of economic downtime. A large slice of
unorganized self-employed persons (such as vendors, rag pickers, and petty traders)
struggle to expand their work time and make their products available for up to 14 hours a
day to generate extra income. They encounter bribery, extortion, violence and inhospitable
work conditions as street vending is illegal in most Indian cities.
In 2004-05, nearly 73 per cent had no union/ association in their cities. Fragmented (despite their
numbers) and no longer held by the traditional social glue of caste, gender and income status,
the poor find themselves weeded into global supply chains as an exploited and cheap labour pool.
Strategy
To reverse this trend, Nidan identified three key issues: 1. Regulation of working conditions
for the unorganized sector; 2. Access and control of the poor over market institutions and
enabling business environments; 3. Security nets for the informal workforce to tide over
health shocks, loss of employment, arbitrary violence by the police, middlemen, and others.
In 12 years, Nidan has launched and promoted 20 independent enterprises that are
governed and owned by 60,000 members from the most excluded categories of the Poor -
waste workers, rag pickers, vegetable vendors, construction labourers, domestic helpers,
micro-farmers, street traders and so on. As an aggregator and incubator of enterprises
owned by the informal workforce, Nidan casts a wide range of strategic support services for
those at the Base of the Pyramid. As an entry point, Arbind and his team move into
neighborhoods to train and align individuals into profession-based groups - a departure from
the standard practice of Self Help Group (SHG) formation, where individuals are mobilized
along geographic proximity. Profession-based collectives quickly generate empathetic
connections between individuals, as they learn to link their personal struggles to the
challenges of their occupational sectors. Momentum then increases. Once fragmented
90
Nidan
Founded in 1995
India
Asia
www.nidan.in
traders and service providers, now organize into broad-based occupational pressure group.
Community leaders emerge organically in each cluster and fortify webs of trust-based
relationships. For Arbind, each pressure group is a nascent enterprise, to be mentored till it
emerges as an independent identity and registers profit curves. Arbind’s vision for change is
grounded in the ethos of “letting a 1000 flowers bloom.” The structures and operations of
every organization are flexible (yet firmly coded) and multi-tiered, to allow the poor to enter
mainline markets from multiple vantage points. Every enterprise is decentralized and
independent, with growth and operations left entirely to share-holders who make decisions
from the front-lines. Most are large enough to affect significant policy shift. For example, the
Nidan-initiated National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), is a member-based
platform of 300,000 vendors across 20 states. It has successfully lobbied for the passage of
the Act for Urban Vendors- a first in the country.
Capital, and training in business cannot alone set up first-generation entrepreneurs and
institution-builders for success. Especially in Bihar, where till recently, a disabling business
environment had brought mainline enterprise to a halt. The multiple initiatives of Nidan
interlock into a comprehensive web of securities for the once unorganized workers. The
businesses promoted by Arbind and his team work across occupational verticals. However,
the advocacy and social security products (micro-finance, insurance, access to crèches and
schools) move horizontally through Nidan’s membership base.
As entrepreneurs, the previously ‘ultra-poor’ are reporting income growths of 100% and
more. Waste collectors for example, have realized 200% increase from their previous annual
incomes of approximately INR14,400. Secure and regular income growth has come in hand
with access to social security, education and childcare, legal aid and formidable
representation through national alliances. 2000 children of Nidan members, who could not
access education, now go to 24 community schools launched by Nidan.
Most significantly, Nidan is returning to Bihar a culture of accountability and honest

enterprise. Its contracts are secured without a bribe, at competitive market rates – unheard
of in Bihar’s tainted records of governance. This has soldered the confidence of the poorest
in transparency and collective action. Nidan and all institutions launched by it, freely use the
Right To Information (RTI) Act as a vehicle for ethical business. The cooperatives, with
members from the bottom of the Dalit hierarchies, are breaking identity barriers in a state
bloodied by caste wars. Advocacy has also seeded a new fearlessness. Through NASVI,
Section 34 of the Bihar Police Act, which allowed for arbitrary arrests of vendors (ostensibly
on grounds of removing obstruction), was eliminated. 1891 street vendors in Patna carry
formal identity cards today. By Nidan’s assessment, 9 among the 11 incubated organizations
are independent, mature and well on their way to scaling up. Nidan works in Bihar,
Jharkhand, Delhi and Rajasthan.
The Entrepreneur
Arbind was born in Muzaffarpur and spent his early years in Katihar, a district in North-east
Bihar that shares borders with West Bengal, Nepal and Bangladesh. Katihar is a hub of first
generation migrants who travel to the area in search of work. As a child, Arbind was
perplexed by the routine eviction of neighborhood vendors. Later, as a student leader in
Delhi, Arbind actively participated in drought relief in Rajasthan and played a key role in
setting up a youth-led communal harmony program in the volatile area of the Jama Masjid
in old Delhi. Armed with degrees in sociology and law, Arbind returned to Bihar in the early
1990s. He started work with vendors under the aegis of Adithi, before registering Nidan as
a separate entity in 1996. Arbind lives in Patna with his wife and two children. He is dedicated
to creating a whole new culture of enterprise and excellence in Bihar in collaboration with his
worker friends. 91
Safia L. Minney
Geographic Area of Impact: Africa, Asia, Latin America
Focus: Environment, Trade
The Innovation
People Tree (PT), based in UK and Japan, has successfully demonstrated that even in the
fast-moving, highly volatile fashion and garment industry, Fair Trade can hold its own, and
has pioneered the first and only fair trade fashion supply chain in the world. PT builds its
image on being directional and competitive with high street brands. Thanks to its
sophisticated mail order catalogue, its stores in central Tokyo and designer collaborations,
the label has expanded beyond the Fair Trade niche to appeal to a far wider market. PT
has played an important part in raising consumer awareness of poverty alleviation and
ecology and building a strong fair trade movement throughout Japan. Over 400 shops
throughout Japan carry PT products, as do 100 shops throughout Europe. People Tree is
the acknowledged ethical pioneer in the fashion industry and is currently developing a
flagship store for British markets. In addition, founder Safia Minney works to convince
conventional companies to sell Fair Trade products and reviews their sourcing strategies.
In 2007, People Tree's sales in Japan and UK reached $12 million.
PT's customer loyalty and marketing success stem from its reputation among fair traders
and in the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) as a leader and the initiator of World
Fair Trade Day, celebrated in 60 countries throughout the world. Producer groups highly
value the design input and advice on quality, product feedback, market trends and pricing
given by PT’s design and technical assistance teams. Additionally, through the Market
Exposure Programme, representatives of producer groups are invited to meet customers
in Japan and UK to learn about the market and build an understanding of the importance
of design, quality, and raise the profile of Fair Trade. PT places a strong emphasis on
ecological production methods, initiating organic cotton projects, introducing innovations
in low carbon, handmade production, the use of natural biodegradable materials and
appropriate technology. People Tree was the first fashion brand to achieve Soil Association
Organic Textile Products certification with products made in the developing world. People
Tree has been an advocate for best practice initiatives and is recognized as an authority
on cleaning up the ethics of the fashion industry.
Background
In Europe, Fair Trade began in the 1960s with handicrafts, but largely switched to foods in
the 1980s, specifically coffee, tea, chocolate, bananas and honey. While these items have
sold well and consistently gained market share, fair trade clothing has been a very hard
sell. Larger fashion companies rely on forcing new trends seasonally, thus excluding small-
scale producers by shortening production times. To compete, People Tree works closely
with producers at grassroots level, giving design and technical assistance based on
traditional skills. Particularly in the garment industry, the need for "fairer" trade is great.
Many conventional retail buyers squeeze the manufacturers' prices to levels that force
wages below the poverty level. In addition, smaller producer groups often do not have the
capital needed to produce clothes and face local interest rates of 30% or more.
92
People Tree
Founded in 1991
Asia
United Kingdom
www.peopletree.co.uk
Fair Trade organizations' commitment to paying 50% advances and a living wage helps
overcome these barriers. The textile industry also has a heavy ecological footprint. Cotton
farming uses large amounts of pesticides. According to the World Health Organization,
pesticides cause around three million chronic health problems around the world each year,
often exacerbating poverty. Hazardous dyes pose health risks to producers and consumers
alike. In addition, cotton producers are often put out of business by unfair subsidies. The
United States' subsidies to its cotton farmers are three times higher than the entire
development aid budget to Africa. People Tree therefore promotes organic cotton from
developing countries.
Strategy
People Tree works with more than 60 fashion and handicraft producer groups in India,
Bangladesh, Nepal and 16 other countries across Africa and Latin America. As these
producer organizations provide work for some 2000 people, including the family members,
around 10,000 people benefit from People Tree programs. PT and International Fair Trade
Association (IFAT) studies suggest that its Fair Trade producers can achieve double income
on average compared to the local market. In 2000, People Tree was launched in UK to
establish Fair Trade Fashion in Europe. People Tree enjoys a very high media profile and
has collaborated with designers such as Bora Aksu and Richard Nicoll since Spring 2007 to
develop new high-end markets for cotton farmers and artisans, and showcase fair trade
fashion at its best. People Tree is currently sold at Topshop, Oxfam Boutiques, and
asos.com, and is currently looking for finance to scale up its activities, including technical
assistance to producers and the launch of a London flagship store.
The Entrepreneur
Safia Minney, a British citizen of Indian-Mauritian and Swiss origin, moved to Japan at age
25 with her husband. She found Tokyo to be a high tech city with low environmental
awareness. Minney decided that her first task would be to compile a directory of organic
and vegetarian food shops and recycling facilities. This effort spawned Global Village, an
NGO she founded in 1991. In 1995, she incorporated The Fair Trade Company (trading as
People Tree) as a for-profit organization in Japan to take over the trading activities of
Global Village. Her husband has been involved with management, finance and systems
development since the company's establishment. Before dedicating her career to Fair
Trade, Minney gained significant experience in the publishing and advertising industry in
UK. During this time, she advised NGOs and publishers of trade and general interest
magazines on marketing and distribution. She was frustrated to see so much creative
talent in advertising wasted; preferring social marketing, she decided to put her skills to
use promoting environmental and social justice. In 2006, James Minney joined the
company full-time, after a 20-year career in investment management. They have two
children.
93
Suraiya Haque
Geographic Area of Impact: Bangladesh
Focus: Labor Conditions and Unemployment, Women
The Innovation
Phulki has pioneered high quality work and community-based daycare for the children of
women employed in factories, businesses and government offices in Bangladesh. The
organization currently operates 130 childcare facilities and many more are running on their
own. It provides training in the management of daycare centers so employers can run
them independently if they so choose. Further, it is now under compliance, which means
factories must establish childcare facilities. Studies have shown that daycare increases
women's satisfaction and productivity at work. There are a total 0.42 million working
mothers in garment factories alone and their children benefit from Phulki-initiated daycare
facilities.
Background
An organized job sector for women was created in Bangladesh with over 3,000 garment
manufacturing industries employing approximately 1.6 million workers. The majority of
these women live in urban slums and for the first time, a nuclear family system has
emerged. On the job, women lack access to childcare, particularly care that allows them
to breastfeed their infants during the day. Laws were in place, but not implemented.
Suraiya Haque, founder of Phulki, had to overcome opposition to entering the workforce
from her own family, a struggle that reinforced her determination to help other women in
Bangladesh gain the benefits of employment without having to deprive their babies and
young children of essential nutritional care and attention. Now, offices such as banks,
government offices, hospitals and NGOs offer on-site childcare facilities. Recently, the
Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh issued a letter to the organization
in favour of on-site childcare. In other words, Haque's work has changed Government
policy and brought a degree of gender balance to the country.
94
Phulki
Founded in 1991
Asia
Bangladesh
www.phulki.org
Strategy
Phulki's strategy works in both directions. It lobbies and advocates with international
purchasing companies that need to include childcare centers to be fully compliant. It
demonstrates to factory owners that, by investing in childcare, they not only provide
essential life benefits for their employees, but they themselves benefit from a workforce
that is happier, more productive and has lower rates of absenteeism. Factories provide the
space, start-up costs and caretaker salaries, while mothers provide the food for the
children. Phulki either manages the daycare centre for a fee or trains company personnel
to do so. Haque is now franchising the model in other cities. Her goal is to scale-up
childcare facilities in garment factories and cover all other sectors in Bangladesh.
At present, she is in contact with major American garment buyers such as Nike, Gap and
Reebok, and European companies such as H & M and Marks & Spencer, among others. A
recent survey conducted by Phulki found that the benefits outweigh the costs of on-site
childcare facilities. The employers are now aware of childcare as worker's right. Haque also
established on-site childcare as a woman's legal right in Bangladesh.
The Entrepreneur
Suraiya Haque had a privileged upbringing. She married at age 16 while she was still at
school, an arranged marriage as was the prevailing custom. Following her marriage, she
was not allowed to continue her education. However, she returned to school at the age of
24. She worked on a voluntary basis in different social organizations as her children grew
up, and when, as young adults, they brought home their first pay check—the tradition in
Bangladesh—she decided to invest the money to set up a childcare facility. In 1991, she
started her first daycare centre in her garage. From a very modest beginning, Phulki is
leading the way for women's empowerment in the workplace. Haque “dreams of a world
where working women will not have to forego their children's well being for economic
reasons.”
95
Mechai Viravaidya
Geographic Area of Impact: Thailand
Focus: AIDS / HIV, Environment, Health, Microfinance, Rural Development
The Innovation
Mechai Viravaidya established The Population and Community Development Association
(PDA) in 1974 to address family planning, a root cause of poverty in Thailand. PDA is now
the country's largest and most diverse non-governmental organization. PDA first began by
focusing on controlling unsustainable population growth as a first step to free up resources
for development. As the first organization to use non-medical personnel to distribute oral
contraceptives (and condoms) in villages and urban neighborhoods, PDA developed
creative and humorous approaches to promote family planning that appealed to the Thai
sense of fun, and de-stigmatized reproductive matters. PDA’s success was so broad-based
that the PDA approach became an international model in this field. Thailand achieved one
of the most rapid fertility declines in the modern era as the rate of annual population
growth declined from 3.3% in 1974 to 0.6% in 2005, and the average number of children
per family fell from seven to less than two.
PDA has since expanded its innovative activities to include poverty alleviation, income-
generation, microcredit, HIV/AIDS prevention and stigma reduction, environmental
restoration, and democracy education. The same groundbreaking approaches and
principles that were applied to PDA’s family planning strategy were later used to build a
comprehensive national HIV/AIDS prevention programme. As a cabinet minister in the 1st
Anand Panyarachun government in 1991, Mechai Viravaidya was the chief architect of
Thailand’s HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign. This initiative is still regarded
as one of the most outstanding national efforts by any country in combating HIV/AIDS. By
2004 Thailand had experienced a 90% reduction in potential new infections compared with
infection rates in the early 90’s.
Background
After studying commerce at the University of Melbourne in Australia, Viravaidya returned
to Thailand and started his career with a governmental development agency. He quickly
came to the conclusion that ballooning population growth was hindering rural
development. However, the country's social mores impeded frank discussion about family
planning. Mechai’s widely known work in reproductive health was one step along the way
to improve the finances and quality of life of rural Thais. The innovative family planning
and activities promoted by Mechai and PDA became the foundation of PDA's ever-evolving
and innovative programs.
96
Population and Community
Development Association (PDA)
Founded in 1974
Asia
Thailand
www.pda.or.th
Strategy
PDA programs are based on the belief that local people are best suited to shape and
sustain their own development. A community-based, integrated, empowering business
approach is emphasized in all the projects. PDA trains residents of villages as community
leaders and has engendered grassroots growth marked by extensive villager involvement,
not only as beneficiaries, but also as planners, managers and leaders. Villagers are
regarded as a fundamental part of any improvement. PDA’s integrated approach combines
different elements to achieve multiple aims. PDA's early HIV/AIDS prevention programs
used mass education and outreach. One trademark was the use of humour in projects such
as condom blowing contests, Miss Condom Beauty Pageants, and condom accessories. In
Thailand, Mechai Viravaidya is widely known as the Condom King and a condom is
commonly called a Mechai.
PDA's Thailand Business Initiative in Rural Development (TBIRD) was launched in 1988 to
attack poverty by using the business skills and financial assistance of the business sector
to support development in poorer areas. Over the past 18 years, more then 150 companies
have supported 280 PDA development projects across Thailand. The same principles of
socio-economic empowerment are also used in emergency relief, most recently after the
2004 Tsunami. Many of PDA’s programmes are considered Best Practices by organizations
such as the World Bank and UNAIDS and have been adopted in a number of countries. To
ensure financial sustainability for PDA, 16 for-profit companies were established that are
affiliated with PDA and are mandated to put funds towards the nonprofit organization.
Companies and businesses include the popular Cabbages and Condoms Restaurants,
Resorts, as well as Real Estate and Manufacturing. In some years these companies
contribute up to 70% of PDA’s administration and logistics funding.
The Entrepreneur
Mechai Viravaidya trademark is to tackle Thailand’s poverty, health, and HIV/AIDS issues
by using creativity and humour to accomplish positive results. Mechai is an energetic
dynamo, constantly coming up with new ideas and possibilities that can be used to
improve quality of life in Thailand and abroad. Over the years he has become an
international spokesperson on health issues, especially with regard to HIV/AIDS. In 2007,
Mechai and PDA were recognized with the Gates Prize for Global Health, the world’s largest
global health prize.
97
Harish Hande
Focus: Energy, Environment, Rural Development
The Innovation
Harish has pioneered access to rural solar electrification for below poverty line families
through a combination of customized lighting systems, innovative doorstep financing, and
an understanding of market needs of different user groups. SELCO’s approach to the lack
of working electricity through much of rural India relies on three tenets – the poor can
afford sustainable technologies; the poor can maintain sustainable technologies; and
indeed, one can run a commercially viable venture serving the needs of the poor.
Specifically, SELCO:
1) creates low-cost customized lighting solutions for the poor. The core business of SELCO
is the sale of PhotoVoltaic (PV) solar-home-systems that provide lighting but also are
suitable for radios and fans. A system is customized and installed to customer needs
and budget.
2) Works with banks to structure innovative financing for customers A standard four light
system costs users approximately 18.000 Rs. SELCO works with banks and MFIs to
create financing mechanisms that suit the budget. For example, a user will pay a small
down payment and then pay monthly installments of 300 to 400 Rs over five years. The
user can pay from extra income brought in from additional work made possible with the
light and savings from eliminating costly fossil fuels with customized payment
schedules.
3) Creates solar-related businesses and entrepreneurs In addition, SELCO further spreads

the sustainable technology and creates livelihoods by creating ‘business associates’.
These entrepreneurs lease solar powered lights to street vendors in the evening.
Furthermore, while SELCO focuses on energy needs, its creative financing model can be
spread to other sectors including housing, water, and so on where savings and income
can be realized with viable alternatives.
Background
Around 57% of the Indian population does not have electricity and for many more, the
supply is unreliable. In addition, those living on less than $2 a day in India annually
produce close to a billion tons in CO2 emissions showing that the developing markets must
be addressed with the issue of climate change.
98
SELCO Solar Light
Founded in 1995
Asia
India
www.selco-india.com
Strategy
Rather than focus on a saturated solar technology production field, SELCO brings this
technology to the Base of the Pyramid using financing mechanisms to make the technology
affordable and productive for the end user. To do so, SELCO pioneers linkages between
technology, financing, energy services, income generation, and quality of life. The
organization runs its grassroots operations through 25 Energy Service Centres (ESCs). The
ESCs market, sell, install, and service SELCO’s products. SELCO has an ESC within two
hours of all its clients to provide timely servicing and improves the durability and reliability
of SELCO’s products. This proximity also develops a relationship with the end user to allow
instant honest feedback that improves functionality of SELCO services SELCO has also
created 22 business associates. These solar entrepreneurs will purchase 40 to 160 solar
kits including the panels, batteries, and lights on a five year loan from the bank. They then
lease these batteries and light fixtures to local night vendors. The vendors normally spend
14 Rs a day for kerosene whereas the solar vendor is able to provide better lighting under
safe conditions for only 12 Rs a day.
Thus far he has reached 80,000 clients across Karnataka and Kerala and has recently
moved into Gujarat. Solar electrification has led to everything from better education
outcomes for children who can now study at night to increased livelihoods from nighttime
vegetable vendors.
The Entrepreneur
Dr. H Harish Hande is an engineering graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur and he earned his Doctorate in energy engineering (with a solar specialty) at
the University of Massachusetts. Harish originally started his PhD thesis in heat transfer.
When visiting the Dominican Republic, he saw areas with worse poverty than India that
were using solar energy and decided to shift his academic focus. Upon returning to
Massachusetts, he flung his heat transfer thesis into the river. He then started anew on
solar electrification in rural areas and conducted much of his research in India, Sri Lanka,
and the Dominican Republic. He is widely recognized as an international expert in the field
of renewable energy.
99
Ela Bhatt and Mirai Chatterjee
Focus: Communication / Media, Culture/ Handicrafts, Enterprise Development, Financial

Inclusion, Labor Conditions and Unemployment, Rural Development, Women
The Innovation
The Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) is the global standard bearer in efforts to
provide comprehensive support to poor, self-employed women in countries with large,
informal economies. Its efforts over three decades to increase the bargaining power,
economic opportunities, health security, legal representation and organizational abilities of
Indian women have brought dramatic improvements to thousands of lives and influenced
similar initiatives around the globe. Based in the state of Gujarat, SEWA’s almost one
million members include 550,000 women representing 100 informal trades within the state
and an additional 550,000 members in 9 other states.
SEWA is the largest union in India, offering its members a broad array of financial, health,
childcare, insurance, legal, vocational and education services. In addition, SEWA has
widely shared its experiences in a various fora – the International Trade Union Congress
the ILO and WHO’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health, to mention a few. It has
also been a founder of Women’s World Banking, Homenet, Streetnet (international
networks of home-based workers and street vendors respectively), and also of Women in
Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), a network of policy-makers,
researchers and activists committed to the informal workers’ movement.
Background
93% of India's labour force is self-employed; 94 % of this sector is women and their
production accounts for 60% of India's GDP. Yet, self-employed women have historically
enjoyed few legal protections or workers' rights. Most are illiterate and subject to
exploitation and harassment by moneylenders, employers and officials. In 1972, Ela Bhatt,
a lawyer who was chief of the women's section of the Textile Labour Association in
Ahmedabad, witnessed the terrible conditions faced by women working as weavers,
needlecraft workers, cigarette rollers and waste collectors. She began helping women to
organize themselves. SEWA had to overcome difficult obstacles to win legal recognition as
a formal trade union.
100
Self-Employed Women’s
Association (SEWA)
Founded in 1972
Asia
India
www.sewa.org
Strategy
By dealing with the multiple dimensions of its members’ needs, SEWA supports women’s
efforts to overcome poverty. Using an integrated approach, SEWA helps its members
achieve full employment and self-reliance through self-governance. SEWA members have
created 100 cooperatives and over 3000 producers' groups, thereby forging market
linkages and enhancing their bargaining position. The efforts have had so much success
that, from 1994-98, members increased employment income by 600%. SEWA Bank, with
300,000 savers, has issued loans to 103,679 members. To provide for its members'
healthcare, SEWA has helped them start health cooperatives and developed an insurance
program that provides members’ coverage for healthcare, emergencies and loss of life. A
SEWA-affiliated team of 500 midwives and health workers serves the healthcare needs of
125,000 individuals.
Through its “university”, the SEWA Academy, members learn together, gain information,
knowledge and confidence, which are important in equipping them with the skills to
become strong, capable leaders and managers. The SEWA Academy also communicates
the concerns, struggles and experiences of poor self-employed women to the public and
to policy-makers through its Research and Communication services. Today, SEWA is also
working through video, telephone, computer, and satellite communications to provide
Information Technology to the working class. To address legal issues such as housing and
wage disputes, and other exploitation issues, SEWA provides its members with legal aid
services. Currently, Bhatt and other SEWA leaders dedicate their time to influencing
national and international policies in support of informal and self-employed workers around
the world. Ela Bhatt is currently a member of the Council of Elders, led by Nelson Mandela.
The Entrepreneurs
Ela Bhatt was born in 1933 in Gujarat, India. The Freedom Movement in India and
Gandhian ideology influenced her ideas. After graduating with a Law degree in 1954, she
joined the Textile Labour Association (TLA) a union founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917.
While working at TLA, she observed the conditions of the non-organized sector—primarily
comprised of women—and decided to help "unionize" them. "One day," she predicts,
"SEWA's street vendors will join SEWA's artisans in the Indian Parliament settling issues
about the informal economy."
Mirai Chatterjee is the Coordinator of Social Security at SEWA. She is responsible for
SEWA’s Health Care, Child Care and Insurance programs. She is currently Chairperson of
the SEWA - promoted health cooperative – Lok Swasthya. She was General Secretary of
SEWA (1997 – 1999) after its Founder, Ela Bhatt. Mirai has a B.A. from Harvard University
in History and Science and a Masters from Johns Hopkins University’s school of Hygiene
and Public Health. She is on the Boards of several organizations in India including the
Friends of Women’s World Banking (FWWB), and the Public Health Foundation of India
(PHFI). She is currently advisor to the National Commission for the Unorganized Sector
and the National Rural Health Mission. She is also a Commissioner in the World Health
Organization’s, Commission on Social Determinants of Health.
101
Vikram Akula
Focus: Financial Inclusion, Microfinance
The Innovation
SKS Microfinance, an NGO-turned-for-profit company, applies global business best
practices to the field of microfinance. It was launched in 1997 to address a fundamental
flaw in microfinance—namely, its inability to scale to large numbers. SKS identified these
scaling constraints as the three “Cs”—lack of capital, capacity constraints, and the high
costs of delivering micro-loans. SKS has overcome this challenge by applying three
innovative principles:
1) using a profit-oriented model to overcome capital constraints
2) leveraging best practices for scaling from the business world to overcome capacity
constraint
3) using technology to automate processes and lower costs.
SKS’ profit-oriented model has led to sustained organization growth rates of 200%, and
attracted major equity investments from premier venture capitalists, including Vinod
Khosla and Sequoia Capital. This, in turn, has led to the ability to leverage debt from
banks. Indeed, as of November 2007, SKS had lent over 15 billion rupees ($400 million)
to over 1,300,000 poor women, benefiting approximately 6 million individuals. Known as
the ‘Starbucks of Microfinance’, SKS also standardizes and automates microfinance
processes. From training field agents to streamlining processes of entering data, SKS has
created a standardized operational practice that can be widely scaled. For these innovative
best practices, SKS was given the Grameen Foundation USA Excellence Award. SKS also
automates microfinance through back office and field technology. Rather than rely on
manually-filled collection sheets and manually entering data in ledgers, SKS created its
own automated Management Information System (MIS) that is incredibly user-friendly so
field staff with just a high school education can manage the system independently. In this
fashion, a loan officer can handle up to 1,000 customers with a portfolio of 3 million
rupees—a standard unheard of in microfinance. SKS’s work in automation has won the
CGAP Pro-Poor Innovation Award, the Digital Partners SEL Award and the award for
Excellence in Information Integrity.
Background
The commercial banking sector has traditionally avoided lending to the poor, deeming
them risky and un-profitable due to high transaction costs of giving small loans. This has
led many of the 800 million poor to either turn to exploitative moneylenders charging
36%-72% interest rates or to suffer without capital. The Grameen Bank model of group
lending has largely overcome the risk problem by demonstrating that group guarantors can
ensure high repayment. However, the transaction costs have long remained a challenge to
growth. While the Indian microfinance industry has thus far provided approximately 200
billion rupees in capital already, it is estimated that the poor still need 10 times this amount.
To date, most Indian microfinance institutions (MFIs) have not been able to significantly scale
their operations and reach a large population group across different states.
While providing loans at more competitive rates than moneylenders, microfinance

institutions must still charge a hefty interest rate compared to commercial market rates
due to high transaction costs of a high-volume/ low-value model. Specifically, these
102
SKS Microfinance
Founded in 1997
Asiaa
India
www.sksindia.com
transaction costs are due to 1) a lack of standards that creates high variance in process
and procedure, making it difficult to ensure quality and scale 2) manual processing that
lead to intensive labor costs and increases the potential for error and fraud.
Strategy
SKS’ microfinance process begins by first introducing the services to a village and
surveying a community to determine the number of women who fit SKS’ criteria for Below
the Poverty Line. While tracking assets is one obvious method of measuring wealth,
another useful test is the relative development of housing structures. Once SKS enters a
community, it has the women form 5-member groups which feed into a larger group of 50
women (10 groups) that meet weekly. Prior to the start of activities, each group must go
through a standardized, yet unique, training over the course of four to six consecutive
days. Members practice basic business skills, like how to sign their name – but also must
learn the more complex principles behind the procedures to ensure that they understand
them. SKS then offers two loan cycles every six months. These loans run up to a total of
Rs. 10,000 (US $250) with the amount payable in 50 weekly payments. With each year of
successful repayment, the credit limit is increased by Rs. 4,000. After a track record is
established by the borrower, SKS Microfinance graduates them out of the group lending
system to an individual loan from Rs. 20,000 and above on a shorter monthly repayment
period. To mitigate hardship, SKS Microfinance also provides emergency loans at no
interest and also offers loan insurance at 1% of the loan amount for the member and her
husband.
In 2007, it introduced a health insurance product and is currently piloting other micro-
insurance schemes. These practices have led to a 99% on-time repayment rate. To
manage its expansive growth, SKS operates a lean hub-and-spoke back office
architecture. The MIS system is shared via encoded Internet and accessible from field
offices. Agents can connect via dialup modem to pass on the information in a ready-to-use
low memory form that can be uploaded in less than 3 minutes. To meet human resource
needs, SKS has created a factory style training that increases the speed of training by ten
times thereby enabling accelerated field deployment. The ease of use of the back office
system and the standardized procedures allow SKS to employ staff recruited from among
poor communities and who often have only a high school education.
The Entrepreneur
Vikram Akula was born in Hyderabad and moved to the US when he was only 3 years old.
He witnessed India’s poverty on numerous family visits to India and made a promise to
himself to do something to eradicate poverty. After college, he returned to India and worked
as a community organizer. During this time, he realized the most important initiative for the
poor was economic development and that microfinance made a tremendous impact on
poverty eradication. But he felt that the microfinance sector was not scaling rapidly enough,
so he launched SKS to overcome problems of scaling.
Vikram is a former management consultant with McKinsey & Company and has over a decade
of work and research experience in microfinance. He holds a B.A. from Tufts, an M.A. from
Yale, has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and was a Fulbright Scholar. His Ph.D.
dissertation focused on the impact of microfinance. In 2006, Vikram was named by TIME
Magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people and has been featured in media
ranging from the front page of the Wall Street Journal to CNN.
103
Jockin Arputham and
Sheela Patel
Focus: Enterprise Development, Housing, Labor
The Innovation
SPARC has forged a 3-way alliance with the National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) and
Mahila Milan (MM), a federation of women’s collectives. NSDF has many city-based
federations as members. The members of the city federations are pavement and slum
dwellers. NSDF undertakes all basic community organization and mobilization work and
also lobbies for changes in policies that affect the urban poor. Its main focus lies in creating
structures for the poor through which they can undertake negotiations. MM, by supporting
and training women's collectives, ensures that women are included in local community
decision-making and helps women to participate in both local and larger issues and
debates related to their lives. It also undertakes the responsibility of setting up credit and
savings groups, consumer cooperatives, ration shops and housing cooperatives.
Background
India may have a relatively low level of urbanization but it also has one of the world's
largest urban populations. About 350 million people live in Indian cities today. The
percentage of people living under the poverty line in urban areas is higher than in rural
areas, and these numbers are rising. However, there is a critical lack of investment in
addressing the issues of poverty in cities, which means that the needs of 30-40% of the
city’s population are ignored and they are denied any real citizenship rights. Because cities
are badly planned, most poor people live as squatters on private or public lands and have
inadequate access to the most basic of services. Life in these areas is harsh, especially for
women and children. People are deprived of secure shelter and basic amenities, which in
turn impacts their health, education and income. Slum dwellers are constantly threatened
by eviction and treated as non-citizens who have encroached on the city that needs their
labour but is unwilling to accommodate their housing needs.
Strategy
SPARC supports the efforts of community groups, creating area resource centers and
helping isolated communities to join together through such processes. It strengthens
communities' own efforts with whatever resources (information, training, networking,
advocacy) it can generate to ensure that, within these organizations of the poor, there is
a clear and defined space for women to participate as partners in the process of change.
SPARC is also working to create an information base, through participatory research, on
the poor and their problems. It is a member of a three-way alliance with the National Slum
Dwellers Federation (NSDF) and Mahila Milan (MM) as its two partners. The Mahila Milan
group (Hindi for 'women together') came into being when SPARC’s founding members
began to interact with women living on the pavements of Mumbai. These women stated
categorically that secure shelter was their main priority. SPARC took the challenge and
joined hands with MM, and later with NSDF. This alliance was advantageous to all the three
organizations. For MM, alignment with the NSDF meant the inclusion of their members in
the mainstream slum movements that the Federation leads and the considerable influence
104
Society for the Promotion of
Area Resource Centres (SPARC)
Founded in 1984
Asia
India
www.sparcindia.org
of a national federation to back their claims. For the NSDF, the alignment with SPARC and
MM brought two components. SPARC, with its professional input, would lead the Alliance
and provide the Federation with the organizational and managerial capability that it lacked.
MM would give the Federation an opportunity to develop sustainable relationships with
women mobilized earlier for demonstrations but not included in decision-making, as the
Federation (until the alliance) was limited to men. For SPARC, the NSDF represented a
complimentary resource with a national pool of skilled and committed community
organizers.
SPARC assists in the development and strengthening of people’s organizations, and links
itself in a critical partnership to achieve commonly articulated goals. Finally, through
people’s experiences in the exploration of new initiatives, it has identified solutions for
community development. Based on this, SPARC has challenged existing practices of
service deliveries by the State and engaged agencies in relating directly to communities.
With state support, SPARC seeks to create institutional arrangements where communities
own and control organizations and institutions that provide services to the poor. It has
demonstrated that partnerships between NGOs, communities and governments can and do
bring change.
The Entrepreneurs
Sheela Patel is born in Mumbai where she has studies and worked with communities of the
urban poor since 1974. She began her career working for ten years from 1974 to 1984 in
focusing on women and children. That experience demonstrated that the most efficiently
delivered welfare does not produce real change in the lives of the poor, and unless
organizations working on issues of poverty have an appetite to explore new ways to
addressing these problems there can be no breakthroughs or change. This means that a
real partnership with communities of the poor must be made. She founded Society for the
Promotion of Area Resource Centers ( SPARC) in 1984 along with other like minded peers
and forged a alliance with Jockin Arputham who had formed NSDF in 1975 to bring
together and form an organizations of leaders from slums who defended their
neighborhoods against evictions. Mahila Milan evolved as a third partners in this alliance
as a network that recognized and developed the leadership of women’s collectives in slums
so they would work in partnership with the men.
Arputham is from the state of Karnataka in South India. Due to an alcoholic father who
was not able to look after the family, it fell upon Jockin to earn a meager living. He ran
away from home as an adolescent, came to Mumbai and had to live on the pavements and
in slums. With the state government constantly destroying the temporary shelters,
Arputham joined the women in agitating against the government’s insufficient policies
towards the slum dwellers. Despite having to continually run from the authorities or hide
among the voluminous folds of slum women’s petticoats and saris, he felt that, as
agitators, they were unable to achieve a practical solution. Eventually in 1984 the NSDF,
Mahila Milan and SPARC came together to build the capacity of the urban poor and
negotiate entitlement with the authorities and mainstream institutions to secure land
tenure, housing and infrastructure. Jockin Arputham was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay
Award in 2000.
105
Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto and
Silverius Oscar Unggul
Social Entrepreneurs of the Year, Indonesia, 2008
Focus: Communication/Media, Environment, Rural Development
The Innovation
Telapak is an association of NGO activists, business practitioners, academics, media
affiliates, and leaders of indigenous people working together to promote ecological justice,
cultural integrity, and economic empowerment. Telapak sustains its activities through
cooperatives and community enterprises. Current initiatives include printing, mass media,
local politics, fisheries, and forestry. These interrelated business units synergistically
support each other in raising public awareness. In clarifying its positioning, Telapak is not
anti-development. The organization, however, does promote sustainable logging and
sustainable marine coral farming. In fact, Telapak is the first successful producer and
exporter of exclusively non-cyanide ornamental fish and coral.
Telapak’s objective is three-fold: 1.) To establish community-driven natural resource

management 2.) To drive public policy as it relates to conservation in coordination with
corporations, government, other related NGOs and public interest groups and 3.) To stop
the unprecedented rate of ecosystem destruction, involving in the process the
impoverished communities living in and around rich natural resources.
Background
The rate of unsustainable environmental practices is one of the highest in Indonesia.
Telapak came into existence in response to the rise of illegal logging activities and the
depletion of marine life. The lack of education and awareness of environmental issues
have been draining the country of its natural resources since its colonial days. Concessions
exploit the land and some businesses use bribery and other illicit means to gain permits.
When Telapak first started, there was no effective monitoring mechanism to oversee the
quota system for the harvesting of timber, coral, and fishing. Indigenous people living
near these natural resources were also under conflict with large companies over land and
resource rights. In response to these issues, Ambrosius, Silverius, and four other friends
started Telapak as a foundation in 1997; Telapak was then incorporated as a ‘perkumpulan’
or association in year 2002. To date, Telapak’s activities impacts 16 out of the 33 provinces
in Indonesia.
106
Telapak
Founded in 2002
Asia
Indonesia
www.telapak.org
Strategy
Individual members of the Telapak association contribute 1% of their income as a sign of
vested interest in the organization. A management team directs the administration and
programming of Telapak with the help of Telapak members and other volunteers in the
community.
Telapak’s work is carried out by its business units, social enterprises whose profits are
reinvested back into Telapak and the communities it seeks to help. Telapak’s business units
include its three independent TV channels, Gekko video productions, Kippy printing, the
Kedai café, a scientific research group, as well as the production of eco-friendly food
products from the villages. Telapak also runs a cooperative program that reaches out to
and oversees the welfare of indigenous people living near natural resources. The Cooperasi
has introduced insurance schemes, credit and savings programs, as well as resource
management education and a Forest Watch initiative (an independent monitoring
network). Telapak business units and the Cooperasi all work together to achieve the
mission of the organization. For example, the printing business will publish the scientific
research unit’s work, and the TV and radio stations will broadcast illegal logging activity
discovered by the communities. In addition, Kedai café is a sales channel for many of the
products produced by the villagers.
The Entrepreneurs
Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto is the President of Telapak. He specializes in working with NGOs
to provide a framework for people-to-people cooperation and trade initiatives for just
natural resource management. Ambrosius has also produced several video documentaries
and co-authored publications on coral reef, coastal, and marine issues. Silverius Oscar
Unggul, otherwise known as “Onte,” is the Vice President of Telapak. He is an expert on
forestry and timber issues. Silverius was named an Ashoka Fellow in year 2006, and
recently won the Conde Naste Traveler Environmental Award for his fight against illegal
logging.
107
Maria A. Villalba
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Philippines, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan,

United States
Focus: Education, Enterprise Development, Financial Inclusion, Labor Conditions and

Unemployment, Rural Development
The Innovation
Unlad Kabayan is a not-for-profit organization that links the savings of migrant workers to
community development. Unlad Kabayan pioneered and promoted the MSAI-CDR (migrant
savings and alternative investment for community development and reintegration)
program in the Philippines and provides a chain of services to migrant workers by working
through overseas migrant centers.
Background
More than eight million Filipinos, about one tenth of the country’s population, are working
overseas. The country ranks as the third biggest exporter of workers, whose income now
plays a central role in the country’s economy. A recent Asian Development Bank report put
the real figure in the $15 to $21 billion range – dwarfing the $2 billion the country received
in 2006 in foreign direct investment. Attracted by higher wages, the exodus is fast draining
the Philippines of its skilled professional workforce such as teachers and nurses. According
to the World Health Organization (WHO), nurses and other medical workers are leaving the
country at the rate of at least 15,000 a year, threatening the country’s health
infrastructure. Jean Marc Olive of the WHO warned that the exodus was expected to persist
until at least 2015, with annual demand for medical workers in the United States and
Europe estimated to be about 800,000.
Apart from the traditional jobs of domestic work, entertainment, construction and
merchant marine, new jobs for pilots and engineers overseas are increasing. The US is the
world’s biggest employer with 2.7 million Filipinos as of December 2004, followed by Saudi
Arabia. Not only are overseas Filipino workers' families dependent on remittances, but the
economy itself is kept afloat by their remittances and not by a strong local economic
capacity. The decline in domestic investment implies a diminishing capacity to expand
production and even a slowdown in the future. The glaring lack of decent jobs in the
country is the main factor for the exodus of Filipinos seeking employment overseas. The
sheer scarcity of jobs is already a sign that all is not well and that the economy lacks an
internal dynamism that is able to productively harness and employ the Filipino workforce.
108
Unlad Kabayan Migrant
Services Foundation
Founded in 1996
Asia
Philippines
www.unladkabayan.org
Strategy
The first service offering includes financial literacy education as well as savings and
insurance packages that are specifically negotiated with Filipino banks (e.g. LBC and
Planters) to meet the needs of the migrant workers. Unlad Kabayan then helps these
migrant workers form savings groups which become pools of funds for investing into
various forms of small businesses in their respective hometowns. More importantly, Unlad
Kabayan has been successful at channeling these savings pools towards enterprise and
community development efforts in poverty-stricken regions around the Philippines. Aside
from connecting the funds to the regions, Unlad Kabayan operates the Social
Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development Services (SEEDS) and Business Incubation
(BI) programs which provides business management and social responsibility courses and
serves as a resource center for fledgling entrepreneurs to start their respective
enterprises.
Beyond educating the beneficiaries, creating the space for them to participate in people-
centered development will pave the way for them to become active agents in social
change. One such example of this model’s success is a coconut fiber processing plant in
San Isidro, Davao Oriental. The processing plant provides direct employment, while
improving the profitability of coconut farmers and workers in the area. The plant itself is
profitable and provides a good return to the overseas Filipino workers who have invested
in it. From the beginning in 1996, Unlad Kabayan received most of its funds from overseas
donor agencies. This has gradually changed to include funds from the Filipino government,
partner institutions and from the migrant workers themselves. As the SEEDS and BI
programs become more mature, future sources of funding will increasingly be derived from
services rendered to the startup businesses, as well as potentially from profitable equity
stakes in those enterprises.
The Entrepreneur
Maria Angela Villalba grew up in Butuan City and attended University of the Philippines-
Diliman and majored in social work because of her personal and academic interests in
poverty. After college, she worked as a teacher and with the government, but later decided
that she would be best able to directly help others through work with non-governmental
organizations. After living in Hong Kong for 10 years and through travelling to various
parts of the world, Maria was struck by how the Philippines was not able to develop like
other countries post-independence. The sight of the numerous Filipino migrant workers in
all these countries was also heart-wrenching for her. While overseas, her colleagues in
International NGOs met with compatriots who were academics or technical experts yet
most of the time Maria would be meeting Filipinos who worked in kitchens, and were either
doormen or entertainers. The sense that Filipinos ended up becoming the cleaners and
entertainers of the world drove her down the path of starting Unlad Kabayan. Her long-
term goal is for Filipinos to find decent jobs in their own country and that they will seek
employment overseas as a matter of choice and not for lack of feasible options at home.
Maria’s work has garnered Unlad Kabayan and its network respect and support from the
government, the private sector, international organizations and donor agencies, and most
importantly, in the communities where her efforts make the most difference. Maria is a
board member for the Global Fund for Women in San Francisco. She also founded the
Migrant Forum in Asia and is a founding member of Migrant Rights International in Geneva.
109
Iftekhar Enayetullah and A. H.
Md. Maqsood Sinhaha
Geographic Area of Impact: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan
Focus: Environment, Waste Management, Waste Recycling, Renewable Energy and

Climate Change
The Innovation
By promoting the concept of waste as a resource and emphasizing the marketing aspect
of organic waste, Waste Concern has caused a chain reaction among multiple sectors in
Bangladesh. Working in partnership with communities, Waste Concern directs a process for
house-to-house solid waste collection that is then taken to community-based composting
plants to be turned into organic fertilizer. Waste Concern arranges for fertilizer companies
to purchase and nationally market the compost-based enriched bio-fertilizers. Thus, it
provides jobs for the urban poor who collect and process the waste. It has stimulated
behavioral changes in urban communities and the waste management industry. In
addition, Waste Concern has helped to address the environmental problems of diminishing
topsoil fertility (due to the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) and green house gas
emissions.
At present, 60,000 people benefit from Waste Concern’s project in Dhaka, and an
additional 434,290 people benefit from replication of the model in other parts of the
country. Each year, Waste Concern produces 900 tons of compost in Dhaka; elsewhere in
Bangladesh, 8087 tons of compost are produced and distributed by 47 organizations using
the model. Fertilizer companies now estimate that farmer demand has risen to 50,000 tons
per year. At present, the technology used for composting can treat 30,000-35,000 tons of
waste per year and reduces emissions by 12,000-15,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Because of its novel approach, Several NGOs and private sector firms have already
emulated the model in Bangladesh,and UNICEF and the Department of Public Health
Engineering have started to do the same in 14 municipalities throughout the country.
Waste Concern has received wide media coverage and recognition. Delegations from
several countries have visited Waste Concern and started replicating the model in their
own cities. With support from the UNESCAP, Waste Concern is assisting two cities in Sri
Lanka and Vietnam in replicating its model. Recently, with the support of the Leap Frog
Fund of the Lemelson Foundation, Waste Concern is exporting its model of managing waste
to Saiban (a Pakistani NGO) for a slum settlement in Karachi, Pakistan.
Background
Initially, no local financial institution or development organization supported Waste Concern.
After three years of running their demonstration program without external support,
Enayetullah and Sinha convinced the Municipal Corporation and Public Works Department
to provide public land for community composting. Waste Concern’s first community-based
compost project was initiated in 1995 and successful demonstration of the project spurred
the model's replication to five more communities of Dhaka. Moreover, based on the project,
the Government of Bangladesh has recommended the recycling of organic waste via
composting as a viable alternative for solid waste management.
110
Waste Concern
Founded in 1995
Asia
Bangladesh
www.wasteconcern.org
Strategy
Success of a community-based program depends largely on identifying and addressing the
community's needs, while sustainability of the project depends on involving individuals in the
cost-recovery/cost-sharing process. To that end, Waste Concern has established partnerships
with public agencies, the private sector and communities by working as an intermediary to
form the tripartite partnership. Each relationship is important in the public-private-
community link. Communities are responsible for monitoring the house-to-house waste
collection system and contributing towards its costs. The Ministry of the Environment and
Forest, through its Sustainable Environment Management Program, coordinates the project
and provides strategic support on behalf of the central government. Local government
provides land for the composting plant as well as the electrical connections and other
logistics. UNDP has provided start-up funds for the composting units while the private sector
markets the compost. An effort such as Waste Concern requires that land is provided at a
nominal rate, or free of charge, to the entrepreneurs interested in running the project.
Public-private partnerships are needed to underpin the initiative and provide training and
technical advice on composting and marketing for those involved in the effort.
Before 2004, Waste Concern’s model replication was dependent upon financial support
from international agencies, as well as non-cash support (such as land) from municipal and
public agencies. Access to land and finance was an impediment to attainment of large-scale
success due to this dependence. Since early 2004, however, Waste Concern has developed
a new approach by directly purchasing land to establish compost plants rather than
depending on public agencies. It has also attracted foreign direct investment through carbon
trading using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. Waste
Concern has recently entered into an agreement with a Dutch company for investment in two
CDM-based projects: one is a 700 ton/day composting project and the other is a landfill gas
extraction and utilization project at the Matuail landfill site in Dhaka. Waste Concern, along
with its Dutch partner, is now building a compost plant in Dhaka with a compost production
capacity of 50,000 tons/year. This project is will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 89,000
tons every year and benefit the 2.3 million people of Dhaka city.
The Entrepreneurs
Sinha, born and raised in Dhaka, is an urban planner/architect. Enayetullah, also from
Bangladesh, is a civil engineer/urban planner. The pair met while doing graduate research on
urban waste management. They decided to work together to develop programs in this area.
Initially, the two young entrepreneurs sought to convince government agencies to develop the
community-based composting plants, even promising free consulting services to support
governmental efforts; but they could not convince the authorities. One government official
listened to their ideas and then challenged them: if their ideas for community-managed
compost plants were so great, why didn't they create it themselves? Inspired by the challenge,
they founded Waste Concern.
Enayetullah and Sinha were awarded the 2002 United Nations Poverty Eradication Award for
the Asia Pacific Region. Other honors include the 2003 Outstanding Professionals Award from
the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh and Fast Company’s inaugural Fast 50 Leadership
award. They were also selected Tech Laureates by the Tech Museum USA. Waste Concern has
been awarded with Environment Award 2007 by the Department of Environment of the
Government of Bangladesh for its applied resource and development activity in environmental
sector. Fast Company of USA has selected Waste Concern in 2007 as one of the Fast 50 profit-
driven solutions for the planet. Recently, a number of renowned international business schools
are using Waste Concern’s experience as a case study for MBA courses.
111
Jack Sim
Focus: Health, Sanitation
The Innovation
The words “public toilet” are likely to elicit everything from embarrassed half-grins to outright
laughter. But when public toilets are unavailable or unclean, the good humour is quickly
replaced by disgust and anger. Jack Sim broke new ground by eliminating the toilet taboo and
brought the subject of waste management centre stage. Jack created the WTO (World Toilet
Organization) as a global network and service platform where these groups can learn from one
another and leverage media and corporate support to influence governments to promote
sound sanitation and public health policies.
Working with a shoestring annual budget of US$ 150,000, Sim has mastered the art of
leverage. He has been able to organize eight World Toilet Summits and two World Toilet Expo
and Forums that have brought together thousands of participants from 44 countries to address
issues such as toilet accessibility and sanitation. Through an extensive networking campaign,
the World Toilet Summit continuously expands its global community. Several notable
individuals like the current and former Presidents of India, HRH William Alexander, the Prince
of Orange, and the Undersecretary of UN-Habitat etc. have given their testimonials to
recognize the impact of WTS in the improvement of sanitation. WTO has declared November
19th as World Toilet Day and the worldwide celebrations occur annually to increase public
awareness on the issues of toilet and sanitation. The holiday is not just for celebrating toilets,
but also for recognizing the unsung heroes behind the scenes who keep the toilets clean – the
restroom workers.
Background
According to the UN, more than 5 million children die every year from sanitation-related
diseases like diarrhea. In India and China alone, a billion people without sanitary facilities
relieve themselves regularly on streets and in rivers, heavily polluting the water. The most
significant source of water contamination in developing countries is due to the lack of adequate
sanitation facilities. Even when public toilets are available, they are poorly maintained.
According to WTO, the average person uses the toilet 2,200 times a year, approximately 6
times a day. In fact, across a lifespan, three years of one’s life are spent in the toilet. Due to
biological differences, women spend three times longer in toilets than men. In spite of this,
there are usually more toilet booths for men in public areas, while women often have to queue
for the toilets. No one has calculated the size of the global toilet industry, but since restrooms
and related infrastructure account for about 7% of total construction costs, industry worth is
probably in the tens of billions of dollars. By way of example, in preparation for the 2008
Summer Olympics, Beijing is spending US$100 million to create about 3,700 “world class”
toilets. WTO supports the creation of a star rating system in Beijing for city lavatories, and
China reports, it will build millions of low-cost toilets in rural areas over the coming decades.
Strategy
WTO envisages itself as a de facto global body that champions more and better toilet
environments. Underpinning the organization is the notion that there are a number of groups
already working to promote better sanitation facilities worldwide, groups like NGOs,
universities and public agencies. To compensate for the lack of financial resources, WTO’s
fundamental strategy is one of leverage. Every World Toilet Summit or World Toilet Day is
112
World Toilet Organization
Founded in 2001
Asia
Singapore
www.worldtoilet.org
managed by professional event managers and funded by city or state governments or

corporate groups. Sim draws on the knowledge pool that exists in universities, NGOs and
government agencies worldwide, inviting experts to share their know-how at these events by
speaking or publishing articles for international dissemination. Although the main strategy is
based on leverage, WTO has been able to mobilize the support of Singapore-based public and
private organizations, including the Lien Foundation, the NVPC, the MCYS, the National
Environment Agency and corporations such as Kimberley-Clarke, CH2M Hill, Grohe, Geberit
and Unilever.
The Restroom Association in Singapore, initially founded by Sim in 1998, had an impact on
public policy, starting with Singapore’s Code of Practice for Environmental Health to provide
more facilities for women so as to eliminate the queue to the ladies. It is evolving to include
standards of public toilet legislation for other countries, with the goal of benchmarking global
standards for public toilets in order to aid city planning. Non-profit organizations mostly rely
on donations. However, donations alone cannot bring sanitation to all. World Toilet
Organization recently embarked on a new socially entrepreneurial strategy to bring services
to the poor. Instead of seeing 2.5 billion of underprivileged and helpless people, WTO
visualizes 2.5 billion of potential customers demanding safe and affordable toilets and small
sanitation treatment systems. Having an efficient market will have its own demand and supply
mechanism, innovation, competition and financing (including micro finance) to serve the
neglected gaps. WTO is also branching out into the design and marketing side of sanitation.
They are currently collaborating with a publicly listed company in Singapore interested in
making the flat-pack toilet by plastic injection molding. The purpose of this is to make toilets
colorful and pleasing to the eyes. Through this, WTO can become the IKEA of the poor by
delivering the flat-pack units of toilets.
The Entrepreneur
Jack Sim, Founder of World Toilet Organization (WTO), believes in living according to the motto
"Live A Useful Life". Not having a university degree did not stop Jack from starting his own
business at age 24. After seeing the futility of focusing only on financial gain, he left business
and ventured into non-profit work. He has dedicated his remaining years towards
humanitarian causes that can give real meaning to his life. Jack developed a keen interest and
concern for toilets because he felt that this subject was neglected and there was much to be
done, which led him to establish the Restroom Association of Singapore (RAS) in 1998. He
adopted the mission to raise the standards of public toilets in Singapore and around the world.
Since the Association was founded, Jack aimed to put Singapore on the "world map" by taking
the lead in having clean public toilets. As Jack began his work in Singapore, he realized there
were other existing toilet associations doing good work in other countries, but no channels
existed to facilitate information sharing and resource mobilization. There was a lack of
synergy. Hence, with a dream to have a world body to unite the various toilet associations,
Jack founded the World Toilet Organization (WTO) in 2001 and the World Toilet College (WTC)
in 2005. Today, WTO comprises of 145 members in 52 countries. In 2004, Jack was awarded
the Singapore Green Plan Award 2012 by Singapore's National Environment Agency for
contribution to Environment.
In 2006, Jack Sim was invited to launch The German Toilet Association in Berlin. He is also a
founding member of American Restroom Association. In 2007, Jack became one of the key
members to convene the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance comprised of key players for
sanitation. Jack is also an Ashoka Global Fellow and was named by Time Magazine as a Hero
of the Environment 2008. He sits in the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Councils for
Water Security and also the Global Agenda Council for Social Entrepreneurship. In 2009, he'll
join the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy as a master student in Public Administration as
well as a visiting fellow at its Institute of Water Policy.
113
Anton Soedjarwo
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Indonesia, 2007
Model: Hybrid Non-profit
Focus: Enterprise Development, Environment, Health, Microfinance, Rural Development,

Technology, Water
The Innovation
Yayasan Dian Desa (YDD) is a hybrid not-for-profit focused on churning out product and
service innovations that enhance the quality of life of marginalized communities, as well
as to set them on a path towards self-reliance. Since its inception, YDD has come up with
a string of noteworthy innovations. Here are a few examples: ? Cooking stove that
increases heat-generating efficiency from 2% to 26% (Asia Regional Cooking Stove
Program), thus reducing amount of firewood required for meal preparation. By reducing
time spent collecting firewood, village communities can look into other more economically
viable activities. For instance, YDD is working with poor fishing communities to make
leather products out of stingray skins. Instead of directly employing workers, YDD trains
them to become independent suppliers in this ecosystem of stingray leather fashion
accessories. YDD operates by assisting low-income communities in improving their living
standards through participatory and self-help processes. Started in 1972, YDD currently
has 308 personnel and has activities in the provinces of Yogyakarta, Central Java, East
Java, Nusa Tenggara, Bali, Maluku, Aceh and East Kalimantan. Since 1995, YDD has also
been active in Cambodia. Until 1985, YDD has been focussed on rural development only,
and starting in 1986, the organization has started activities in urban development.
Background
Poverty and the marginalization of a community does not stem from laziness or a lack of
spirit to improve itself. In many cases, when the basic needs of a community are not fulfilled
- e.g. available clean water, proper sanitation, basic shelter - the community is crippled and
will lack the ability to engage in more economically productive activities. In terms of the
availability of proper sanitation, improvement programs in high-density urban areas are
often faced with a lack of available space. Centralized sewerage networks, which are the
typical solution in these urban areas, are difficult to implement because local governments
cannot afford the cost of operation. Therefore, decentralized off-site treatment systems
implemented at the communal level is a strategic option in addressing this need. Regarding
the availability of clean water, Indonesia has had a history of small and medium-sized
industries like local hospitals, tanneries and batik processing dumping untreated water
directly into river systems that downstream communities depend on for their livelihoods.
Commercial treatment systems are again too expensive for many companies within these
industries to afford. When a community faces such situations where basic requirements are
not met, they quickly find themselves in a downward spiral where the people become
increasingly risk-averse and shun opportunities to engage in enterprising activities that
could pull them out of poverty.
114
Yayasan Dian Desa
Founded in 1972
Asia
Indonesia
Strategy
Anton Soedjarwo founded Yayasan Dian Desa (YDD) in 1972 to assist low-income
communities in improving their standard of living through participatory and self-help
processes. It achieves this by releasing the community from unnecessary and
unproductive activities, such as addressing the availability of water, sanitation and
renewable energy within the community. YDD also improves the quality of existing
products in small industries, agriculture and aquaculture with the goal of improving the
community’s income generating capabilities. YDD accomplishes its organizational mission
through the following activities: developing and disseminating appropriate technology to
improve the living standard of target communities and to promote their self-reliance;
serving as an intermediary between target communities and development organizations;
and providing training to NGOs or youth on development and appropriate technology.
Many of YDD’s activities focus on research and development, and as such, the organization
is equipped with a metal workshop for prototype development, a water quality laboratory
and a multi-media division for the development of training materials. By fostering
innovation excellence in appropriate technologies, YDD has been able to attract and
leverage a highly diverse range of funding sources from international development
agencies such as UNICEF, the World Bank, Oxfam, Canadian International Development
Agency and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. YDD also has a strong track
record of collaborating with local government and the private sector. YDD has contributed
significantly to the disaster relief and community redevelopment efforts arising out of the
Aceh Tsunami disaster in 2005 and the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006.
The Entrepreneur
Anton's community awareness started in 1968 when, as a civil engineering student, he was
designated by a Swiss catholic priest to solve the lack of water in a village near Mount
Merapi. He was instantly awakened by the realities of the problems in the rural
communities, as well as how a little creativity and innovativeness could radically change
the livelihoods of these communities. Thereafter, he established an informal group of
technical students to develop and apply technology for rural development. Their group
initiated projects related primarily to clean water supply and sanitation, and gradually
evolved to cover the full range of sectors that Yayasan Dian Desa addresses today. For his
work on Yayasan Dian Desa, Anton has received many awards, including the Majelis
Ekonomi Indonesia in 1976, the Kalpataru award in 1980, the Ramon Magsaysay award in
1983 and the Simavi Institute award presented by H.M. Queen Beatrix in 1999.
115
Richard A. Jefferson
Focus: Agriculture, Health, Technology
The Innovation
Science, when coupled with human creativity and generosity, is potentially the greatest
tool for social enterprise. The use of science to inform and guide equitable problem solving
in food and agriculture, public health and environmental management is however
dependent on empowering and engaging more problem solvers. Modern life science – with
its extraordinary power to understand and change the fabric of our surroundings – is being
privatized, its component parts locked up in complex webs of patents and opaque rights.
Genes and proteins are being patented, and the fundamental biological processes that
underpin our crops, our livestock and our own health are fought over in legal battles.
Innovation based on new life sciences is becoming grossly inefficient, driving up costs and
driving out small enterprise. In a bid to democratize the innovation process,
Richard Jefferson developed the BiOS Initiative —a concept and a practical movement that
combines patent transparency, enabling technology development and distributive
innovation concepts to forge an open source metaphor for the life sciences. Jefferson is
the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the private, non-profit research institute,
CAMBIA, which is recognized as the pioneer of the open source biotechnology movement,
and a creative force in exploring new scientific innovation ecologies. This movement has
already attracted a diverse range of supporters including governments, civil society, small
and large private enterprise, philanthropic organizations, research institutions and learned
societies. The BiOS initiative aims to catalyze innovators worldwide to address local or
global challenges by ensuring that the capability to use science to innovate is widely
shared and scope of problems tackled extended to include the neglected.
Background
Very few of the problems experienced by the disadvantaged of either the developing or
developed world are adequately addressed by modern biological technologies. These
problems include the lack of sustainable food production, fragile rural economies, poor
nutrition, environmental degradation, poor public health practices, insufficient attention to
diseases and medical conditions of poor people or marginalized communities. Sustainable
and equitable development can only happen with the committed and creative participation
of those experiencing problems, and the enterprises they trust, in generating robust local
solutions. If science is to be relevant as a component of this process, it must be part of an
integrated process that is sensitive to the operating constraints of problem solvers. The
costs of biological innovation must decrease, and the relevance to these problems must
increase. And it must foster the creation of myriad small to medium enterprises with new
business models that emphasize the products and services delivered, not the gaming of
the very technologies and tools used to create them. The tools of science must be part of
a 'commons of capability' that is preserved and expanded to provide a platform for diverse
innovators and diverse business models.
116
CAMBIA
Australia
Founded in 1992
Australia
www.cambia.org
Strategy
Open innovation has been a strikingly successful model in open source software and is now
being applied to a wide range of industries. CAMBIA’s BiOS explores, applies and extends
these concepts to biological problems affecting the disenfranchised of the world, or
opportunities impacting the entire world . Through focusing on the platforms and tools of
biological innovation, and the norms and legal instruments that govern their use, BiOS
creates new innovation models and new efficiencies. CAMBIA enables decentralized,
cooperative innovation by merging intellectual property informatics and analysis,
innovation system structural reform, new legal and business instruments, and open access
technology development. As a crucible for these ideas, CAMBIA has for the last decade
and a half also invented and distributed throughout the world enabling biotechnologies,
and created the first open patent licensing communities around them.
CAMBIA now recognizes that these challenges and opportunities transcend sectoral
boundaries, and will impact business and innovation at all scales. Open innovation ecology
will build confidence, increase transparency and inclusiveness and generate new
efficiencies in all fields of science and technology-enabled innovation. In an economic
crisis, it is critical that public and private investments are made on a firm foundation, and
routes to market delivery to beneficiaries are transparent and affordable. To enable this
CAMBIA has recently founded the Initiative for Open Innovation – IOI – to increase the
efficiency, effectiveness and equity of science enabled innovation for public good. As a
platform for this new initiative, CAMBIA developed the Patent Lens the leading
independent worldwide open access patent searching and information resource. On this
foundation, and using Web 2.0 technology, the IOI will render the opaque world of patents
more transparent, create a sound evidence basis for policy and practice, and provide free
navigation and decision support for enterprises in all sectors to more effectively see their
efforts impact society and public good.
The Entrepreneur
Richard Jefferson is one of the world's most prominent molecular biologists and plant
scientists. Anyone spending time with him will come away with the impression that not
only is he changing traditional ideas about genetics and intellectual property, but that he
is revolutionizing the way in which molecular biologists are seen: they can be agents of
social change. While he is amongst the most cited authors in plant science, he once faced
a tough decision between becoming a professional musician or a scientist. Jefferson
ultimately chose science but constantly questions his sanity in doing so instead of juggling,
playing the guitar and mandolin or performing comedy.
117
Nicolas Frances
Focus: Energy, Environment
The Innovation
Cool nrg International Pty Ltd (Cool nrg) designs, develops and delivers innovative energy
efficiency action that reaches millions of consumers worldwide and results in large cuts in
CO2 while reducing the cost of energy bills.
Background
The global fight against climate change has evolved to become the most pressing
challenge of our times. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that
CO2 emissions must fall by between 50% and 80% by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate
change. In order to do so, according to the International Energy Agency, two thirds of
emissions reductions will have to come from cutting demand for energy. And yet the
search for effective solutions has focused on costly and long-term responses to the
problem – nuclear power, large-scale renewables and “clean” coal - that may not deliver
significant reductions in CO2 emissions for many years. Projected investment in action
directed at tackling energy supply accounts for between 80% and 90% of the total, just
10% aimed at reducing demand. And yet energy efficiency has the capacity to cut 7Gt of
CO2 - the equivalent of 25% of global emissions. In addition to tackling climate change,
the great win of energy efficiency when aimed at consumers is its anti-poverty potential
in reducing heating and lighting costs for the poorest members of society.
118
cool nrg International
Australia
Founded in 2007
Australia
www.coolnrg.com
Strategy
Cool nrg’s broad business strategies are to: Create high profile climate action campaigns;
Undertake mass distributions of free energy-saving devices; Reach millions of consumers
with energy and cost saving campaigns; Use and adapt existing regulatory frameworks to
deliver residential Energy efficiency programs; Campaign to create or shape regulatory
frameworks to deliver rapid action on climate change through energy efficiency; Develop
strategic media, supply and distribution partners; Create significant leadership, brand and
financial value for program partners.
The Entrepreneur
Nic Frances, a recognized leader in social enterprise, is founder and executive chairman of
Cool nrg International.
A former stockbroker, Nic left the City at the height of the 1980s boom for Liverpool where
he built the Furniture Resource Centre into a leading social enterprise. Nic was ordained
as an Anglican priest in 1996. In 1998, he emigrated from the UK for Australia. There, he
led the Brotherhood of St Laurence, a leader in the fight against poverty, to 2004. His work
earned him an Australian Centenary Medal. Cool nrg was established in 2007, building on
Nic’s efforts to reverse climate change begun by Easy Being Green, the company he co-
founded in 2004.
Nic is a frequent speaker on prestigious international platforms and the award-winning
author of The End Of Charity, published by Allen & Unwin, a book advocating the
reordering of business and political systems to support social enterprise drawing on his
personal experience in that field over 15 years. Nic lives in Melbourne, Australia. He has
two children, Holly and Charlie.
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Arnaud Castagnède
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, France, 2005
Geographic Area of Impact: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta
Focus: Heritage and Environment, Social Inclusion, Unemployment
The Innovation
The Acta Vista association has been directed by its founder Arnaud Castagnede since its
establishment in 2001. Acta Vista, a social enterprise, specializes in the restoration and
enhancement of built heritage, for this purpose it devotes its savoir faire and expertise to
the training and professional inclusion of people otherwise excluded from society. Acta
Vista rapidly developed its activities in the field of the environment by means of the
equipping, protection and enhancement of natural sites that are either in danger or are
protected. In 2007, Acta Vista further strengthened its position as a social enterprise by
adopting an ambitious plan to diversify its services. It became the Acta Vista Group and
brought together the 6 subsidiaries it had set up and which work in France and also across
Europe. During the same period it established A&V, which recruits and provides
professional training for people without qualifications who seek to work in the building,
logistics and environment sectors as well as for part-time recruitment agencies. Every year
since then, more than 500 people, previously excluded both professionally and socially,
have been recruited and employed by the Acta Vista Group on its work sites, 60% of these
people have subsequently entered full-time employment.
Background
France possesses a heritage of buildings and environmental sites that requires a
considerable amount of maintenance and restoration. At the same time it is confronted
with a high level of unemployment, approximately 8%, which means that under-qualified
people are often obliged to live with very low incomes from social benefits and often in
very difficult situations. The Acta Vista social enterprise is able to address both of these
problems and turn them into advantages. With this aim in mind, it employs people of all
ages, from the age of 18 to 65, including those excluded from society, recent immigrants
and the unemployed seniors on its work sites that restore and maintain built or natural
heritage to enable them to find a place in society, to train and to gain professional work.
Strategy
Acta Vista works within the framework of European, national, and regional policy in the
domains of professional and social inclusion. Acta Vista is supported by private as well as
by public funds. The work sites can be run for large French companies such as Gaz de
France Suez as well as for individuals or local authorities. Lafarge, the world leader in
building materials, and which also shares Acta Vista’s values, has supported Acta Vista’s
work since 2006. Enterprises, banks, foundations and individuals have also chosen to
become involved (Société Générale Foundation, Heritage Foundation, Veolia Foundation,
Banque Populaire Provençale et Corse Foundation). In 2009, two new profit-making social
enterprises will be established in the industrial, environmental, and heritage sectors.
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Acta Vista Group
Europe
Founded in 2002
France
www.actavista.fr
A team of 40 salaried workers (project leaders, work site managers, psychologists,

engineers, sustainable development specialists, human resources personnel) and external
agents (architects, research units, professional organisations from the sector) work
together on protected and/or classified sites. The objective of Acta Vista is to provide
services that produce on site work of high quality and the successful and lasting inclusion
of its employees. A work contract with a maximum duration of 12 months enables such
people to obtain a status in society, to rediscover the dynamism of teamwork, attain a
salary, and therefore restore their dignity. It then becomes possible to work with them
towards their return to long-term employment in another company. Throughout the
duration of this work contract, Acta Vista salaried workers analyse their financial, health,
housing and professional situation and begins solid work in their free time to settle such
problems one by one. This approach is led by the work site managers and the
psychologists together, and also with the local social services and thus enables the full
potential of each person to be evaluated.
With the desire to invest more in the protection of the environment by controlling the
impact of its activities on the environment, the group is working to obtain the ISO 14001
Eco-certification for environmental management. Since 2006, the Acta Vista group
continues its development across the areas of heritage and the environment and works
together with European specialists in Heritage and training in order to establish the «
European Conservatory of Traditional and Innovative Techniques for Heritage ». From
2009, this conservatory aims to train professionals working in building from all countries
on the traditional techniques to be used to respect the environment and to introduce them
to social entrepreneurship so that they in turn can become the ambassadors and activists
of sustainable development. Working to respect the environment, balancing the economic
factors with social progress, Acta Vista has become a reference in the domain of
sustainable development.
The Entrepreneur
Arnaud Castagnède is an engineer and cartographer by training. His life changed when he
went to French Guyana in late 1987. There, he worked with Native Americans living on the
Brazilian border. While in South America, his unusual career path also led him to pilot
experimental training and environmental restoration programmes for gold-mining
companies. His focus was enterprise and community development, but in this process he
became a firm believer in the power of work to enable individuals to change their
circumstances and their future. He returned to France ten years later and sought to deploy
these development capacities in his native country. But once there, he found it challenging
given the predominance of the State in all facets of employment. It took several years of
trial and error in setting up a diverse array of enterprises before he succeeded in
establishing Acta Vista. In that capacity, Castagnède has become an intermediary between
the public and private sectors facilitating the re-entry of the unemployed into positions
where they may profitably regain their dignity and independence through full time work.
121
Jeroo Billimoria
Focus: Children and Youth, Education, Financial Inclusion, Human Rights
The Innovation
Jeroo Billimoria is a “serial social entrepreneur” who has launched and scaled numerous
transformational enterprises. One of her first major projects was Childline, a 24-hour toll-
free telephone hotline for children in distress that today operates in 83 of India’s largest
cities. Childline has responded to over 13 million calls in assisting vulnerable children with
medical assistance, protection from abuse, education, repatriation, counseling, long-term
shelter and other emergency services. Building on her success in India, Billimoria
established a global network of children’s helplines called Child Helpline International (CHI
in 2003). Their mission includes establishing new helplines and strengthening existing
ones. Child Helpline International now supports helplines in 110 countries. In 2005,
Billimoria founded Child Savings International (CSI) now known as Aflatoun. Te aim of
Aflatoun, is to inspire children to socially and economically empower themselves and
become agents of change in their own lives and for a more equitable world. By offering a
unique blend of Child Social and Financial Education (CSFE), children learn about their
rights and responsibilities as citizens of the world and about democratic principles. They
also receive basic, but comprehensive, financial education on saving, spending, planning,
budgeting and entrepreneurship. The CSFE concept is all about balance. These concepts
are brought into practice through self-governing, student-run savings clubs and
microenterprise activities as well as child-centered, hands-on exercises like games,
puzzles and role-playing.
Background
India has millions of children who live on the streets and hundreds of thousands who are
extremely vulnerable to illness and abuse. In 1993, Jeroo Billimoria, a professor at the Tata
Institute of Social Science (TISS) in Mumbai, began lobbying India's Department of
Telecommunications to establish a toll-free emergency hotline for lost, endangered or
injured children. Billimoria had seen the need for effective crisis intervention while working
with street children in Mumbai's night shelters. She mobilized support from TISS,
government agencies, local child service agencies, foundations and businesses to build the
Childline network, which was officially initiated in June 1996. The Aflatoun story began in
1991 after the riots in Mumbai when Jeroo initiated the educational organization MelJol.
Over the years, the programme evolved from one focused solely on social issues to the
inclusion of financial education. The materials for the Aflatoun program were developed
on the ground in Indian primary and secondary schools.
122
Aflatoun, Child Social and Financial
Education
Europe
Founded in 2005
Netherlands
www.aflatoun.org
Strategy
Childline acts like an intelligent switchboard, dispatching calls to optimize society's
available child protection resources. Relying on existing infrastructures, the organization
has capitalized on the recent spread of telecommunications in India and the emergence of
a vast array of citizenship building organizations. Two advertising and consulting firms,
Ogilvy & Mather and Tata Consultancy Services, have helped Childline develop its brand
and franchise model. In 1998, India's Ministry of Justice and Social Empowerment
committed to expanding Childline throughout the country. Having fielded over thirteen
million calls, Childline serves as a powerful amplifier for the voices of children across India.
Applying the same replication model as Child Helpline International, Billimoria’s more
recent innovation, Aflatoun, works with schools and existing NGOS. Furthermore, the
program employs the training tree method which achieves scale at low cost. The Aflatoun
programme has already been proven to convey unexpected benefits including increased
math ability and parental involvement. Jeroo believes that Child Social and Financial
Education can do for children what microfinance has done for adults – stimulate
entrepreneurship and empower them. The program is now operating in 20 countries
reaching 250,000 children worldwide. The goal is to reach one million children by the year
2010. "Success," says Billimoria, "will be when every child in the world has access to Social
and Financial Education and is empowered to determine their own future."
The Entrepreneur
Jeroo Billimoria was born in 1965 in Mumbai, India, to a family of professionals. Billimoria's
mother instilled strong social convictions in her from a young age. She was eighteen when
her father died. During the days following his death, long queues of local people formed
to say their last goodbyes to a man who had been a 'quiet philanthropist' – so quiet that
Billimoria had never realized he had reached out to help so many people. This realization
led her to join the Tata Institute of Social Sciences rather than becoming a trained
chartered accountant, as her father had been. Jeroo has been recognized internationally
for her groundbreaking entrepreneurial work. One of her latest accolades was bestowed in
2006 by the Skoll Foundation as one of the winners of the Social Entrepreneurship Awards.
123
Vojtech Sedlacek
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Czech Republic, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: Czech Republic
Focus: Disabilities, Enterprise Development, Labor Conditions and Unemployment
The Innovation
Vojtech has created a venture that incubates projects and businesses that employ disabled
individuals. Furthermore, it focuses on employing a percentage of these disabled positions
in highly public areas like the Senate cloakroom or at the Astrological Clock to make the
public and policy makers aware of the need to address such issues.
Background
In the Communist Era, the disabled were viewed as imperfect and often kept out of sight
of the public. Unfortunately, this stigma and attitude has lingered even in the post-
Communist era as the public and policy makers choose to sweep such issues under the
rug. Furthermore, the desire to subsidize the disabled and hide them in institutions has
created an unhealthy dependency in the disabled community.
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Agentura ProVás s.r.o.
Europe
Founded in 1996
Czech Republic
www.agenturaprovas.cz
Strategy
Vojtech has created businesses that employ the disabled in a completely profitable
manner. Not wanting to be dependent on government grants or government contracts that
require compromises in integrity, Sedlacek ensures all ProVas businesses are self-
sustainable and profitable. For example, with a loan and financial and labor support from
Vojtech, one of his employees, Mr Josef Selichar, founded his own company, Selichar
Setrans. The company specializes in supplying physical aids and equipment such as
wheelchairs, crutches, special shoes, artificial limbs, for handicapped and disabled people,
and for senior citizens. Today, Setrans is now one of the biggest suppliers in Prague, and
employs more than 30 handicapped workers. Furthermore, Vojtech has persevered in
securing jobs and enterprises in highly visible parts of society to create awareness of the
problem of marginalizing the disabled and has empowered the disabled to demonstrate
their ability to be productive members of society.
In such a fashion, ProVas works on both the intervention role providing employment
opportunities to the disabled, and also on the engagement of the public in understanding
the issues to shift public policy towards larger impact. Currently Vojtech works in Prague
and employs full-time disabled individuals in projects. Upcoming sites, for instance in
Prerov (Moravian town) will have a shop with honey and plenty of accessories for
beekeeping and beekeepers and web pages creation. In the Museum of Roztoky (town
near Prague) future projects include a complete-servicing Café bar under the auspice one
of the best Czech barista – coffee masters. Sedlacek’s goal is to provide employment and
business opportunities to all willing disabled persons and to employ approximately 1400
disabled people by 2015. His other goal is to shift the policy debate to be more considerate
of disabled needs in society.
The Entrepreneur
Vojtech was inspired to create ProVas as an instructor at an institution for the disabled in
the Communist Era. He would often engage his students in productive activity rather than
the standard curriculum and realized the empowering affect it had on the community. He
never had any doubts of capability and launched ProVas with no hesitancy in investing in
disabled business. Sedlacek is a dedicated, stubborn, and extremely ethical crusader for
the cause of the disabled. When questioned as to why he put up with the adversity of
bureaucrats in securing positions for the disabled in government offices, Sedlacek replied,
“I will not let them be in peace!”
125
Barbara Sadowska and
Tomasz Sadowski
Geographic Area of Impact: Poland
The Innovation
The Sadowskis set up Barka (meaning “lifeboat”) to address the needs of homeless
individuals in reintegrating with the community. Barka resettles homeless and socially
marginalized people in rural and urban communities, providing them with the sense of
belonging they deeply need. In the context of post-socialist Poland, Barka is particularly
innovative as it is based on fostering self/mutual help and private initiative. In order to
make progress, Barka has not only had to develop its capacity, it has also had to influence
change in the legislative environment in order to make some of its efforts possible.
Since 1993, Barka has set up 25 communities across Poland, constructed a social housing
settlement and currently provides a more dignified way of life for about 1000 residents.
About 5,000 people a year are offered other direct assistance. Barka has established
branches in UK and Ireland to help homeless migrants. New branches are being
established in France, Germany, Denmark and Italy. Barka’s model is being replicated in
other regions and countries. With the objective of disseminating its system, Barka trains
future leaders through its program of Social Economy Leaders’ School. A street paper
“Gazeta Uliczna” dedicated to social economy issues is published to promote best practices
in social entrepreneurship and citizens’ initiatives.
Background
Most would have said the Sadowski's were completely crazy when they moved into an
abandoned, run-down farmhouse in Wladyslawowo with their three young daughters and
a number of homeless individuals. Some of these individuals had criminal records and a
history of drug and alcohol addiction. The Sadowskis felt these were not bad people, but
only needed attention, respect and structure. They invested their pensions to fund Barka.
Strategy
Barka’s approach begins by meeting the immediate needs of marginalized individuals, such
as food and shelter, and evolves to assist with their personal development and
reintegration into society. Trust is the critical element that allows Barka to function.
Community members must be open with one another, sharing their past, accepting
responsibility for their actions and supporting one another in overcoming personal
challenges. To accomplish its goals, Barka created four complementary programs:
community creation, a socio-educational program, creation of workplaces and social
cooperatives, and accessible housing. In 2004- 2005 the Foundation transformed its
activities: from an organization directly implementing activities to an organization which
animates diverse environments to undertake initiatives for social and economic integration
of the weakest groups. The programs created by Barka are presently administered by
independent associations and social cooperatives. In this way a system of autonomous
organizations but ideologically connected with the philosophy of activities worked out
during 18 years of Barka’s activities was created. These organizations are associated in the
Polish Union for Social Integration, of which Barbara Sadowska is president. To create a
126
Barka Foundation for
Mutual Help
Europe
Founded in 1989
Poland
www.barka.org.pl
community and provide housing, Barka takes over rural buildings left behind by
enterprises or public agencies, with the consent of the authorities. Barka provides basic
supplies and seed funds, and the household members become responsible for the initial
refurbishment as well as for upkeep. Each household develops an income-generating
activity with the guidance, training and oversight of Barka. Individuals are encouraged to
transition and integrate into local society and help others who have recently joined Barka's
programs to do likewise. Each household has an "animator," usually an individual who has
been with Barka for some time, who serves as the facilitator of the group process in each
household. While animators function as coordinators of the household, decisions are made
by group consensus.
To create workplaces and social cooperatives, Barka fosters entrepreneurship. Its Social
Inclusion Centers have links to other Centers with an accent on skills training. Skills
afforded may range from basic literacy all the way through to specific vocational skills, with
work training programs geared to local employment markets. The visible success of
Barka’s programs inspired the Polish Ministry of Economy, Labour and Social Policy to
create a new law governing social employment and invited Tomasz Sadowski to participate
in drafting the legislation. The Foundation started to lobby for new legal solutions based
on Barka’s programs. As result of these activities new legislation was enacted to change
the passive system of social support in Poland. This new legal system opens the door for
the creation of social enterprises focused on the integration of excluded groups and has
had a crucial role in developing these issues within the Polish civil society system. The law
on social housing enabled the construction of the Darzybor Settlement in cooperation with
the local administration which, according to the nationwide daily newspaper Gazeta
Wyborcza, “is a revelation” far from resembling a social settlement. Barka’s system is
promoted through creation of local partnerships with local administration as well as local
organizations, institutions and enterprises.
The Entrepreneurs
The Sadowskis realized that the tools provided by their profession, psychology, could not
address the needs of their target group. They also felt that the services and strategies of
state agencies, churches and other NGOs amounted to little more than palliative support. In
many cases, socio-economic circumstances precipitated the fall of these individuals, but it
was the lack of inner motivation and basic life-skills, coupled with low self-esteem and other
physical and psychological problems, that made these individuals unable to cope with living
in open society.
The Sadowskis have received numerous national and international accolades. On November
11th, 2007 Barka Foundation received the Pro Publico Bono Grand Prix for its lifetime
activities and the program of Migrants’ Integration. On January 14th, 2007 at the Eight
Annual Global Development Conference – Shaping a New Global Reality: the Rise of Asia and
its Implications, Beijing (China) Barka was awarded the first international prize for the Most
Innovative Development Project organized by the Global Development Network
(www.gdnet.org). In 2003, Tomasz Sadowski was honored with the Albert Schweitzer World
Academy of Medicine Gold Medal, which recognizes great merits in humanism and medicine.
It is the symbol of gratitude for those who create lasting values and contribute to the creation
of a better world. Also in 2003, they were selected for Time magazine's Time Heroes.
127
Reed Paget
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, United Kingdom, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: Bangladesh, India, Madagascar, Mali, United Kingdom
Focus: Environment, Water
The Innovation
Belu is the first bottled drinks company in the UK to use “bio-bottles” made from corn.
These look like ordinary plastic bottles and can be recycled with plastics or commercially
composted back to soil in just 8 weeks. By demonstrating that eco-friendly bottles are
economically viable, Belu is leading a change in favor of a more sustainable approach to
consumer goods. In addition, Belu is driving an increase in bio-bottle volumes, which will
reduce the cost of manufacturing and make it easier for other companies to adopt the
technology in the future. Belu has begun works with a number of large players in the drink
production and retail industry including, Spadel, Mitsubishi and Marks & Spencer to
developing corn bottle technology and/or improving the recyclability of biopolymers.
Background
The earth is running out of many natural resources and clean water is one of them. In the
last 150 years, we have used or polluted two-thirds of the earth’s available fresh water and
by 2050 we will have run out of the rest. Belu Water was launched to harness the
incredible resources of business and use them to create a sustainable balance between
people and the planet. Belu’s first step was creating the most eco-friendly bottled water in
the world. Belu’s natural mineral water is the first Carbon Neutral bottled water, the first
to come in a compostable bottle made from corn and the first to donate 100% of its profits
to fund clean water projects around the world. Thus far, approximately 20,000 people in
India and Mali have gotten clean water and ten times this number is projected for 2008.
128
Belu Water
Europe
Founded in 2002
United Kingdom
www.belu.org
Strategy
Belu leads by example and seeks to change the way businesses operate through a
business model that is both financially and environmentally sustainable is possible. Belu
has minimized its environmental impact by: 1. Introducing the UK’s first biodegradable and
compostable plastic bottle; 2. Reducing its carbon footprint by using clean electricity and
locally sourced water; 3. Offsetting any remaining carbon emissions by raising the
environmental performance that the public expect from companies.
Belu’s compostable bottle has inspired most major retailers to consider using similar
plastics for their products. Belu is also influencing the consumer goods industry as a whole.
As the first Carbon Neutral product out of 70,000 in the retailer Tesco, Belu has helped set
a trend for all businesses to take responsibility for their carbon emissions. Funding clean
water projects, Belu is the first bottled drinks company to invest all its profits to clean
water projects. Every bottle of Belu bought in the UK provides clean water for one person
for over a month. Belu funds projects through WaterAid, a clean water charity, in Tamil
Nadu and Mali, installing wells and fixing hand-pumps, which provide water for 20,000
people. Belu is also working in Bangladesh and Madagascar. As Belu becomes profitable,
its investment in clean water projects will increase significantly. The projected investment
for 2008 will have the potential to help more than 200,000 people if used on similar
projects. They plan to fund projects in similar activities such as eco-sanitation, a safe way
of treating sewerage to produce fertilizer. This technology would help to conserve soil
fertility and improve health, while minimizing water pollution. By selling a consumer good
to raise funds for their fresh water projects, Belu is not competing against other charitable
organizations for limited funds; Belu is not reliant on donations and grants to operate.
Belu’s message of sustainability reaches over 500,000 consumers every month and has
shown itself an effective medium for engaging the public in wide range of environmental
issues.
The Entrepreneur
Reed Paget completed his university education in Fine Arts in 1992. He has over a decade of
experience working in the media including working for New York One news, and the Freedom
television. Reed produced and directed the award-winning documentary film “Amerikan
Passport” about US foreign policy and the end of the Cold War. Amerikan Passport covers
more than 20 countries and documents political upheaval including the civil war in El
Salvador, the US invasion of Panama, the Unification of Germany, the collapse of communism
in the Soviet Union and Scud Missiles hitting Israel during the 1991 Gulf War. In addition, he
was involved in managing the merchandising initiative on the Clinton / Gore 1996 US
Presidential campaign across 40 states. Reed founded Belu Water in 2002, after hearing a
speech by former US President Bill Clinton in which he pointed out that 25% of the planet
does not have access to clean water. Though Reed had no business background, the united
Nation's Global Compact inspired him to use the tools of business to help solve global
problems.
129
Petra Vitousova
Focus: Human Rights
The Innovation
Petra Vitousova's Bily kruh bezpeci (BKB) is a volunteer-based support network for victims
of crime. It provides specialized services such as psychological counseling, legal aid and
assistance in dealing with different institutions. BKB is the first organization of its kind in
the Czech Republic, both in its focus on the needs of crime victims and in its volunteer
support structure. The Czech government has recognized the need for BKB’s services. BKB
has proposed a number of changes in criminal laws, thereby improving the situation for
the victims of crime. The know-how of the BKB is regarded as among the best in Central
and Eastern European countries. As a result, it is often asked to share its knowledge and
experiences.
Background
Violent crime has increased dramatically in the Czech Republic since the political changes
of 1989. However, there was no response mechanism in place for the multiple and complex
psychological, legal and economic needs of victims. In response to this need, Vitousova
mobilized a group of lawyers, psychologists and social workers that donate their time and
expertise to help the victims free of charge. The BKB now has seven advice centres for
crime victims, witnesses and their relatives in the country, runs a 24-hour helpline, DONA,
for domestic violence victims, a 24-hour helpline for victims of crime and the intervention
centre for victims of domestic violence. The BKB has 180 volunteers (lawyers,
psychologists, psychiatrists, judges,policemen, social workers etc.), 32 counsellors at
helplines, two counselors at the intervention centre and five employees for the whole
country.
130
Bily Kruh Bezpeci
Europe
Founded in 1991
Czech Republic
www.bkb.cz
Strategy
The BKB offers customized support to the individual needs of crime victims in the Czech
Republic. It provides each victim with the necessary services to make well-informed
decisions concerning their legal and personal options after they become casualties of
criminal behaviour. When a victim of crime contacts BKB, they always meet with a couple
of volunteer counsellors (a lawyer and a psychologist). Through the seven BKB advice
centres across the country, victims are offered expertise free of charge, including
emotional support, legal aid and practical advice about the prosecution process. These
services contribute to a faster recovery of the victim from the consequences of a criminal
offence and improve their negotiating position with the authorities. Volunteers can also
arrange follow up therapy for the victim.
BKB’s efforts have increasingly focused on domestic violence. In 2001, BKB started a 24-
hour helpline, DONA, for victims of domestic violence. Within the first seven years, the
helpline received over 30,000 phone calls. In addition, BKB has proposed a number of
changes in criminal laws, thereby improving the situation of victims of domestic violence.
BKB`s domestic violence project was recognised as the best project in this field in the
country by Czech Ministry of Interior and was nominated for ECPA award in 2007. The
project is being disseminated into Slovakia, Georgia, Poland, Ukraine, Armenia. BKB also
offers training programmes for police officers, judges, medical staff, social workers,
university students and the staff of shelters, designed to raise awareness and sensitivity
to victims' rights and needs. The recent BKB’s project called “You are not alone” is focused
on vulnerable crime victims; BKB works on methodology, manuals, instructions and
specialized trainings to change practice of police and justice in the Czech republic. BKB also
organizes violence prevention programmes, gives lectures at schools about crime and
conducts extensive public education programmes through the media. In addition,
Vitousova helped establish similar services in the Slovak Republic.
The Entrepreneur
As a journalist covering the rise in criminal activity, Petra Vitousova came to recognize an
extreme lack of victim-related services. She spurred BKB as a response to this need in
1991. In 1996, Vitousova became an Ashoka Fellow. In 2002, along with the Czech
Minister of the Home Office and other public figures, she co-founded the Alliance Against
Domestic Violence. This Alliance led to the acceptance of a 21-step programme that marks
a crucial turning point for domestic violence victims’ rights in the Czech crime code. In
addition, she sat on the executive committee of The European Forum for Victim Services
(2001-03), of which BKB has been a member organization since 1996. "In the nineties, we
opened the issue of victims of crime, their rights and need for help and support in the
context of our country, says Petra. “Our goal was to change the legal framework and
enforcement of the law and to give victims needed respect. Today, we are doing the same
work in the field of domestic violence, again successfully. Our strategy has been
recommended as best practice for Central and Eastern European countries by the
European Forum for Victim Services.”
131
Lejla Radoncic
Geographic Area of Impact: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Focus: Culture/ Handicrafts, Women
The Innovation
Bosnian Handicrafts is a modern production and retail business that trains and employs
female refugees displaced by the Bosnian war. Founded in 1995 amidst social and
economic devastation, Bosnian Handicrafts provides a sustainable means of income
generation for women who suffered the loss of family members and homes during the war.
The company's handmade products—clothing, fashion accessories, home furnishings and
traditional Bosnian crafts—are marketed globally and sold to elite international designers
and retailers. Bosnian Handicrafts currently employs 500 women from different religious
and ethnic groups, including Croats, Muslims, Serbs and Kosovars. 75% of its income
comes from the sales of its products.
Background
When the war began in 1992, Radoncic had a job she loved with a travel agency in
Sarajevo while her husband worked in Tuzla, a town about two hours away by car. Finding
herself in Tuzla the day the war started, she remained there for four years and needed to
find a new source of income to survive. In 1994, she was hired by Norwegian People's Aid
to help manage one of the first refugee settlements in the Tuzla region. She worked with
thousands of traumatized and displaced women, many from Srebrenica, where in 1995
thousands of Muslims were either massacred or expelled by Bosnian Serbs. Most of the
women refugees were illiterate, but all knew how to knit. A group project that Radoncic
initiated as a form of therapy turned into a business when a church group put in an order
for 1,500 sweaters. The women filled it in six weeks, and Bosnian Handicrafts was born.
132
Bosnian Handicrafts
Europe
Founded in 1995
Bosnia and Herzegovina
www.bhcrafts.org
Strategy
Bosnian Handicrafts provides women who have experienced extreme trauma and hardship
with an opportunity to support themselves financially while nurturing their own cultural
traditions. The women learn to apply their knitting, crocheting and embroidery skills to
create products that appeal to international and domestic markets.
Bosnian Handicrafts currently sells its high-quality wares in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well
as in the US, France, Slovenia and Switzerland. Each year, Radoncic introduces new
product lines at international trade shows, and the company reaches customers worldwide
via its ecommerce website. Her clients include famous French designers Agnes B and
Sophie Digard as well as world-renowned American retailer Neiman Marcus and the
Sundance film company. While Radoncic initially received start-up subsidies for the
business, the majority of BH's operations are currently financed by its profits. The
company is now pursuing ISO standardization for quality management to further improve
its services.
The Entrepreneur
"The women have regained their dignity and self confidence. They are very proud of the
salaries that give them a chance to support themselves and have a better life," says
Radoncic. "My dream is to become an internationally recognized fair trade organization
with durable markets for products made by Bosnian women, continuing to provide them
with a fair and vital income."
133
Jacek Strzemieczny
Geographic Area of Impact: Poland
Focus: Education
The Innovation
The Centre for Citizenship Education (CCE) is promoting civic participation and
strengthening participatory democracy across Poland by facilitating civic educational
programs, educational policies and evaluation that includes local officials, school
administrators, teachers, parents and students. Today, the Center's programs annually
reach 200,000 Polish students across the country.
Background
When Communism collapsed in Poland in 1989, a democratic system with strong citizen
participation did not automatically appear. Strzemieczny saw an opportunity to fill the void:
he founded the Centre for Citizenship Education (CCE) to address the need for steady but
deep changes in social attitudes by giving civic education new meaning. The CCE
concluded that schools should give young people a sense of confidence in their own
thinking and judgment in their own resources, and knowledge about the possibility of
exerting influence on matters connected with their local community, their country and the
world. In Poland, the CCE has been able to win the confidence of central and local
education authorities, parents, students and teachers and bring them together to shape
and implement the educational reforms needed to build a Polish democracy.
134
Center for Citizenship
Education (Centrum Edukacji
Obywatelskiej)
Europe
Founded in 1994
Poland
www.ceo.org.pl
Strategy
The CCE encourages an open dialogue between local government officials, school
administrators and students to improve the quality and relevance of what is taught in
schools. This includes changing teaching methods as well as content. The CCE began by
helping teachers to learn the active teaching method, including providing them and their
students with appropriate materials. To gain the support of the local authorities, teachers
demonstrated the effects of their teaching, involving the local community and students in
this task. Volunteerism and civic participation have dramatically increased since CCE’s
expansion across Poland and in 1999 the Ministry of Education declared the civic education
curriculum developed by CCE as the best among school curricula associated with education
reform.
The Entrepreneur
When Jacek Strzemieczny was 15, he despised school. "There were two jobs I couldn't
understand," he says. "I couldn't understand how someone could be an executioner or a
teacher. How could someone take a job torturing people?" His dislike for school was
reflected in his performance. Expelled by some schools and forced to repeat grades at
others, he eventually decided to devote his life to changing the system that he hated so
much. Today, Strzemieczny understands fully why he felt so alienated from the traditional
approach to education. “I believe young people should be given a chance to do something
socially significant,” he explains, “before various life experiences render them helpless or
cynical.”
135
Andreas Heinecke
Geographic Area of Impact: Asia, Latin America, Europe
Focus: Communication / Media, Disabilities, Education
The Innovation
Dialogue in the Dark is a unique exhibition, where blind guides lead sighted visitors
through pitch-dark spaces. Visitors walk through a market place, onto a boat and into a
bar without being able to see. They experience a role reversal: Visitors become blind, while
their blind guides are the experts at moving in the dark. Darkness is a strong equalizer
and out of the pressure of being in the dark, people need trust and can only survive with
cooperation and communication. This leads to cohesion and empathy, the first step
towards understanding differences and becoming more tolerant. After the success of
Dialogue in the Dark, Andreas Heinecke and Orna Cohen designed Dialogue in Silence,
where hearing people gain access to the world of the deaf. Visitors receive powerful
headsets and enter a world of silence. They experience the power and breadth of non-
verbal communication. Deaf guides act as mediators. Both exhibition concepts create
empathy for the differently abled and break down mental prejudices. Surveys have shown
that even five years after the visit, 100% remember the Dialogue in the Dark exhibition.
58% assert having a greater understanding for the blind as a result of their visit. In the
case of Dialogue in Silence, 81% of visitors defined deafness as a disability before the
exhibition. After their participation, only 39% continued to define deafness as a disability.
The others referred to deafness as a difference or even as an asset. Since its inception in
1988, Dialogue in the Dark has created jobs for 5’000 blind people. This makes it one of
the largest private sector employers worldwide for the blind. The employees receive
further qualifications, training and, above all, reach a higher level of confidence through
their work. Companies and event organizations find that both concepts are unique tools
to sharpen the other senses in the absence of being able and to foster non-verbal
communication.
Background
Currently, world-wide around 37 million people are blind. In Germany there are about
150,000 and additional more than 1 million people with very limited vision. Society’s
perception of handicapped people is very different from their self-perception: Only half of
those perceived as “disabled” would also describe themselves as such. This discrepancy
reveals that most people primarily focus on the deficits of the handicapped instead of their
abilities. A shift in perception on both sides can mean an important step towards accepting
the important contributions handicapped can offer society.
136
Dialogue in the Dark and
Dialogue in Silence
Europe
Founded in 1988
Germany
www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com
Strategy
Dialogue in the Dark has permanent exhibitions in Germany (Hamburg and Frankfurt on
the Main), Italy and Israel. In addition, more than 130 temporary exhibitions have been
set up largely in a franchise system in 25 different countries, among them France, Italy,
UK, USA, Hungary, Mexico, Japan, Brazil and Korea. More than 6 million people have
visited the exhibitions. Dialogue in the Dark is a holding with four different companies.
Three companies are running permanent exhibitions in Germany and one markets and
franchises the concept around the world. The three primary sources of income are: Entry
fees to the exhibitions; Franchising fees for the concept for exhibitions around the world;
Training and events for companies. In addition, Dialogue in Germany receives public
funding for the initial years of operations to subsidize the employment of its blind
employees. In its first permanent exhibition in Hamburg, the exhibition still proves to be
popular even after 8 years. The exhibition runs at a 90% capacity on average and is often
booked for months in advance. Various other organizations have copied the principle of the
Dialogue concept and opened bars and restaurants in the dark. Dialogue in Silence was
first set up in Frankfurt on the Main (Germany) and Paris. Recently, new exhibitions
opened in Israel, Mexico, and Switzerland; exhibitions in Hong Kong and Singapore are in
the works.
The Entrepreneur
Andreas Heinecke’s Jewish mother lost most of her family during Word War II, while his
father’s side supported the regime. This torn family background led him to focus his
studies on Jewish philosophy and German history. As a radio-journalist, he was asked to
develop a work training program for a young journalist who had lost his eyesight in an
accident. Through his colleague, he learned the richness and potential of a blind person,
but also the inequality and discrimination they must face. Motivated by this encounter,
Andreas looked for opportunities to promote encounters between disabled and others. He
joined the Foundation for the Blind in Germany, where he was able to find employment for
blind and develop electronic books and newspapers. He developed the Dialogue in the Dark
concept but then left the Foundation due to a different understanding about innovative
social work. He formally incorporated Dialogue in the Dark in 1996. Dr Andreas Heinecke
was named an Ashoka Senior Fellow in 2005.
137
Jean-Louis Ribes
Geographic Area of Impact: France
Focus: Disabilities
The Innovation
Jean-Louis Ribes' idea is to improve perceptions of the value of disabled persons’ work. He
refuses to confine the company and its employees to low value-added tasks. For instance,
DSI– Distribution Services Industriels – develops high value-added tasks such as R&D,
including signing a contract with the DGA (Ministry of Defense) to ramp-up signal
processing for its radar.
Eighty per cent of those employed by DSI are disabled, and DSI benefits from additional
turnover from the state to pay for the service of employing and developing them; yet
about a dozen are employed without this aid. Of the disabled people hired by DSI, 80%
have never had an employer before and have no specialized background; 10% come from
ordinary life after an accident.
At DSI, individual development and stimulation are extremely important to best use each
person's talent. For instance, an employee hired by DSI with a third-year level (in a junior
technical high school) is now an IT manager in charge of the whole IT-installed base and
network of the company and has obtained, through a recognition of prior learning, a brevet
of "Technicien Supérieur" (Advanced Technician's Certificate: French baccalaureate + two
years) in network management and administration. This person is permanently equipped
with a voice recognition application since his disability does not allow him to write. In
comparison with a classical company where employees are not always used at 100% of
their capabilities, each disabled employee at DSI is trained and coached.
DSI presents adapted companies as an advantage rather than a constraint to corporate

clients. They can also reduce the AGEFIPH (Disabled Persons' Occupational Integration
Fund Management Association) tax, and can benefit from a reduction proportional to the
turnover realized with DSI.
Background
In 1994, Jean-Louis Ribes realized his dream by starting his own consulting business. In
informal discussions, clients shared with him their difficulty in applying laws regarding
employment of disabled people. While making inquiries for clients, he realized nothing was
being done to employ disabled people, and that nobody really cared. He felt he had found
his way, and submitted an Adapted Company project (employment of disabled people at
80%) to the local labour office.
138
Distribution Services
Industriels (DSI)
Europe
Founded in 1996
France
www.dsi-ap.com
Strategy
DSI employs disabled people to perform industrial and tertiary services. Ribes proposes
simple activities such as data capture and photocopying, but DSI activities evolve quickly
towards real professions and sustainable, higher value-added activities.
There are four activity areas:

1) Office: including a support staff of around 50, half of them at key account sites
(Motorola, Continental, Alcatel, etc.)
2) Printing: including digital and offset printing, with high investment (2 million euros) in
leading-edge services, and a facility management activity dealing directly with clients.
In partnership with Ricoh, DSI studied and rationalized the printer and copier pools of
several key accounts, including Air France. DSI also developed a proprietary supervision
software and ensures set-up, monitoring and management of the pool, as well as first-
level maintenance. The service involves 30-40 people.
3) Industry: two main activities, including completion and fitting of aeronautical parts for
Airbus, for which DSI is a first-rank service provider, and industrial logistics with the
transportation of all parts for aircraft masts and whole storeroom management. This
service involves 50 people, of which 25 are on site for industrial logistics.
4) Transportation logistics: essentially for Air France in Toulouse, concerning delivery of
travellers’ unretrieved luggage to their homes. DSI handles 20,000 pieces of luggage
per year with a 98% client satisfaction rate. Twenty people work within this area.
A new multi-service area was established two years ago to compensate for decreases in
logistics area activity, thus creating a margin for manoeuvring to entrust each employee
with an activity (10 people today).
The Entrepreneur
Jean-Louis Ribes is from a humble background. His parents were sharecroppers and he
started working when he was 11 years old. He considers that his childhood was simple but
happy, but it sensitized him to injustice. After high school, Ribes attended technical
training that led him to long-term work with two engineering offices. He also has been a
high-level sportsman as stand-off half on the first team of Stade Toulousain.
139
Mustafa Sari
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Turkey, 2006
Geographic Area of Impact: Turkey
Focus: Enterprise Development, Environment
The Innovation
Mustafa Sari has reversed the extinction of a commercial species of fish because of over
fishing and has come up with a replicable approach to fishery management in the process.
Overcoming multiple setbacks and obstacles, Sari succeeded in using the tools of his
scientific research in fishery management to bring together often conflicting viewpoints
and interest of local fishermen, local government and environmental NGOs. Since 1996,
and as a result of Sari’s efforts, fishermen in the Lake Van region have seen a three-fold
increase in their revenues from adopting sustainable fishing practices that have risen from
10 to 60%.
Background
Mustafa’s work began in 1993 as a doctoral student where he concentrated on studying
the depletion of the Pearl Mullet stock from Lake Van, Turkey’s largest lake and the largest
soda water lake in the world (approximately 3,700 square km). He was the first to
determine how many fish lived in the lake, how much was fished, and how the existing
fishery affected the Lake Van fish population as well as the fishery management method
to be used for sustainable fishery. But he quickly learned that it was not enough to be
armed with research models and ensuring recommendations. Upon visiting the fishing
communities that depended on the Pearl Mullet, he faced the difficulty of adapting
academic models to the complex realities of people's conflicting desires. His problem was
how to work with this poor population of 15,000 whose lives depended on fishing, so that
they embraced sustainable practices to safeguard fish supply for future generations.
140
Doga Gözcüleri Dernegi
(Nature Observers' Society)
Europe
Founded in 2003
Turkey
www.dogagozculeri.org
Strategy
Few scientific studies had been conducted on Lake Van Fish prior to Sari’s work, which
determined the levels of fishing that could be reliably sustained. Sari found that there were
approximately 43 thousand tons of fish in 1997, and concluded that to be sustainable, no
more than 8,500 tons of fish should be annually fished. However, since 1987, over 10,000
tons a year had been fished, and about 90% of that harvesting occurred during the
spawning period, accelerating depletion. But fishermen were not open to changing their
practices and governmental regulators were indifferent. Mustafa engaged in two failed
efforts to arrest the depletion of fish in Lake Van before he found success. He first tried to
convince the government, using scientific data, to take action by implementing fishing
prohibitions and a new 2-year management plan, after which results would be assessed.
But after several years of bureaucratic wrangling, he realized he needed to try a different
approach. He started to work collaboratively with the fishermen and wholesalers. He knew
that every year, fishermen were selling to wholesalers for less, as the size and weight of
the fish was being negatively impacted by over-fishing.
Mustafa brought the two groups together in 1999, and after many meetings, it seemed
that they had agreed to specific rules of engagement. But these ultimately broke down.
Not to be dissuaded, Mustafa decided to try a different approach, by establishing an
organization. Together with two environmental experts, Sari framed a strategy for
engaging a wider group of stakeholders. They also began a national campaign to raise
awareness of the depletion of Lake Van fish. As part of this wider engagement strategy,
they systematically visited local government offices in the Lake Region, as well as relevant
public institutions. They canvassed to change public opinion – not just the fishermen, but
their families - visiting the villages all along the 400 km long shores, explaining what
accurate fishing could provide. This strategy of “problem based social participation” proved
to be successful because its underpinning is so simple: people respond to a problem
according to their individual situation and understanding of it. Sari and his colleagues have
had dramatic results in the ten years since working on multiple fronts with three different
stakeholder groups – the fishing communities, local government and environmental NGOs.
The Entrepreneur
Mustafa Sari was born to illiterate farmers who raised their family of six children near the
Black Sea. As a child he excelled at his studies. His interest in science earned him entrance
into Ankara University where he was influenced by the emerging field of sustainable fishery
management. But his background and practical focus did not make him suited to an
academic career exclusively. Today, the model developed by Sari in Van has begun to be
accepted as the blueprint for management of all freshwaters fisheries in Turkey, and in
2002 was chosen by the UNDP as one of the “World’s Best Practices”. Sari has finally
succeeded in attracting the Turkish government’s attention, and as a result, modification
in fishing law has been incorporated.
141
Ramazan Salman
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Germany, 2008
Geographic Area of Impact: Germany
Focus: Health, Migrants
The Innovation
The Ethno-Medizinisches Zentrum (EMZ) has been an advocate for health care for migrants
since 1989. The EMZ performs prevention work and supports migrants in navigating the
German health system. The multi-language offers on health topics range from pamphlets
to trainings. In order to directly address as many beneficiaries as possible, the EMZ built
up a network of mediators. Migrants who are already integrated act as mediators,
informing their fellow countrymen on health topics in their native languages. In this way
Salman is able to overcome language and cultural barriers to effectively promote good
health. This concept, which is known as MiMi ("with migrants for migrants"), and is the
EMZ's core product, has been adopted in ten states. So far, about 1000 migrants from 44
countries have been trained as transcultural mediators. In over 1000 informative events,
about 15,000 migrants have received training on health issues, and have been informed
of various prevention measures.
Background
About nine percent of Germany's inhabitants, i.e., about 6.8 million people, are foreigners
(14.8 million inhabitants with migration background). The prevention and health
promotion measures developed by the German health system are difficult to impart to
migrants. This is due not only to the language barrier, but also to the lack of consideration
of cultural and informational differences in the development of health campaigns.
For migrants, the general orientation in the German health system is also fraught with
difficulties. Topics such as the free choice of insurance company, regulations on the
subsidization of medication, or the difference between compulsory and private health
insurance, are for the most part unknown in their home countries. There is also a lack of
information on their special needs as patients, for example in cases of diseases specific to
individual migrant groups, as the treating doctors are often not educated or trained
accordingly.
142
Ethno-Medizinisches Zentrum
(Ethno-Medical Centre)
Europe
Founded in 1989
Germany
www.ethno-medizinisches-zentrum.de
Strategy
Typical MiMi issues are the handling of medication, alcohol consumption, children's health,
pregnancy, and family planning, as well as AIDS/HIV prevention. Due to their social status
(integrated in Germany, excellent language skills, in general employed) the mediators are
held in high esteem in their cultural communities in Germany. Through joint recreational
activities or through religious or recreational centers, mediators establish contact with less
integrated migrants and can invite them to training events. The contact with mediators
enables the direct addressing of migrant minorities that would otherwise be difficult to
approach. Besides MiMi, the EMZ also offers the health guides "Hand in Hand," which are
available in 15 languages. These pamphlets supply information on the German health
system and significantly facilitate orientation for migrants. Topics addressed in the
pamphlets include "At the Doctor's Office," "In the Pharmacy," "In Hospital," and "Health
Insurance." Documentation of orders shows that these health guides have reached over
120,000 people to date.
In doctor's offices and hospitals, the EMZ offers on-site interpreting services. As the
interpreters also have a medical background, they are able to mediate directly between
the patient and the medical specialists. Language barriers regarding medical history,
diagnosis, and therapy are removed. The typical clientele includes hospitals, pediatric
clinics, psychiatric practices, and communal social services.All EMZ activities are being
evaluated and accompanied by scientific research. Most of these studies are realized in
cooperation with Universities in Germany, Italy and Switzerland, as well as the WHO in
Copenhagen and in Venice.
The Entrepreneur
Ramazan Salman first came to Germany in 1966 as the son of migrant laborers, and as a
child already noticed that, due to lack of language skills, foreigners have extreme
difficulties navigating the German system. After college, he and a partner founded the
EMZ, of which he has been the managing director since 1992. From the beginning, his goal
has been to solve the health-related problems of migrants.
Mr. Salman is a member of various committees, for example, the summit conference on
integration, in which representatives of politics, media, and migrants' and employers'
associations discuss the problems of migrant integration in Germany. Since 2008, Mr.
Salman has been a representative of the German Federal Ministry of Health on the Council
of Europe's "Committee of Experts on Mobility, Migration, and Access to Health Care" in
Brussels. Mr. Salman himself was honoured as an Ashoka Fellow in 2006.
Moreover, Salman is throughout Germany a well known trainer for professionals and
managers in health care institutions and in public authorities. He trains these groups in
transcultural competence and in managing services for migrants.
143
Rory Stear and
Kristine Pearson
Geographic Areas of Impact: Global
Focus: Education, Energy, Technology
The Innovation
Freeplay Energy seeks to develop and advance the use of sustainable energy globally and
the non-profit Freeplay Foundation seeks to apply these technological advances to redress
the results of energy poverty, a fundamental impediment to socio-economic development
in poor rural areas. Freeplay radios do not require electricity or batteries: a few minutes
of winding or use of solar energy provides hours of listening. Freeplay’s patented wind-up
plus solar powered technology can be used for radios, torches, water purifiers, mobile
phone chargers, medical instruments and foot-powered power generators. Currently, the
Freeplay Foundation and Freeplay Energy are collaborating to develop self-powered light
sources for use in the Foundation’s “Lighting for Life” expansion. The two organizations
have increased the potential impact of public health approaches, education, and income
generation efforts targeting poor and rural communities, thereby contributing to poverty
eradication and helping to improve quality of life. Since Freeplay Energy’s first product was
released in 1996, aid agencies and the Freeplay Foundation have distributed over 600,000
self-powered radios in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the developing world,
providing continuous access to information to more than eight million people.
To date, Freeplay Energy has sold more than five million products worldwide, the largest
markets historically being North America and Europe. Outdoor enthusiasts,
environmentalists, emergency preparedness and emergency workers are avid purchasers
of Freeplay products. Freeplay Energy’s high volume of sales to affluent populations has
enabled them to develop and improve its products and to establish the Freeplay
Foundation, which buys Lifeline radios and foot-powered generators at subsidized rates for
humanitarian and development efforts.
Background
The high cost of batteries and low levels of electricity keep the poor from access to basic
information via radio, the most widely used medium for mass communication in developing
countries, especially in Africa. Rory Stear came across a simple wind-up radio after his
then-business partner saw it on a BBC programme. Rory secured the worldwide rights to
the technology, developed it further to make it commercially viable and adapted it for
practical use under arduous rural conditions. Freeplay Energy was established in 1994 as
a commercial company. Stear recognized the potential of disposable battery-free radios in
addressing energy poverty in developing regions and established the entirely separate
Freeplay Foundation in 1998 as part of Freeplay’s social agenda. Rory is executive
chairman of Freeplay Energy. Since early 1999, Kristine Pearson has been the chief
executive of the Freeplay Foundation.
144
Freeplay Energy
Freeplay Foundation
Europe
United Kingdom
www.freeplayenergy.com
www.freeplayfoundation.org
Strategy
Freeplay Energy’s core purpose is to provide access to energy for everyone. It guarantees an
annual cash donation, as well as infrastructure support to the Freeplay Foundation. Working
to maximize the benefits that Freeplay technology can bring to the world, the award-winning
foundation offers the company a partner that can move the social agenda forward by
implementing its own projects in addition to working with development agencies. Local
partnerships established by the foundation help ensure that appropriate content is broadcast.
Each radio is shared between 20 and 250 listeners, the latter being distance education
programs whereby several classes per day enjoy sustainable listening access to school
lessons. Freeplay Energy is a commercially viable enterprise that assumes a leadership role
in ensuring that its business makes socially responsible contributions via its patented
technology and active sponsorship of the foundation. Freeplay enjoys diverse support:
Gordon Roddick and his late wife, Dame Anita Roddick, founders of The Body Shop and
renowned environmentalists, are among Freeplay’s original investors. Academy Award
winning actor Tom Hanks serves as the Freeplay Foundation’s American ambassador
alongside Terry Waite, the Foundation’s European ambassador and a founding trustee. The
Foundation’s donors include Vodafone Group Foundation and the World Bank. The Freeplay
Foundation takes the social justice mission further, collaborating with governments, UN
agencies, content providers, and NGOs to integrate radios into communication campaigns
and offering distribution and technical assistance. Much of the programming aimed at the
poor goes unheard because of the high cost of batteries and the lack of electricity. Freeplay
Lifeline radios provide the solution. The Lifeline will soon become MP3 enabled allowing for
precorded content to be played on demand. The Foundation’s latest expansion into
renewable lighting, with a focus on women, will strengthen education and income-generation
schemes, as well as enabling safer home births and other medical procedures.
The Entrepreneurs
Rory Stear is a South African serial entrepreneur, starting his first business at age 18. He
gained experience in business development, mergers and acquisitions in South Africa
before founding Freeplay Energy in 1994. Stear has won numerous international awards,
is a member of the London chapter of the Young President’s Organization, serves on the
Dean’s Council of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the advisory board
of the business school at Nelson Mandela University. In 2007 he was named a
CNN/TIME/Fortune “Principal Voice” and in October 2007, TIME Magazine named him and
Kristine Pearson as “Heroes of the Environment”. He believes that social justice and
business success are harmonious pursuits, each bolstering the other.
Kristine Pearson believes it is necessary to first bridge the analogue divide before
successfully bridging the digital divide. She is a strong voice for women in Africa,
understanding that access to information and to lighting are key levers in combating
poverty. Pearson is American-born and considers herself a true African-American. After
immigrating to South Africa in 1988, she built a successful consultancy specializing in the
development of women in business, which led to an executive position at a large South
African banking group. Pearson structures the Freeplay Foundation on a business model,
maintaining a lean organization void of bureaucracy. She serves on the Women’s
Leadership Board of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and was honored with the
James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award in 2005, presented by the Tech Museum of
Innovation. The foundation has won several international awards, including the first Tech
Museum Award in Education in 2001 for the development of the Lifeline radio. Both Stear
and Pearson are regularly profiled in the global media.
145
Aynur Bektas
Geographic Areas of Impact: Turkey
Focus: Enterprise Development, Women
The Innovation
Hey Tekstil invested in less-developed regions of Anatolia and led to radical socio-economic
change. Garment manufacturing requires an intensive labor force and new investment
increased women’s employment and participation in socio-economic life. Hey Tekstil has
innovated a new investment model in its last two production facilities. There are several
empty public buildings, as well as serious unemployment, in most of rural Anatolia. In
cooperation with public authorities, empty buildings were transformed into manufacturing
places and thus created employment opportunities for young people and women. It was a
very good practice for the labor intensive garment industry and led to a serious increase
in employment in Anatolia. Hey Group companies strictly follow international codes of
conduct and apply social compliance procedures.
Background
Hey Tekstil was founded in 1992 as a small family business. With its successful export
operation, it expanded its customer and production capacity. Currently, it is the leading
knitwear manufacturing company in Turkey, with four factories in four different Anatolian
cities and headquarters in Istanbul. It is the source for the biggest retail chains and
employs more than 3.500 people. Hey Group companies operate in four areas: textile,
tourism, foreign trade and IT. The expansion of the group companies and rising
employment make its story unique. It is an inspiring case for women entrepreneurship in
Turkey.
146
Hey Tekstil
Europe
Founded in 1992
Turkey
www.heytekstil.com
Strategy
Aynur Bektas was president of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association. As a leading
industrialist she pushed for relocation of the garment industry to Anatolia, with her own first
investment in her hometown, creating 600 jobs, mainly for women, making its case more
concrete. She opened her second factory in central Anatolia, as well as a third one. The
fourth factory is in Batman, where the highest rate in women’s suicide in Turkey was
recorded. The project first started to teach women to organize a small production place and
later expanded to a big investment project.
The Entrepreneurs
Aynur Bektas was born in Çankiri/Çerkes in 1951. After completing her primary and
secondary schools in Çerkes, she completed Ankara Girls High School and graduated from
Ankara Economics and Trade Academy. In 1971, while she was still attending university,
she started to work for Tobank. For 20 years, she worked in the same bank as trainer,
credits assistant manager and branch manager. After her retirement, she started a new
company, Hey Tekstil Inc., in 1992. She became the general manager and the board
member of the new company. Hey Tekstil expanded its operations within Turkey and
abroad. She is a board member of eight group companies, and in some of them she is
president of the board. Hey Tekstil AS is among the biggest 100 exporter companies and
the biggest knitwear company in the country. Hey Group companies had a turnover of US$
250 million at the end of 2007.
Aynur Bektas was the president of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (TCMA)
from 2005 to 2007. Currently, she is president of the Women Entrepreneurs Board of the
Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey. She is also a member of TÜSIAD
as well as KAGIDER. In addition to the 2008 Turkey Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award,
she has received the following distinctions: Women Entrepreneur of the Year, National
Productivity Center (2006); Women Entrepreneur of the Year, The Economist (2007);
Entrepreneurship Congress Special Award, Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(2008).
147
Mel Young
Focus: Communication / Media, Homelessness & Housing
The Innovation
Mel Young founded the Homeless World Cup, which uses football to energise people who
are homeless to change their own lives. This is achieved firstly with a world-class annual,
international, football tournament uniting national teams of people who are homeless; and
secondly by triggering and supporting grass roots football programmes working with
people who are homeless all year round. Following its phenomenal success in Graz 2003,
the global tournament has grown to unite 56 nations at the Melbourne 2008 Homeless
World Cup, which includes the first Women’s Cup and a legacy of 30 street soccer
programmes rolled out across Australia. It has triggered grass roots football projects in
over 60 nations benefiting 30,000 players through pre-tournament training and on-going
trials. Milan is the host in 2009 before it travels to South America in 2010 and Europe in
2011. Follow-up research conducted 6 months after the international tournament
consistently demonstrates unprecedented levels of impact: two thirds of players make
significant changes to their lives as a direct result of their participation. They come off
drugs and alcohol, move into jobs, finish their educations, locate homes, pursue additional
training, reunite with their families and, in some cases, even go on to become players and
coaches for pro or semi-pro football teams. Supporters include UEFA, Nike, United
Nations; global ambassador Eric Cantona and Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand Now a
Homeless World Cup Foundation has been established with the purpose of supporting and
developing grass roots football programmes triggered by the international tournament. In
October 2008 the Vodafone Foundation granted a start up funding package for a CEO and
International Development Director to come on board along with a fundraising team to
build a £5 million annual fund required to fulfil the global ambition of impacting one million
players in 75 countries by 2012.
Background
Worldwide, it is estimated that over one billion people are homeless. Of these,
approximately forty percent are under age 25. It is a costly social challenge. In New York,
by way of example, each homeless person costs the city approximately $40,000 annually.
The idea for the Homeless World Cup was born during the 2001 INSP Conference in Cape
Town, South Africa. Mel Young and Harald Schmied were searching for an international
language to unite homeless people around the world. Football was that universal language
and the Homeless World Cup was born. Eighteen months later, the first Homeless World
Cup was launched. In 2005, the Homeless World Cup received the UEFA Charity Award and
Valencia Summit Award acknowledging its sporting role in transforming lives globally.
148
The Homeless World Cup
Founded in 2002
Europe
United Kingdom
www.homelessworldcup.org
www.homelessworldcup.tv
Strategy
The Homeless World Cup has proven that sport has a tremendously powerful role to play
in creating positive change across individuals, cultures and countries and on a global scare.
It provides a platform that empowers increasing numbers of homeless people to improve
their own situations and transform their lives by putting them at the centre of the solution.
The feeling of belonging, the challenge of working in a team, the process of regaining a
healthy attitude towards physical and mental well being, the relocation of self-esteem and
enjoyment of fun has engendered significant, lasting change in individual players. The
Homeless World Cup is growing fast, with Mel Young scaling up the initiative to achieve its
full potential, and maximize global social impact. New partners, investors, and funding
bodies are being invited to evolve the headquarters and five regional hubs responsible for
grass roots development using the Homeless World Cup model. In addition, deeper
research will be conducted by leading institutions so that information can be passed along
to NGOs and governments for follow-up solutions and policy-making. The Homeless World
Cup is committed to building a global brand that educates the public about homelessness
and the plight of the homeless so they are supportive and encouraging towards homeless
people and begin to change the way that homelessness is addressed globally.
The Entrepreneur
Mel Young passionately believes that by putting people at the center of solutions, we can
solve problems of homelessness and social exclusion. He feels that frameworks that allow
people to take control of their own lives need to be created. There is no reason for
homelessness to exist. Human beings are extremely innovative. We can invent the
internet, fly to the moon, everyone can have a home. Young is the co-founder of The Big
Issue Scotland (a weekly street paper sold by homeless people in Scotland) and honorary
president of the International Network of Street Papers. He is also founder and editor-in-
chief of New Consumer magazine, the UK’s leading ethical lifestyle magazine, which
encourages individuals to use their purchasing power to create positive world change.
Young's entrepreneurial initiatives have ranged from leveraged non-profits to social
businesses. All exemplify how the successful implementation of a simple idea has meant
that homeless people are able to transform their lives through their own efforts. "I liken
my work to throwing a stone that causes a ripple in a pond," explains Mel. "My dream is
to get together with all the other stone throwers in the world to create a giant wave that
will end global poverty once and for all."
149
Markus Gander
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Switzerland, 2006
Geographic Area of Impact: Switzerland
Focus: Children and Youth
The Innovation
Infoklick offers financial and in-kind support to children and youth that come with an
initiative or idea to contribute positively to society. Often a small impulse, a mentor, a room
to meet, a plug or a small start-up financial contribution are enough to get an initiative
going. In addition, Infoklick is the biggest online portal for information concerning young
people in Switzerland. Through the projects and the information portal, young people are
actively engaged in solving the problems of their generation in a proactive way. Every year,
Infoklick supports more than 250 projects initiated by children and young people in
Switzerland. The projects are particularly in the areas of youth participation, respect and
tolerance, youth and media, intergenerational projects and integration of immigrants. One
of the projects, “buntkicktgut”, is a street soccer league to integrate young immigrants.
Tink.ch is a magazine made by young people for young people, covering topics that are
underrepresented in the general media. “Jugend mit Wirkung” is run in 22 districts in
Switzerland to foster the active participation of youth in communal political matters.
Background
In most societies, particularly in Switzerland, young people only receive attention if they
are in trouble and have committed a crime, taken drugs or are unemployed. The majority
of programs are directed at these offending groups. Infoklick realizes that 85% of young
people have immense creativity and resources that are underutilized.
150
Infoklick.ch
Europe
Founded in 1998
Switzerland
www.infoklick.ch
Strategy
Infoklick.ch answers more than 30,000 questions submitted by young people using its
website. It links youth with similar ideas or issues and creates a network of engaged
groups. It has created a center for children and youth activities in Moosseedorf, close to
Bern, where it offers meeting space and rooms for seminars. Currently, more than 10,000
young people are actively involved in projects with Infoklick, receiving the financial and
inkind resources and support they need to convert their ideas into reality. In 2005, the
financial support towards these projects was more than CHF 250,000. Infoklick is mainly
financed through projects administered for public entities, foundations, or other donors.
Membership fees and private donations cover a smaller part of the budget. Infoklick has
introduced “club ramoneur,” which gives companies the possibility to be featured on the
website and act as sponsors of particular projects. In 2007, Infoklick also started a fund
for children and youth development with a Swiss private bank. Infoklick offers a youth card
through the local communities, and allows access to a range of offerings and activities.
Both the communities as well as the institutions providing the offers pay a fee for this
service. Club ramoneur, the fund, and the youth card all lead to more sustainable income
streams.
The Entrepreneur
Markus Gander was an active boy scout, participating in every project that came his way.
He studied music and sociology in Bern. As a youth worker in the community of
Moosseedorf, he was troubled by the focus on teenagers with problems and deficits. He
decided to start Infoklick with two other colleagues in 2000 to stimulate the potential in
young people to engage in society by providing them with information, financial, and
inkind support. Markus Gander has also co-founded a Swiss network for youth
development, conceptualized the Moosseedorf Center to host a range of youth
organizations from across Switzerland, and is actively engaged in a range of projects that
have been spun-off by Infoklick.
151
Robert Roth
Focus: Children and Youth, Labor Conditions and Unemployment
The Innovation
Job Factory offers a second chance in the job market for teenagers and young adults that
had a rough start. The goal is to avoid, where possible, stigmatization of young people due
to welfare programmes, which typically end their professional careers before they have
even started. Unemployed youth should receive every chance to prepare for the job
market. Job Factory offers a range of internship opportunities, typically lasting for six
months, in more than 15 different professions. As a private company, Job Factory has to
be able to survive on the market and offers an authentic, performance-oriented
environment. In addition, coaching through its Job Training Foundation focuses on the
deficits of the interns and is more cost efficient than traditional training programmes for
the unemployed.
Background
The official unemployment rate among 15-24 year olds in Switzerland is 5.4%. However,
the estimated number of unregistered, unemployed youth is around 20,000. If this is taken
into account, the youth unemployment rate is 9%. Youth unemployment is particularly
tragic, since the young people in question will have little chance of finding employment
later on if they are unable to acquire the necessary qualifications at this stage. Most end
up receiving social welfare benefits. Job Factory has calculated that each unemployed
youth costs the government around Sfr. 60,000 (about US$ 47,000) per year. For the city
of Basle alone, this is a total of Sfr. 120 million (about US$ 94 million) per year for 2,000
unemployed youth.
152
Job Factory Basel AG
Europe
Founded in 2000
Switzerland
www.jobfactory.ch
Strategy
Each year, Job Factory offers 250 unemployed young people a six-month internship in one
of 15 divisions. Each division is organized as a profit centre. They are free to choose, based
on their interests and capabilities, among the following options: 1) E-Jobs: Printing,
Information Technology, Graphics; 2) Manual Jobs: Manufacturing of kitchen furniture,
Industrial assembly, Guitar manufacturing; 3) Office Jobs: Administration, Administration
and Controlling, Real Estate; 4) Store Jobs: Cooking and Serving in the restaurant, Sales
in the Job Factory store, Hairdresser; 5) Time Jobs: Housekeeping, Moving, Time jobs. Job
Factory chose a strategic location in the middle of an industrial zone in Basel, Switzerland.
The proximity to other companies ensures orders for the printing, industrial assembly, IT,
and other divisions of Job Factory. For example, a nearby sports store placed an order to
assemble bicycles. Employees in the area value the Job Factory restaurant. The Job Factory
store sells innovative products made by its different divisions. Their guitars are among the
best known in Switzerland. Around 500 companies are customers, suppliers, or employers
of Job Factory interns. The economic and social departments of the Canton of Basle work
in cooperation with Job Factory and send them the unemployed youth for whom they
cannot find alternative solutions. The unique combination of market-oriented internships
and specialized training enables the youth in question to find out what they really want to
do and to be able and willing to present themselves well. To date, over 1,800 people have
undergone Job Factory training. 80% successfully complete their internships and 70% of
these either find a job or pursue further education. Job Factory has calculated that these
results lead to a net savings of Sfr. 8.6 million (around US$ 6.7 million) per year of public
funds. The Foundation Job training tracks the statistics of the interns. At present, they
represent 20 different nationalities; two-thirds are Swiss nationals and the average age of
interns is 18.5 years.
The Entrepreneur
By age 23, Robert Roth was in charge of a retail store. In 1976, he founded Weizenkorn,
which is now the largest employer of young people with psychological problems in
Switzerland. Over the years he noted that more and more young people, not just those
with physical or psychological handicaps, could not find jobs and were losing hope. He
decided that something had to be done before it was too late. He conceived the idea for
Job Factory in 1999 and launched it a year later. Today, he acts as President and Member
of the Board.
153
Nebahat Akkoc
Geographic Area of Impact: Turkey
Focus: Children and Youth, Domestic Violence and “Honor” Crimes, Education, Enterprise
Development, Human Rights, Women
The Innovation
In a region characterized by a traditional, sexist, tribal social structure, and embroiled in
a violent civil conflict, Nebahat Akkoc has founded and led Kamer, which, for 10 years, has
reached about 40,000 women through awareness-raising activities and provided support
(psychological, economic, legal) for close to 3,000 facing domestic violence. Organizing in
all 23 provinces of Eastern and South-Eastern Anatolia and developing methods to combat
crimes committed against women under the guise of honour, Kamer has also supported
about 300 women facing threats of “honour” killings since 2003.
To provide employment opportunities for women in a region where unemployment rate is

particularly high and to contribute to its own economic sustainability, Kamer, under the
leadership of Akkoc, has also launched an entrepreneurship program, opening restaurants,
small production facilities and child day care centres run by women. Kamer has developed
an alternative early childhood education model that denounces all forms of violence and
discrimination, and promotes social participation and learning through living. Today,
Kamer continues to contribute to improving the status of women in Turkey by empowering
women at the local level, building the grassroots that serves as a watchdog for women's
human rights, and lobbying and advocating at the state level for better policies and
enforcement of positive legal reforms.
Background
Having experienced violence firsthand as a woman, a political detainee, and as a widow
whose husband was murdered in the midst of a civil conflict, Akkoc first came to terms
with the violence and discrimination in her life, then founded Kamer to share her
experiences and awareness with other women. Kamer started to operate first in Diyarbakir
and its surroundings by holding awareness-raising group workshops on the human rights
of women, and provides any support requested by women to end the violence in their own
lives. With increasing demand from other provinces in the region, Kamer started
expanding its organization into all 23 provinces in 2005. Today, Kamer Women's Centres
are present in all of these provinces, providing psychological, employment and legal
counselling to women facing domestic violence; it has also formed emergency intervention
teams that include representatives of relevant local government agencies (law
enforcement, gendarmerie, social services and child protection agencies, governor's
offices, etc.) to provide emergency support services for women whose lives are at risk.
Kamer Women's Centres have become members of provincial human rights committees,
and Kamer is also represented on the Violence Monitoring Committee of the State
Department on Women.
154
Kamer
Europe
Founded in 1997
Turkey
Strategy
Believing in personal empowerment, social participation and the value of developing a
grassroots movement for sustainable social and political change, Kamer has reached close
to 40,000 women through awareness-raising activities. Informing women of their rights,
it has been encouraging women to make their own choices, providing them with the
support they request. Women who have come out of awareness-raising groups have
formed the volunteer base that has facilitated the organizational enlargement of Kamer.
The following principles have guided Kamer's work: thinking universally while working
locally (focusing on local needs, characteristics and sensitivities); standing against all
forms of violence and discrimination; and empowering women with the self-confidence,
awareness and knowledge to make their own choices, without giving prescriptions. Kamer
stands against hierarchy and encourages transparency, sharing, debate and consensus
decision-making.
The Entrepreneur
A primary school teacher for 22 years, serving on the executive committee of the Human
Rights Association of Turkey (1994-1996) and as the head of the Diyarbak's Branch of
Education and Science Labourers Union (1991-1993), Nebahat Akkoc founded Kamer in
1997 and has been leading the organization ever since. Akkoc has been recognized
internationally for her work at Kamer in contributing to women's rights in Turkey. In
addition to the 2008 Turkey Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, she has received the
following distinctions: The MDG3 Torch (2008), Social Democracy Foundation (SODEV)
Human Rights Award (2007), Fransa Legion d' Honneur Medal (2006), Mevlana Kinship and
Peace Award (2005), Amnesty International Ginetta Sagan Award (2004), Time Magazine
- Heroes of Our Time Award (2003), Rotary Club Success Prize (2002), Lions Club Success
Prize (2002), and distinction as an Ashoka Member (2000-2003).
155
Björn Czinczoll
The Innovation
Kinderzentren Kunterbunt is a childcare initiative providing a new approach to meet the
demand from parents for childcare facilities in Germany. In contrast to most of the state-
run kindergartens, it is designed to meet the needs of working parents. Specifically, it
provides a new service because the childcare centers have extraordinarily long operating
hours (from 6 am to 8 pm), including weekends and school vacations, enabling mothers
and fathers to combine family and career better than many public kindergartens. In
contrast to traditional childcare facilities which are normally situated in residential zones,
the centers are located close to big companies, hospitals and in industrial zones,
significantly shortening travel time between home, kindergarten and the workplace.
Kinderzentren Kunterbunt considers itself a service provider and partner for families,
offering additional services like excursions and seminars about nutrition, health etc. These
innovations give parents the invaluable flexibility to fulfill today’s job requirements, such as
unpredictable overtime, with the confidence that their children are being well taken care of.
Background
The number of children born in Germany has consistently dropped over recent years.
Particularly alarming is the fact that 40% of women with an academic degree remain
childless. They often do not see a way to combine children and a career. Until the end of
2004, there was no legal obligation for the German government to provide kindergarten
places for children younger than 3 years old. A new law, adopted in 2005, guaranteed the
building of a nation-wide network of childcare facilities for children between 0 – 14 years
until 2010. This law supposedly enables all parents to combine family and career more
easily. However, according to current survey data, only 14% of the demand for day-care
places is met. To date, the market is dominated by state-run and religious organizations,
which usually offer limited opening hours. Surveys reveal that over 60% of parents using
daycare programs wish to have more flexible hours.
156
Kinderzentren Kunterbunt
Europe
Founded in 1998
Germany
www.kinderzentren.de
Strategy
Kinderzentren Kunterbunt supplies modern childcare services which are strictly modeled
on the parents’ needs. The long opening hours throughout the whole year combined with
the centers’ locations close to the working places provide a unique service for parents.
Furthermore, Kinderzentren Kunterbunt offers seminars on topics such as nutrition and
excursions for the entire family. Currently, Kunterbunt runs twelve childcare centers in
Southern Germany, providing holistic childcare services to over 800 children. In 2008,
another fifteen centers were opened in several other cities across southern Germany.
Kinderzentren Kunterbunt seeks to expand at the rate of one new center each month.
Given that it typically takes two years to open a childcare facility, this is a very rapid
expansion. Kinderzentren Kunterbunt is primarily a publicly funded institution receiving
government support that is given to all state-approved facilities. However, it works closely
together with hospitals and companies from the private sector, in order to make the
organization more independent from public funding and to create childcare centers close
to the parents’ working place. It chooses companies with a high share of female workers
and at least 1000 employees. Apart from a better funding source, this ensures a long-term
demand for the childcare services. The employer also benefits from this cooperation due
to the ability to provide at work daycare for the employees’ children at low costs and the
possibility to present an open and family-oriented image in public. The fees are in the
same range as in state-run or religious kindergartens. They depend on the total amount
of hours booked and the age of the child.
The Entrepreneur
Björn Czinczoll first encountered the problem of childcare in Germany whilst doing
community service. As early as 1998 – at the age of 26 – together with a parents’ initiative
he founded Kinderzentren Kunterbunt in order to open a service and profit-oriented
childcare centre. Björn is convinced that entrepreneurship blends well with social
endeavors, and that there is room for the business sensibility even in traditionally public
sector projects areas. His studies in law at the University of Regensburg prepared him well
for his career path to date.
157
Cristóbal Colón
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Spain, 2005
Geographic Area of Impact: Spain
Focus: Enterprise Development, Health
The Innovation
Cristóbal Colón created La Fageda to provide dignity and meaning to individuals suffering
from mental illness, using an unconventional mechanism given the target population
group. He created a social enterprise in the region of Cataluña that is now known for its
excellent dairy products, particularly yoghurt and flan. Its annual turnover is 8.8 million
euros in 2007, competing for market share with Danone and Nestlé. Each month, La
Fageda sells 2 million multi-flavoured yoghurts, all made with natural ingredients. La
Fageda differs from its competitors because the former wards of mental institutions run its
dairy production. In addition to dairy production, La Fageda manages three other areas: a
nursery where approximately 1.4 million plants are grown for use in reforestation and
public landscaping projects; a landscaping service that contracts with institutions and
individuals to maintain gardens, parks, and green areas; a cattle care facility that feeds
and cultivates hay for almost 400 cattle – of those, nearly 200 are milk producers and the
rest are for breeding. La Fageda is a cooperative of 250 workers, of which 140 suffer some
form of mental illness or handicap. Its four production centers are owned by the workers,
who become shareholders by paying 30 euros upon entry. La Fageda also has a support
program comprised of a group of psychologists who follow each worker's personal and
professional rehabilitation. This support group oversees the residential halls where workers
without families stay, as well as the occupational centre for those with the greatest level
of incapacity. Finally, a third area provides administrative support to all the programs.
Background
In Spain of the 1960s, as elsewhere, the majority of psychiatric hospitals rarely provided
health services. Rather, they were places of confinement. Work therapy treatment was in
vogue—programs where the mentally ill or handicapped would be given tasks to keep them
busy. However, there was no market for their products. Cristóbal Colón came to the
conclusion that only a real enterprise could create jobs with meaning. Thus, he began La
Fageda as an independent organization located in a rural area in Cataluña. La Fageda was
founded at a time when Spanish legislation did not consider that people with disabilities
could work. Things have changed since then, but the labor market continues to regard
such persons, particularly those with mental illness and handicaps, with suspicion and fear.
158
La Fageda
Europe
Founded in 1982
Spain
www.fageda.com
Strategy
La Fageda provides meaningful work to all mentally ill adults at its four production centers
in the commune of La Garrotxa. La Fageda works in close collaboration with the public
health sector to identify candidates. The support and administrative areas of La Fageda
work together to find the appropriate type of work best suited to the individual. Once they
begin to work, a monitor is assigned to familiarize and train them in their tasks and also
conducts follow-up on their performance. Monitors are hired by La Fageda and do not have
mental disabilities. However, the enterprise is very careful in their selection since they
must be highly professional, but also sensitive and able to train and follow each individual
in their charge. Performance reviews of all workers at La Fageda are done annually.
Promotions, salary increases and shifts in work responsibility are carried out according to
pre-established goals. La Fageda has been certified according to the ISO, 9001-2000 and
is categorized by the Department of Agriculture of Cataluña as a Priority Agricultural
Enterprise.
The Entrepreneur
At age 13, Cristóbal Colón started working as a tailor's apprentice to help support his
family following his father's death. Working with these artisans, he learned the value of
doing quality work. Though earning an income, he did not find the work meaningful. Later,
after finishing his military service, he joined the staff of a mental hospital, seeking a job
where he could be useful to others. He questioned why society chose to lock up those who
had lost their minds, thus burying them alive. He joined the world of psychiatry to further
his understanding of that issue, working for ten years in several institutions where he
initiated work therapy programs. Though Colón firmly believed that work gave people a
sense of value, he found it frustrating that the programs were often pretenses without
meaning. In 1981, he came to the conclusion that real jobs can only be created in a real
enterprise, thus abandoning the “Let’s pretend we are working” model. Submerged in
doubts about the practice of psychiatry, he decided to put into practice what had for so
long been a dream. He began La Fageda with 2 psychologists and 14 mentally ill
individuals. When Colón spoke to the mayor and the authorities in the region and
explained that he wanted to set up an enterprise, they thought that he, too, was crazy. As
Colón points out, “Imagine having to deal with someone who wants to set up a business
except it will be employing crazy people and is run by a psychiatrist whose name is
Christopher Columbus.”
159
Marco Roveda
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Italy, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: Italy
Focus: Communication / Media, Consumer Awareness, Energy, Environment, Trade
The Innovation
LifeGate is not only the Italian answer to the Kyoto protocol, with its carbon emission
compensation programme, but it is a 360 approach to promote awareness and
consciousness for a future in harmony environment. Founded in 2000 by Marco Roveda, a
well-recognized bio-farming pioneer in Italy, LifeGate aims to contribute to a new way of
doing business that places environment at the center. The most important message of
LifeGate is that one can “do good” through profit as long as there is a close link between
profits and ethics. LifeGate’s enterprises are based on three interrelated concepts, “People,
Planet, Profits”.
Background
The exaggerated materialism of the past 30 years has undermined basic human values.
Fortunately, many today recognize the importance of family and environment as
fundamental underpinnings of all healthy and happy societies. Three decades ago, Marco
Roveda came to the conclusion that the idea that “profit = happiness” was an illusion.
LifeGate is the first business of its kind in Italy. It breaks with the past by proposing a new
way to work and live and therefore becoming a unique model for the new economy, where
business has a conscience and people are aware of their actions and how they affect others
and the environment.
160
LifeGate Group
Europe
Founded in 2000
Italy
www.lifegate.it
Strategy
In order change people’s mindsets and society as a whole, LifeGate operates a number of
activities.
Impatto Zero is a project that evaluates and reduced carbon emissions along with a
number of universities and over 500 companies thus far. Impatto Zero compensates
companies’ emissions with a reforestation program in Madagascar, in Italy in one of the
country’s biggest natural parks (Parco del Ticino), and in Costa Rica in partnership with the
Costa Rica Ministry of Environment and Energy. To date, 20 million square meters of new
forest have been created through the program. Moreover, LifeGate helps partnering
enterprises by evaluating and advising them over work and production processes from an
ethical and environmental angle: LifeGate Ecopartners is an eco-strategy consulting
enterprise that offers market analysis, brand positioning, and eco-marketing strategy.
LifeGate Renewable Energy is the first Italian distributor of 100% clean energy to
businesses. LifeGate Portal, a website with over 10,000 articles (health, environment,
biological food, FairTrade, psychology) promotes social and environmental awareness.
With 400 thousand visitors per month, LifeGate Portal also offers a free magazine, which
is sent to the 100,000 LifeGate subscribers. LifeGate Radio with 420,000 listeners per
week offers high quality music complemented by ethical messages or advice. No traditional
advertising is allowed and sponsorships are accepted only from conscious and ethical
companies. LifeGate Engineering offers a specialized consulting service in renewable
energy systems for homes, private enterprises, and public services. It aims to obtain
maximum energy efficiency, quality, and environmental sustainability at the construction
and management level. LifeGate Ecojeans, produced in Italy using biological, uses
European-grown cotton cultivated without the use of pesticides and chemical products.
The carbon emitted during production of Ecojeans is compensated by reforestation
activities, and 5% of the profits finances an awareness project. At LifeGate Café: all
products available come from biological agriculture or from FairTrade markets. Additional
services include catering, hosting concerts, and photography expositions.
LifeGate is also working to put together an ethics committee to define the overall direction
for the future of LifeGate. This complements the work of two other active committees –
the Scientific Committee and the Administrative Committee. LifeGate opened up to private
citizens in July 2008 thanks to an agreement with Edison, one of the major Italian utility
companies.
The Entrepreneur
Born in Milan in 1951, Marco Roveda is an entrepreneur, a philosopher, and a visionary. To
pursue his love of architecture, at the early age of 20, he founded a construction company
and by age 22, he owned two such companies and managed 40 employees. By the age of
27, he and his wife Simona were a wealthy couple. But Roveda realized that material
wealth would never bring him happiness. He sold one of the businesses, and eventually
started a biodynamic farm (Fattoria Scaldasole), which became nationally renowned for its
biological yogurt, bio-juices, and other products. He sold the other business to Plasmon,
the Italian giant of baby food, and began contemplating a new concept of quality life,
rather then a quality product, hoping to inspire others to rediscover non-materialistic
values while producing goods and services that were compatible with those values.
LifeGate is the manifestation of these efforts.
161
Josef Balaz
Focus: Chid Development, Environment, Livelihood Development
The Innovation
Understanding the vicious cycle of unemployment and marginalization among the Roma
population in the Czech Republic, Liga o.s. Bruntal employs socially marginalized
individuals – primarily Roma, in construction and e-waste recycling positions. Liga then
uses part of the profits from the business to fund youth development initiatives that break
the cycle of poverty.
Background
In the economically hard-hit area of Bruntal in the Czech Republic, where Liga operates,
the unemployment rate is a staggering 20% compared to the country standard of 8% or
almost 250% that of the standard Czech unemployment rate. The approximate 700,000
Roma in the Czech Republic have historically been marginalized leading to unemployment.
In Bruntal, 90% of the Roma population is unemployed due to discrimination and a
coddling social system. Negative stereotypes of the population are reinforced and leads
to a downward spiral in Roma engagement.
162
Liga o.s. Bruntal
Europe
Founded in 1996
Czech Republic
Strategy
Josef Balaz’s strategy has been to look for market weaknesses or cracks and exploit them
with a first mover advantage. His companies include both a construction company and an
electronic waste management company called the Green Workshop. Josef, foreseeing the
change in EU law regarding electronic waste management in 1995, started the Green
Workshop to handle all electronic waste recycling in the northern Czech region. Thus, the
Green Workshop also provides environmental benefit in addition to its employment of
socially marginalized populations. Josef reinvests his profits into a foundation that targets
root causes of unemployment in the Roma community by providing a youth club,
integration center, and employment assistance. From 2003 – 2006, he had a staggering
308% Compounded Annual Growth Rate. To ensure impact is indeed being created, Liga
has generated very strong impact assessment tools allows for measurement and tailoring
strategy to best suit needs of the community as a constant feedback loop.
The Entrepreneur
Mr. Balaz is a modest individual with a soft strength. Of Roma origin, Josef Balaz has long
been passionate about Roma affairs. However, after an experience in providing free aid
made him realize he was hindering rather than helping individuals, he shifted his work to
providing opportunities to those that want a hand rather than a handout. At only 32, his
visionary foresight and successful business practices have already made him one of the
most respected businessmen in the region with plenty of potential for further growth.
163
Péter Orbán
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Hungary, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: Hungary
Focus: Disabilities, Labor Conditions and Unemployment
The Innovation
Napraforgó is a rehabilitation centre and an employment agency for people with “changed
working abilities” or with disabilities. Its goal is to overcome the stigma attached by
employers to the phenomena of disabilities and to reveal and spread the true skills and
worth of the working disabled. Napraforgó provides employment opportunities for the
disabled in the Pest region by outsourcing services in packaging, recording, gardening,
cleaning, and other activities to companies. Its innovation lies in its formation of ‘work
groups’.
First, those looking for work are placed in groups of able and disabled workers – with each
group complementing each other’s skills and abilities. Second, the group is dispatched to
carry out outsourced activities with comparable or higher work ethic and efficiency than a
group of only able workers. An employer then has an opportunity to fully employ the
disabled workers. (In addition to the comparable work skills, such a move is supported by
the government and on average has a higher productivity and lower attrition rate than
normal workers would possess). In addition, the disabled workers become more skilled in
compensating for any disabilities over time and also regain a feeling of self-worth and
esteem. Napraforgó places 30-50 people annually (20-25% of the total number in need in
the region) to pre-contracted companies. Working under normal market conditions self-
confidence is recovered through gaining dignity and a feeling of success, which enables
disabled people to stand on their own two feet in the future. In recognition of the model’s
sustainable and social capital increasing nature, it is being expanded to county placement
centers to help them deal with the disabled more successfully.
Background
Napraforgó Kht. operates according to 3 principles: 1. Mediating people with changed
working ability to companies of the market economy (usually to logistics centers) using
market forces. 2. Understanding and meeting the needs and requirements of both the
employer and employees 3. Maintain a non-profit based setting, with an income stream
arising from the payment by companies for the services provided by the Napraforgó team.
164
Napra Forgó Kht
(Sunflower Non-Profit Ltd)
Founded in 2000
Europe
Hungary
www.napra-forgo.dynamo.hu:8080/hu/
bemutatkozas/sunflower_overview
Strategy
Napraforgó works in the following areas of activities: Personal consultations: Job-seeking-
, work-, career-, rehabilitation and psychological guidance; Preparation for employment in
small groups; Workforce mediation; Professional development (training and employment
programs in the IT sector, complex mentoring services, linking the social and the labor
market services) 60-70% of its revenue is generated from business activities (selling
services to industrial partners). The remaining income is received through realizing EU
projects (i.e.: employing 100 women after maternal leave, etc.) The organization receives
little or no government support.
The Entrepreneur
Péter Orbán graduated as a teacher of special needs and oligophrenic-logopedic. Since
1991 he has been working for several foundations dealing with people with disabilities. He
is an innovative social entrepreneur who developed and runs the Foundation
“Fecskepalota" and "Napra Forgó".
Tibor Héjj is a businessman with a strong commitment to social responsibility. Parallel to

his professional career he has always leveraged his capabilities and financial assets to be
innovative in the social field. He is the founder of both "Fecskepalota" and "Napra Forgó".
165
Rut Kolínská
Focus: Education, Family, Health, Women
The Innovation
The Network of Mother Centers in the Czech Republic (Sí_ mate_sk_ch center v _eské
republice) is a non-profit organization that seeks to help women with small children
maintain their professional orientation and develop self-confidence. It provides fellowships,
solidarity and education. With 287Mother Centers throughout the country, the organization
offers a meeting ground and direct help to more than 28.000 families. In addition, it
indirectly helps all families in the Czech Republic thanks to its political lobby. Kolínská drew
inspiration from the model of Mother Centers in Germany and has taken the model to new
sites in the Czech Republic.
Background
Family politics is not a priority in the Czech Republic. Maternity leave can take 3-4 years,
but the state financial allowances for women on maternity leave are very low and often
leave mothers in an uncertain financial situation. The solution would be an increased
availability of part-time jobs and equal opportunities for women and men. Presently,
women with small children are discriminated against in the labor market. MC prevents
women from professionally and socially stagnating when they are on maternity leave. As
a member of the Government Council for Women and Men’s Equal Opportunities, Kolínská
does a great deal of lobbying for the benefit of mothers. Her goal is not only to establish
equal opportunities for men and women in the workplace, but also to make on-site
childcare possible at work.
166
Network of Mother Centers
Europe
Founded in 2001
Czech Republic
www.materska-centra.cz
Strategy
The Mother Centers are spaces where mothers and children can meet other mothers and
children to learn how to use their free time. The Centers are open to all—including
minorities, refugees and the disabled. The open atmosphere teaches respect and
tolerance, and at the same time prevents xenophobia or racism. The benefits of MC include
escaping isolation, keeping or upgrading the women’s professional standard, exchanging
information and experience, developing new friendships, building self-confidence and
interest in public matters. It also helps to prevent criminality and boosts the maternity
rate.
According to Kolínská, the MC’s biggest contribution is that women learn how civic society
works, and see what can be achieved when they take up the initiative instead of waiting
to see what the state will do for them. It is a self-help model. Establishing an MC requires
close cooperation with the local authorities, fundraising, and orientation regarding laws
and the political situation. This process is a great teaching tool for women on maternity
leave; they learn self-confidence and often become active in local politics. The numerous
activities of Mother Centers are meant for mothers, parents and all families. The activities
include crafts, educational and requalification programs, sports and short and long-term
projects.
The Entrepreneur
Kolínská is the daughter of a protestant pastor. The mother of five children, she spent 18
years on maternity leave. She has a university degree in Ethnography. Her interest in
family issues originated in 1988, when she co-founded the environmental group, Prague
Mothers. She founded the network of Mother Centers in the Czech Republic as a
professional civic association in 2001. However, the first MC was opened as early as 1992,
shortly after Kolínská got the inspiration from the model of Mother Centers in Germany.
Over the years, she helped establish new centers, leading them methodically and
popularizing the idea of the MC in the Czech Republic. The biggest problems she faced
were lack of understanding, financial insecurity and insufficient staff. The turning point
came when Kolínská started attending international seminars and conferences related to
MC and family issues. She drew immense media attention after she was named Woman of
Europe 2003, which consequently helped with fundraising. Rut Kolínská is highly respected
by all members of the Mother Centers, and has become a natural authority in society due
to her indisputable results and exemplary personal life. She serves as a role model for
thousands of Czech women.
167
Markus Seidel
The Innovation
Off Road Kids searches for street kids in the major German cities of Berlin, Hamburg,
Dortmund, and Cologne. When German children run away from home, they typically travel
by train to the nearest city. Off Road Kids tries to identify runaways as soon as they arrive
and before they establish the contacts that lead to drug use, crime, and/or prostitution.
Off Road Kids does not feed or shelter homeless teens, but instead provides counseling
that encourages them to examine their options. For those children and teenagers that
cannot return to their families, Off Road Kids maintains a children’s home in the town of
Bad Dürrheim in southern Germany. Off Road Kids is using an integrated, national
approach to reach Germany’s street children, rather than the traditional local or regional
approach to organized welfare services. This innovative structure minimizes the
bureaucratic hassles, offering immediate support for children who have traveled across
regional boundaries. Runaways are connected with a single support counselor, who
remains their contact until they are resettled.
Background
Around 2,000 children run away from home each year in Germany, more than 300 become
street children. Unlike the situation in developing countries, the phenomenon of German
street children is not a symptom of poverty, but the result of social dysfunction. Most
runaways are fleeing mistreatment, abandonment and abuse. Many come from rural
areas, seeking new lives in the large cities. But a much larger number of mistreated
children continue silently suffering at home. Only the more courageous, those willing to
take their lives into their own hands, actually leave their homes.
168
Off Road Kids Foundation
Europe
Founded in 1993
Germany
www.offroadkids.de
Strategy
Off Road Kids offers protection from crime, drugs and prostitution to some of the most
vulnerable members of society: abandoned children. Off Road Kids employees offer new
perspectives to these children and teenagers, enabling them to finish school, receive
training and locate job opportunities. To date, around 1300 German children have been
taken off of the streets. Off Road Kids sees street children as an issue and responsibility
of the involved families, working to strengthen the family institution rather than the social
welfare system. It also takes a national approach rather than a traditional local approach,
thanks to synergies with private sector partners. The two main partners to date are
Vodafone, which offers free mobile phone numbers to Off Road Kids employees, and
Deutsche Bahn, which provides transportation services. In addition, Off Road Kids is
studying and implementing preventive measures to keep children from running away in
the first place, providing them with local support and counseling before they take a drastic
action. With Steinbeis-Hochschule Berlin, Off Road Kids Foundation founded the Institute
for Pedagogic Management in year 2008, and now offers the first part-time bachelor's
degree program in Germany for experienced educators without A-levels. This new program
is funded by Permira. Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Research, Dr. Annette
Schavan, is patron of the new Institute for Pedagogic Management (IfPM).
The Entrepreneur
Markus Seidel, born in 1967, was a journalist before starting Off Road Kids. In 1992, he
watched a documentary on street children, which led him to write the book, Street
Children in Germany - Destinies that Should Not Exist. The contacts Seidel established with
street children during research for his book developed into a telephone helpline. The
publicity and proceeds from the book enabled him to start Off Road Kids. In the future,
Seidel would like to expand his knowledge and experience with Off Road Kids and to
implement management knowledge into social work. In addition, Off Road Kids plans to
found additional Institutes for Pedagogic Management all over Germany.
169
Anne-Karine Stocchetti
Geographic Area of Impact: France
The Innovation
Anne Karine Stocchetti has identified a glaring gap in French child care service provision.
Today, parents whose work requires them to be on the job during hours when traditional
child care is unavailable – mostly early mornings and nights, but also weekends and
holidays – are forced to fend for themselves, relying on family and friends. But more often
than not, children are left on their own or in the care of the eldest sibling who is sometimes
as young as five years of age. In 1996, Stocchetti created Optimômes to incubate and pilot
her new model for caring for children “after hours.” Fueled by positive initial results, she
successfully applied for Equal, a program of the European Union, to replicate Optimômes
on a greater scale. To do so, she created Optimômes Development (OD), the replication
arm of the enterprise and launched the GEPETTO network and brand.
OD has set up GEPETTO-modeled child care centers in eight sites in western France so far
and is poised for further expansion. The centers operate according to 3 basic principles. 1)
Services are provided in the child’s home and as a complement to other existing services
during regular hours. 2) Fees for care are calculated on the basis of the family’s revenues.
All children should have access to quality child care in their home 7 days a week, 24 hours
a day, including when they are ill, and independently of parents’ incomes. 3) Child care
professionals, rather than well-meaning but inexperienced baby-sitters, are deployed to
provide the service. Each carries GEPETTO’s trademark, “red bag” filled with games,
learning tools and writing utensils to help children develop while having fun.
Since its launch in 2003, GEPETTO has benefited over 1,200 families and 1,800 children.
Sixty percent of those families are single parent households, the majority headed by
women, and 65% of them earn less than 2,000 euros per month. GEPETTO’s impact has
been assessed recently by external evaluators. Results indicate significant stability for
children and frequently better performance in school, greater peace of mind for parents,
and dramatic reductions in absenteeism combined with higher productivity, benefiting the
organizations that employ them.
Background
Today, child care centers in France close their doors for the evening and on weekends just
when approximately 30% of the labor force needs them most. About 835,000 children
under age 3 have parents working “odd hours,” but this number increases three-fold to 2.4
million when considering similar child care needs up to age 13. Moreover, 26% of children
under age 3 are looked after outside their home. Single-parent households also represent
a rising social trend, accounting for 17% of French households. This percentage is
increasing. Today, French parents needing child care in the home pay approximately 28
euros for an 8 hour day, higher if it is after-hours. This cost is prohibitive for many of
Optimômes clients who are among the lowest income earners in France. Parents who use
170
Optimômes
Europe
Founded in 1996
France
www.optimomes.org
collective child care facilities are paying on average 19 euros a day. Optimômes rates are
calculated on the basis of individual household revenues, with prices beginning at 1.50
euros an hour for households earning less than 550 euros a month.
Strategy
Optimômes’ success has been the result of placing families and their needs at the center
of its model. Optimômes Development (OD) replicates the GEPETTO model through a
social franchise system. Qualified entrepreneurs who wish to franchise the child care
center in their city or commune are screened carefully and then supported with a series of
tools and methods to ensure solid replication. OD is responsible for the quality control of
the services provided by the franchise through regular monitoring and evaluation. In five
years, GEPETTO plans to be active in 70 sites. GEPETTO is also completing a bold move
away from a mostly publicly-supported business model and towards an enterprise-based
one. This new approach will help roll out the initiative by stressing the win-win aspect of
the model, making it 100% financially self sufficient. Optimôme Development has also
created “Minuscules,” small child care centers for 9 to 12 year olds, tailored for small and
medium sized enterprises and communities, pooling efforts and reducing costs.
Optimômes is currently incubating an IT project: “les lunettes d’ALICE”, an interactive
software linking parents to local child care services.
The Entrepreneur
Anne Karine Stocchetti was born and raised in Paris and has three children. She first
studied film, working in film production companies and writing scripts. She dreamed of
becoming a film director but kept running into fundraising problems. By chance, she
landed a job in the stock market in 1986 and eventually became a trade. Yet she grew
increasingly uneasy with the question of how to balance work and family life. In 1991,
feeling she had made the most out of her stock market experience, she quit her job and
moved out of Paris to a provincial town. There, she created a child care agency and quickly
discovered the difficulties for parents working odd hours. Their needs clearly did not
correspond to the hours offered by child care services, and certainly not at prices they
could afford. Bolstered by this realization, she created Optimômes in 1996. For four years,
she piloted this experience, and was able to significantly influence national family policy in
this regard. She set up GEPETTO as a social franchise to enable the rapid scaling of similar
services offering the same quality care in the home at affordable prices for parents working
odd hours across the country.
171
Erzsébet Szekeres
Geographic Area of Impact: Hungary
Focus: Education, Disabilities, Health, Labor Conditions and Unemployment
The Innovation
Mutual Support has developed a model to tackle the complex problem of disabled adults’
segregation and integrate them to society. It first created a community where members
felt loved, could interact and start work. Later the foundation began giving them training
with the aim of letting them learn different vocations and prove themselves in real life.
Those unable were given jobs within the community. Today, mutual support runs 22
different businesses from farming through manufacturing, construction, packaging and
crafting. Those with vocational skills leave the foundation, find employment, start self-
supported, independent lives and sometimes establish families.
Mutual Support has formed numerous business relations and picks up outsourced
operations of various kinds as well as manufactures its own artifacts. Ms. Szekeres realized
that disabled are much happier when treated as equals. Due to their handicap however,
she has to keep everything under perfect organization and control, otherwise chaos breaks
lose. This serves as an additional benefit which allows Mutual Support to be on average
25% more efficient in handcrafted manufacturing than other, “normal” firms. This
efficiency has generated high reputation, many returning customers and a great level of
overall satisfaction. Mutual Support is visited almost weekly by foreign foundations trying
to imitate their model.
Background
Disabled people, mostly due to their extreme marginalization and ignorance during the
socialist era, are not catered for even in the most basic areas like public transportation,
schools, workforce, office buildings and state run training and employment programs.
Thirty years ago, when Ms Szekeres’ son was born, the doctor commented it with one
sentence: “He would never be able to do anything in this world”. She thought otherwise.
At six, she recognized what her own severely disabled son would face once grown up. Her
horror and fear sparked the process of creating an environment where he would feel like
everyone else. She did not want him to find no school accepting him, no place to work at
and no friends to be with, what the usual case still is for people like him in today’s Hungary.
Erzsebet went and looked for families in similar situations and formed a community of 22
at a dormitory. Until 1994, illegally, without permission, they lived in a so called “group
home” helping Erzsebet produce ceramics. Once they became official, diversification began
and by now, 800 disabled are employed in all kinds of fields all over the country.
172
Összefogás Industrial
Cooperative
Europe
Founded in 1986
Hungary
www.infocentral.hu/web/osszefogas/english_index.html
Strategy
Despite being a complex structure of a cooperative and three foundations, each is
responsible for different aspects of the mission. Mutual Support comes across as a normal,
for profit business. It has business relations, serves business clients and takes jobs from
as far as Holland and Italy. It generates about US$ 8’700’000 revenue, more than half of
which is distributed among the workers as their salaries, which is comparable to those
pursuing similar jobs in the more accepted parts of society. In addition to this, Mutual
Support provides the workers with rentable houses and is constructing a few new block
buildings to keep up with the increasing demand. The flats, individual for everyone with
one nurse for three flats, are priced so that the workers can easily afford them from their
salaries. In case it is needed, even parents or old and helpless relatives may move into
larger but still affordable apartments together with the worker to give him or her even
more emotional support.
Mutual support, in spite of their high revenues, is still 50% financed by the government,
under a law supporting disabled employment. An emergency strategy has been developed
for the scenario, should the grants cease. Mutual Support would still remain sustainable
and become fully self-sufficient though the paid salaries would go into providing free
accommodation and food for all members.
The Entrepreneur
Ms Szekeres, a ceramist by profession, left a successful organization to begin her venture.
She acquired all the knowledge needed through trial and error, only to help her son and
other disabled. Later she received a diploma in social assistance and worked for the
European Union for three years on an initiative to solve the segregation and struggle of
the disabled, while she toured other EU countries for further insights and ideas. Now she
is the head of Mutual Support, she knows every employee of hers, including their names,
life-stories, disabilities and problems and often refers them as “my children”. She is
planning to remain the head of Mutual Support as long as she can before retiring to the
home she has created for the members.
173
Andrea Muccioli
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Italy, 2005
Geographic Area of Impact: Italy
Model: Hybrid Not-for-Profit
Focus: Drug Rehabilitation, Enterprise Development, Health
The Innovation
San Patrignano, the largest drug rehabilitation community in the world, welcomes young
men and women with drug abuse problems completely free of charge. San Patrignano does
not accept money from its guests, their families or the government. Rather, it earns its
income from the wide variety of enterprises it has set up which provide those being
rehabilitated with job training, a sense of meaning and dignity. Since 1978, it has provided
over 20,000 people with a home, free medical, and legal assistance, as well as the
possibility of continuing their studies, attending job training, and reintegrating into society.
Currently San Patrignano is home to 1,700 people. Recent studies conducted by several
major universities show that 72% of those who completed the programme at San
Patrignano are fully reintegrated into society and remain drug-free. 71% of the people who
complete the programme end up working in the field for which they have received training
at San Patrignano. The relapse rate for those who complete the programme is less the 8%.
Of the funds necessary to maintain San Patrignano’s guests, half comes from the profits
earned through San Patrignano’s goods and services, following a principle of autonomy.
The rest comes from private donors or companies that believe in the social value of the
center.
Background
Over the last ten years, Italy, like other European countries, has experienced an
exponential increase in the use of cannabis, synthetic substances, and cocaine. This
increase is underestimated by public institutions. The vast majority of these agencies limit
their intervention to the distribution of pharmaceutical replacements, which are, in fact,
legal narcotics rendering the drug addiction chronic and do nothing to solve what is
essentially a human and educational problem. Vincenzo Muccioli, an Italian with no
previous professional training in drug recovery, driven by the will to understand and help
young drug addicts, began approaching them in Rimini, Italy’s popular and best-known
seaside resort. His San Patrignano estate soon became the home of the community,
officially founded in 1978.
Strategy
In 1978, 20 volunteers helped Vincenzo Muccioli create the San Patrignano community.
Today, there are 350 paid educators (many of whom are recovered drug addicts) and 140
volunteers who choose to share their time with the young people in the community,
supporting them while they make their way through rehabilitation. To support that
process, 200 professionals and consultants work with San Patrignano in its many activities.
San Patrignano began with a family that decided to open its doors to other people's
problems. Self-respect and respect for others, the ethics of responsibility and the spirit of
helping those who are most in need are the founding principles of San Patrignano’s
educational project. In the main dining room, 2,500 people can eat together in a family
setting; the community produces 80% of the food. Building marketable skills is one of San
174
San Patrignano Community
Europe
Founded in 1978
Italy
www.sanpatrignano.org
Patrignano's fundamental goals.
Through the years, the community has developed several high quality activities. In 1999,
San Patrignano’s wines were named among the Best Emerging Wines by the Italian
Sommelier Association. Since then, the Community’s wines and gourmet foods have
consistently been recognized by major food and wine critics and guides in Italy and
abroad. Currently, San Patrignano is developing a project (building on what has been
called the “goodFOOD network”) which fosters collaboration among social entrepreneurs
that help disadvantaged people to improve their lives through activities connected to food
production and processing. As a result of this important collaboration, “Squisito!” was
awarded the patronage of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in both
2007 and 2008 – an absolute first for a similar event.
San Patrignano also produces a host of other quality goods from furniture for homes and
yachts to handmade textiles, leather goods and wrought iron. It also has horse breeding
and training facilities, a kennel where dogs are bred and trained and a computer and
printing workshop. A medical centre with 50 beds specializes in treating the diseases
related to drug abuse. San Patrignano’s database is the most important quality source of
scientific data in the world for diseases related to drug addiction. San Patrignano also hosts
those convicted of drug-related crimes, giving them the opportunity to follow a
rehabilitation and recovery program instead of going to prison. Since 1983, thanks to its
legal department, over 3,000 jail years have been replaced by trial foster care or house
arrest in the community, saving the government more than 120 million euros (about US$
148 million). Finally, San Patrignano hosts dozens of sporting, social and cultural events,
including a variety of concerts, cycling and running competitions, a soccer tournament
reserved to young boys coming from various Italian towns to emphasize the educative
value of practicing sport activities, and national and international equestrian competitions.
A new event was hosted and organized by San Patrignano in 2008, “Drugs Off Day”,
brought together students that had been involved in the Community’s drug abuse
prevention campaigns, important figures in the world of politics, entertainment and
business, as well as Best Practices and NGOs working on a variety of social issues.
The Entrepreneur
Andrea Muccioli, firstborn of San Patrignano’s founder Vincenzo Muccioli, holds degrees in
both Sociology and Law. After his father’s death in 1996, he took over the responsibility
for overseeing and coordinating all of the community’s activities. Along with the rest of his
family, he has forsaken all rights to his family fortune, donating them to the community,
where he works as a volunteer.
175
Stefan Zappa
Focus: Communication / Media, Disabilities
The Innovation
The Blind-Liecht Stiftung (translated as Blind Light Foundation) was set up by Stefan
Zappa together with Andrea Blaser, Thomas Moser, and Jürg Spielmann in 1998. In 1999,
the Foundation opened the first “dark restaurant” in the world in Zurich. The founders were
inspired by the Dialogue in the Dark exhibition concept. They transferred the idea from an
exhibition to a restaurant, still with the goal in mind to create an experience for the
sighted, which would allow a closer identification with the world of the blind and thus
reduce barriers between the blind and the sighted. Since its inception, more than half a
million people have used the services offered by Blindekuh. While dining in the dark,
visitors experience a role reversal between them and the blind waiters, which become their
guides. This reversal of reality stimulates dialogue and empathy between the disabled and
the sighted. More than 90% of the visitors state that they are regular visitors and don’t
see the experience as a one time adventure.
Blind-Liecht has 63 employees, of which 37 are blind or visually impaired. The Foundation
is the largest private employer of this group in Switzerland. All employees receive a salary
at regular market rates and thus significantly reduce the dependence on state subsidies.
Blind-Liecht differs from the jobs traditionally offered to the blind, as these are not
protected jobs in the secondary market financed by the state. In addition, the blind do not
have to adjust to a normal environment, but the environment is adapted to them and their
needs. The Blind-Liecht Foundation opened a second restaurant in Basel in 2005, also
under the name “Blindekuh” and is looking into expanding into the French part of
Switzerland in the near future. The concept was the basis for more than 18 dark
restaurants around the world, which are operated by other organizations. In 2001,
“Unsicht-Bar” opened in Cologne, Germany, followed by other dark restaurants in Paris,
Frankfurt, London, Hamburg and Moscow. A series of plagiates opened in China, which are
not based on the original concept of employing the blind. Instead, they use sighted waiters
using night vision equipment. The Blind-Liecht Foundation has hosted most of the
operators of the restaurants around the world and provided free consulting services. It is
looking into professionalising them for a fee in the future. Next to dining in the dark, Blind-
Liecht offers a series of cultural events and educational programs and management
training in the dark.
Background
Around 180,000 visually impaired people live in Switzerland. Close to 3,500 people are
blind, most of them are above the age of 60. Most of the 350 blind people below 60 work
in protected public organizations, which are financed by the government. The financial
dependency and the special treatment of the blind hinder the integration of the
handicapped into society. Few if any programs exist to foster the integration, dialogue and
mutual understanding between the sighted and the blind. To be blind is still equated with
being helpless and dependent.
176
Stiftung Blind-Liecht
Europe
Founded in 1998
Switzerland
www.blindekuh.ch
Strategy
The Blind-Liecht Foundation is operating two restaurants in the dark in Zurich and Basel in
Switzerland. Both restaurants have a weekly changing menu with three different choices
(a meat, a fish and a vegetarian dish). The restaurant in Zurich is open seven days a week,
the one in Basel on five days a week. All waiters in the restaurants are either severely
visually impaired or blind. In the kitchen, blind and seeing employees work side by side.
Visitors to the restaurant still make their menu choice in the light and hand in any device
that can create light such as watches and mobile phones. Guests are then led to their table
in the dark by their waiter. The restaurant also features an adjacent bar for spontaneous
visitors while the restaurant is typically booked several days or weeks in advance.
Blindekuh offers concerts, theater plays and other cultural shows on a regular basis,
combined with a dining experience in the dark. In addition, companies or groups of people
can book the educational offers of the Foundation. These primarily consist of targeted
team building or non-visual communication trainings. Blindekuh enjoys a strong brand
name and a high recognition among the Swiss general public thanks to a hugely successful
exhibition during the “Expo 2002” in Switzerland. The Blind-Liecht Foundation does not
receive any public or government subsidies. Close to 90% of the income is generated
through the sales of services; the rest is covered by private grants. Both restaurants
reached a turnover of more than USD 2.6 million in 2006. While the Zurich restaurant is
close to break-even, Blind-Liecht is still investing in its Basel operations.
The Entrepreneur
Stefan Zappa is one of the founders of Blind-Liecht and currently the President of the
Foundation. During a Dialogue in the Dark exhibition in Zurich, Zappa and the co-founders
developed the idea of a dark restaurant and a special exhibition for the Swiss Expo 2002.
Together with the Managing Director of the blindekuh restaurants, Stefan Zappa built up
the original idea into a successful business concept with a social mission. Stefan Zappa
also founded a consulting firm in 2003, which offers advice for companies, public
institutions, and schools on organizational psychology. Next to consulting, he runs
seminars on communication, team building, and leadership. All the courses take place in
the dark, which allows breaking out of the traditional patterns. In addition, he is the Vice
President of the Swiss Association for the Blind. Originally, Stefan Zappa studied design
and worked as an independent interior architect. He started to reorient himself after
gradually losing his eyesight. He also studied organizational psychology next to starting
the Blind-Liecht Foundation. He is deeply motivated in his work by the chance to create
radically new opportunities for the visually impaired.
177
Sergey Kostin
Geographic Area of Impact: Ukraine
Focus: AIDS / HIV, Homelessness & Housing
The Innovation
A decade after the collapse of the Soviet system, the faltering economies of former
socialist countries has given rise to a significant population of homeless and unemployed
people. Meanwhile, social services that were provided by the communist system have
eroded as state coffers have dwindled. Outdated social policies remain - including the
stipulation that access to healthcare, welfare and voting rights is contingent upon proof of
employment and a place of residence.
Sergey Kostin's organization, The Way Home, makes visible those whom the state refuses
to acknowledge. It serves as a registration centre for the Ukraine's homeless and
unemployed, enabling them to exercise their right to basic government assistance. The
centre provides a wide array of services to these groups, applying innovative outreach
strategies to reintegrate them into the wider community. The Way Home also advocates
for long-term policy solutions, maneuvering within the country’s legal system to overturn
antiquated registration requirements. Since its inception, The Way Home has helped
thousands of people across the Ukraine.
Background
Sergey Kostin is a geologist by training. Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he
became involved in the restoration of Odessa’s major architectural treasures. To aid with
this endeavor, he set up a series of small workshops to teach carpentry, sewing and icon
painting. In attempting to rescue the old buildings of Odessa, he rescued instead the
exponentially growing numbers of homeless people, prostitutes, street children and drug
addicts that roamed its streets. Kostin began The Way Home by offering a series of
workshops similar to the ones he had run during his restoration work, seeking to build the
skill base of those who had fallen on hard times. However, he soon discovered that the
socially disenfranchised needed more than workshops. Thus, The Way Home rapidly
expanded its programs and geographic scope to address this growing need across the
Ukraine.
178
The Way Home
Europe
Founded in 1996
Ukraine
www.wayhome.org.ua
Strategy
Kostin has created a system that supports individuals from the socially vulnerable strata
of society who are ready and able to improve their standard of living. Services promoting
re-socialization are targeted at a wide variety of at-risk populations. The Way Home
ensures that the basic needs of its clients are met, such as possession of official
documents, adequate housing, opportunities for training and employment and support for
managing personal life issues. It has set up transition homes for those individuals involved
in its vocational training workshops. Its clothing production workshops have established a
market brand and are generating revenue. The Children’s Centre provides a safety net for
approximately 600 street children, most of whom come regularly for food and counseling.
The AIDS Prevention Centre addresses the risk posed by intravenous drug use and
prostitution via its needle exchange program and street outreach activities for sex workers.
Because of the frequent political and legal roadblocks set up by government authorities,
Kostin has turned to the media to educate an apathetic public about the growing problem
and alert the general population that they, too, could one day find themselves victims of
job loss or even homelessness.
The Entrepreneur
Kostin believes that it is up to individuals to help themselves, and The Way Home is a
vehicle to provide them with the tools. However, he feels that self-awareness and
responsibility are not characteristics that come easily to individuals in post-Soviet
societies. Kostin believes that people must be encouraged to see themselves, not the
State, as agents of their own future. His style and practices threaten the status quo, and
consequently the authorities find every opportunity to tarnish his reputation. He has been
warned repeatedly about speaking too loudly about the existence of street children and
sex workers in the Ukraine, groups the authorities wish to keep invisible.
179
Rose Volz-Schmidt
Focus: Children and Youth, Women
The Innovation
Wellcome supports new families. It provides fast and non-bureaucratic support if a mother
feels overwhelmed in dealing with a newborn or many children at the same time. The
service is designed to reduce stressful situations and reduce violence against children as
well as post-partum depressions. wellcome recruits and trains volunteers, typically
experienced mothers with grown-up children, to go into families requiring temporary
support. wellcome works with a wide net of institutions and pediatricians. Mothers simply
call and ask for support, without providing medical or other explanations. Families are
expected to pay a service charge of €4 per hour. This fee can be lowered or waived if
necessary. Since its inception through year 2008, wellcome has supported over 2,000
families in Germany. The demand primarily comes from families with twins or triplets,
single mothers, families with three or more children, and families who have just moved to
the respective town. Wellcome judges that about 25% of its beneficiaries are families in
which the stressful situation of a newborn is confounded by an additional stress or crisis
such as divorce. It is particularly in these circumstances where wellcome’s impact is the
greatest. An independent study by the University of Kiel concluded that the offer has the
potential to prevent violence against babies.
Background
Germany is facing declining birth rates as more and more women, particularly those with
an academic background, decide not to have children. Many are deterred by the lack of
supporting infrastructure. Still, around 700,000 children are born every year. Many
mothers do not have their families close by and the stress of the first months with a
newborn can lead to depression or violence. As society becomes more and more mobile,
the family support needed in such circumstances is often not available.
180
wellcome
Europe
Founded in 2002
Germany
www.wellcome-online.de
Strategy
A volunteer should not replace the regular baby-sitter. Volunteers typically can accompany
the mother or children on medical appointments, take care of the older children, or watch
the baby while the mother can do the shopping. The support lasts for a few months and
should end with the first birthday of the baby. Wellcome refers families in need to other
institutions when needs persist beyond this period. Wellcome acts as a gateway to the
numerous organizations in Germany, offering support to families and children. The
problem nationally is not the lack of services, but a lack of knowledge among families
about available services. Wellcome has also started a program for families on the edge,
where employees fulfill a wish on the first, second and third birthday of the child. This
gives wellcome an opportunity to follow up with marginalized families. Wellcome also
carefully monitors the quality of the services of its volunteers. Volunteers fill in a
questionnaire after their first visit to a family as well as an exit survey, documenting what
they have been doing and for how many hours. They receive trainings on specific problem
situations that they might confront.
Wellcome is organized as a social franchise. The headquarters in Hamburg works with

regional family institutions in Germany that take the wellcome concept and add it to their
programs. These again coordinate a number of local teams. They typically have a team
coordinator in charge of taking phone calls of families in need and recruiting volunteers.
The regional and local teams are largely independent of the headquarters, particularly in
raising funds for their operations. But they operate under the same brand, receive central
marketing and PR support and follow the same standards. In return for these services, the
regional teams pay a small fee to the center in Hamburg. Wellcome’s expansion plans are
very aggressive. It currently has almost 90 local teams and wants to expand to 250 by
2011 to cover all of Germany. In addition, it is looking at piloting a support group targeted
at Turkish minorities in Hamburg. Wellcome is still largely dependent on donations and
government support. In addition, it is developing partnerships with corporations. Parents
pay a small fee to cover the variable expenses of the service.
The Entrepreneur
Rose Volz-Schmidt decided to start wellcome after experiencing the difficulties of moving
to a new city with a newborn child. She is a mother of three, including twins. Initially, her
motivation was to fill the support gap for new mothers in parts of Hamburg, but she quickly
realized that the need extended to all of Germany and scaled to a countrywide operation.
Since 1990, Rose Volz-Schmidt has been in charge of the family activities of the protestant
church in Hamburg Niendorf, a post in which she continued while starting wellcome in
2002. She has launched a number of family support services from this position, among
them trainings for working mothers and father-specific support groups. She studied social
pedagogy and is a certified coach.
181
Javier González
Geographic Area of Impact: Latin America
The Innovation
Javier González's abcdespañol ("Spanish abc") is a simple and highly effective game-based
system that teaches reading, writing and math skills to children and adults. Abcdespañol
does not require a classroom or rigid time periods, nor does it grade students. Rather, it
presents activities that draw upon group interaction and cooperation to motivate students
and stimulate interest in continued learning. Using abcdespañol, students learn to read
and write in 90–120 hours. Used in Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the system has
enabled over one million people to achieve literacy and numeracy.
Background
Across Latin America, many students repeat grades because they fail to meet standards in
reading and math. Not only does this situation increase the cost of national education, it
also leads to psychological barriers to learning among many students. González came up
with the idea for abcdespañol while playing dominoes with his students' parents. He
realized that, although they could not read or write, the parents consistently beat him at
the game by using deductive logic, memorization, inference and other mental abilities
needed for learning to read. This observation lead him to believe that the cause of low
reading standards and high repetition rates among students was the rote learning methods
employed in Latin American schools. González decided to figure out how to apply the skills
observed in the parents in order to facilitate learning of reading, writing and math.
182
Latin America
abcdespañol
Founded in 1983
Colombia
www.abcdespanol.com
Strategy
González works directly with education authorities in many countries, sharing the
abcdespañol methodology with a core team of national educators or people committed to
their communities (not necessarily teachers) who will become the technique's multipliers.
Each one of them learns the methodology in order to pass it on to others, scaling up in
number to create a solid group of trained people who will spread the methodology to target
communities. In this fashion, the system has the capacity to reach thousands of people,
teaching them to read and/or do math in a period of three to four months. Rather than
assuming a traditional authority-figure role, the teacher motivates the students, ensuring
their smooth progress. In the abcdespañol system, students focus on relating to others,
sharing ideas and seeking compromise. While playing the game, they broaden their mental
structures in order to grasp the necessary written language and math capabilities while
deepening their emotional intelligence and problem solving skills. The same strategy
applies in working with adults, though the complexity of the experiences will expand the
context of language. The abcdespañol method has been adapted for teaching Spanish,
English, Portuguese and four indigenous languages: K'iché, Mam, Kaqchikel and Q'eqchi'.
The system has played a significant role in reducing the illiteracy rate in some Central
American countries. In Guatemala alone, illiteracy dropped from sixty to thirty percent
from 1995 to 1999.
The Entrepreneur
"What is necessary for social well-being is a warm heart, a cool mind, the capacity to be
surprised, the ability to cause change without falling into self-importance, a soul that is
connected to people and hands that are kept busy with concrete things," says Professor
Javier González. His lifelong devotion to education has evolved through many different
roles and contexts. Believing that effective language learning could be motivated through
creative materials, González began by writing and publishing his own interactive textbooks
with exercises that encouraged discovery. While these publications found great acceptance
among teachers, González continued searching for additional ways to make the learning
process more interesting. After years of experimentation and research, he developed the
didactic game that is today the centerpiece of abcdespañol. He has received numerous
awards in recognition of its effectiveness in combating illiteracy.
183
Helio Mattar
Geographic Area of Impact: Brazil
Focus: Consumer Awareness
The Innovation
One reason for the failure of social enterprises to have significant impact on wider societal
transformation is that social innovations are rarely incorporated on a large scale by society.
As leader of the Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption, Helio Mattar has tackled this
problem by employing a "nutcracker approach" to social change.
Akatu motivates citizens to use the power of their daily choices as consumers to effect
large-scale social change. Mattar believes that Conscious Consumption is absolutely
necessary in face of the importance of consumption in society, which leads it to challenge
the limits of the natural world and poses a threat to life in the planet. At the same time,
Conscious Consumption is an opportunity for an extraordinary contribution of each and
every individual to social, economic and environmental sustainability. The cornerstone of
Mattar's efforts throughout his career has been to bring business and civil society together
to spur innovation, and then to draw in social organizations and governments to back and
expand the innovation. Akatu has been recently recognized by the UN Global Compact as
one of the 100 “notable non-profit social actors” with proven competency in partnering
with companies. Accountability, adaptability, execution and communication were the
selection criteria used by the UN Global Compact.
Background
Helio Mattar has been responsible for creating a number of groundbreaking organizations
in Brazil that foster individual consumer consciousness and corporate social responsibility.
In that sense, he is a "serial" entrepreneur. His approach recognizes that social
organizations and governments are critical partners in the diffusion of social innovation.
Mattar believes that each individual, as a citizen and consumer, plays a critical role in
mobilizing support for initiatives with high social impact and for ensuring their adoption by
social organizations and governments. To further pursue this conviction, Mattar has, in the
last 8 years, dedicated himself full-time to his role as president of the Akatu Institute for
Conscious Consumption.
184
Latin America
Akatu Institute for
Conscious Consumption
Founded in 2001
Brazil
www.akatu.org.br
Strategy
For Mattar, the world is at a turning point that may lead to a "new renaissance" that
focuses on the well being of humanity more than on the accumulation of wealth. To nurture
this trend, consumers and investors must demand a change in the way companies
measure success. Citizens, starting with youth, need to be informed so that they can make
the right choices in relation to their consumption patterns. To achieve these goals, Mattar
founded Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption to develop awareness, to motivate and
to mobilize citizens to exercise their individual and collective consumer power. This is done
through activities in the areas of communication and education, directed mainly to young
people, to employees of partner companies, and to community leaders.
Humankind is already consuming 30% more natural resources than the planet’s renewal
capacity. With no change in the consumption and production models, in less than 50 years
two planets Earth will be required to meet our water, energy, food and waste dump
requirements, a hazard to life on Earth and to humankind. Consumer choice has a lot to
do with solving this situation, since every consumption act causes an impact (positive or
negative) on the economy, social relations, nature and on the consumer him/herself. When
conscious of these impacts at the time consumers are deciding why to buy, choosing what
to buy, from whom to buy, how to buy and defining how to use and to discard what is no
longer useful, consumers can endeavour to maximise the positive and minimise the
negative impacts, thereby contributing to build a better world. This is Conscious
Consumption: consumption with consciousness of its impact and directed towards
sustainability.
The Entrepreneur
An engineer by training with a PhD in Industrial Management and Engineering from
Stanford University, Helio Mattar served as a corporate Chief Executive Officer and federal
government Secretary before dedicating himself to the citizen sector. He co-founded the
Ethos Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility, an association of companies interested
in developing socially and environmentally responsible activities, and remains on its board
of directors. Mattar believes that the individual consumer is a central actor in inducing all
companies in the supply chain to act in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
185
Mónica E. Urquijo Illera
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Colombia, 2006
Geographic Area of Impact: Colombia
Focus: Culture/ Handicrafts, Women
The Innovation
Mónica Urquijo has combined her artistic talent, her gift for elegant design, a passion for
Colombia and a commitment to the development of women to create a social business
dedicated to preserving the dignity and improving quality of life for a growing number of
single mothers and their children. Started with only 3 weavers, today the company
employs over 300 women weavers who work from their homes located on the outskirts of
Barranquilla, one of the country’s most important coastal cities. This region is also known
for having a tradition of weaving, and these women are descendants of what were the best
weavers in the country. Much of their talent has remained latent, and working with them,
Mónica has been able to recover their innate knowledge of how to treat the fiber, create
stunning designs and turn them into beautiful fashion and furnishings. Mónica spent years
researching and testing the way to use natural fibers from plantain leaves, cane, reeds,
and other kinds of plants found in Colombia, and as a result, Arte Sana’s products meet
the rigorous quality standards needed to compete in a globalized economy. Its primary
international client is Ralph Lauren. Most importantly as a result, these women have
increased their monthly income by 300 to 500 percent. Arte Sana has received
international recognition by winning major fashion and home furnishing competitions in
Paris and New York.
Background
Mention Colombia and most foreigners think of a dangerous, violent and sad place. Based
on what was going on in 1999 in the country, it earned that reputation. In that year,
Colombia accounted for 80% of the world’s kidnappings and cocaine-related crimes, and
55% of terrorist acts. Almost 3 million Colombians had been displaced, and 60% lived in
poverty. The country’s self-esteem was at an all-time low. The massacres, the exodus, the
dismal economic situation, and the displaced people all contributed to an atmosphere of
hopelessness and despair. A famous graffiti at the time said, “Will the last one to leave
please turn off the lights.” But many Colombians refused to give up on their country and
have been working to turn it around. They come from all walks of life and many talents,
as one can see from Arte Sana. They are hoping that Colombia will soon have the
reputation of the best kept secret in Latin America.
186
Latin America
Arte Sana
Founded in 1996
Colombia
Strategy
Arte Sana places enormous emphasis on quality. To ensure continuous quality in
production, it uses a hub-and-spokes organizational model. In each municipality, it
identifies women weavers whose work is outstanding. They act as leaders and control
quality at the municipal level. At the central level, Arte Sana examines every piece of work
that is submitted rewarding superb work and encouraging them to take pride in the work
they do. Forty-one percent (41%) of the cost of the product is destined to pay the
weavers, and this percentage does not include the purchase of raw materials from its
network of rural suppliers or processing, nor does it include capacity building efforts. To
make sure that these women continue to refine their knowledge and talent, 16% of Arte
Sana’s income is earmarked for on-going training in all areas of production. Women are
encouraged to come up with their own designs, many of which are so superb that these
are submitted to Arte Sana’s buyers in the hope that they will request that many more be
produced. Arte Sana is now working to help women weavers acquire basic notions of
business administration so they learn to administer their time and resources effectively
and plan for the future. The company is transforming consumption practices by providing
environmentally sustainable, uniquely designed products of outstanding quality to the
conscious consumer at fair prices for the buyer and the producer. It promotes national
pride among Colombians who buy these nationally produced fair trade products, and
internationally bolsters the image of Colombia as a competitive market that is sought by
renowned fashion and home furnishing companies.
The Entrepreneur
Monica began her design career decorating the houses of Colombia’s elite. But with the
Colombian crises in the 1990s, she realized she needed to export the wonders of Colombia
without having to leave the country in the process. Having conducted some of her art and
design studies in France, she knew something about French consumer habits and their
preference for the elegant and natural, preferable hand made. “And if there is one thing
we had in Colombia, it was hands”, she noted. A trip to the USA convinced her of the
growing “conscious consumer” trend. But her final inspiration was the result of a trip to
the Philippines where she discovered products made from the “abucca” fiber derived from
a fruit plant similar to banana and plantain. As Colombia is a major exporter of both those
fruits, she realized she had her raw material. She returned to Barranquilla and locked
herself up for three year to investigate and experiment with plantain fiber, as she had
rapidly found out that the characteristics of the banana fiber were not appropriate for
fabric creation. Her family and colleagues were convinced she had gone mad. She started
to travel throughout the Colombian plantain region, making contact with farmers that now
form the network that supplies her company. She started working with three weavers, and
the demand for her products was so great that she found herself recruiting women
weavers by going to poor municipalities where weaving had been a tradition. There, she
would stand in the middle of the town square with a megaphone in hand, announcing that
she “needed women who knew how to weave”.
187
Victor Suárez
Geographic Area of Impact: Mexico
Focus: Agriculture, Financial Inclusion, Rural Development, Trade
The Innovation
The National Association of Rural Producers’ Enterprises (ANEC) has created a market-
based system by which small and medium-sized grain farmers in Mexico can compete in
the global economy and improve their income and quality of life. It secures prices for its
farmers that are on average 15-20% higher than market, while at the same time
guaranteeing that 100% of their production will be sold. ANEC seeks out new domestic
and international markets for its farmers and provides them with comprehensive market
data that enables them to earn better prices for their crops. In addition, ANEC offers its
members technical assistance, credit, micro-financing and harvest storage, enabling them
to strategically time the sales of their harvests and earn the highest possible prices. The
organization also stimulates secondary processing of grains in order to capture additional
value for its members. ANEC began in 1995 with 250 producers across three Mexican
states. It is now present and active in 23 Mexican states and has 120,000 affiliated
producers. ANEC has promoted and advises 200 local peasant organizations and 13
regional/state networks to produce and trade their own crops (corn, fry beans, wheat,
sorghum, rice). At the same time, has created SIACOMEX (Integrated Services for Storage
and Trading of Mexico), the main social enterprise for crops trading and logistics in Mexico.
In 2002, ANEC founded IMMX (Mexican Maizes Industrialized) to establish a national
network to nixtamal mills and tortilla factories to add value to peasant corn harvests.
Recently, ANEC was authorized by FIRA (the main credit and guarantee fund in Mexico) to
operate as a Multiple Object Financing Society –a financing intermediary- to provide credit
to peasant organizations and rural enterprises. Financing Services ANEC (SOFOM ANEC) is
the first SOFOM owned by peasant organizations providing credit with low interest rates
for peasant development and rural enterprises. ANEC combines local and regional
economic organizations, alternative rural development models and builds integrated
solutions for rural people by promoting public policies for food sovereignty, fair trade and
peasant rights.
Background
Small-scale grain producers in Mexico today face competition from both multinational
agribusiness and heavily subsidized farmers from industrialized countries — particularly
those from the US and Canada, due to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Producers without access to seasonal financing have no choice but to sell their crops
immediately upon harvest, provoking a drop in prices that results in market instability,
unfavorable purchase terms and below-cost returns for all farmers. Unable to compete in
their own domestic market, many of the country’s 3.5 million grain farmers are forced to
abandon their land and join the throng of unemployed migrants settling in impoverished
urban slums. According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, American corn
sells in Mexico for 25% less than its cost. The prices that Mexico’s farmers receive are so
low that they lose money with each acre they plant. Mexico, historically an exporter of
grains, is becoming increasingly dependent upon imports to meet its basic food
requirements. With the fall in domestic production, the country is increasingly vulnerable
to fluctuating market prices and availability of import stocks.
188
Latin America
Asociación Nacional de
Empresas Comercializadoras de
Productores del Campo (ANEC)
Founded in 1991
Mexico
www.laneta.apc.org/anec/
Strategy
ANEC empowers small-scale commercial grain farmers to compete in the mass production-
dominated global economy through analysis of international market trends and policies
that affect them. It strategically targets only those producers that have the best chance
for survival within the new global economy—those who had access to markets prior to the
radical changes of 1995—rather than the poorest subsistence farmers. ANEC mobilizes
members to form regional enterprises to collectively market their crops. There are over
200 such organizations operating today, all of which are linked via ANEC’s decentralized
structure and services. ANEC’s sophisticated global market research, which is
disseminated to members across Mexico via weekly bulletins, has been recognized as the
most comprehensive in Mexico and adopted as the primary information source on
commercial grain sales by many private enterprises and government ministries.
Furthermore, through its network of subsidiaries, ANEC reshapes adjacent parts of the
value chain to bring its members additional value, such as micro-financing and secondary
processing of raw grains into food products that command a higher retail value. It is
currently launching an enterprise to produce and retail “authentic Mexican corn” tortillas
with the goal of providing an additional market for member harvests and income
generation opportunities for member families.
The Entrepreneur
Suarez defied convention from the time he was a child, switching primary schools without
consulting his parents and then, at age 15, foregoing university and winning a scholarship
for agricultural studies. He became a philosophy teacher while he was still a student and
subsequently founded the Chinanteca Region Communities School of Oaxaca. His work
with the Indians and other peasant groups living in extreme poverty ignited a passion to
find viable sources of income without sacrificing beliefs and culture. In September 1995,
Suarez founded ANEC and was elected as Executive Director. In July 2003, he was elected
to Mexico’s Congress as representative of one of Mexico City’s most impoverished districts.
In September 2006, Suarez came back ANEC to continue serve peasant empowerment and
rural development. He hopes to use the opportunity to bring sustainable solutions for
Mexico’s small farmers to the national policy agenda.
189
Ismael Ferreira Oliveira
Focus: Education, Environment, Microfinance, Rural Development, Trade
The Innovation
The Associação dos Pequenos Agricultores do Município de Valente (APAEB), a cooperative
of small sisal growers based in the interior of Bahia, Brazil, is demonstrating how
agricultural workers can organize themselves to succeed in the global economy. APAEB
began by helping farmers to collectively market their sisal crop (sisal is an agave plant with
lance-shaped leaves whose fibers are used to make ropes, rugs and brushes). As it grew,
APAEB fought for export rights, forged links with foreign markets and built processing
plants and a factory, and now exports millions of dollars worth of quality finished products.
A winner of numerous awards, it has influenced similar practices across Brazil.
Background
Brazil has the highest income inequality in the world. The top 10% earn almost 50% of
the income, while the bottom 10% of the population barely has a 1% share of income and
consumption. The northern and northeastern regions in Brazil in particular have the
highest incidence of poverty. The Sertão (hinterland) lies west of the coasts in the
northeastern region. It is a semi-arid interior region blocked from Atlantic moisture by low
mountains. The region receives, on average, only 500 mm of rain per year, with severe
droughts occurring regularly. The population has grown by 59% over the past two
decades, increasing the need for water resources and income possibilities. In the middle
of the Sertão in the state of Bahia lies Valente, a small town with 20,000 inhabitants.
Valente and the surrounding municipalities are among the poorest in state of Bahia. Most
properties are so-called "micro-properties" of 11 hectares or less, which suffer from dry,
infertile soil. The government considers them unsustainable and is limiting the resources
flowing to these small farmers.
190
Latin America
Associação dos Pequenos
Agricultores do Município de
Valente (APAEB)
Founded in 1980
Brazil
www.apaeb.com.br
Strategy
APAEB has built an international bridge linking small agricultural producers with
international markets. This process entails organizing and training local farmers with little
formal education to manage complex manufacturing processes, while increasing financing
from banks and donor agencies, and developing lasting relationships with foreign buyers,
based on economic self interest, quality workmanship and mutual respect. Since the
construction of its multi-million dollar carpet factory in 1997 in the middle of the semi-arid
region, APAEB's revenues have increased 400%. Prices for raw sisal have risen
dramatically. With more than 800 employees and revenue of US$ 7 million, APAEB has
brought a powerful economic multiplier effect to an impoverished region where half a
million people are estimated to derive part of their livelihood from sisal.
The Entrepreneur
Ismael Ferreira, the youngest child of a small sisal grower from Valente, grew up helping
his parents cut the sisal palms. During the 1970s, at the time of the military dictatorship
in Brazil, two Italian priests organized community meetings in Valente and the surrounding
areas to discuss the exploitation of workers and small farmers. Ismael was 12 years old at
the time and participated in these gatherings along with his parents and brothers. When
the discussion became more focused on economic and financial issues, such as how to
receive better prices for their products, the group started attracting more and more
people. In 1980, 30 families participated in the formal creation of the association APAEB
(Associação dos Pequenos Agricultores do Estado de Valente). Ismael was one of the
cofounders and became the general manager. He overcame deep resistance to the
cooperative idea and fought for four years with government officials and business interests
to establish APAEB as an exporter in order to capture profits that had traditionally gone to
intermediaries.
191
Vera R. Cordeiro
Focus: Children and Youth, Health
The Innovation
The Association Saúde Criança Renascer supplements hospital care for children from low-
income communities in order to reduce the effects of poverty, which contribute to repeat
illness. To do so, its network of volunteers provides post-hospitalization assistance to the
families of poor children recently discharged from hospital. At Hospital da Lagoa — a large
public hospital in Rio de Janeiro where the flagship Renascer is based — pediatric re-
admissions have dropped by 68 % in 2007 as a result of Renascer's efforts. The Renascer
model has proven to be easily transferable and ideal for locations in which disease is
exacerbated by socio-economic factors. It has spread not to replace the government but
as a complementary work near 23 hospitals in Brazil and served 26,000 people to date.
Background
According to the United Nation Development Programme, Brazil has the highest inequality
rates in the world in terms of income distribution, both between regions as well as social
strata. As a consequence, health and sanitary conditions vary widely. While Brazil offers a
public health care system, its coverage is not extensive. State-of-the-art facilities are
available for those who can afford them. For the 60% of the population using public health
care, though, service is limited to basic immunization and emergency care. Even if Brazil
were to uniformly offer high quality health services to all, it could not address the health
challenges presented by poverty. Most diseases are caused by unclean drinking water,
inadequate sewage disposal, poor housing conditions and malnutrition. Renascer set out
to tackle the multifaceted factors related to poverty that make children sick. Renascer is
inspiring the government of Sao Paulo in order to replicate the model near each public
hospital there. In the city of Belo Horizonte (state of Minas Gerais), Renascer is already a
public police in one of the poorest areas called Jardim Felicidade).
192
Latin America
Associação Saúde Criança
Renascer
Founded in 1991
Brazil
www.criancarenascer.org.br
Strategy
Renascer's model enables low-income mothers and families to prevent recurring illness in
their children. Each Renascer unit is connected to a public hospital and staffed by
volunteers, social workers, psychologists, nutritionists, lawyers among others. The staff
provides intensive one-on-one health monitoring and assistance to families, most of which
are single-mother households with a family income around US$ 180 per month. Renascer
works with families on average for eighteen to twenty-four months, providing customized
assistance such as nutrition advice, provision of medicines, psychological counselling,
vocational training and housing improvements to ensure adequate living conditions.
Renascer has teamed up with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company to refine
its management systems and prepare to scale up. In 2001, a group of US-based
supporters launched "Friends of Renascer" in New York City to disseminate the model
around the world. The association's success has also been publicly recognized through
several awards from numerous institutions. Importantly, in January 2003, Renascer was
selected from among 400 institutions worldwide as the first place winner of the prestigious
Global Development Network Award for the Most Innovative NGO 2002 and in 2006 was
recognized by the Skoll Foundation. The Renascer´s data base is an essential instrument
of organization, planning and measurement of the impact of the program.
The system records quantitative and qualitative indicators that make possible the constant
reflection of work progress and the creation of more consistent results reports. The results
of this measurement have revealed that Renascer’s efforts have enabled the following:
Reduction of Hospital Costs: US$1,005.550.00; Increase of 44% on family income;
Improvement of children´s health: The study showed that before Renascer, 29% of the
children were in good health, 31% in regular health, and 32% in severe health. After being
assisted by the organization, the numbers changed to 46% in good health, 34% in
satisfactory health, and only 8% in severe health. Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize,
said "Saúde Criança Renascer has created a powerful methodology of social inclusion for
the very poor”.
The Entrepreneur
As a physician working in the pediatric department of one of Rio de Janeiro's largest
hospitals, Vera Cordeiro was shocked by the number of children from favelas (urban
slums) who repeatedly had to be admitted to the hospital. "I could not stand to go one
more day seeing children locked in this cycle of hospitalization, re-hospitalization and
death," Cordeiro said. Realizing that their health problems were caused or exacerbated by
social conditions, she founded Renascer to "connect the hospital to the home" and provide
a real treatment that takes into account the full range of economic and social causes of
illness. Vera Cordeiro is also an Ashoka fellow, Avina leader, Skoll Foundation social
entrepreneur, and a member of the Director's Council of PATH: A catalyst for global health.
193
Jorge G. Gronda
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Argentina, 2005
Geographic Area of Impact: Argentina, Bolivia
Focus: Health
The Innovation
CEGIN SRL is a completely self-financed and profitable company, which offers accessibly
priced health services to mothers, their children and women in poor rural areas. Thanks to
its innovative approach to meeting market demands, the company is able to offer health
services for significantly less than private medical coverage, and of a better quality than
many public services. The original health centre in Jujuy was founded seventeen years ago
with three employees. Although Gronda’s original partners did not share his philosophy, he
developed a healthcare methodology focused on prevention. His patients quickly began to
appreciate the services offered and adjusted to CEGIN’s extended opening hours, an
element of their strategy which increases the volume of patients treated at the centre each
day. The main centre at Jujuy currently manages 130 patients each day, performs 1000
tests for cervical and ovarian cancer and treats 500 patients per year. The profits finance
the extension of health services to the poor and those in remote areas, sometimes
reachable only by foot. Gronda makes these field visits twice a month, along with other
CEGIN employees.
Background
The Argentina crisis has reduced the number of people able to afford medical coverage.
Many have lost their right to public healthcare (‘obra social’), while others (particularly
indigenous communities) never had any. The healthcare options currently available include
the public health system, which can be inefficient with long queues and mediocre service,
and the private health system, which can be prohibitively expensive. There is traditionally
a distance between the medical profession and the public, making it difficult for doctors to
understand or treat the primary needs of the community. Doctors have tended to seek the
prestige of a public sector career rather than trying to meet the medical profession’s
responsibilities to the community. The rate of cervical and ovarian cancer in the province
of Jujuy is among the highest in the world, due to a combination of genetic factors and
sexual practices. With yearly checkups, the chances of developing cancer can be massively
reduced.
Strategy
Fixed costs of providing basic health care are high, while the incremental cost of treating
each additional patient is minimal. By providing excellent and convenient services, with
extended operating hours and the best available equipment, CEGIN attracts a large volume
of patients. This in turn allows the quality of the service to be maintained at a much lower
cost to each patient. CEGIN attends both patients with state medical coverage (‘obra social’)
and those without. It sells membership cards to the public for a small cost, registering them
as CEGIN clients. With the card, a patient has access to consultations at any CEGIN center
for a reduced fee. Any treatment subsequently prescribed is either provided by CEGIN (or a
CEGIN partner) at less than half of the normal market price or, for some illnesses, the patient
may be referred to a public hospital. Patients from rural areas who are referred for treatment
194
Latin America
Centro Ginecologico Integral
(CEGIN)
Founded in 1989
Argentina
www.cegin.com.ar
are either transported to the cities or treated by CEGIN specialists during their regular field
visits. The company collaborates with various organizations; partnerships have been formed
with healthcare specialists offering services not covered by CEGIN. Partners are selected
based on their philosophy and the quality of services provided, and must conform to the
norms and practices of CEGIN (a manual is currently being created, including the practice of
extended opening hours). By partnering with CEGIN, private specialists benefit from a high
volume of patients without incurring any risk (the reduced price paid by each patient more
than covers the incremental cost of treatment). A pharmacy offers discounts of 10-20% on
medicines sold to CEGIN clients, thereby increasing their volume of sales. Agreements have
been signed with universities to offer practical rotations of a year (compulsory for all medical
students) at CEGIN centers in remote rural areas. Gronda works with Rosario Quispe, an
indigenous entrepreneur who manages a health center in the Pampa to treat a community
of 3,500 women (the women pay for treatment with wool and other products, which Quispe
can then sell in the cities). A community microcredit fund has also been created. CEGIN
doctors are atypical, and are hired on the basis of their personal integrity and moral values.
They are often local and recently graduated, with experience treating patients in rural areas
and a desire to break down traditional hierarchies in the medical profession. These doctors
receive generous salaries, earning three or four times more than they would in the public
health system. CEGIN doctors are obliged to join one 3-4 day medical tour to remote rural
areas at least once a year (on average, doctors elect to join 2-3 tours per year). The
company is completely self-financing, and profitable, and plans are currently underway to
build several new centres in the province. The company has engaged consultants to carry
out impact studies and to develop a plan for growth by franchising, while ensuring the
integrity of the franchisees.
The Entrepreneur
Gronda retired from public administration because of the failures he perceived in the public
health system. He wanted to diminish the distance between the medical profession and the
people, and specifically, the inability of the system to meet basic primary health needs.
Gronda has a great talent for relating to people and gaining the trust of the relatively timid
indigenous women and their children. His clear objectives are to reduce the cancer rate and
provide basic health services for all. With a reputation for integrity, Gronda is easily able to
generate good will, create partnerships and expand his operations. He is one of the ten
winners of the 2008 World Business and Development Awards (WBDA) with the project
Sistema Ser (SSer). The objective of Sistema Ser (SSer) is to improve the lives of those at
the bottom of the economic and social pyramid by increasing their access to health care.
SSer has his clinical sites in the province of Jujuy (Argentina) one of most backward in the
country with high fertility rate and many problematic health, social and educational
indicators. The central offices and main clinic (CEGIN) are in the capital city of San Salvador,
serving around 20,000 since its inception.
195
Sebastião (Tião) Rocha
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Brazil, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique
Focus: Culture/ Handicrafts, Education
The Innovation
Tião Rocha created the CPCD in 1984 to promote informal education and community
development through reciprocal learning, play, games, mobile libraries, theatre, and
music. CPCD has created more than 2,000 innovative international award-winning
educational approaches that have been incorporated into school curricula as well as non-
formal educational programs. As a teacher, Rocha was troubled by the high drop out and
grade repetition rates among youth, particularly in poor urban and rural communities. He
was further troubled by pedagogical approaches in the formal system that viewed students
as empty vessels that needed to be filled with facts and figures, primarily through
memorization. These approaches overlooked young people’s natural curiosity and
enthusiasm for learning skills that added meaning to their lives and created opportunities
for advancement. “Is education possible without a school?” “Is it possible to create a
school underneath a mango tree?” “Does the school need to be the ‘obligatory military
service’ of a child between ages seven and sixteen?” “Can a school be a happy and
delightful place?” “Can one teach through play?” “Can we create such a fabulous school
that students and teachers insist they be open on Saturday, Sunday and holidays?” To
date, Rocha and his colleagues have shown that all these questions can be answered in
the affirmative. Over 20,000 young people have gone through CPCD’s programs, and its
educational approaches have won multiple awards, including the UNICEF-Itaú Bank award
for education and participation as “the most important contribution to Brazilian public
schooling”. Today, CPCD is focusing on creating an inter-institutional platform where
partnering organizations across the country that have found innovative and effective
approaches to poverty reduction come together to focus their diverse strengths on
transforming one of Brazil’s poorest territories in the state of Minas Gerais.
Background
In 1974, Tião Rocha was teaching history in an elite high school in Belo Horizonte. One of
his students was Alvaro Prates. Alvaro was an avid reader and an intellectual powerhouse.
He read everything he could get his hands on, and continuously challenged his teacher,
Tião, drawing him into highly philosophical discussions that few students in the classroom
could follow. Alvaro was engaging, handsome, a talented musician and a natural born
leader. One day, Tião arrived at the school to find chaos. Alvaro had committed suicide. At
his funeral, his parents looked to Tião for reasons for their son’s tragic death. “Professor
Tião, Alvaro so loved and respected you. Only you can tell us why he killed himself.” But
Tião had no response except, “I have no idea”. Alvaro’s death awoke in Tião the realization
that as a “teacher”, he was so focused on imparting knowledge that he had failed to pick
up the clues the young man was sending him about his depressed state. From then on,
Tião lost interest in whether or not students memorized the appropriate academic texts–
what was important was that they understood their own lives and where they fit into the
world.
196
Latin America
Centro Popular de Cultura e
Desenvolvimento (CPCD)
Founded in 1984
Brazil
www.cpcd.org.br
Strategy
Initially, Tião Rocha was asked by the municipality of Curvelo in Minas Gerais to oversee
its office on population development. He began this task by announcing via radio that he
would have a meeting in the town square with any who wanted to pursue the following
questions: “Is education possible without a school?” “Is it possible to create a school
underneath a mango tree?” On the day of the meeting, 26 people showed up. They sat in
a circle and started reflecting on these and other questions. Tião took every word down;
every person had a negative story to tell about his or her educational experience. Tião
collected all their observations in a document that he sent to universities, foundations and
friends. He framed it as a “declaration” of the ideal learning environment. The Kellogg
Foundation found the challenge intriguing, and agreed to support CPCD in developing a
“data bank of exotic learning approaches”. Tião started designing age-appropriate game-
based approaches to mathematics and reading. He came up with a “checkers” based game
for teaching math that proved to be so successful that initially reticent schools began
incorporating the game in its math curricula. Teachers started coming to the CPCD to learn
more about its innovative approaches to learning, and in several years, the CPCD had
created and systematized over 80 educational games for children between ages 4 and 16,
supporting learning in multiple subjects. CPCD has also developed a series of small
enterprises where young people (from age 16) can begin to generate an income and
prepare for employment. It has created a cooperative “People’s Finger” (Dedo de Gente)
to sell the goods produced in the enterprises created by CPCD, and includes an e-
commerce window that distributes these throughout the country. This cooperative
generates about 40% of CPCD’s annual income (approximately US$2 million). Among the
hundreds of other reciprocal learning approaches, CPCD also created the “Book Bank” in
Minas Gerais with over 8,000 books. Anyone owning one book can trade it with another
book - the book being the “currency” of exchange. CPCD has developed an extensive
monitoring and evaluation system whereby all its approaches are tested, refined and
perfected for impact and relevance. Its methods are now part of Brazil’s public education
system.
The Entrepreneur
Tião’s experiences with school were never good. At age 11 he lost his father and was sent
to a school run by priests in Campo Belo in the south of Minas Gerais. After four years, he
returned to Belo Horizonte (capital of Minas). He studied history because he wanted to
understand his own. He was convinced that he was the nephew of a queen, a queen of black
people. As a youngster, whenever teachers told stories of kings and queens, he would
interrupt saying that he also had an aunt who was a queen. But the teachers always
dismissed his claims: for these teachers, queens were never black. He eventually learned
that his “blue blood” ancestry was not to be found in history books but in the study of
anthropology, which he pursued until he received a masters degree in the subject. Not yet
satisfied, he further specialized in popular culture and folklore. That was the birth of CPCD.
197
Ariel Zylbersztejn
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Mexico, 2006
Focus: Civic Participation, Education, Technology
The Innovation
On the surface, Cinepop is an innovative way of providing free access to family films for
the urban and rural poor in Mexico. But delve deeper and one finds that Cinepop is about
much more than Hollywood’s latest releases. Rather, using movies as an entrée, Cinepop
confronts society’s greatest challenges. Working collaboratively with business and
government, the organization aims to improve housing, education and health, and provide
access to microcredit. Cinepop is a self-sustaining social business that generates income
through the sale of sponsorships to corporate partners. These profits are then reinvested
to generate further social impact. To date, Cinepop’s efforts have affected the lives of over
350,000 people. The organization has been established in 8 major Mexican cities and over
the last six months, has shown a 600% increase in sales and an 800% jump in profits.
Background
Movie going has long been a popular activity with Mexicans- regardless of income level.
However, during the last decade, large movie chains have emerged and bought out the
smaller, more affordable theatres frequented by lower-income families. As a result, the
price of a movie ticket has dramatically risen, to US$4 per ticket, and limited film access
to wealthier groups. Family movie outings are no longer a popular option with poorer
populations. In a country where the average monthly income ranges between US$160 and
US$800, treating a family of 5 to a movie at $4 dolars is quite simply not an option. The
result is that children, adolescents and adults in lower income groups are limited to poor
quality television programming for their entertainment. Ariel created Cinepop because he
was convinced that large corporations wanted to become involved in socially oriented but
sustainable endeavors. He has committed to a vision of cultural citizenship, a community
where the most privileged commit to education and cultural inclusion of the most
disenfranchised. And people are taking notice. Increasingly local governments have joined
in this partnership, with growing benefits for all involved.
198
Latin America
CinePop
Founded in 2004
Mexico
www.cinepop.com.mx
Strategy
Cinepop targets large poor urban areas or isolated rural towns in Mexico. Using popular
communications vehicles such as megaphones and fliers, Cinepop publicizes upcoming
feature presentations, usually Disney films such as “The Little Mermaid” or “Finding Nemo”.
For the event, Cinepop inflates its enormous German-made film screens in the middle of the
town plaza, and thousands of families- usually several generations – flock to the movies.
Once the audience has gathered and before the film is featured, Cinepop opens the stage to
socially oriented business and government initiatives to make their services known to the
wide population. For example, Cinepop has teamed up with Compartamos, Mexico’s largest
microcredit organization (founded by José Ignacio Avalos, Schwab social entrepreneur). To
kick-start the collaboration, it coordinated a direct outreach effort, canvassing 3,600 small
enterprises in a prospective event site- an urban slum- several weeks prior to the movie
event. The aim was to encourage small entrepreneurs to come see the film and learn about
credit opportunities. As a result, 250 micro loans were disbursed to provide working capital
to small enterprises in the population.
Cinepop also partners with local government to educate citizens about specific benefit
programs. For example, Cinepop is teaming up with urban slum dwellers and local
government in an area outside Mexico City to spearhead “Revive”, an integrated
development initiative that seeks to provide thousands of disenfranchised citizens with
greater economic and educational possibilities, as well as access to basic health care, dental
work and legal advice. “Revive” seeks to foster employment opportunities by tapping into
businesses seeking to establish branches in its participating communities. In addition to
employing local citizens in these franchises, new hires must agree to attend the “Mid-life
School”, a continuing education program training participants in both work related areas and
life skills. Finally, Cinepop also works closely with companies around areas focused on
improving quality of life. For example, in urban slums there is a problem with pet
overpopulation, approximately 1.6 pets per household. People have little knowledge of how
to care for them and how to ensure proper disposal of animal faces, which can present a
health hazard. Cinepop has teamed up with Pedigree and Whiskas to catalyze a campaign
called “One Pet, One Responsibility” providing thousands of pet owners with information on
how to care properly for their household pets. During the last 4 years Cinepop has worked
with more than 20 large corporations.
The Entrepreneur
The son of Uruguayan immigrants who came to Mexico via Israel, it is hard to believe that
Ariel is just 26 years old. His experience and knowledge of the Mexican film world, and his
vision and commitment to the poor, set him apart from his peers. At 18 years of age, Ariel
began studying communications in Mexico, eventually traveling to New York to learn about
film. As he learned, he began to reflect that Mexico’s social conditions affected more than
just the content of its locally produced films- those conditions dictated basic audience access.
He thus identified an opportunity where film could both serve to entertain and to educate
while also contributing to the economic and cultural advancement of poorer communities.
Ariel has directed and produced a number of short films. His film, Jai, has been featured in
over 60 film festivals in more than 30 countries, including Cannes, and received a Prize at
the German International Short Film Festival in the category of “Confrontations- Shorts
against Violence and Intolerance”.
199
Albina Ruiz
Geographic Area of Impact: Peru
Focus: Energy, Enterprise Development, Environment, Waste Management
The Innovation
Albina Ruiz has turned waste collection in Peruvian urban slum areas into a profitable
enterprise. Starting in Lima’s outskirts, Ruiz’s initiative, Ciudad Saludable (Healthy City) is
now being replicated elsewhere in Peru and Latin America. Ruiz and her organization
catalyzed a network of small enterprises to collect waste from individual households and
recycle it. Working in partnership with municipalities, Ciudad Saludable has organized over
1500 waste scavengers, creating employment and improving health and living conditions
for the over 4 million people living in these poorer areas.
Background
Ruiz initiated her efforts in one of the major urban slum areas surrounding Lima, Peru’s
capital — the cono norte (northern sector). There, as in many developing countries, solid
waste management is a serious problem. When Ruiz began her efforts in the cono norte,
approximately 1,000 tons of garbage was generated daily, of which only half was collected
by municipal workers. The remainder was left to accumulate in stinking waste heaps or
strewn along public roads and in vacant lots, presenting a serious health hazard. The same
situation exists in towns all over the country. Waste is often dumped into rivers,
contaminating the water that is a drinking source for many poor families. As a university
student majoring in Industrial Engineering, Ruiz wrote her thesis on micro-enterprise and
environmental sanitation in Lima's cono norte. She then put her ideas into practice.
200
Latin America
Ciudad Saludable
Founded in 1989
Peru
www.ciudadsaludable.org
Strategy
Ciudad Saludable provides waste management services that are more dependable and less
expensive than those provided by municipal governments. The strategy includes public
education, resource mobilization and ongoing coordination with public agencies. Ciudad
Saludable uses creative marketing incentives to encourage people to pay a modest
monthly fee for trash collection. It targets women and primary school children with health
promotion messages, for example, emphasizing that waste collection will improve their
families’ health at the cost equivalent of only one bottle of their husband’s favorite beer
per month. In barren hillside districts, Ciudad Saludable rewards regularly paying customers
by planting trees in front of their houses. Prompt payers receive gifts such as kitchen
baskets. Ciudad Saludable’s trash collectors live in the same neighborhoods as their
clients, resulting in an unexpected social pressure to keep up appearances. In upscale
suburbs where the city government collects the trash, waste collection payment rates are
below 40%, whereas in the districts where Ciudad Saludable’s micro-enterprises work,
payment rates are over 80%. Working with the Peruvian Society of Environment Law and
with entities of the government such as CONFAM and DIGESA, Ruiz has recently
spearheaded a law that establishes national standards for solid waste management. She
is now working in Peru's jungle, mountain and coastal towns to implement her business
model.
The Entrepreneur
Albina Ruiz grew up in the Peruvian jungle, the daughter of poor but hard-working parents.
She was fortunate enough to attend a local convent school where the nuns instilled a love
of learning and responsibility for others. She was the only woman in her class at the
National University of Engineering where she majored in Industrial Engineering. She went
on to receive another degree in Ecology and Environmental Management from the Ricardo
Palma University. "We hope that our experience proves that is possible to privatize public
services, provide high quality services and incorporate socially marginalized citizens into
undertaking entrepreneurial activities that benefit the public," she reports. "We hope to
validate similar strategies in other areas of environmental management, allowing locals
who suffer from environmental problems to be the main actors contributing to their
solutions." Albina and Ciudad Saludable have received well-deserved international
attention. The Skoll Foundation recognized her achievements and high growth potential in
2006, and she has been the subject of PBS’ series, The New Heroes, also supported by
Skoll. In recognition of its environmental impact, Ciudad Saludable received the 2006
Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment, and
Albina received the 2006 Bravo Latin Trade Award as Environmentalist of the Year in Latin
America.
201
Rodrigo Baggio
Focus: Children and Youth, Education, Technology
The Innovation
Based in Rio de Janeiro, the Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI) is
a non-governmental, non-profit organization with the mission of fostering the social
inclusion of less-privileged social groups by using information and communication
technologies as tools to encourage active citizenship. CDI works in low-income
communities and with institutions assisting individuals with special needs including, among
others, the physically and mentally disabled, the visually impaired, homeless children,
prisoners and indigenous populations. Learning new technologies not only creates job
opportunities, but also expands access to knowledge and encourages social interchange.
CDI believes this initiative contributes to changing the lives of individuals and has a
profound impact on community development. CDI developed a socio-educational approach
to teaching information technology. Students learn how to use computers and software
while discussing issues of particular interest to their community, such as human rights,
environment, sexual education, health and nonviolence. Furthermore, the model is based
on the concept of helping people help themselves. CDI trains future teachers who, in turn,
will train others in their communities. The CDI network can be understood as a complex
learning system. It has expanded nationally and internationally, with regional offices in
nineteen Brazilian states and in eight countries on three continents. CDI headquarters has
developed a social franchise framework that defines quality standards. It has an important
role representing the network, in which it updates CDI’s educational model, validates and
shares best practices, and continuously fundraises, trains and periodically follows-up with
regional offices. CDI regional offices are self-managed, reporting to CDI headquarters.
Their mission is to replicate CDI’s methodology and educational model in new schools.
Background
Brazil is one of the largest markets in Latin America for information technology, software
and services. Government initiatives regarding ICT and the diffusion of the Internet date
back to 1988, and development of the ICT industry has been a high priority. Since 1995,
nearly all Brazilian universities and research centers have been interconnected.
International census show that Brazil ranks in the top twenty for the number of hosts. Yet
despite enormous promise and important advances, Brazil faces significant obstacles in the
equitable application of information technology. While international companies are
targeting Brazil as a new market for ICTs and ICT services, employment prospects for the
vast majority of the population may actually decline in the country’s new information
economy due to lack of access and training in ICT. Many have noted that the Internet could
erect social barriers unless substantial and rapid improvements are made to provide the
skills needed to use computers. This is the challenge that CDI is addressing.
202
Latin America
Committee for Democracy in
Information Technology (CDI)
Founded in 1995
Brazil
www.cdi.org.br
Strategy
Baggio's initial idea was to set up a Bulletin Board System (BBS) on the Internet so that
rich and poor children could join in debates and exchange ideas. The BBS failed miserably
because poor children never participated in the discussions since they had no access to
computers. With the help of volunteers, Rodrigo started collecting used computers, mostly
from small firms, and donating them to community centers and neighborhood associations
in low-income areas. IT, Baggio realized, could be used not only to increase job
opportunities for poor youth but also to broaden their minds, help them understand their
reality, point them in new directions and raise their self-esteem. Thus, he conceived CDI
to meet those challenges. CDI opens Information Technology and Citizens Rights Schools
in partnership with community-based associations, providing free computer equipment
and software and implementing educational strategies for continuous training of local
instructors. Through periodic visits, CDI coordinators monitor their performance and
identify key challenges and opportunities. School coordinators work together with CDI
representatives to find creative ways of addressing problems, formulating and sharing
solutions. Each school is an autonomous unit, self-managed and self-sustaining through
symbolic contributions collected from its students. This fund covers maintenance costs and
payment of instructors in an authentic "social enterprise." In a recent evaluation conducted
by an external consultant group, 87% of the students said that CDI schools had a positive
impact on their lives, including regular school attendance, better job opportunities and
avoiding criminal offences.
The Entrepreneur
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigo Baggio was first exposed to computers at the
age of twelve at a firm in which his father directed the department of information
management, and he acquired his first computer that same year. During the same period,
he mobilized people to work in a day nursery at Rocinha, a Brazilian favela, and also did
volunteer work with street children. Throughout his adolescence, he participated in social,
student and environmental movements. Today, Baggio continues to be recognized globally
by many diverse organizations. He was granted an honorary doctorate from the School of
Computer Science at De Paul University in Chicago, Illinois, and in 2005, he was
recognized by the Skoll Foundation as one of its award winners. “One must believe in the
power of communities to transform their social reality by mastering new information and
communications technologies. It is critical to help them develop processes that will
strengthen and expand their economic activities, organizational skills, self-esteem,
educational level and ability to communicate with others about their own social projects.
If we enable these things to happen, we will be contributing to a better and fairer world
where there is more equality, freedom and solidarity”, says Rodrigo Baggio.
203
Martha E. Wille
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Bolivia, 2005
Geographic Area of Impact: Bolivia
Focus: Labor Conditions and Unemployment, Trade
The Innovation
Coronilla was a traditional family pasta business until cheap foreign exports began to drive
the business into bankruptcy. It was re-launched in 1997 by Martha Wille, the daughter of
the founder, who diversified the company’s product lines to produce healthy, organic
products largely for export to Europe, the US and Oceania. The reinvented company aims
to be economically sustainable with a social conscience and leadership in biodiversity. Wille
is interested in generating income with positive social effects that are multiplied across all
the stakeholders while contributing to the protection of the environment. Coronilla is
certified as a social responsible company by IMO control from Switzerland.
Background
There is little stakeholder responsibility in Bolivia, and few integrated manufacturers offer
completed products for export, which would maximize the value added within the country.
The creation of organic food manufacturers for export presents a significant opportunity to
develop Bolivia’s economy.
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Latin America
Coronilla
Founded in 1972
Bolivia
www.coronilla.com
Strategy
Coronilla’s business plan was recognized for excellence (over 800 other proposals) at the
Forum of Investors in New Ventures, winning investment from BID, CAF, UNCTAD and the
World Resources Institute. Coronilla considers the interests of all its stakeholders: women,
minorities and handicapped people are favoured in the hiring process, and staff benefit
from continual vocational training and IFAT-certified fair-trade conditions; Wille buys from
local suppliers, supporting the production of organic produce in poor rural areas, where
she does business with the farmers in their own language ; the company is subject to
HACCP ecological and hygiene practices, and runs various environmental programmes;
clients are offered healthy produce, certified as organic. The company’s sales are growing.
However, its machines are currently operating under capacity and fixed costs are high, so
it will benefit from important economies of scale as sales increase. The Wille’s family holds
100% of the company. The challenge Coronilla now faces is how to replicate its model. To
make this project possible, Martha Eugenia decided to establish the Guillermo Wille
Foundation. This non-profit entity will be managed independently from Coronilla, and will
help other companies, inside and outside the country, to follow the steps that Coronilla
took when it was relaunched. Since 2009, Coronilla will start a program to engage retired
workers that had served in the company for more than 15 years as share holders.
The Entrepreneur
Martha Wille is absolutely convinced that change can be achieved by reducing the poverty
gap, inserting handicapped minorities, incorporating women and through other tasks of a
socially conscious nature. She is committed to accomplishing this goal with the help of
private companies, the implementing of social enterprise concepts and the deep
commitment of all of the members of an organization.
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Vicky Colbert
Geographic Area of Impact: Latin American, Philippines, Uganda
Focus: Education, Children and Youth, Citizenship, Civic Participation
The Innovation
Escuela Nueva provides a child centered and community based cost-effective approach to
basic education by reshaping the roles of teachers, students, community and
administrators. The Escuela Nueva (EN) methodology (Spanish for "New School") was
initially created to improve the level of education offered in neglected rural schools, where
the typical situation is a lone teacher responsible for a classroom of children 6-14 years of
age. High rates of grade repetition and student dropout, low teacher morale and isolation
from community life used to be salient characteristics of Colombia and in general Latin
America's rural primary schools. Rather than ineffectively tackling each problem in
isolation, EN addresses all of these factors simultaneously in a systemic way. Its ability to
improve mathematical and language skills, as well as foster higher levels of self-esteem
and civic behavior, has been widely documented. The EN approach was incorporated by
more than 20,000 of Colombia’s 34,000 rural schools in the 1980´s and it is one of the
longest running bottom-up educational innovations of the developing world. It has also
been adapted for urban schools, post-primary grades and displaced, migrant children in
emergencies. It has inspired educational reforms worldwide and has been visited by more
than 35 countries throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. At the
present, it has reached approximately 5 million children.
Background
In 1975, Colbert, together with rural Colombian teachers, designed and created the
Escuela Nueva model to revolutionize education for underserved children, convinced that
sustainable development, citizenship and peace could only be achieved through quality,
participatory education. Addressing these challenges would require large-scale systemic
change, and this is precisely what Colbert set out to achieve. During her tenure in the
1980s as Colombia's Vice-Minister of Education, Colbert was able ensure that the EN model
became a national education policy. Her subsequent appointment to UNICEF as Regional
Adviser for Education in the Americas offered a platform for promoting EN throughout the
continent and in the Caribbean. However, in the 1990s, Colombia and other Latin American
countries decentralized their education systems, concentrating their energies in
administrative reorganization. As a result, massive transfers of trained teachers took
place, new teachers without adequate training were appointed and untrained people were
hired as rural schoolteachers, there was poor coordination between training services and
delivery of educational materials and, above all, the municipalities were not informed nor
prepared to adopt innovations. Despite these setbacks, the EN schools that remained
continued to outperform their counterparts. Aware that educational innovations fade and
disappear as a result of political changes, Colbert founded in 1987 the Escuela Nueva
Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Colombia and engaged
civil society and private sector to maintain and advance the innovation, and to create new
strategies to support EN's quality and sustainability.
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Latin America
Escuela Nueva Foundation
(Fundación Escuela Nueva Volvamos a la Gente)
Founded in 1975
Colombia
www.escuelanueva.org
Strategy
Escuela Nueva transforms the conventional teacher centered educational model and
training strategies. EN’s approach employs self-paced, cost effective learning materials and
encourages a new role for teachers to facilitate learning rather than simply transmit
information. Children work in small groups promoting active learning, participation and
cooperation. Learning takes place through dialogue and interaction. Its flexible grade
promotion feature allows students to advance at their own pace, a crucial factor for
success in multi-grade schools. The curriculum is locally adapted to include learning
relevant to the daily lives and contexts of students. Beyond basic academic subjects, EN’s
curriculum includes activities that strengthen each school’s relationship with the
community and reinforces the self-esteem, democratic, participatory and citizenship
values of students. To ensure EN's continued expansion and sustainability, and to adapt EN
to new contexts and populations, such as urban settings and populations in emergencies,
Colbert launched the Escuela Nueva Foundation (ENF) - Fundación Escuela Nueva
Volvamos a la Gente.
The Entrepreneur
Vicky Colbert returned to Colombia after finishing her graduate work at Stanford and chose
to dedicate her career to public service and education. Under her leadership, other
significant educational initiatives in Colombia have been launched, including the promotion
of family education on child development, a child pastorate in cooperation with Latin
American and Caribbean churches and programs to revitalize traditional cultures through
local schools. For example, the most significant games, riddles, toys and songs have been
revived from Colombia's five cultural regions for use in celebrating local culture.
207
María E. Ordóñez
Geographic Area of Impact: Ecuador
Focus: Communication / Media, Education, Environment
The Innovation
Arcandina produces entertaining, educational television shows and multimedia products
that motivate children to embrace citizenship and environmental values. Children love
Arcandina's puppet characters, each of which represents an endangered species unique to
Latin America. Fun, adventure and ecological information are combined with alternatives
for action and Arcandina's main message, "You have the capacity to save the world!”
Arcandina began in Quito, Ecuador as a local television program but soon spread
throughout the country and beyond. The series has now been aired in several Latin
American countries and is the first Ecuadorian program to be broadcast daily for more than
two years in the United States.
Background
The media industry and consumer preferences in developing countries such as Ecuador are
factors contributing to the lack of appropriate educational programs for children. Maria
Elena Ordoñez seeks to fill this void by finding new and creative ways of using multimedia
to educate the young. Between 1996 and 2000, Arcandina’s national broadcasts in Ecuador
reached approximately 88,000 children per program, and the television station received
over 1,400 calls a month from child viewers seeking more information about
environmental issues. Ordoñez believes that the time is right for creating a consumer
movement in Latin America that will demand "safe TV" for children and leverages the press
attention focused on her to raise the issue as a point of national debate.
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Latin America
Fundación Arcandina
Founded in 1996
Ecuador
www.arcandina.org.ec
Strategy
In Arcandina’s programs, Jagui (jaguar), Cori (a sea lion, nicknamed after coral) and Tucan
(the colorful bird) are heroes that battle against Avaricious Maximus, a monstrous-looking
creature driven by greed, which grows larger as more environmental damage, is done around
the world. Ordoñez, Arcandina's creator, wanted children to understand that people can
modify their negative behaviors. Thus, Ratasura (rata basura means garbage rat) was born,
a character that combines naughtiness with the capacity to change environmentally
destructive behaviors. Ratasura delights children because, although he engages in wasteful
activities, he also changes his behavior once the Arcandina characters intervene. While
television has provided a powerful vehicle for Arcandina's message, Ordoñez sees it as but
one of many potential communication channels. She is currently working to expand the
organization’s multimedia outreach. A new series of television specials focusing on protected
areas of the Americas is in production, the first of which is set in the Galapagos Islands.
Arcandina has produced 22 “ecotip” spots for use in the classroom on topics such as water,
air, waste, species preservation, fisheries and erosion. It has also created a detailed guide to
help teachers integrate the themes of environment and citizenship into their curricula. In
addition, Arcandina is now using the Internet to reach out to its young audience through
Arcamail, a web-based monthly newsletter distributed to interested individuals and
educational institutions.
The Entrepreneur
Maria Elena Ordoñez has always had an interest in children. Growing up on the outskirts
of Guayaquil, Ecuador, which at that time was still relatively rural, she watched the
disappearance of the flora and fauna in her beloved neighborhood as urbanization
encroached. The experience had a profound impact on her, and she became a passionate
environmentalist. Years later, while studying to become a preschool teacher, Ordoñez
participated as a volunteer for a television channel and witnessed the power of the media
as an educational tool. She began writing scripts for television shows directed at children
and Arcandina was born. In 2000, Ordoñez was granted an Ashoka Fellowship and in March
2002 received the National Wildlife Federation Award for the most outstanding
international production aimed at children.
209
Gustavo Gennuso
Geographic Area of Impact: Argentina
Focus: Children and Youth, Education, Enterprise Development
The Innovation
Gustavo Gennuso came to Bariloche almost thirty years ago to study nuclear engineering
at the prestigious Balseiro Institute. While he continued until 2000 to work in that capacity,
his most important contribution has been to transforming the educational systems that
keep young, rural, poor Argentines from taking advantage of opportunities for personal
and professional growth. In setting up schools to provide job skills for youth, he and his
colleagues ended up putting in place a host of other initiatives to support improvements
in people’s lives, including quality primary and secondary education, day care centers,
business apprenticeships, teacher training, dental care, youth and sports clubs and centers
for the elderly. Together with poor disenfranchised communities, Gente Nueva has even
spearheaded significant advances in the area of property rights. To date, more than 5,000
students have passed through Gente Nueva’s classrooms, and an additional 3,000 have
benefited directly from its various programs. Among the most important innovations Gente
Nueva has pioneered is the concept of “community managed public schools” that are free
but run by Gente Nueva and the communities it serves. In this model, teachers’ salaries
are supported by the state whilst the selection of the teachers is made by Gente Nueva
and the community according to specific criteria they have developed to safeguard the
quality of these learning institutions. The “community managed public school” was
approved by a state law in 1987, calling for these schools to be free and supported by state
funds. In 2006, Argentina passed a national law recognizing the legitimacy of the
community managed public school, taking the model pioneered by Gente Nueva. While
Gente Nueva never set out to influence directly national and state public policy, as the
organization gained legitimacy and credibility for successfully taking on seemingly
insurmountable challenges, the government began seeking its counsel and involvement,
particularly in the area of educational reform. In this way Gustavo Gennuso and Gente
Nueva have exercised the true role of the social entrepreneurial organization – designing,
testing and measuring innovative approaches to social and economic problems, turning
these into opportunities to reverse trends and mindsets so that public policy can, in turn,
accelerate their adoption on a much greater scale.
Background
Today in Argentina, approximately 50% of the population is poor, and 20% is indigent. The
richest 10% are 30 times wealthier than the poorest 20%. Unemployment is high, and
even higher in Bariloche where a quarter of the population do not have work – a figure
that increases to 75% in those communities where Gente Nueva initiated its activities. A
culture of apathy and dependence characterizes many of these communities and is passed
from parents to children. A number of governmental and non-governmental organizations
have sought to address poverty and unemployment but their offerings focus on training
alone – leaving out the development of entrepreneurial qualities that enable people to
create and run a small business. In addition, such programs focus on the individual,
neglecting the creation of social networks and other types of support that are instrumental
in helping individuals advance towards their objectives. Gente Nueva has helped build the
strategic alliances across local institutions engaged in productive activities, including
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Latin America
Fundación Gente Nueva
Founded in 1989
Argentina
www.fundaciongentenueva.org.ar
businesses, educational centers, and individual professionals that can help each young
person develop the entrepreneurial attitudes as well as the technical and administrative
skills that are important to success.
Strategy
The principal mission of Gente Nueva is to ensure that the poor are empowered to act on
their own behalf, using education to enable that process. But as Gente Nueva went about
setting up educational institutions in collaboration with the communities, other needs kept
being detected – land rights, health, the situation of older adults and of youth, to name a
few. Over time, these aspects were incorporated into the activities of Gente Nueva. Today,
Gente Nueva has 10 “community managed public schools” located in the poorest areas of
Bariloche. Each school becomes a community center after school hours. Of the schools, two
are pre-schools that take children from 45 days of age to 5 years; two are primary schools,
three are secondary which also include adult education, and three are technical schools that
include basic education and skills building for young people and adults. All are supported by
the government that pays for teachers’ salaries while Gente Nueva and the community are
responsible for the selection and monitoring of teachers and aspects related to
infrastructure, upkeep, and food. Preparation and insertion of young people into the labor
force is a primary driver for the organization and to that end, Gente Nueva provides them
with the skills for specific job opportunities in Bariloche and elsewhere, and also connects
them with employers. As part of the enterprise-creating activities, Gente Nueva’s technical
schools bring together groups of three to six person teams with one professional to support
the design and venture shaping process. These teams present their projects and Gente
Nueva assesses the feasibility of each, awarding seed money to those that are favorably
assessed, and providing further guidance to those that are not. Gente Nueva monitors the
venture’s progress, lending support where needed. In addition to affecting directly the lives
of the poor in Bariloche, Gente Nueva is making its presence felt in the nation by influencing
public policy, particularly in the area of youth and adult employment education, including
teacher training to include ways to encourage students to develop entrepreneurial attitudes.
The Entrepreneur
Gustavo was born in a conservative rural town in the province of Buenos Aires. A gifted
student, he won a scholarship to study nuclear engineering at the Instituto Balseiro in
Bariloche. The courses were tough and students stuck to their books. But Gustavo found
himself wanting to be involved in something other than studying. One Sunday, a fellow
student invited him to church, and he went along because he had nothing better to do. Yet
he found himself inspired by the priest who gave the sermon. It turned out the priest was
working in one of the poorest areas of Bariloche, struggling to start a school there to
address the glaring educational gaps in that community. Gustavo, who had always been
attracted to challenges, realized he had found a significantly different challenge to nuclear
engineering – and perhaps a more complicated one. Among his concerns was the need to
prepare the poor to access full employment that would open opportunities for personal and
collective improvement. In 1983, the first school, a primary school, was instituted and in
1985, he started the first job training school for the poor. As a result of the success of
these efforts, Gustavo and his colleagues went on to spin off all the other schools and
initiatives that are part of Gente Nueva today. Gustavo has recently founded a social
business named "Emprendimientos Tecnología para la Vida" (Life Technologies Ventures)
with the mission to select, manufacture and diffuse sustainable technologies for the human
development of the poorest sectors. This is in line with being a social, economical and
enviromentally sustainable company. This company is for labor inclusion of young people
as well. Recently ETV won the first prize in Business in Development Challenge Argentina.
211
Mary Anne Müller Prieto
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Chile, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: Chile
Focus: Agriculture, Children and Youth, Education, Rural Development
The Innovation
Mary Anne had no background in education – except that once she was a reluctant and
rebellious student. Yet perhaps this was an advantage, as she has pioneered a
revolutionary educational model taking organic agriculture as the inspiration for the work
she undertakes with at risk youth from low-income families. These young people, most
ranging from ages 14 to 18 years, have been expelled from, or dropped out of, the
traditional school system, with little hope for the future. But Mary Anne and her colleagues
welcomed them with open arms at the Fundación Origen and its Escuela Agro-Ecológica de
Pirque (Agroecological School of Pirque), the first institution of its kind in Chile and one
that the Ministry of Education hopes to emulate in other contexts across the country. The
majority of the young people at the school have come from family situations often
characterized by violence, drug addiction, unemployment and, too frequently, desertion by
a parent. Thus, Mary Anne and her team started from the premise that these young people
yearn for stable relationships built on respect, trust and affection. Students graduate with
a technical degree in farming and a specialization in organic agriculture. But in addition,
they learn multiple life skills, including the wisdom to understand that while they might not
be able to change the adverse family and economic circumstances that surround and
directly affect them; they can be agents of change in their own lives. And the model works.
Since its inception, approximately 10,000 students have graduated from the school. The
drop out rate is 0%; the teenage pregnancy rate is less than 1% (in comparison to the
national average of 14%). There is no school violence. More than 50% of students go onto
institutions of higher learning, be these universities or technical schools, and 75% of
graduates work in the agricultural/farming sector. Moreover in the standardized tests
administered by the Ministry of Education, the Escuela Agro-Ecológica de Pirque has the
highest scores among all students at agricultural schools in the greater metropolitan region
of Santiago as well as for university entry.
Background
Despite being touted as the Latin American economic “miracle”, unequal access to quality
education persists in Chile and constitutes a major challenge for this country. Chile’s
education system exacerbates existing and growing social and economic divides with the
wealthy having access to top quality schools from which the poor are excluded. The
Escuela Agro-Ecológica de Pirque has demonstrated that quality education can be provided
for the poorest sectors, breaking the cycle poverty and improving opportunities for
individual students, transforming their families and their communities.
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Latin America
Fundación Origen and The Escuela
Agro-Ecológica de Pirque
Founded in 1991
Chile
www.fundacionorigen.cl
Strategy
Fundación Origen is comprised of three entities: the Escuela Agroecológica de Pirque, the
Origen Study Center and Villa Virginia. Escuela Agroecológica de Pirque: similar to all
schools, students take math, science, literature and history, but they also take
bioagriculture and computer science as well as personal development workshops. The
educational model is based on 4 pillars: love, compassion, equanimity and joy. Teachers
are the primary ingredients in the success of the school, selected not only for their
qualifications, but also for their commitment to the School’s mission and to its students.
Students are selected based on a standard written exam, interviews with them and their
caretakers, and a three-week trial period during the summer vacation months in which the
student participates in the school’s agricultural activities to see if this type of work
interests him/her. Priority is placed on accepting low-income students with histories of
delinquency and school failure. Upon entering, students must decide whether they are
committed to abiding by the norms of “sustainable coexistence”. The school community,
including teachers and the students already there, does not tolerate any form of drugs nor
violence. Entering students and their parents sign a contract with the principal to this
effect and understand that transgressions are subject to immediate expulsion. Particular
emphasis is placed on individual responsibility for one’s behavior. The Ministry of Education
supports the teachers’ salaries and benefits. This covers 70% of the budget. To generate
the remainder, Fundacion Origen sells its organic products (cheeses, marmalades, baked
goods, honey, etc.) and offers top lodging and restaurant services for retreats and
workshops or personal growth.
The Entrepreneur
Born in Santiago, Mary Anne comes from a family of landowners. She lived in Chile until
she was 7 years old when her family moved to France and she and her younger sister were
sent off to Swiss boarding school. She rebelled in frustration, getting expelled from one
school after another. She ended up in a small school run by a loving Swiss couple and
teachers. All of a sudden, she loved learning and ended up getting good grades. Upon
graduation, she returned to Chile. Her mother offered her a graduation present, and Mary
Anne decided to take a week’s trip to Easter Island. Upon arrival, she befriended a local
island girl whose parents took to Mary Anne immediately. The father was an organic farmer
and taught her everything he knew about the art and trade, as well as a love for nature.
On return to Chile, she started volunteering in a juvenile detention facility on the outskirts
of Santiago. There, she discovered her passion for education and rejected youth. But she
had no qualifications to engage in any professional work in this area. Mary Anne’s
determined pursuit to follow her dream of setting up an agricultural school for at-risk
youth, while learning from setbacks and mobilizing a wide cross section of society to
support her efforts have helped her achieve what others would consider impossible.
213
Martin Burt
Model: Hybrid Non-Profit , Social Business
Focus: Civic Participation, Education, Environment, Microfinance, Rural Development
The Innovation
The Fundación Paraguaya (FP), founded in 1985, was the first microfinance institution in
Paraguay and is a founding member of the Acción International microfinance network. In
1995, FP brought financial and entrepreneurial education to the children and youth of
Paraguay (Junior Achievement). Today, the FP is using this experience in microfinance and
education to develop innovative solutions to poverty and unemployment and proactively
disseminate them around the world. As a case in point, in 2002 FP took over a bankrupt
boys´ agricultural school and set out to turn it into a financially self-sufficient, co-
educational school that would transform the children of poor farmers into financially
successful “rural entrepreneurs”. Five years later (2007), this goal was achieved. Since
then, the school’s 17 on-campus enterprises, run by students and professors, have been
generating enough income (US $300,000 in 2007) to cover all of the school’s operating
costs, including depreciation, while providing a platform for students to learn technical and
entrepreneurial skills. At the same time, the practical, market-oriented education that
students receive allows them, immediately upon graduation, to find decent jobs in the
modern agricultural sector and create their own small enterprises or enter university.
Drawing on this experience at its San Francisco Agricultural School, FP has become a
pioneer in a new kind of agricultural education: a model which provides 100%
employability to poor rural youth through a 100% market-based curriculum in free, high
quality 100% financially self-sufficient schools. In 2007, FP made a commitment under
the Clinton Global Initiative to replicate its model in 50 schools around the world over the
next 10 years. To date, the model is being implemented in five other schools in Latin
America and Africa, and another 19 schools around the world in various stages of
beginning implementation. In addition, FP is disseminating this model through its
London-based partner, TeachAManToFish, which has developed a network of 930
institutions in over 85 countries which are interested in the concept of financially
sustainable schools. Through these achievements, the FP is fulfilling its role as an
innovative social enterprise—both by bringing about an “equilibrium change” and sparking
a “widespread movement.” The high percentage of students finding employment upon
graduation points to the power of this new educational model to enable low-income youth
to overcome poverty. In addition, as self-sufficient agricultural schools form high-quality
public-private partnerships and receive media attention, there is new public awareness of
this transformative educational model and the potential for policy changes on the part of
governments and donor organizations.
Background
Paraguay is about the size of California, but has only one sixth the population—about 6.5
million. It is one of the poorer countries in Latin America, with Gross National Income per
capita of about $1670 and a third of the population living on less than $2 per day. The
population is also young and in need of greater educational opportunities: nearly 40
percent of the population is made up of children aged 0-14, and only slightly more than
half of the young people aged 15-24 have completed 9th grade. About 14% of youth aged
15-24 are unemployed and looking for work and another 16 percent of this age group is
neither in school nor looking for work. This adds up to 30% of young people aged 15-24
who are neither obtaining marketable skills in school, nor using such skills in productive
work, an indication that a valuable economic resource—human capital--is being wasted.
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Latin America
Fundación Paraguaya and
TeachAManToFish
Paraguay
www.fundacionparaguaya.org.py
www.teachamantofish.org.uk
This situation points to the need to provide youth, especially those at the bottom of the
pyramid, with skills that will enable to find employment or create their own businesses. In
this respect, Paraguay mirrors the conditions in many other developing countries.
Strategy
FP develops innovative solutions to poverty and unemployment in Paraguay and
proactively disseminates them throughout the world. It does his through four inter-related
strategies: (1) a microcredit program begun in 1985, which today has a loan portfolio of
US$ 15 million and 33,000 clients, including a dynamic women’s village banking program
serving 16,000 women micro-entrepreneurs in urban and rural areas; (2) an economic and
financial education program (Junior Achievement) for children and youth started in 1995,
which serves 20,000 students per year; (3) a financially self-sufficient agricultural school
operated by the FP since 2003, which trains the sons and daughters of poor farmers to
become successful “rural entrepreneurs”; and (4) TeachAManToFish, an NGO established
in London in 2005 to disseminate the FP model of “education that pays for itself” and which
now has a network of 935 members in over 85 countries. The four programs are separate
in budgetary and financial terms, but are closely integrated at the operational level, so that
each program enriches, and is enriched by, the other three. The Agricultural School
achieved financial self-sufficiency in 2007. The FP’s success in managing its ‘triple bottom
line’ of sustainable development - economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental
quality – is based on the fact that its programs are not stand-alone, but mutually
supporting and reinforcing. In addition, its programs are financially sustainable, ensuring
their future continuity and growth, and offering the independence to innovate. Local and
international partnerships keep its techniques cutting-edge and leverage its impact.
The Entrepreneur
The man behind the Fundación Paraguaya is Martin Burt, a highly energetic, extroverted
social entrepreneur with an idea a minute. He has a talented team of managers running
each aspect of FP’s programme, and its board members are recruited from the best of
Paraguay’s business community. It is difficult to appreciate the enormity of Burt’s
undertaking in setting up FP under Stroessner’s repressive regime. For example, it was
forbidden for more than 3 people to congregate for any reason, yet initially, FP’s model
followed the Grameen Bank’s practice of working through solidarity groups to qualify for a
loan. These groups were comprised of at least five individuals, and the Foundation had to
operate carefully under the radar of the police and other authorities. In 1988, Stroessner
moved to shut down FP after Burt spoke at an international conference in the US and
discussed the challenges of spearheading a civil sector organization in the context of a
dictatorship. A week before the closure date, Stroessner was ousted from power in a
military coup. Burt has twice served in public office, once as Vice-Minister of Commerce in
the transition government after Stroessner’s fall, and once as the elected Mayor of
Asunción. Among other honors, Burt has received the Microfinance Award for Excellence
in Social Responsibility from the Inter-American Development Bank and the Skoll
Foundation Social Entrepreneur Award, and distinguished alumni awards from the
University of the Pacific and the George Washington University, as well as the 2007 Social
Innovation Award from Brigham Young University. He is an Avina Foundation leader as well
as an Eisenhower Fellow from the US and the Republic of China. He was twice elected
president of the Paraguayan-American Chamber of Commerce. His commitment to
education was featured at the 2007and 2008 Clinton Global Initiative. He serves as a
Trustee of the Karatara Project in South Africa. Martin Burt is also Visiting Professor in
Social Entrepreneurship at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. He was
recently appointed to World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Empowering Youth and
named a Synergos Senior Fellow.
215
Orlando Rincón Bonilla
Focus: Children and Youth, Enterprise Development, Technology
The Innovation
ParqueSoft supports the creation and development of software enterprises in 12 major
Colombian cities located along the Valle del Cauca corridor. To date, this network of
technology parks includes 200 enterprises, 800 entrepreneurs and more than 400
professionals that provide them with administrative and business development services.
ParqueSoft is innovative in three areas: Its business model: a non-profit organization, its
purpose is to develop and strengthen business entrepreneurs who design and produce
software goods and services. These young entrepreneurs come from the most
marginalized communities in the Valle del Cauca. ParqueSoft is not an incubator, but is
built on the notion that each is part of a growing community of entrepreneurial ventures
that synergistically nurture one another’s creativity and talents and welcome new
entrepreneurs into its growing fold. Its organizational model: the board of ParqueSoft is
comprised of its entrepreneurs. The group defines the policies, strategies and activities.
With a policy of “zero bureaucracy,” all administrative activities are subcontracted to other
enterprises within or outside ParqueSoft, thus reducing costs of rent, electricity,
communications and maintenance to a minimal annual US$ 300 per person. Its selection
model: the selection of entrepreneurs is based on an interview between the candidate and
a committee of 12 ParqueSoft entrepreneurs. The most important criteria for selection are
the characteristics of the entrepreneur and their colleagues, including their willingness to
invest their energy, passion and talents, to take risks and work hard to achieve their goals.
The content of the product they propose to develop is likewise important, but slightly less
so. The least important is the existence of a business plan and the curriculum vitae of the
entrepreneur.
Background
Orlando Rincón Bonilla is a firm believer in the creative capacity and commitment of his
compatriots. But with the enormous challenges that face the nation, what is the best social
and economic development model that will allow economic growth, enhance equity and
justice while not compromising that creativity? In pursuit of an answer to that question,
he visited several Asian and European countries that were being touted as “economic
miracles” thanks to their ability to create a niche in the Information Technology industry.
He observed with disappointment that behind that miracle were managers—not
selfstarting entrepreneurs—who had been hired by global companies located in Los
Angeles or London, justifying the low wages paid by reasoning that the workers were
earning much more than they would if contracted by a local company. That was not good
enough for Bonilla.He returned from this sojourn convinced that it was possible, with a
small amount of capital, to start a software technology park that would create major
opportunities for Cali, a city suffering the economic and social consequences of drug
trafficking.
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Latin America
Fundación Parque Tecnológico
del Software (ParqueSoft)
Founded in 1999
Colombia
www.parquesoft.com
Strategy
Anyone who thinks that ParqueSoft is primarily about Information Technology businesses
would be mistaken. ParqueSoft is fundamentally focused on creating social value, not software
companies. Its mission is to stimulate democracy and justice through the inclusion of
previously marginalized young people living in low-income communities. ParqueSoft seeks to
transform them into protagonists of their enterprises, not employees. For large global
companies such as Microsoft and IBM, ParqueSoft is highly interesting since it contributes to
the development of the software industry in Colombia and helps with job creation.
ParqueSoft’s 12 offices are located in the major cities of the Valle del Cauca; each is a beehive
of activity. Within a large open space, enterprises are organized into blocks, depending on the
size of the team. Each team is a software company that designs, develops and sells many
different types of software including optics, artificial intelligence, edutainment, and
bioinformatics and, as of early 2005, tools for nanotechnology. These companies currently sell
their software in 42 countries. The open space system allows for continuous informal
exchanges within and across each company. ParqueSoft has created a great ecosystem that
stimulates innovation, inquiry and improvement of software products for sale to national and
international clients. ParqueSoft supports all these efforts in their early stages. It organizes
support in 16 areas; each is under the responsibility of entrepreneurs with expertise in that
field, who, from their own enterprises, provide the support. These areas include legal support,
market analysis, human resources, communications and public relations, savings funds, credit
and risk capital funds and business development, to name a few. To foster an entrepreneurial
culture, ParqueSoft has a programme whereby every two months it integrates 150 young
people for 8 weeks into the different enterprises according to their interests. The youth
participate in the activities of the enterprise and learn what it is like to be wrapped up in the
world of technology and science from a venture perspective. The objective is to teach these
young participants about technology and business, and help them to envisage themselves as
agents of change rather than as future employees.
The Entrepreneur
Bonilla, one of ten siblings, grew up in an impoverished neighborhood in Cali, Colombia.
Though his political activism as an adolescent cost him a place at the public university, it
opened other opportunities. He won a scholarship at a private university that educated the
sons of Cali’s major businessmen. This marked a turning point for Bonilla, as his exposure to
their way of thinking influenced his own, convincing him that ideology alone was not the
answer. His double specialization in engineering and anthropology, and his passion for
mathematics, led him to computer sciences and software. In 1984, he founded Open Systems
Ltd, which became one of the leading examples of Colombia’s emerging software industry. As
head of the company, he accumulated a wealth of experience and knowledge on running and
managing a software company. But he was troubled by the tension between profit
maximization and the importance of social development, which remained of paramount
importance to him. He realized he had to foster entrepreneurs with a different mindset that
would understand that markets could provide a way to achieve equity and justice, and decided
to pursue that vision. Bonilla sold all of his stock in Open Systems and founded ParqueSoft in
1999 as a non-profit enterprise. From the outset, he wanted to build an innovation park that
would draw young entrepreneurial minds from poor communities who showed talent in
software development and a commitment to their communities and country—not just to their
financial balance sheets.
217
Alvaro Dávila
Focus: Enterprise Development, Financial Inclusion, Homelessness & Housing
The Innovation
At a time when paternalistic, palliative approaches dominated efforts to work with the poor,
José María Campoamor had an innovative vision. He maintained that any such efforts
should use market-based approaches, and he set out to establish opportunities that linked
the poor to the formal market system. His creation of Workers’ Circles and Savings Banks
would evolve into what today is the Fundación Social which since its inception in 1911 has
been based on two principles: workers as the primary actors of their own development,
and to spur that development, the need to cultivate their “virtue to save”. Campoamor
mobilized thousands of poor workers to set aside small amounts of money in their savings
banks, agreeing to contribute the interest generated to education, nutrition, housing and
other basic needs underpinning personal and collective progress. Contrary to a company
that creates a foundation to channel its charitable activities, the Fundación Social is a non-
profit “holding” that has set up 12 highly successful for-profit companies. These compete
in the market and throughout their history have focused on 3 areas: banking, insurance
and housing. The mission of the Fundación Social is to “contribute to overcome the
structural causes of poverty in Colombia by building a more humane, prosperous and just
society”. The way to accomplish its mission is by owning and managing profitable, poor-
oriented business enterprises. Among other companies, the Fundación Social is the major
shareholder in the BCSC bank, with its networks Banco Caja Social BCSC and Colmena
(insurance); and Deco Construcciones (low income housing construction). The Fundación
Social today is the 5th largest private financial group in the country with about 6% of the
banking market. It has 5 million poor clients who benefit from its 320 offices in 56
Colombian cities. In the low-income sector, Banco Caja Social Colombiana (BCSC) is the
largest provider in Colombia and Latin America, a leader in financial services and
mortgages for low-income sectors.
Background
From its inception, the mission of the Fundación Social has been to address the root causes
of poverty in Colombia. Today, over 60% of the country’s population lives below the
poverty line. Income inequality is one of the highest in Latin America, while violence
remains a chronic phenomenon exacerbating social conditions. From the moment José
María Campoamor, a Jesuit priest of 36 years, arrived in Colombia from Spain, he was
impressed with the vivacity and intelligence of Colombian children. They became the entry
point for what would be developed with their parents, the “workers’ circles” and “savings
banks” that later evolved into the Fundación Social. Campoamor’s initiative spread quickly
thanks to his ability to mobilize a large contingent of women who, while not being religious,
dedicated their lives to replicating “workers’ circles” together with “savings banks”.
Demand for “workers’ circles” grew exponentially, based on the interest of municipalities
throughout the country, but Campoamor insisted these would only be spearheaded if the
workers were also ready to simultaneously open a Savings Bank. The circles focused on
three areas: Educational opportunities (schools, newspapers, workshops, printing press,
libraries, etc.); Economic opportunities (Savings banks, housing construction and loans,
218
Latin America
Fundación Social
Founded in 1911
Colombia
www.fundacion-social.com.co
insurance, restaurants, grocery stores, etc); and cultural opportunities (popular

celebrations, theatre, sport, etc.) Campoamor died in 1946 and the leadership eventually
passed to lay hands – although it was never a Jesuit initiative. Alvaro Dávila became
President of the Fundación Social in 1986.
Strategy
Fundación Social develops its activities through two main departments. One focuses on
creating the conditions whereby civil society and business organizations in poor communities
can emerge and thrive. Fundación Social provides hands-on accompaniment to very poor
communities, providing skills building and leadership training as a first step, and subsequently
connecting their enterprises to the formal economy. The second area of the organization is
responsible for the functioning of its 12 businesses, creating others as needed. The
organization seeks to be a market leader in financial services for the poor in Colombia as well
as to significantly influence solutions to social problems, emphasizing housing, and
microfinance. BSCS offers a range of financial services with an emphasis on savings,
investment, and credit. The main obstacle BSCS has confronted in Colombia is the low use of
banking services due to lack of trust in the banking sector. Thus, its biggest challenge is to
expand the acceptability of its services to the poorest populations and businesses. To promote
use of the banking system, BSCS has created a series of financial incentives for those who
begin to save on a consistent basis, an incentive that has increased by 9% the number of
clients in the last 2 years making use of this offering. One of the striking aspects of the
Fundación Social is the priority it places on its work force - close to 7,500 people work with
the organization and have been there on average for 7.6 years. In addition to offering a fair
wage, the organization promotes the involvement of the workers in its management and
provides personal development and capacity building opportunities as well as benefits in
health, housing, savings, insurance and recreation.
The Entrepreneur
José María Campoamor conceived the underpinnings of what today is the Fundación Social.
His genius lies in having sown the seed that for almost 100 years hence, has been able to
grow and evolve into a continuously pioneering social enterprise. By 1943, Campoamor’s
workers’ circles and savings banks had spread and been consolidated in the country’s major
cities. While the venture was conceived by a visionary pragmatist, the adherence to its mission
has never waived thanks to the contribution of other similar entrepreneurs, equally pragmatic
and committed, who followed the priest’s footsteps and today lead the organization. Among
them are Alvaro Dávila, who has been leading the organization for over 20 years within a
complex political, social and economic climate that has characterized Colombia’s recent
history, and Eduardo Villar, who would convince even the most loyal adherent to Milton
Friedman about the virtues of a market that seeks the common good.
219
José Ignacio Avalos Hernández
Focus: Enterprise Development, Health, Microfinance
The Innovation
Gente Nueva is the umbrella organization for five distinctive programmes. Each one of
them has achieved groundbreaking success in its respective field. Un Kilo de Ayuda (One
Kilo of Help) was set up to fight malnutrition in children under 5 years of age. It is not “just
another food program,” but supplies carefully balanced packages to 26,000 children in
rural Mexico every two weeks. Each child’s weight and height gain is recorded and
analyzed using the latest management information system, InfoKilo. Of the children
starting out with high-risk malnutrition, only 6% remain severely malnourished after 11
months in the program. Anemia is cured in 89% percent of the children in the same time
period. With the help of leading nutrition experts, Un Kilo de Ayuda is constantly improving
the composition of the package and the targeting strategy. Un Kilo de Ayuda also runs
three hospitals and clinics, treating around 78,000 patients a year. Before the hospitals
were handed over to Un Kilo de Ayuda, they were 90% subsidized by grants. Un Kilo de
Ayuda was able to make them operationally self-sufficient within 5 years. The goal is to
provide a replicable model for public and private entities, demonstrating that hospitals can
cover their costs and still benefit the poorest population groups. Jose Ignacio Avalos is also
the founder of Compartamos, the fastest growing and largest microfinance institution in
Latin America, which serves over 1.000.000 clients. Approximately 45% of its capital
stems from local bonds and 30% comes from local commercial banks. The organization
has been a pioneer in proving that the poor are creditworthy and that the microfinance
industry is investment-worthy. In fact, Compartamos has a Standard & Poors rating of A+.
The latest program is Mi Tienda, a new kind of wholesaler that supplies small, rural shops
with products at lower prices and in smaller quantities than traditional wholesalers. The
idea for Mi Tienda was inspired by the observation that the rural poor pay much higher
prices for daily products at their local shops than urban populations with access to large
discount stores. Gente Nueva is working to support Mexico’s fledgling civil society sector
and has been highly innovative in raising funds through card sales, ATM machines and its
product lines from the general public, making it one of the most recognized brands in the
country.
Background
Mexico is firmly established as a middle-income country, albeit with huge gaps between
rich and poor, north and south, urban and rural populations. Deep poverty persists among
the indigenous population in the southern part of the country, mainly in Chiapas, Oaxaca
and Guerrero. But even in villages on the doorstep of Mexico City, it is not uncommon to
find the majority of villagers subsisting on less than two dollars a day. After the 1994-95
peso crisis, access to credit became difficult for most small and medium enterprises and
impossible for the rural poor. Compartamos estimates that only about 12% of the demand
for micro and small loans is currently met in Mexico, and that a large market potential
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Latin America
Gente Nueva
Founded in 1984
Mexico
www.unkilodeayuda.org.mx
remains untapped. In 1995, although Mexico had the highest GNP per capita in Latin
America, the prevalence of malnutrition in children less than 5 years of age was
significantly higher than in Brazil, Venezuela or even Bolivia, one of the poorest countries
in the region. Gente Nueva played an important role in cutting the rate by more than half
by 2000, whereas progress in addressing malnutrition stagnated in the other Latin
American countries.
Strategy
Gente Nueva is tackling various sources of rural poverty and inequality in Mexico.
Alleviating malnutrition in children younger than 5 years is a central focus of Un Kilo de
Ayuda because it is one of the most effective ways of fighting poverty. Every dollar
invested pays off with healthier children that are more capable of learning and more
productive. All Gente Nueva programmes strive for financial self-sustainability. The food
packages are not distributed for free, but are offered to families at 40% of the package
value.
The Entrepreneur
At age 22, José Ignacio Avalos was inspired to start Gente Nueva (initially a youth
movement) as a result of Mother Teresa’s visit to Mexico in 1982 at a time when civil
society organizations were regarded as highly suspicious in Mexico. Since then, Avalos has
either founded or inspired the set up of more than 30 organizations. He is regularly drawn
into government meetings and consultations on issues ranging from economic
development, civil society and nutrition to organizational transparency. Avalos comes from
an entrepreneurial family. He inherited a company that produces beauty products for the
Mexican market, which he also runs, effectively managing two full-time jobs. In addition,
he spends as much time as possible with the beneficiaries in the field. His persistence in
garnering support for Gente Nueva, or rescuing a single child from starvation, is legendary.
221
Martha I. Ruíz Corzo
Focus: Environment
The Innovation
Over the past sixteen years, Martha Isabel (or Pati, as everyone refers to her) has been
working to protect this unique area of the world. The result has been the creation of a
grassroots environmental movement that has transformed the natural resources
management practices of the local population and reoriented public investment from
government authorities. In 1997, the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve was declared the
first protected area in Mexico declared with the approval and support of the local citizens,
thanks to the previous work of the GESG. According to a recent evaluation, 86.2% of its
40,000 local inhabitants report that their quality of life has improved thanks to the
Reserve, and 13,000 hectares of previously deforested land have been recovered as a
result. The Reserve has spearheaded a conservation economy, promoting several schemes
for compensation and payment to local forest owners for environmental services including
initiating CO2 sales under a voluntary mechanism. The Reserve’s local inhabitants are
directly involved in conservation activities and a variety of social networks operate in the
area.
Background
The Sierra Gorda Biosphere occupies 3,835 square kilometers, or 32% of the state of
Querétaro, Mexico. Its dramatic altitude variation (ranging from 300-3,100 metres)
accounts for the wide variety of vegetation, mammals, insects and bird species. Its 95,000
human inhabitants are dispersed over 600 communities. The majority live in poverty and
23% are illiterate. More than 35% of the population migrate to seek work, primarily in the
USA. Seeking a replication of this successful project, a new biosphere reserve was declared
in the neighboring state of Guanajuato, increasing the protected area by an additional
2,368 square kilometres, bringing the total to 6,203 kilometres squared. A similar process
is underway in the neighbouring State of San Luís Potosí. This expansion demonstrates the
replication potential of the project and further increases the protected area of the
bioregion.
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Latin America
Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda
Founded in 1987
Mexico
www.sierragorda.net
Strategy
GESG works on multiple fronts to address the survival needs of the inhabitants — human,
plant and animal —of the Sierra Gorda. It has involved the local population in designing
and implementing alternative economic approaches to land and resource management,
including commercial tree planting, improved farming and eco-tourism. GESG’s public
education campaign reaches 23,000 children a year and serves to introduce new ideas into
the larger population. At open-air markets, GESG has sold thousands of energy-conserving
stoves and odourless latrines, while its extension workers help farmers learn sustainable
agricultural practices. Through these strategies, GESG has ignited a grassroots social
movement. Working with 40,000 inhabitants each year, it has planted three million trees
and 23 productive diversification projects, mostly with ladies. It has catalyzed the
formation of conservation networks that include housewives, local teachers, parents and
students, as well as the wider Sierra Gorda community. Together, they work on community
surveillance brigades, voluntary fire fighting brigades and run GESG’s 93 recycling storage
centres. In 2000, the GESG obtained approval for a full-sized GEF Project, “Biodiversity
Conservation in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve”. It has a seed fund of US$ 6.5 million
and a co-funding commitment whereby the National Natural Protected Areas Commission
of the SEMARNAT, the local UNDP chapter and the GESG participate in the co-management
of a Natural Protected Area between federal government and civil society, becoming a 35
million dollar project thanks to counterpart resources. This strategy has been recognized
by several organizations and the project itself is a milestone in the protection of
biodiversity and sustainable development in México.
The Entrepreneur
Pati Ruíz Corzo sought a simpler way of life nineteen years ago with new values and a
closer relationship to nature. Together with her husband and two sons, she moved from
the city where she had been a music teacher for more than fifteen years to a rural
community in the Sierra Gorda Mountains. There, she committed herself wholeheartedly
to the rescue of the Sierra Gorda region. In 1997, Ruíz Corzo was designated Federal
Director of the Sierra Gorda Reserve. As “sheriff,” she is a force to be reckoned with for
anyone daring to breach environmental protection regulations. Ruíz Corzo is the recipient
of numerous ecology and conservation awards including the Distinguished Services Award
of the Society for Conservation Biology (2003), the UK Green Apple Award (2003, the
Razón de Ser Award of the Merced Foundation (2004) and more recently the VISIONARIS
Award in its Mexican edition, granted by the USB AG Bank.
223
Anna Zucchetti
Geographic Area of Impact: Peru
Focus: Enterprise Development, Environment
The Innovation
The transformational impact of Grupo GEA comes from being one of the first examples in
Latin America of the successful social, economic and environmental management of a
large area — the Lurín Valley — proximate to a rapidly expanding urban conglomerate —
Lima. While there are many examples of nationally protected forests, Grupo GEA’s greatest
achievement has been to show that it is possible to have an integrated, sustainable
development process in a large area (106 square kilometres with a population of 172,000)
on the edge of a chaotically growing city. Anna Zucchetti and her colleagues at Grupo GEA
have spearheaded the design of a sustainable development plan together with the 10 Lurín
Valley districts and 70 local leaders. The plan has become the policy framework for the
national government’s initiatives on urban development and environmental sustainability.
Grupo GEA is currently working to replicate this process in Peru’s second largest city,
Arequipa. Additionally, the cities of Trujillo and Chiclayo are collaborating with Grupo GEA
to preserve their proximate valley regions.
Background
In the developing world, the rapid and chaotic expansion of cities constitutes one of the
most important causes of environmental and social deterioration. Lima is no exception. As
elsewhere, this expansion results mostly from urban migration, with people moving to the
cities to seek greater economic opportunity. Industries also relocate to city outskirts where
they can be assured a supply of cheap and plentiful labour. Political discontinuity, vested
interests, corruption, weak municipal governments and fragmented approaches to
complex problems all explain why cities in the developing countries of Asia and Latin
America have a rate of growth four times greater than even the most rapidly growing
European cities. Since 1995, Peru has been making a concerted effort to enforce industrial
regulations. As a result of international consumer pressure, citizen action and new
government policies, companies have begun to comply with the law. Grupo GEA takes
advantage of the challenge presented by rapid urban growth as well as the trend for
corporate compliance with environmental regulations.
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Latin America
Grupo GEA
Founded in 1992
Peru
www.grupogea.org.pe
Strategy
Grupo GEA began as OACA, a non-profit organization that incubated and spun off Ecolab,
one of the first for-profit companies in Peru to provide environmental services for industry.
Today, both earlier organizations are grouped under Grupo GEA. Ecolab works with over
100 mining, energy, manufacturing and oil companies in Peru. The not- for-profit arm
sustains itself through a mixed source of funding, including a portion of the profits
generated by Ecolab. This allows it to work with a different fee structure for federal and
municipal governments and communities. Through applied research and action projects,
the not-for-profit branch of Grupo GEA contributes to the economic, social and
environmental development of communities by helping them develop their natural and
cultural resources. Zucchetti’s struggle to save the Lurín Valley from urban sprawl and
rampant industrialization is a testament to her ability to engage important stakeholders in
the process and illustrates Grupo GEA’s overall strategy. The Lurín Valley, or Green Valley
as it is now called, provides much of Lima's food. Its ecosystem is highly diverse with
agricultural land, beaches and mountains. It also has exceptional historical significance, as
it is home to the most important archaeological site in central Peru with more than 300
archaeological remains that date back to the Incas. But the Lurín Valley is the last green
valley near Lima, an unsustainable metropolis of more than 8 million people. Working
closely with the poor of the Lurín Valley, Grupo GEA is bringing together sectors that
usually work in isolation. These include the business community and economic
development groups, environmentalists, central and municipal governments, natural
resource management specialists and organizations that promote cultural identity. Grupo
GEA builds institutional and local capacity through workshops, technical support and
financing. In 2007, GEA created a new for profit initiative, Vive Valle Verde, a company
dedicated to commercialization of products and services produced by communities and
local entrepreneurs from the valleys of Lima.
The Entrepreneur
Anna Zucchetti, an Italian by birth, is a biologist educated at Cambridge and Imperial
College in the United Kingdom. She has dedicated herself to ensuring environmentally
sustainable livelihoods for Peru’s urban poor living on the outskirts of the country’s
sprawling cities. Zucchetti was drawn to Peru by an NGO seeking a biologist. Her job was
to set up a lab that could test water and soil quality in Lima and the surrounding region.
When she arrived, she found that the lab consisted of one ancient microscope in the
dilapidated kitchen of an old house — the NGO’s headquarters. Undaunted, she returned
to Europe and undertook a personal campaign to gather as much laboratory equipment as
her alma maters and colleagues were able to contribute, packed them into boxes and
returned to Peru. Under Anna’s leadership, OACA and Ecolab, later brought together under
Grupo GEA, have achieved national prominence and community trust.
225
Margarita Barney
Focus: Agriculture, Handicrafts, Environment, Housing, Rural Development, Technology
The Innovation
GRUPEDSAC disseminates technologies that help address a range of problems faced in
rural Mexico such as the lack of water, food insecurity, rural migration and inadequate
housing. It does this through training and the development of skills, accompanied by
programs of human development to increase the autonomous and organizational capacity
of the community itself. Through its centers, GRUPEDSAC has provided training for
Mexican and Latin American organizations and individuals who have replicated the model
in diverse states of Mexico and in South America.
All technologies are adapted to the respective environment and make sustainable use of
the existing natural resources. In addition, GRUPEDSAC revives cultural traditions and
resources that have been neglected and underutilized and combines them with modern
advances. The organization also grants microfinance loans for the development of small
business and housing improvements. Through the sale of handicrafts made from solid
wastes and processed food, the organization helps families improve their economic
situation.
The group provides environmental training for all sectors of society to raise awareness on
the issues that are currently facing the country. It particularly seeks to raise the awareness
around simple energy saving methods, such as exchanging light bulbs and alternative
energies.
Background
Mexico is considered to be a middle-income country, an emerging market. This disguises
high inequalities, particularly between the urban and the rural population. Out of a rural
population of 24 million, 56% live below the poverty line. Half of them are considered to
be extremely poor. The GDP per capita in the rural area is 73% lower than the national
average. Life expectancy is 10 years less and infant mortality three times higher than in
the cities.
Poverty in the rural areas takes on extreme forms: abandonment of fields, massive
migration, deforestation, erosion, water absence, low productiveness, food insecurity and
precarious housing. Environmental problems are exacerbated by the poverty level. They
are also largely ignored because they are considered to be of lesser importance than the
fight against poverty.
226
Latin America
Grupo para Promover la
Educación y el Desarrollo
Sustentable (GRUPEDSAC)
Founded in 1990
Mexico
www.grupedsac.org
Strategy
GRUPEDSAC takes an innovative, integrated approach to solving the problems of rural
poverty and environmental degradation. Learning centers in the State of Mexico and in
Oaxaca provide hands-on training outside the classroom on technologies and methods of
traditional farming and construction combined with modern advances. The practical
courses are regularly taught in a variety of areas such as permaculture, storage and use
of rain water, organic agriculture and sanitation. The approach can be taught to anyone
from professionals up to the illiterate.
The training centers receive groups or members of civil society organizations from Mexico,
Central America, and Latin America. These trained experts then replicate the appropriate
technologies in their countries and regions of origin. There are now close to 30 training
centers, all started by organizations trained at GRUPEDSAC and following its model. The
Government of Mexico has also constructed 8 small training centers in the most remote
municipalities with the intention of helping to detonate sustainable development in these
areas.
The Entrepreneur
Born in the city of Chihuahua of Mexican nationality, Margarita Barney studied languages
and became an interpreter and translator. She has dedicated most of her adult life to the
support of education in Mexico. She was among the first to bring the Montessori
methodology to Mexico and started a Montessori school in the city of Chihuahua. In Mexico
City, she worked at the center responsible for publishing Montessori guides alongside well-
known pedagogues.
Witnessing the pollution in Mexico City and the widespread indifference of its inhabitants,
she decided to carry out awareness raising campaigns. She studied Ecology, Population
and Development in the Latin-American University and formed the group Environmental
Volunteer of Tecamachalco that later turned into the GRUPEDSAC.
227
Fabio Rosa
Focus: Energy, Environment, Rural Development, Technology
The Innovation
Fabio Rosa has pioneered systems to provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of
impoverished rural Brazilians. His widely replicated Palmares Project established the
standard for low-cost electricity transmission in rural Brazil, reducing costs to consumers
by more than 90%. Today, Rosa is spreading innovative "agro-electric" solutions that
combine photovoltaic solar energy, electric fencing and improved farming and grazing
systems to simultaneously combat poverty, land degradation and global warming.
Background
An agronomist and engineer, Rosa began his work as a secretary of agriculture in Palmares
do Sul, a rural municipality in Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. Rosa found that 70%
of the rural dwellers in the municipality lacked electricity. Because Brazil's electric
distribution systems had been designed to serve large farms, factories, towns and cities,
high transmission costs placed electric service out of the reach of 20 million rural
Brazilians, exacerbating poverty and environmental destruction and intensifying rural-to-
urban migration. Rosa sought to develop a more cost-effective electric distribution norm.
In order to do so, he fought for years for permission and cooperation from state
governments, electric companies, bankers, mayors, equipment manufacturers and
villagers.
228
Latin America
Institute for the Development of
Natural Energy and
Sustainability (IDEAAS)
Founded in 1992
Brazil
www.ideaas.org.br
Strategy
The Palmares Project was designed to provide electricity to rural properties for less than
10% of the government's cost. The system employed just one wire to distribute electricity
to rural properties, and Rosa further lowered costs by substituting materials and using
local labor to build the system. The Palmares Project also taught villagers improved rice
farming techniques (made possible by cheap electric irrigation pumps), boosting farm
incomes by 200-400% and causing many villagers to return to their land from the city.
Rosa later carried the Palmares Project to tens of thousands of other properties and helped
other states implement similar systems. In the 1990s, when the Brazilian government
suddenly stopped supporting rural electrification projects, Rosa established a for-profit
company and a non-profit institution and, through them, began installing thousands of
solar electric systems across Brazil. Today, he is attacking poverty and environmental
degradation in delicate grasslands such as the pampas by packaging solar energy with
electric fencing and managed grazing techniques, offering poor rural dwellers sustainable,
non-destructive livelihoods.
The Entrepreneur
Fabio Rosa was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His father was a manager in a state-owned
bank for 42 years. From him he learned “when money is involved, you get to know a
person’s character.” His mother was a primary school teacher and started her career
working with German immigrants in Rio Grande do Sul, trying to integrate them and teach
Portuguese. Rosa learned from her that “everything that is worth doing is worth doing
well.” Rosa studied Agronomy at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto
Alegre. He became Municipal Secretary of Agriculture in Palmares do Sul at the age of 23
in 1983. According to Rosa, "a project only makes sense to me when it proves useful in
making people happier and the environment more respected and when it represents hope
for a better future."
229
Maria E. Johannpeter
Focus: Civic Participation
The Innovation
Parceiros Voluntarios (PV) prepares people, corporations, schools and universities to
exercise citizenship through organized volunteer work. Conversely, it prepares non-profit
organizations to receive and effectively deploy the skills and goodwill of the volunteers that
provide their services. PV's success stems from its capacity to tap into people's desire to
participate meaningfully in a community. It cultivates a level of competency in people of
all ages and walks of life and teaches leadership skills for the service of all. PV provides a
vehicle for companies to engage in systematic corporate citizenship, sharing the strengths
and skills of their staff with social organizations and increasing staff motivation and
company reputation. It shapes youth for continued civic service and supports schools in
their efforts to open up to the communities in which they are inserted. PV has over
245,000 screened and trained volunteers registered in its database. Over 1,900 large- and
medium-sized companies actively participate in lending their expertise to 2,287 non-profit
organizations in 74 cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The goal is to reach 120 cities.
PV is not just an effective matchmaker for volunteer activity, nor just a volunteer center
or placement agency. Through the professionalizing of both the volunteer and the receiving
agency, PV stimulates people of all ages to see themselves as agents of social
transformation. It is creating a culture of responsible citizenship by applying business
principles and practices to what has been a haphazard, ineffective and inefficient process.
To replicate its approach throughout Brazil, PV is working in collaboration with SEBRAE, the
national enterprise support organization. It is also disseminating its approach through
long-distance, web-supported training.
Background
Volunteer activity is rarely treated seriously as a resource for the recipient or provider.
Rather, it is usually considered to be a non-essential activity for retired, older people or
part of a compulsory community service requirement for younger people graduating from
high school. In Brazil, as elsewhere, people expect the government to respond to social
needs. The majority of volunteer activity stems from a paternalistic root that goes in one
direction — one person gives and the other receives — as in charity. Parceiros Voluntarios
has undertaken the enormous challenge of changing mindsets so that each individual
realizes that they are responsible for the social conditions of their community.
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Latin America
Parceiros Voluntários
Founded in 1997
Brazil
www.parceirosvoluntarios.org.br
Strategy
As with most successful social entrepreneurs, Maria Elena Pereira Johannpeter’s
experience with failure was critical in shaping the winning strategy behind Parceiros
Voluntarios. She wanted to mobilize people to establish a new culture of social service in
Rio Grande do Sul, her home state. She launched a five-month pilot project to test her
idea. Would people be interested in doing volunteer work? First, she developed a list of 20
NGOs that needed volunteers. Then, she secured free television time to announce that she
was looking for 100 people interested in working as volunteers in socially oriented
organizations. The next day, a line of 300 people formed outside her office. But the NGOs
couldn’t absorb 300 volunteers. She took the first 100 in line and gathered the names of
those remaining — they became the first inputs into her database. Five months later, the
pilot project failed because the NGOs did not know how to maximize the talents of the
volunteers, and moreover, the volunteers had unclear expectations about their role. As a
result of this failure, Pereira Johannpeter understood how she needed to shape her new
organization. It was not just about getting people to do volunteer work; to be an effective
volunteer or social organization working with volunteers, one must approach the task in a
systematic, ordered and deliberate way, with a clear sense of purpose and measurable
outcomes. Today, PV its work along two distinct lines of action: Doing and Influencing.
Both are focused on promotion and education. Through selected activities, the
organization empowers people to be agents of transformation and promotes volunteerism
through the following programs: The Doing line comprises the following PV programs:
Individual Volunteer Program; Corporate Volunteer Program; Young Volunteer Partners
Program; Corporate Volunteer Program. The strength of this work is based on the social
mobilization using specific methodologies developed during ten years of experience
promoting a culture of organized volunteerism.
The Entrepreneur
The youngest of ten children, Pereira Johannpeter was born in the pampas of Rio Grande
do Sul to a humble agricultural family. Her father died when she was an infant. As with
most poor families, her mother was completely involved in the community in which they
lived, working to improve their own lives and the lives of those around them. She could
not afford to look after her children, however, and work at the same time. She was able
to enroll them in different schools run by religious orders where she knew they would get
a decent education, food and lodging. As a result, Pereira Johannpeter did not experience
a family life with her siblings, and it was only as adults that they developed sibling
relationships. Even so, she vividly recollects her mother as a leader and supporter who
worked with and for others in her community and draws on her mother's experience for
inspiration for her own work.
231
Adair Meira
Focus: Children and Youth, Environment, Rural Development
The Innovation
Adair Meira's Fundação Pró-Cerrado (FPC) is working to preserve the largely unprotected
cerrado (savannah) biome, which covers 100% of Brazil's Goiás State and 24% of the
country. FPC teaches disadvantaged youth about the environment and places them in
industry jobs where they serve as company-sanctioned environmental educators. By
connecting environmental education with vocational training and job placement, FPC works
to ensure that Brazil's next generation will be more eco-friendly while encouraging
immediate reforms within industries.
Background
The cerrado is a savannah-like landscape covering an area of over 1.5 million square
kilometers in the central Brazilian plateau. It is the second largest neo-tropical biome, with
a total area equivalent to the collective territories of Germany, France, Spain and the
United Kingdom. The cerrado is a mosaic of vegetation types, and its flora and fauna are
considered unique since more than a half its species are indigenous. In the last 30 years,
the cerrado has experienced dramatic demographic and economic development. It has
become the main agricultural frontier in Brazil, and large-scale grain crops and cattle
ranching, with heavy use of mechanization and modern agricultural techniques are
replacing its native vegetation. Statistics indicate that by the year 2000, approximately
50% of the total cerrado had been affected by human activities.
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Latin America
Pró-Cerrado Foundation
Founded in 1994
Brazil
www.fpc.org.br
Strategy
Linking employment opportunities to environmental awareness, Meira has created
incentives for youth ages 14-17 to participate in environmental education activities and
apply their knowledge within FCP's 150 partner companies. Its Young Citizen Program
targets youth from families whose monthly income is no more than twice the minimum
wage. The students, all of whom are required to attend school regularly, study
environmental preservation while acquiring the vocational skills valued by participating
companies, such as administration, mailroom work and construction assistance. After two
months of training, they are placed in jobs with one of the partner companies, where they
are encouraged to educate fellow workers about environmental issues such as power and
water conservation, waste collection and land management. More than 12,000 youth have
taken part in the program to date. FPC has expanded to two Brazilian states, and Meira,
working with McKinsey & Company, has developed a franchise model to spread his
program to others.
The Entrepreneur
While running his own advertising and public relations firm and working with leading
companies in Goiás state, Adair Meira became aware of the destruction of the cerrado.
Meira, who also volunteered in programs to help disadvantaged youth, saw the relationship
between environmental degradation and poverty. As cerrado trees were cut down and
cleared for agriculture or traded for charcoal, land deteriorated and rural-to-urban
migration intensified. Meira knew that it would be impossible to get locals committed to
environmental reform without first addressing their poverty and health concerns. "Our
numbers show growth, our testimonies reflect efficiency and partnerships are growing,"
explains Meira, "but what guarantees the outcome we desire is that the programs are
becoming more and more popular in other social organizations and local communities."
233
Fernando Nilo
Geographic Area of Impact: Chile
Focus: Environment, Electronic Waste Management
The Innovation
RECYCLA Chile was the first company in Latin America to recycle electronic waste properly.
Computers, televisions, mobile phones, fax machines, and scanner have become
indispensable modern technologies. But when these have outlived their usefulness, they
become highly toxic for the environment unless properly discarded. For example, today,
more than 98% of Chileans have a mobile phone. With an average life span of less than
two years, what happens when their owners dispose of them? Fernando Nilo recognized
that e-waste - an emerging 21st century challenge – is also a major business opportunity.
But social and environmental transformation has been at the forefront of his concern. To
achieve the former, he established a system whereby the personnel at RECYCLA that
dismantle the electronic appliances and consolidate the parts for export are former
inmates who seek re-incorporation into the workplace and society.
Nilo and his colleagues have embarked on a massive campaign to raise awareness in his
country and beyond, of the urgent need to recycle electronic waste. This also entails
influencing public policy. To date, there is no legislation requiring recycling, and Fernando
and his colleagues are working with the Ministry of the Environment and other
stakeholders to address this vacuum. RECYCLA has grown rapidly since its inception and
in 2005 it began to generate a profit as enlightened companies have begun to contract its
services to collect and dismantle their e-waste. RECYCLA has also entered into agreements
with social organizations working to bridge the digital divide. It receives and dismantles
their computers at no cost.
Background
The rapid pace of technological change in the field of electronics has made appliances for
homes and office equipment both affordable and widely used. The extreme growth rates
but also ever increasing obsolescence rates result in large quantities of electrical and
electronic equipment being added to the waste stream. This e-waste includes computers,
entertainment electronics, telecommunication equipment, but also cooling appliances,
tools etc. that are discarded. While technical solutions to recycling e-waste are available,
in most cases a legal framework, a collection system, logistics and other services need to
be implemented before the technical solution can be applied. Electronic waste represents
2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70 percent of overall toxic waste. E-waste
is of concern largely due to the toxicity and carcinogenicity of some of the substances if
processed improperly. Toxic substances in electronic waste may include carcinogens such
as lead, mercury, cadmium and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A typical computer
monitor may contain more than 6% lead by weight.
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Latin America
RECYCLA Chile
Founded in 2003
Chile
www.recycla.cl
Strategy
While on the face of it, recycling certain appliances such as mobile phones and computers
promises to be profitable business, the challenge lies in creating a profitable e-waste
management system. For example, to date none of the collective European e-waste
management systems is able to finance its entire operation with the earned income
generated through recuperating and selling valuable components such as gold, silver,
copper, and platinum. They all require in one way or another additional funds to finance
certain steps in the recycling chain. This is the challenge that Fernando Nilo and RECYCLA
face in the Chilean context as they have had to contribute to setting up the entire
management system.
To begin, it has set up a mechanism to receive, collect and store electronic equipment and
appliances. It then classifies the equipment, separating computers, faxes, printers, etc.
The components to be recycled are dismantled and separated. Hazardous waste is
separated according to its level of toxicity and sent to a hazardous waste disposal center.
Non-ferrous metals including copper, aluminium, and stainless steel all follow the same
process. Materials are compacted and stored in containers for export to smelters that
comply with ISO 14.000 standards. RECYCLA sells the material in the national and
international market once it has gone through the entire dismanteling and packing
process. It has been careful about selecting its buyers on the international market, as
many countries have low environmental standards and working conditions. Electronic
waste processing companies in China, for example, will buy the waste at a better price
than their European counterparts, but uncontrolled burning and disposal are just moving
the environmental and health problems to another part of the world. RECYCLA’s
partnerships with corporations have been growing as companies become increasingly
aware of issues around environmental sustainability and their corporate social
responsibility. RECYCLA also works with the prison system to recruit soon-to-be parolled
prisoners who are motivated to learn the recycling process and be employed by the
company.
The Entrepreneur
Are entrepreneurs born or made? Fernando Nilo believes that even if one is born with
entrepreneurial traits, if the conditions that encourage the development those traits are
absent, individual potential will be stifled. For him, the most important characteristic of an
entrepreneur is persistence, following the rule to “never take “no” for an answer”. At age
8, he became aware of the rewards accruing to persistence. On a daily basis, a neighbor
would come to his house to talk to his father who was the owner of a chain of shoe stores.
The neighbor was a bit odd, rather portly and always carried a newspaper. He came to
convince Fernando’s father to investing in a project he wanted to launch. For four months,
and every day, Fernando’s father turned him down. Finally, exhausted by the continuous
visits, he wrote a check. The strange and persistent neighbor turned out to be the well-
known TV personality “Don Francisco” who today is known by Hispanic viewers across the
Americas. Fernando had a tough time launching RECYCLA – he faced social indifference to
a mounting problem and no money to launch the venture. With a family to support, he
returned to university and to perfect his business plan while working at night to earn an
income. In 2008, RECYCLA Chile was nominated as Technology Pioneer by the World
Economic Forum.
235
Dener J. Giovanini
Geographical Area of Impact: Global
Focus: Animals, Environment, Trade
The Innovation
Renctas is riding the global wave of heightened environmental consciousness and taking
advantage of the growing awareness among Brazilians of their country’s unique flora and
fauna and the need to protect these treasures. It is also using the Internet to catalyze a
national movement to curtail trade in wild animals. In only four years, and thanks to the
confluence of these trends, Renctas has been able to dramatically lower the threshold of
tolerance in Brazil to animal trafficking. While wildlife trade in Brazil is illegal, the laws were
seldom enforced and selling wild animals as pets around the world has been commonplace.
Thanks to the work of Renctas and its collaboration with other like-minded institutions,
including governmental agencies and the business sector, animal trafficking is now
denounced and prosecuted as a crime. To achieve this massive national attitudinal change,
Renctas works on three fronts. First, it raises national awareness of animal trafficking,
educating the general public on this issue. Secondly, it supports public authorities
responsible for the surveillance and control of trafficking. Finally, it conducts research to
further improve its public outreach activities. Renctas has provided the public at large with
a web-based mechanism for reporting such cases so that the authorities can pursue the
perpetrators. Renctas works closely with those most likely to encounter illegal trafficking
activities, including agents from federal, civil, forest and military police.
Background
The 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) has failed to successfully regulate the international wildlife trade. Trade in
wild animals has become a global industry of several billion dollars annually, primarily
because of the combined lack of public awareness, the strength of vested interests and
lack of legal enforcement. In Brazil alone, the annual turnover in illegal trafficking of plants
and animals is US$ 1.5 billion. The trafficking is controlled by 400 gangs and is the third
largest illegal trade after drugs and weapons.
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Latin America
RENCTAS
Founded in 1999
Brazil
www.Renctas.org.br
Strategy
RENCTAS is a young organization with 12 full-time employees and an apprenticeship
program with 8 students. However, Renctas has been able to mobilize an active body of
1,200 volunteers to its cause from all segments of society. It has also formed sound
partnerships with other entities working to curtail trafficking in wild animals, including the
Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, different police branches and
Interpol. Among the business entities that support and work with Renctas are BR
Distributors and Furnas Centrais Electricas. These strategic alliances have enabled Renctas
to work within a powerful network, pooling resources and taking advantage of different
platforms, particularly the Internet, for engaging all social actors in a concerted effort to
address this harmful practice. Renctas has generated interest from other countries in the
Americas, including the US, Ecuador, Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay and Peru to initiate
a South American Network to fight trafficking of wild animals.
The Entrepreneur
Dener Giovanini has been an active environmentalist since the age of 16. He studied
Biological Sciences, but left his studies to help found a number of environmental
organizations, including the Brazilian Green Party. Since starting the highly visible work at
Renctas, he has received several threats to his life.
237
Macarena Currín
Geographical Area of Impact: Chile
Focus: Family Entrepreneurship, Housing and Vocational Training
The Innovation
Rodelillo helps families to transform histories of poverty and dependency into lives of
opportunity and self-reliance. Working with business, government institutions, foundations
and the local community, Rodelillo’s 18-month psycho-social family companionship has
assisted thousands of poor Chilean families to make such transformational changes.
Rodelillo has also launched three social business ventures linked closely to the institution’s
core mission that generate new sources of income and positive social impacts. The first
social business venture, Rodelillo Takes Flight, is a fee-for-service vocational training
institute with ISO 9001 and UKAS certifications. It was launched in mid-2006 and already
contributes about 13% of the Foundation’s annual budget. It is growing rapidly. The
second, called Rodelillo Inside the Company, works with medium-to-large businesses to
install Rodelillo’s model for the benefit of those employees/subcontractors and their
families.who are committed to take charge of their dreams and destinies. This program is
ideal for companies wishing to materialize their Corporate Social Responsibilities and
increase their workforce’s well-being, productivity and stakeholding. The third social
business was initiated in 2007 as a Social Housing Brokerage Agency which has prepared
several hundred families to become homeowners. Finally, Rodelillo continues to bid
successfully for publicly-funded social projects, thereby increasing its economic
sustainability and social impact.
Background
In addressing poverty, Latin American societies have tended to rely on paternalistic
approaches rather than encouraging personal development, independence and
entrepreneurship. Chile is no exception. But Rodelillo refuses to follow a one-size-fits-all,
bureaucratic solution for the poor. The key to positive social change lies in the many
untapped strengths in each family. Rodelillo helps families to draw on those strengths, and
to respect and believe in their latent capacities to be the protagonists of their own
development; this in turn reinforces their sense of self-worth and confidence in their ability
to achieve self-defined goals.
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Latin America
Rodelillo Foundation
Founded in 1987
Santiago de Chile
www.rodelillo.cl
Strategy
During its 21-year history, Rodelillo has worked with about 8, 000 poor Chilean families,
or some 30, 000 individuals, helping them to set and accomplish their goals. More than 5,
000 families have graduated from, or are currently participating in, Rodelillo’s 18-month
family accompaniment programs. Many of these families have also become owners of one
of the almost 1,800 homes designed and built by Rodelillo. As the conditions in which we
live evolve, so has Rodelillo. The Foundation’s community-based family accompaniment
program is an effective and replicable model. At the same time, Rodelillo Foundation has
modified its organizational structure so it can reach thousands more poor or socially-
vulnerable families. Such families are organized not solely by geographical proximity but
also by a common employer or industry, common associations or memberships, and
common needs such as social housing or vocational training, or other shared identities.
This new structure means that Rodelillo will eventually become fully self-sustaining
financially, replicable and portable, without involving significant increases in personnel or
fixed costs, thus permitting the Foundation to expand and reach countless other needy,
determined families who will also create a path for themselves out of poverty and
dependency. Rodelillo performs a rigorous quantitative and qualitative evaluation process
every six months to measure and interpret its results. The Foundation is also routinely
audited by the government Ministries and Departments with whom it collaborates on some
of its social programs.
The Entrepreneur
As a result of 25 years as a Social Worker in Chile and 5 in the United States, an unusual
family history and her intensive academic preparation, Macarena Currín understands
societies as “co-constructions” among social actors; that is, as the product of the actions
that legitimize the voices and contributions of diverse sets of stakeholders towards
materializing common goals, including strengthening family bonds, providing education
and employment training, promoting health and ecology, co-constructing definitive
housing solutions, and preparing at-risk groups for self-dignity, empowerment and
responsible citizenship.
239
Eugenio Scannavino Neto
Focus: Communication / Media, Education, Environment, Health, Rural Development, Water
The Innovation
Eugenio Scannavino and his brother Caetano Scannavino, created Saude e Alegria (SA),
meaning “Health and Happiness", to reach isolated communities living along the Amazon
River. The Health & Happiness Project (SA) has been working in the Amazon region since
1987 in extractivist communities along the Amazon, Tapajós and Arapiuns rivers, in the
western rural areas of the municipalities of Santarém, Belterra and Aveiro, in the state of Pará.
In 2003, the organization started to gradually expand the areas it works in to 150 localities,
involving around 30,000 beneficiaries. The objective is to support participatory and integrated
processes of comprehensive and sustained community development, managed by the
population itself. Starting with the most pressing needs and the inputs of residents, Health
and Happiness seeks out simple solutions adapted to the available resources in the
communities themselves. It has an interdisciplinary team of doctors, agronomists and
educators from a range of areas who regularly visit the communities to pursue Integrated
Development through activities devoted to community organization, health, agro-forestry
production and management, income generation, education, art and culture, gender, children
and youth, popular communication and participatory research. It is a small touring circus that
includes a radio, a TV and a newspaper entitled "Mocorongo", all of which are produced by the
youth of the forest. The lessons learned also enable the construction of well-adapted and
demonstrative social technologies of low cost and high impact quality. These systems can be
implemented in different areas and contexts. Consequently, Health and Happiness has
received ever increasing requests to advise other institutions, be it governmental or non-
governmental, in or outside the Amazon region. The challenge now is to change the scale of
work and universalize the successful experiences.
Background
The Amazon is the largest remaining tropical forest in the world, covering an area as large as
Western Europe or the US. It is thought to be the most diverse ecosystem on Earth and is
home to about 20 million people, including an estimated 180,000 indigenous people and many
more than 5 million caboclos (traditional forest dwellers of indigenous and Portuguese
ancestry). These people rely on this ancient forest for their way of life. However, the
destruction of the Amazon has reached record levels, in 2004 with the annual rate reaching
26,130 square km, when President Lula’s Action Plan to Curb Deforestation had already been
adopted. In 2007 this rate had already decreased more than 50%. During the same period,
Lula’s government celebrated the rapid expansion in grain production and world leadership in
soybean exports. Lula’s government faces a fundamental predicament: whether to fight
Amazon deforestation or promote the expansion of agribusiness in order to pay the Brazilian
external debt. To make a real difference, the government needs to restrict soy plantations to
areas that are not still deforested, combat illegal logging, continue to create protected areas
and effectively implement their own anti deforestation plan.
Strategy
Saude e Alegria’s strategy is based on community organization and self-governance
underpinned by a respect for people and an unwavering belief in their innate capacity to
contribute meaningfully to economic and social development. However, it takes time to get to
the point where a community can chart its own destiny and monitor progress against
commonly decided objectives. SA supports those communities eager to undertake such a
process by providing training and accompaniment to the leadership, and working with them
to cultivate citizenship and self-management. With each community, it develops a process of
participatory diagnosis, monitoring and evaluation in multiple areas (primarily health and
income generation), helps identify possible market-oriented activities, encourages the
240
Latin America
Saúde e Alegría (Health and
Happiness Project) / Amazônia
Brasil
Founded in 1985
Brazil
www.saudeealegria.org.br
formation of cooperatives and aids in the identification of their markets. Further, SA educates
the community in practices geared to preserve the environment, encourages inter-community
exchanges and develops partnerships with the public and private sectors.
The impact of SA’s activities on the health of the communities where it works is evident. The
results have been outstanding: 100% of the families have sanitation, clean water, 98%
children immunization, infant mortality has dropped dramatically to 18:1,000 in comparison
to 48:1,000 in communities where SA has not been active. There has been a higher than
average noticeable increase in improvements in education and training programs for the
younger population. SA works within formal and non-formal education systems to stimulate
learning, inquiry and problem solving. As a result of their activities, there is a significant
difference between the literacy rate of SA communities and those without the organization’s
involvement—illiteracy in the latter is 11.3% in comparison to 5.5% in SA communities. In
the Popular Youth Network, youngsters and teenagers practice to be "Rural journalists" by
writing in their own newspapers, radio and TV programs and cartoons. Until 2008 there have
been 11 internet centers run by solar energy freeing these people living in the communities
of the isolation and at the same time, by comparing themselves with the rest of the world,
they notice and are proud of the place in which they live. It has contributed to the
environmental, cultural and social preservation of these communities, with more than 1500
local agents in all different sectors. Finally, SA’s work is having positive effects on the region
as a whole. By working with individual communities to build leadership and self-determination,
and by creating a communications network tying previously isolated villages together, a
coalition of villages along the river was formed. After an exhaustive effort that involved over
300 community leaders, the Federation of Communities and their Organization of the Tapajós
was founded and is now successfully arresting the advance of large agro-industrial companies
that are trying to take over their land. With the law on their side, the federation has been able
to ensure that the state and federal governments support their efforts. The Scannavino
brothers (Eugenio and Caetano) helped establish several organizations for the benefit of the
region. The GTA (Amazon Working Group) brings together 650 organizations of the traditional
peoples of the Amazon region to give voice to the community. The Amazônia Brazil
Initiative.(www.amazoniabrasil.org.br) is an exhibition that has been held in São Paulo in
2002 (with 250,000 visitors), in Rio de Janeiro in 2003 (with 30,000 visitors), Paris in 2005
(with 150,000 visitors), in Lausanne in 2006 and Bavaria in 2007, New York and Tokyo 2008
( 160,000 visitors) Because the PSA model of integrated and participatory development
programs can be implemented in different areas and contexts, there has been increasing
requests to advise institutions in Venezuela, Mozambique, India and the Philippines.
The Entrepreneur
Eugenio Scannavino Neto is the son of Italian immigrants to Brazil. He graduated from medical
school in São Paulo at the top of his class. His parents had high hopes that he would become
the head of an important hospital in São Paulo. While completing his residency in Rio de
Janeiro, however, he realized that little attention was ever given to a person’s healthy
characteristics. Scannavino’s search for the roots of health led him to specialize in tropical
medicine. In 1984,he was contracted by the municipality as a rural doctor to reach remote
areas, and was assigned to an area in the Amazon. He knew that health in the Amazon was
not a question of doctors and medicine; prevention was the key and it had to involve the
communities themselves. Since Brazil was under dictatorial rule at the time, Scannavino’s
efforts to organize communities around health aroused the suspicions of the authorities, who
suspended his program. He spent the next year gathering a group of committed young
professionals from various disciplines that wanted to work with him in the Amazon; the result
was Saude e Alegria. His brother, Caetano, has worked with him since the beginning. Eugenio
has been the recipient of many awards, including recognition as an Ashoka Fellow, World
Citizen from Bahai International, and was named a “Pioneer of the 21st Century” by 2000
World Media. Saude e Alegria has also received wide recognition, including, the Milton Santos
Health and Environment Award in 2002, the World Bank Citizenship Award, and the Telemar
Digital Inclusion Award for NGOs in the North and Northeastern regions in Brazil.
241
Marcela Benitez
Geographical Area of Impact: Argentina
Focus: Education, Rural Development
The Innovation
Marcela Benitez, a geographer and sociologist by training, spent seven years traveling
throughout Argentina as part of her work at the National Research Council for Science and
Technology (CONICET) as an academic researcher. Benitez established RESPONDE, which
promotes the recovery of small rural villages at risk of disappearing by motivating rural
villagers to work for their future. The villages are empowered by RESPONDE through their
social and economic projects. Working with interested companies, universities, private
citizens and local government, RESPONDE builds the capacity of townspeople to engage
successfully in new avenues for generating livelihoods and economic and social projects.
Background
Rural to urban migration is rapidly becoming a global pattern, and Argentina is no
exception. Approximately 90% of the country’s population lives in large cities; many of
these people had to migrate from rural areas in search of better living conditions, only to
find they were worse off than before. According to Argentina’s National Institute of
Statistics and Census (INDEC), over half of the country’s rural villages are at risk of
extinction – approximately 600, home to half a million people. Many of these towns
suffered economically with the massive growth of agribusiness and the closing of railways
that connected these towns to markets and each other. Roads also have deteriorated and
basic infrastructure provided by the State has collapsed, including health services and
education, which is only offered up though primary school. Moreover, the government does
not offer opportunities for growth and development to these towns, only charity.
Meanwhile, violence and crime increase exponentially in big cities, and public services are
diminishing with the constant demand from the arriving population.
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Latin America
RESPONDE / Social and Economic
Recovery of National Rural Villages at
Risk of Disappearing
Founded in1999
Argentina
www.responde.org.ar
Strategy
RESPONDE promotes local development so that people can maintain their cultural ties and
remain in their towns. To date, it has reached approximately 1.4 million people. RESPONDE
pursues three major programs:
1 Production and Micro business: The initiative "Tourism in Rural Villages" promotes local
economic development, favoring the participation of the town inhabitants as service
providers of bed and breakfast inns, local restaurants, tourism and sale of local artisan
products. "Self-sustaining Villages" proposes the self-provision and appropriate food-
supply of small rural communities, based on the natural resources that they already
have. Responde has started an international volunteering scheme called “revivial”.
Advanced students of administration, accounting, economics and other related areas or
volunteers from companies offer help on business planning and technical support in
order to generate micro-businesses.
2) Education & Technology "Educational Responde" It offers the possibility to enroll more
than 500.000 adults who live in rural villages and who have not receive that education
in High School degree programs through via Internet. "WINGS" proposes to brake
ignorance and isolation with the creation of Centers for Socio-Economic- Cultural
Extension that will allow communication via Internet and the development of social,
cultural, and recreational activities.
3) Territorial development & Environment “Golden Villages”: They attract new families to
small rural towns offering them a new lifestyle in a natural setting that respect the
environment. They consolidate the roots of the rural population when offers a basic
infrastructure of services and the creation of new social opportunities and economically
sustainable. They encourage the decentralization of big cities and, as a result, lead to
the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases.
The Entrepreneur
For seven years, Marcela Benitez studied geography at a university in the north of
Argentina, where she observed first hand the economic and social problems that were
arising in the small rural villages outside of Buenos Aires. Throughout her studies, she
encountered more and more isolated and forgotten rural villages driving her interest to
investigate if the problem was local or one occurring throughout Argentina.
After completing her degree, she began academic research about how these rural villages
were slowly dying. She developed different ideas on how to revert the situation of these
rural villages, hoping that the government would implement policies and solutions. After
two years, she realized that she must put her own research into action if she wanted to
see a change.
With the creation of RESPONDE based on her previous research, Marcela was able to
galvanize the rest of society to become involved in generating new opportunities for these
villages. She has involved thousands of people to help many rural villages, including
people from all over the country, from universities, companies, and businesses, to help
make new opportunities possible for these villages.
243
André Luis Cavalcanti de Albuquerque
Geographical Area of Impact: Brazil
Model: Social business
Focus: Homelessness and Housing, Regularization of Land Ownership, Urban Planning,

Civic Participation
The Innovation
André Albuquerque founded Terra Nova as a social enterprise committed the sustainable
regularization of illegally occupied properties in urban areas. Terra Nova acts as an
intermediary between the legal land owners and the land occupiers to find a win-win
solution for both sides. It is the first private-sector organization in the country in the sector
of land regularization. Before, the regularization of these dwellings has almost always
depended on actions by the public sector, which, overloaded and lacking funds, worked in
an inefficient manner. Government policies, when carried out, have been restricted to
expropriations and urbanization services.
Background
Currently, 12.4 million Brazilians are living in 3.2 million informal dwellings without access
to public services such as water, electricity, and waste collection. Most of these dwellings
are located in favelas (urban shanty towns) causing a series of negative effects for the
population, such as environmental degradation, diseases and urban violence. In the
municipality of São Paulo alone, economically the largest and most important city in the
country, there are 1,587 favelas, with over half of these located illegally on public land.
The absence of a housing policy for low income groups has been the biggest aggravating
factor in illegal land occupation in the country. Other factors, such as the presence of large
vacant urban plots (the result of land speculation), mass internal migration in search of
jobs in the large cities, excessive bureaucracy in approving housing projects and the
actions of squatters also resulted, mainly in the 80s and 90s, in a significant increase in
favelas in Brazil, areas marked by violence, drug trafficking, high rates of mortality and
the total lack of an urban infrastructure.
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Latin America
Terra Nova Regularizações
Fundiárias
Founded in 2001
Brazil
www.terranovarf.com.br
Strategy
Regularizing land ownership is expensive for the public coffers and not always do
politicians wish to invest in it. Terra Nova was founded to resolve, in an amicable fashion,
various conflicts that had dragged on in the courts for years.
The land regularization process brings a final resolution to the conflict between landowners
and occupants. The property rights are transferred to the occupants after payment of an
indemnity. The title deeds go to the current occupants of the plots. Landowners are
exempted from having to pay taxes accruing on the occupied area. For each plot of land
negotiated, 40% goes to Terra Nova, and 20% to a clearance fund to be used in works
within the community. The remainder goes to the original property owner, who accepts
the deal, even if depreciated, to avoid long court cases that drag on through the judicial
system and hardly ever guarantee the return of the property.
In all the communities regularized by André, the quality of low income families improved.
At the first sign of the title deeds, the local town hall starts to supply water, electricity, a
postal code, basic sanitation and public transport to the residents. This partnership
represents a historic milestone in the country, as it means that the State changes its role
from provider to supporting player in an initiative that promotes improvement in the lives
of those that are least well off. Terra Nova acts directly in negotiations with the public
authorities for structural improvements in the regularized neighbourhoods and indirectly,
by encouraging the formation neighbourhood associations.
In addition to regularizing land ownership, Terra Nova began to develop a program for the
resettlement of the population affected by the construction of a hydroelectric plant in
Rondônia in 2008.
The Entrepreneur
Bringing peaceful resolution to conflicts is a life mission for lawyer André Albuquerque, 48.
He carries out the task of a mediator with a rare competence, using a soft, but firm manner
of speech.
In the resettlement of the riverside dwellers in Rondônia , for example, he gained the trust
of the families to be resettled by camping with them. Today, as soon as he arrives at the
river’s edge, “Mr.” André is received not only as a friend and partner but as part of the
community.
Standing against the tide of people who recriminate against profit in Brazil, André picked
the challenge to set up Terra Nova as a social business. “Terra Nova’s commitment is not
to retain capital. We should not disassociate economic power from the social question.
With a for profit model, we can make the money go around many more times and reach
more people than we otherwise would. If the business had US$ 1 billion, it would be in the
rest of Latin America and Africa.”
His idea is to capitalize those that have no capital. When the occupant becomes the owner,
he can obtain bank loans. The community, legalized, then has the right to improvements
such as asphalted streets and a sewerage system. “When the community unites to put
pressure on the public authorities, it is exercising its political force.”
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Fábio Bibancos de Rosa
Geographical Area of Impact: Brazil
Focus: Children and Youth, Health
The Innovation
While the job prospects for poor youth in general are limited, such opportunities are even
more reduced if the applicant is disfigured as a result of obvious dental or oral
abnormalities. This is the case for thousands in developing countries where oral health and
hygiene are luxuries few can afford and remain at the bottom of the priority list for
struggling public health ministries. Dentista do Bem (Dentist for Good) is unique in Brazil
and in the world. It is the creation of Fabio Bibancos, an unusual dentist who is
transforming opportunities for poor youth.
Working with an ever growing network of public schools that are located in more than 400
cities across 27 Brazilian states, Dentista do Bem identifies poor youth between 11 and 17
years of age who are about to seek their first job and have severe and visible oral health
problems. Using an easily applied instrument validated by the World Health Organization,
these cases are detected and evaluated. Those selected are referred to the dentist closest
to the dentists that belong to the Dentista do Bem network – and as a result, they receive
the best private dental care available – at no cost – until age 18. The cost is absorbed by
the dentist who has a daily average of between 15 and 30 paying patients a day. One of
the main features of the business model is its cost effectiveness and high social return.
With approximately 5,000 direct beneficiaries a year, the cost per client is R$17.31 (around
US$ 8 total per client).
Background
In Brazil, as in the rest of Latin America and perhaps the developing world, dentistry as a
profession has little attraction – either for the patient or for those selecting a career in
health. In addition, the vast majority of dentists, unlike medical doctors or lawyers, are
seldom involved in pro bono work. While Brazil trains approximately 12% of dentists
worldwide, it does not have an oral health policy. A great number of private clinics are
concentrated in the richest regions, generating large idleness; on the other hand, dental
services offered through the public health system are poor in quality and cannot meet the
demand. In short, while the poor have no access to proper dental treatment, many private
clinics are empty.
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Latin America
Turma do Bem
Founded in 2002
Brazil
www.turmadobem.org.br
Strategy
Turma do Bem is a non-governmental organization whose mission is “to change society’s
perception on oral health and perception of dentists on the social impact of their activities.”
Dentista do Bem is now the largest volunteer program in the dental field in Latin America.
The program selects young people in public schools and referred by other NGOs for
treatment based on whether they are below the poverty line, seeking employment and
with a poor oral health profile. A target is established for each municipality based on the
number of youth needing care.
Dentista do Bem creates specific incentives for those who agree to participate in the
network, including a plaque placed at the entrance of their office identifying that they are
“Dentistas do Bem” and are contributing to the greater social good. This public recognition
goes a long way in generating interest in joining the group. The central office in Sao Paulo
also provides systematic follow-up of all cases that is then fed back to the Municipal
Coordinator so that all dentists know how they are affecting the lives of these young
people.
Beyond the Dentista do Bem, Turma do Bem has been developing other projects to
transform the oral health reality in Latin America. Barco do Bem (Boat for Good) is a boat
with state-of-the-art equipment. It follows a hospital boat along the Amazon river (see
description of Saúde e Alegría in this book), offering dental care services to 25.000 remote
riverside families in the Amazon region. Dentista Verde (Green Dentist) is an initiative
aiming at making the dentistry practice more environmentally friendly through the search
for more ecological materials, saving of water and electricity, and recycling of disposable
materials. Financiamento do Bem (Financing for Good) is a study assessing the possibilities
of providing poor people the access to complex oral treatments not available in public
clinics through a microfinance scheme. Pasta do Povo (Toothpaste for the Poor) is a project
to develop low-cost toothpaste and toothbrushes and disseminate them among the poor.
The Entrepreneur
Fabio Bibancos is a passionate advocate for dentistry and has a unique capacity to
convince his counterparts that they can transform the lives of millions of poor simply by
applying their talents as dentists. Fabio has his own clinic. Among his clients are Brazil’s
elite as well as the young beneficiaries of the Dentista do Bem network. Both groups
receive the same level of care. His clinic is the first dental clinic in Latin America to win
the ISO 9001 Certificate of Quality.
From 1997 to 2002, he developed and coordinated the “I Adopted a Smile” program at the
Brazilian Toys Manufactures Foundation, a social project to mobilize volunteer dentist to
assist poor children. That was the genesis of the Dentista do Bem program. In 2002, he
decided to institutionalize the project and mobilized some fellow dentists to open Turma
do Bem. But Fabio Bibancos’ creativity knows no limits. He founded the School of Health
Philosophy, where dentists broaden their horizons through courses and lectures by
professionals from different areas, such as Ashoka entrepreneurs, health area
professionals, politicians, business administrators, advertising and marketing executives
and writers. He also teaches at the most important dentistry school in Sao Paulo, and is
the author of four popular books for people of all ages – on dentistry!
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Felipe Berrios
Focus: Civic Participation, Enterprise Development, Health, Homelessness & Housing
The Innovation
Low-income housing projects have sprung up all over the world. What is different about
Un Techo para Chile (A Roof for Chile) is that it encompasses far more than housing.
Housing is an entry point for community creation and widespread social change among
Chile’s slum dwellers and for the thousands of Chileans who have been inspired to join to
ensure that infrastructures for health, education, job training and employment
opportunities are also put in place. Un Techo para Chile is managed by 100 recent
graduates and young professionals from the best universities in the country who compete
for the privilege of dedicating two years of their lives at below market salaries to run the
organization’s many programmes. Un Techo para Chile has successfully eroded the barriers
preventing national solidarity by generating a commitment by Chile’s youth to the future
of their country. In the process, their parents and the public and business sectors have
joined the effort. To date, the model has been adapted in 13 other Latin American
countries under the name Un Techo para mi País (A Roof for my Country).
Background
While development economists often dub Chile an “economic miracle”, thousands of
Chileans continue to live in crowded slums in deplorable conditions. It was precisely at the
moment when Chile's economic growth was at an all time high—prior to the Asian financial
crisis—that Felipe Berríos launched his effort to demonstrate that many continued to live
in absolute poverty. As Un Techo’s model became successful and Berríos became a
reluctant national icon in Latin America.
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Latin America
Un Techo Para Chile
Founded in 1997
Chile
www.untechoparachile.cl
Strategy
Using housing as a springboard for community creation and social change, Berríos
succeeded in mobilizing university students across the country to work alongside slum
dwellers. After initially building decent housing and infrastructure facilities, they
subsequently supported the community's efforts to enlist local and federal governments to
create an environment where all dwellers have access to quality education, healthcare and
micro-credit as well as opportunities for building skills in preparation for gainful
employment. Since 1997 more than 165.000 volunteers have passed through this
institution, building 40,000 houses and transforming slum areas into communities that
provide dignity for the inhabitants. The graduates and young professionals who run the
organization learn how to manage a social enterprise in a professional and efficient
manner, applying principles of strategic planning, organizational effectiveness,
transparency, monitoring and evaluation.
Un Techo para Chile is characterized by sustainability of action. It has created a movement

of young people that, in turn, catalyze Chileans from all economic and social backgrounds
to unite and ensure that Chile is a country for all, not just for a privileged few. Until mid-
2005,
Un Techo para Chile had no legal status. It simply did not exist as an organizational entity,
but as a loose network of students, citizens and former slum dwellers. The reasons were
strategic. First, Berríos believes that any organizational structure generates bureaucracy
and inertia and sacrifices flexibility. Second, he wanted to avoid having to set up a board
that would assume control of administration, thus diminishing the responsibility of the
recent graduates who run the initiative. Finally, Berríos wanted to protect Un Techo para
Chile from legal action by outraged wealthy landowners of unoccupied adjacent properties
that have tried to sue. If it was not legally constituted, there was no entity to sue.
Recently, Un Techo para Chile entered into negotiations with the Chilean government to
build communities in areas that are closer to urban centers on available government land.
This means that the organization has had to become legally constituted. Berríos has
selected members to its board who respect the nature of the organization. Up to the date,
210 definitive housing projects have already been inaugurated, and there are more than
seven projects in construction.
The Entrepreneur
Felipe Berríos is an entrepreneur who happens to be a Jesuit priest. He exemplifies the
definition of an entrepreneur as “one who pursues opportunities without regard for the
resources currently at hand.” He has been able to leverage human and financial resources
from the public and corporate sectors, and has galvanized the media and the Chilean
population to achieve social transformation, not only by providing the poor with housing
but in creating a sense of mutual respect and responsible citizenship across the country.
Thanks to Berríos’ uncanny marketing savvy, Un Techo para Chile is as well known as a
brand to Chileans as some of the most popular products in the country. Berríos is not afraid
of open debate and is often seen on national television being interviewed on any number
of economic, social and cultural topics. On many occasions, he has taken on the
government when it failed to pursue anti-poverty policies, as well as the Catholic Church,
which is dominant in Chile. Because of his ability to “name and shame” in a loving and
humorous manner, he has gained the respect of the populace, from the former slum
dweller to the President of the country.
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José E. Juárez
Focus: Rural Development, Trade
The Innovation
La Selva is an association of indigenous coffee producers in Chiapas, Mexico that sells its
finished product directly to the consumer, distributing its profits among its members and
to the social needs they identify within their communities. What distinguishes La Selva
from other cooperatives and associations is its commercialization strategy. In addition to
foregoing the use of intermediaries to sell its coffee nationally and internationally, it sells
its finished product directly to the consumer, freeing the producer from being the supplier
of raw material for export so that others can process it. Over 15 years ago, La Selva
pioneered efforts in Mexico that predated Starbuck's, opening La Selva Coffee Shops in the
country’s major cities. Today La Selva’s Coffee Shops have spread to Europe, boosting
solidarity and national pride among Mexicans in addition to providing a source of income
for the organization. La Selva’s innovative approaches have allowed it to survive the
international collapse of the coffee market as well as the insurrections of the Zapatista
movement that spread through Chiapas and significantly affected rural communities.
Background
Before 1970, a feudal system dominated the State of Chiapas. That year, a rural uprising
took place in which indigenous farmers demanded land ownership. The federal government
and the wealthy landowners responded by agreeing to give government lands to the
Indians. But there was one drawback: the land was in the jungles of Chiapas. Roads, water
and other basic infrastructure were non-existent. But that land was better than the
farmers’ existing situation, and they accepted. Faced with this new reality, they saw the
need to collectively organize and deal with the lack of roads to get their products to
market. One of the key drivers facilitating the organization of La Selva was the presence
of Jesuit priests living in the area who fostered the belief in self-sufficiency and coffee
production as a vehicle to that end. The theology of liberation to which these priests
adhered promoted awareness of farmers’ responsibility to environmental conservation for
future generations. Thus, soil conservation practices and the use of organic fertilizers were
implemented before organic coffee was in vogue. The other important formative influence
in the emergence of La Selva was José Juárez, an agricultural engineer who started
working with the communities 28 years ago. These communities credit Juárez as the
innovator and driving force that ensures the survival of these communities and their
product.
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Latin America
Unión de Ejidos de la Selva
Founded in 1979
Mexico
www.laselvacafe.com.mx
Strategy
The poor frequently capture only a small percentage of the value of the ecosystem
products they sell, while middlemen and retailers often capture a much greater share.
Middlemen perform valuable services by transporting products to wider markets and
tapping distribution chains to which the poor have no access. But they are also key actors
in keeping producer profits low. For example, small-scale coffee farmers earn, on average,
only 4.5% of the retail price of coffee sold in US supermarkets. Union de Ejidos de la Selva
has created an organization in which indigenous small coffee producers in the State of
Chiapas have become an effective marketing force. The union collaborates with 1,300
families in 42 communities to ensure better soil management and environmental practices,
including certified organic techniques that limit erosion and water pollution. In addition, it
has created a chain of 18 upscale coffee shops in the main cities in Mexico and Europe—
the Café de la Selva—which serves the organic coffee produced by La Selva farmers. By
controlling the entire vertical chain of coffee production, the Union de Ejidos de la Selva
has been able to take advantage of the full urban consumer value of coffee and use it to
improve farmer income and self-sufficiency. Part of the Union’s strategy is identifying
multiple markets. La Selva establishes commercial links with small and medium coffee
roasters in Europe and the US. Although sales volumes are limited with this strategy, it
permits the establishment of personalized, stable and trusting relationships. “If you sell
1,000 kilos of coffee to a huge buyer that needed 150,000 kilos, you are nobody. However,
if you sell it to a buyer who sells 2,500 kilos a year, then you become someone he relies
on,” explains Juárez.
The Entrepreneur
In his youth, José Juárez worked alongside his father farming their small plot of land.
Although life was hard, he loved agricultural work. At age 18, he enrolled in the National
Agricultural School in Chapingo and became an agricultural engineer. At 21, Juárez went
to Chiapas as part of his practicum experience and there initiated his contacts with the
indigenous farmers that were later to become members of the Unión. He quickly learned
their customs and ways of thinking and fell in love with their struggle to improve their
lives. He stimulated their interest in reading and writing as part of that process, so that
they could become owners of their own destiny as entrepreneurs. Juárez has dedicated his
life to La Selva. Only six years ago he found the time to marry someone with a similar
dedication to the organization. She runs La Selva’s national marketing arm.
251
Yuval Wagner
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Israel, 2006
Geographic Area of Impact: Israel
Focus: Disabilities, Health, Technology
The Innovation
Access-Israel engages the full participation of disabled citizens in the country’s social,
economic and cultural life. It does so by ensuring their accessibility to public places
through legislation and enforcement, and serves as an informational center providing the
latest essential information for people with disabilities and their families, enabling their
participation in all kind of activities and improving their quality of life. To achieve its
mission, Access-Israel works with top corporate and government agencies as they
redesign their physical and technological infrastructure to accommodate the needs of the
disabled. In so doing, Access has influenced leading groups across the country, including
Leumi Bank, Hapoalim Bank, Azrieli Malls, Paz Gas stations, “Menta” chain stores,
“Superpharm” chain stores, McDonalds, and others. These companies recognize that
people with disabilities constitute an important market whose participation needs to be
facilitated so that they can engage fully as producers and consumers. As such, needed
changes in infrastructure are considered an investment from which the company can profit
in terms of public image and market share.
Background
An estimated 10% of Israel’s population is disabled – the equivalent of 600,000 people
who are mobility impaired, wheelchairs’ bound, blind, and deaf. Simple tasks, such as a
visit to the doctor or meeting with friends for a coffee, become impossible and humiliating
due to lack of appropriate handicap parking zones, proper handrails and accessible toilets.
Too often a person with disability will get to an office, restaurant, concert hall or any other
venue and will be unable to enter. People with disabilities in Israel live under restrictive
conditions that affront their most basic rights, needs and activities. The obstacles that
people with disabilities face on a daily basis are the driving engine behind Access-Israel’s
commitment and work.
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and North Africa
Access Israel
Middle East
Founded in 1999
Israel
www.aisrael.org
Strategy
Access-Israel spearheads a number of initiatives to advance its mission, including Access
Key - an online database that provides essential information to people with disabilities and
their families. It includes up to date and reliable information on access to over 10,000
public and private places and facilities, information regarding leisure and cultural activities,
employment opportunities; legislative information; technological and physical aids; a
dynamic online community, relevant updates and news. Each year more than 300,000
people make use of Access Key and the number of users is increasing. Utilizing technology
to address the essential needs of the disabled community in Israel is unique to Access
Israel.
Access Key’s components include Access Employment: most people with disabilities in
Israel live below the poverty line and are unemployed. This unique project provides legal
information, job listings, and mentoring services both for job seekers with disabilities and
their potential employers. Technological Accessibility: advances technological accessibility
for people with disabilities using diverse tools, such as the Internet, cellular phones,
television and other technological aids. House of Windows – has established two accessible
computer-learning labs in Israel in which hundreds of people with disabilities acquire basic
computer and Internet skills. Accessibility Library - the first-ever library and resource
center in Israel providing construction and architectural industries with key information
about how to design and build, keeping the specialized needs of the disabled in mind.
Raising Public Awareness – spearheading successful media campaigns to educate the
public about different aspects and obstacles faced by the disabled.
The Entrepreneur
Access-Israel was founded in 1999 by Lieutenant-Colonel Yuval Wagner, an Israeli Air Force
combat pilot who was injured in a helicopter crash in 1987. It left him a quadriplegic and
confined to a wheel chair. As a person with disabilities and a father of three, Yuval realized
that Israel was inaccessible to the disabled community, limiting their ability to lead
independent and dignified lives. He decided to take action by establishing Access-Israel
with the help of personal and business colleagues. Despite the limited resources at hand,
they managed to become the leading accessibility consulting provider in the country.
253
Sherif El Ghamrawy
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Egypt, 2008
Geographic Area of Impact: Egypt
Focus: Environment, Waste Management
The Innovation
Sherif El Ghamrawy has fought relentlessly for the sustainability and conservation of
Egypt’s natural resources on both land and sea. He is the founder of two complementary
organizations. He pioneered Basata as the first eco-lodge in Egypt in 1986, thereby
establishing South Sinai and the gulf of Aqaba as an eco-tourism destination with an
emphasis on cultural exchange and respect for the environment. With the large scale
developments that followed, Hemaya, a local NGO, was then created to deal with waste
management on 150 kilometers of coastline with marine and reef protection patrols and
to empower local communities to run these programs.
Background
Egypt’s citizens generate approximately 25,000 tons of garbage daily, and that number
increases annually. The Sinai Peninsula and Gulf of Aqaba are particularly vulnerable
regions, where the consequences of massive tourism in Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab have
had a dramatic impact on both land and sea in only one decade. From overflowing landfills,
hazardous disposal of trash like burning or dumping into the sea, little attention has been
paid to waste management and environmental protection. In addition, these lands were
almost solely inhabited by about 15,000 Bedouins who are completely omitted from any
tourism plans by developers, yet suffer from the impacts (such as loss of livestock to
disease from rubbish dumps).
Strategy
Basata started in an undeveloped bay called Nuweiba 22 years ago as a unique eco-lodge,
putting great concern on environmental protection, social integration and development
and preventing negative impact of tourism to the local society. Today, it is one of the few
unspoiled bays and coral reefs left on the coast. About 12 years after starting Basata, a
rapid development in tourism started in the area, causing different kinds of pollution,
particularly solid waste, from which arose the need to establish an organization to monitor,
regulate and provide awareness and a legal framework to minimize the impact of tourism
on nature and local society. Hemaya was born and also started creating other jobs than
tourism for locals Egyptians.
When Sherif and the Hemaya team first approached the problem of solid waste, they
realized that they were dealing with three different types of wastes; Tourist
establishments' waste, the Bedouins' waste, and that of the people who moved from the
Nile Delta to the area. They realized that they had to find a new way to deal with these
different types of waste, and so designed a system to have the waste sorted at its source.
Hemaya collects the waste for roughly 60,000 people from hotels and camps, households,
and cities' streets on a daily basis in three cities of South Sinai Governorate; Taba,
Nuweiba, and Dahab. This waste would otherwise have never be taken care of, or dealt
with in an environmentally friendly manner – it was previously dumped or burned.
254
and North Africa
Middle East
Basata
Founded in 1976
Egypt
Waste is sorted at source into organic and non-organic. The organic is distributed amongst
the Bedouins as food for cattle, whereas the non-organic goes to the transfer station built
by Hemaya, to be sorted into 15 kinds of plastic, 40 kinds of glass, and all different types
of metals, cloth, and paper. It is then packed, or shredded or pressed and sent off to Cairo
for the recycling process. Only 15% of the waste collected is deemed un-recyclable and
therefore dumped. Half of the income earned by selling the recyclable waste is distributed
among the workers.
Hemaya has also expanded its activities so as to be more interactive with the community
and to affect more lives in direct and indirect ways. It started initiating clean up campaigns
organized with local schools, getting the teachers and the students involved in cleaning the
city, the beaches, and the valleys, and educating them to keep them clean. It aesthetically
renovated Nuweiba and Taba, by planting 120 palm trees and revitalizing the ideas of
green and clean. Due to the trust built with governmental authorities, Hemaya is also
uniquely responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance and security of Dahab hospital and
soon to be responsible for Nuweiba and Taba hospitals as soon as they are complete.
Hemaya also takes action on coastal protection through a reef watch patrolling system, by
collaborating with authorities to make sure that no illegal fishing takes place, and to
preserve the corals that are in an ecologically critical situation. The reef rangers are local
Bedouins who know the area very well. This is the first time Bedouins are given such
responsibility and empowered and skilled in jobs that are diversified from tourism
The Entrepreneur
Sherif El Ghamrawy was born in Agouza, Egypt and studied at the German school in Cairo,
later receiving his degree in Civil Engineering from Cairo University. He immediately turned
his attention to environmental protection which was mostly unrecognised at the time and
was a self employed free lancer contractor/consultant on environmental affairs when he
finally found the place which would fulfil his dreams in 1982 – in South Sinai. It took four
years to get permission to build Basata, the first eco-lodge in Egypt. It is through Sherif’s
personal commitment to the environment and the local community of Bedouin Egyptians
that he has been able to get the support, network and resources to establish the waste
management and environmental protection work of Hemaya. He remains active in
environmental affairs in Egypt and abroad he is a consultant to EU as well as a trainer in
environmental literacy. Sherif has received numerous awards for Promoting Tourism, Best
Solid Waste Management programs, WTM international award for best project in marine
environment and Best NGO in South Sinai for 2007.
255
Laila Iskandar
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Egypt, 2006
Focus: Education, Enterprise Development, Environment, Waste Management
The Innovation
On the outskirts of Cairo sits Mokattam Hills where the Zabbaleen –or garbage people –
live. The streets are heaped high with solid waste. But the huge piles have been sorted
into plastics, textiles, and glass. Greater Cairo’s 60,000 Zabbaleen, a Coptic Christian
community of formerly landless and unemployed peasants who migrated to the capital 50
years ago, gather one third of the city’s 14,000 tons of daily garbage. Laila Iskandar has
worked with the Zabbaleen since 1982, introducing innovative social and environmental
initiatives that have included recycling as much as 80% of the inorganic waste into raw
materials and manufactured goods – plastics, rugs, pots, paper and glass. As a result,
garbage collectors have begun to break the cycle of poverty. Iskandar’s work with the
Zabbaleen first began when she started an informal school focused on learning in the
context of recycling. Because Zabbaleen children used to accompany their fathers in their
garbage collection sojourns, she designed school attendance timing to fit with their needs.
With an emphasis on health and hygiene, the curriculum was shaped to help the children
deal with their surroundings.
In 1988, Iskandar became the Field Director for the Rag Recycling Center at the
Association for the Protection of the Environment, pioneering multiple initiatives with the
Zabbaleen community. One such initiative involved over 200 Zabbaleen households that
bring organic waste to a neighborhood composting plant that then turns the waste into
high-grade compost for agricultural use. Another involves girls from the community who
are reviving the most ancient of Egyptian crafts, weaving on a handloom made from
discarded cotton remnants. The “earning and leaning” project teaches them basic math
and literacy, and the earnings are divided among the aspiring weavers. Iskander has
stimulated many such creative endeavors designed to combine learning, income
generation and waste recycling. To date, CID has benefits over 15,000 urban poor with its
water and sanitation projects, housing improvement projects, crafts projects, primary
health care and literacy projects.
Background
Cairo has become one of the largest cities in the world with a population of fifteen million
and growing at a rate of almost one million every eight months. As a result, basic services
especially the collection and disposal of waste, are severely strained. The Zabbaleen are
an industrious people and have been able to create work from waste for thousands of low-
income residents. But their living conditions continued to be deplorable, and as the
population continued to rapidly increase, the Zabbaleen were increasingly unable to meet
the garbage collection requirements. In addition, they lacked the resources, the political
organization and the vision to expand their economic opportunities and protect their own
interests. Iskandar’s efforts have focused on linking productive work with environmental
sustainability in poor urban environments, including those inhabited by the Zabbaleen.
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and North Africa
CID Consulting
Middle East
Founded in 1995
Egypt
www.cid.com.eg
Strategy
Iskandar founded CID in 1995 based on her experience with the Zabbaleen. She was
joined by four other partners equally committed to environmental sustainability and
poverty elimination. CID is a for-profit organization that seeks to link the private,
government and non-profit sectors to achieve sustainable development while building the
capacities of its clients. CID works with local and international partners and clients and
uses a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach. CID seeks to link the poverty sector
with the business sector to create sustainable, viable business partnerships where people
and organizations learn together. Non-formal and adult learning are linked to all aspects
of CID’s work while issues of marginalization are brought into the arena of business
solutions.
Since its inception, CID has planned and implemented projects around on-site rural
sanitation, crafts production for rural women, low cost housing improvement projects for
rural communities and institutional building for grass roots communities organized through
non profits and working with municipalities to improve environmental conditions in Upper
Egypt. CID works with communities to set up sustainable waste recycling programs and
education for development, beginning in the Moqattam area and expanding to Minia and
Sinai. Thus, CID promotes efforts that create jobs while improving sanitary conditions. To
do so, it has had to overcome many barriers, including bureaucratic and disciplinary
mindsets. For example, waste management has traditionally been perceived by town
planners, waste management specialists and engineers as a technology, management and
engineering issue. Few municipalities and ministries in charge of waste management have
perceived garbage to be an issue where consumers have to be involved in crafting
sustainable responses. CID highlights how the reality of megacities, particularly in
emerging markets, must place people at the center of waste management planning.
The Entrepreneur
Laila Iskandar’s background includes studies in economics, political science and business
in Cairo as well as Near-Eastern studies and International Education Development at U.C.
Berkeley and Teachers’ College at Columbia University. Her voluntary work with the
nonprofit sector led her to recognize the limits of working through NGO’s to realize a bigger
dream of scaling up, professionalizing and turning practice into policy. The performance
driven, efficiency aspect and quick response of the business sector led her to set up CID
as a company rather than a non-profit institution.
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Yoel Sharon
Focus: Disabilities, Education, Health
The Innovation
Etgarim (Hebrew for “challenge”) was established in 1995 by Yoel Sharon, rehabilitation
experts and a group of disabled veterans of the Israel Defense Forces. The goal of the
organization is to integrate children, adolescents and adults with physical, emotional and
mental disabilities into society using challenging outdoor adventure sports. The focus is on
abilities, rather than disabilities, enhancing self-esteem and improving self-confidence
through participation in these sports. Etgarim has developed expertise in 20 different land,
sea and air sports to address the issues that those with special needs face: isolation from
society at large, misconceptions and stigmas, low self-esteem and unequal opportunities
in everyday life. Today, Etgarim’s model is being introduced in the US and Europe. They
are often called to advise organizations wishing to learn more about Etgarim’s way of
working. To date, about 30,000 people have participated in Etgarim's programs, with
5,200 direct beneficiaries (including 4,500 children and adolescents).
Background
A decade ago, Sharon began to notice that many wounded terror victims, injured veterans
and others with disabilities seemed to have abandoned their dreams. If they were able to
participate in challenging outdoor sports, he felt, they would realize that they could
overcome their personal challenges as well. However, the idea of using challenging sports
as a therapeutic tool was in conflict with the therapeutic and rehabilitation methods used
at the time in Israel, which were much more conservative and less active.
Strategy
Etgarim serves everyone with special needs in Israel, regardless of age or faith. It includes
those with physical disabilities, sensory impairment, developmental disabilities and
autism, as well as victims of trauma and terror. Etgarim has developed expertise in air
sports (including skydiving, gliding, light aircraft and parasailing), sea sports (including
sailing, scuba diving, water-skiing, kayaking, windsurfing, rafting and rowing) and land
sports (including tandem cycling, hand cycling, rock-climbing and rappelling, camping,
survival training, orienteering, 4-wheel driving, go-carting, skiing and horse riding).
The organization has 9 different projects that it carries out in collaboration with different
public and private sector entities. For example, the development of the “gilgulon”
represents a breakthrough in outdoor sports for the disabled. It is a special wheelchair
used to significantly increase accessibility to the outdoors for disabled individuals. The
gilgulon is pushed by 2 volunteers, allowing those who are physically restricted to explore
nature and go anywhere they want. It provides new opportunities for individuals with
special needs to travel and enjoy places that were previously inaccessible.
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Etgarim
Middle East
Founded in 1995
Israel
www.etgarim.org
Another project, The Wheels of Hope, is the largest and most colorful one-day bike ride in
Israel. With 6000 participants, it includes those with and without disabilities. They ride
annually throughout the Jezreel Valley to promote social integration with the theme, “We
all ride the same road.” Etgarim strives to maximize capabilities and enhance the
achievements of its sportsmen en route to the top of world sports. The Etgarim sailing
team won the Gold medal at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. Etgarim’s sailors, hand-
cyclists and blind marathon runners are Israel’s hope for the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.
Etgarim has a feedback system that allows it to evaluate its services annually. Clients,
colleagues and others provide the input, the results of which provide a mechanism for
continuous monitoring and evaluation. For ten years, Etgarim has placed the needs and
rights of the disabled on the public agenda and stimulated change in attitudes and policies.
As a result, the Association for the Disabled in Israel has seen a positive change in the way
society perceives those with disabilities. In addition, policies such as the Accessibility law
(promoting social integration and equal opportunity) have been implemented. Moreover,
the Special Education Branch of the Ministry of Education has recognized Etgarim’s
programs and recommends the integration of their methods into formal and non-formal
education.
The Entrepreneur
Yoel Sharon’s parents immigrated to Israel from Vienna when he was an infant. After
completing his military service, he went to London to study Film and Cinematography. In
1973, at the outbreak of war in Israel, Sharon returned to the country and rejoined his
unit. During a ferocious battle in the town of Suez on the last day of the war, he was
severely injured and left paralyzed from the waist down. After rehabilitation, he continued
Film studies at Tel Aviv University, graduating in 1978 and working in the industry before
setting up his own film production company. Among the films he wrote and directed was
Shell Shock, which exposed the Israeli public to posttraumatic war injury for the first time.
The idea of Etgarim came to him after realizing that all of the friends that had been with
him in rehabilitation had changed their way of life, giving up on their dreams and isolating
themselves from their previous social environment. Having pursued his own dreams,
Sharon decided to share his experiences and guiding principle—to focus on abilities rather
than disabilities—with children and adults with special needs in Israel. Sharon believes
action advances ideas, aims and vision. Vision without action is no more than a dream,
whereas action without vision is a waste of time. Vision with relevant action, though, can
change the world.
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Soraya Salti
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Jordan, 2006
Geographic Area of Impact: Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Palestinian
Territory, Occupied
The Innovation
INJAZ, or “achievement” in Arabic, uses hands-on approaches to help young people
understand the role of economics in their lives. In partnership with business and
educators, INJAZ expands the experience and aspirations of students – from one based on
memorization and limited career choices as civil servants or company employees – to one
that includes problem-solving, innovative thinking, analysis and involves leading and
participating in entrepreneurial ventures that promote employment and economic
advancement. INJAZ reaches approximately 100,000 students per year in the Arab world
(65,000 in Jordan). Through age-appropriate curricula, INJAZ programs begin at the
elementary school level, teaching children how they can have an impact on the world
around them as individuals, workers and consumers. INJAZ programs continue through
the middle and high school years, preparing students for future economic and workforce
issues they will face.
Background
In the Arab region, 60 percent of the entire population is 20 years old or less. They are
anxious to contribute to building more stable, prosperous and peaceful societies. But there
is also trouble and tension among Arab youth. Reliable polling evidence confirms that the
majority of them want to emigrate. Unemployment rates among them are the highest in
the world, and still rising in many cases. The average for the Arab states is nearly 25
percent, according to UN data, and reaches 40 percent in some countries. Amidst a
widespread, often serious Arab quest for reform and change towards better governance,
perhaps the most important and urgent issue is to give youth opportunities to share in
shaping social, economic and political change. It is in this context that INJAZ has set out
to lay the groundwork for providing those opportunities to create a vibrant, dynamic and
entrepreneurial region.
Strategy
INJAZ is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, the world’s largest organization
dedicated to educating students in grades K-12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness,
and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. Adapting the model of
Junior Achievement and applying it to the Arab world, INJAZ mobilizes the business
community to volunteer as consultants and share their know-how and experience with
students across all age levels. The majority of INJAZ classes occur in public schools
although in some countries including Palestine and Lebanon, about 30% of the classes are
also conducted in private schools. The size of the class varies slightly, but 40 is the
average. Consultants come from all levels of the hierarchy within their organizations, from
entry-level positions to management, with an even split between men and women. In most
countries, no formal teacher training is conducted as consultants/volunteers are the ones
presenting INJAZ in the classrooms. The consultants get formal training in all countries.
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INJAZ al Arab
Middle East
Founded in 2001
Jordan
www.ja.org
The training is usually conducted by INJAZ staff in INJAZ offices. Training is followed up
with in-class observations and ratings of training effectiveness. Coaching follows to those
consultants who do not do as well as desired. INJAZ cuts across all three levels of the
educational system: Middle Grade Programs teach the basic concepts of business and
economics and develop communication skills that are essential to success in the business
world. High School Programs help students make informed, intelligent decisions about
their future, and foster skills that will be useful in the business world. Modules include
personal life planning, Enterprise in Action, leadership, communication skills, business
ethics, and the entrepreneurial Master Class. Students learn to write a CV and also create
and liquidate a company, giving them a taste of what awaits them outside the campus
gates after graduation. INJAZ assesses the impact of its strategy through pre- and post-
semester assessments with students, parents, teachers and corporate volunteers.
This system of evaluation has provided feedback on the benefits for all INJAZ participants
and also has shed light on the challenges that remain, which are the following three: INJAZ
needs to offer more classes. To do so, it must recruit more volunteers, which is difficult
particularly for rural areas due to few established businesses in these areas. Where such
volunteers are identified, INJAZ needs to mobilize additional resources to provide adequate
training, materials and other costs associated with expansion. Finding capital is a challenge
in places where social investment is not historically part of the culture. A second challenge
is the limited time allocated by schools to INJAZ sessions – 45 minutes is too short to cover
many of the concepts and activities. Thirdly, there is a stark contrast between INJAZ
approaches to thinking and problem solving and those used by the traditional curriculum.
Yet students spend the majority of their time in the traditional system, giving them little
opportunity to reinforce new thinking skills. To improve implementation, INJAZ must
involve teachers within its modules.
The Entrepreneur
With degrees in Economics and Accounting and two years in the Kellogg Recanati
International Executive MBA program of Northwestern University, Soraya Salti went on to
apply renowned Harvard economist Michael Porter’s model for competitiveness to Jordan.
But in so doing, she was confronted with the reality of the region’s greatest challenge for
economic development – the need to cultivate a new way of thinking about the future. She
set her sights on transforming possibilities for Arab youth, beginning with Jordan, to
encourage them to develop a passion for curiosity, innovation and entrepreneurship whilst
nurturing a commitment to their own roots as well as a respect for others. The mother of
a two year old daughter travels with several generations in her family. Her mother edits
her proposals while her grandmother entertains her daughter, as she takes INJAZ to more
countries in the region.
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Bilha Piamenta
Focus: Education
The Innovation
Using computers and tailored software for distance learning can provide hospitalized
children with education, companionship, and opportunities to play. Having classes through
the Kav-Or website, supervised by teachers and volunteers, Kav-Or provides appropriate
and continuous learning while the children are absent from school. Through the online
forums and chat rooms, the website brings together children who are hospitalized in all
hospitals across Israel. The program evolved through the needs that arose over time. For
example, Kav-Or had developed a program for obese children teaching them about
nutrition, health, and psychological support to be used at a new and unique sport therapy
centre planned be launched in a few months within Meir Hospital in Kfar Sava. The Kav-Or
medical database holds information and explains medical and surgical procedures to
children through special presentation and helps reduce children's anxieties, which leads to
a better collaboration between them and their parents with the medical staff. Kav-Or helps
120,000 children a year continue their education uninterrupted, in addition to 20,000
hospitalized outpatients who are treated daily in specialist clinics such as dialysis and
cancer clinics. All 100 children’s units in 27 hospitals across Israel have Kav-Or programs
and are networked together its website.
Background
The State of Israel provides and finances the public health system through a health
security tax citizens pay from their salaries. The hospital system, and children’s wards in
particular, typically run at full, or over-capacity. Before 1993, the Ministry of Education
provided children in hospital with classes and teachers, however classes were only run in
the mornings (when children were often busy with medical tests and treatments), and
teachers were not able to provide classes that tailored to each child’s needs as children of
very different ages were in the same classes.
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Kav-Or
Middle East
Founded in 1993
Israel
www.kavor.org.il
Strategy
The core activity of Kav-Or is distance learning for children in hospital aged 3 through 21.
It includes distance learning software and services, a virtual playground, enrichment, and
online computer connections between sick children and teachers. Kav-Or operates in
collaboration with the Ministry of Education schools in hospitals and with other
organizations that provide assistance to children. Volunteers for Kav-Or complement the
Ministry’s staff and allow the children to access the computers with supervision after the
teachers have left. In addition to the PCs in the classrooms, laptops are placed at the
bedsides of children who are bed-bound, as well as in treatment rooms, such as dialysis
rooms, where children undergo regular and lengthy procedures. Kav-Or’s medical
database displays interactive movies that prepare children and their parents for medical
procedures, such as prepping for hernia surgery and catheterization, with explanations
that help children better understand the treatment they will undergo, reduce their anxiety,
and improve communications with the medical team. Kav Or’s interior designers create
and build a stimulating environment for children in hospitals with bright colors, converting
the bleak atmosphere of most hospitals into rooms with fountains and an inviting jungle.
Kav-Or is now focusing on reaching children in all 9 psychiatric hospitals and exporting its
model abroad. It is also designing a virtual school for the Ministry of Education that will
provide distance education for all children in Israel.
The Entrepreneur
Dr. Bilha Piamenta studied teaching and urban planning. She taught at David Yellin College
and at ORT high school. While at David Yellin she installed the computerized distance-
learning program at the College and thus was inspired to found Kav-Or. She retired at 2002
from the Ministry of Education. Kav-or is Dr. Piamenta life's work where she has worked
since establishing it.
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Zeinab Al Momani
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Jordan, 2008
Geographic Area of Impact: Jordan
Focus: Enterprise Development, Microfinance, Rural Development
The Innovation
The Sakrah Women’s Cooperative promotes the economic, social and cultural rights of
women in the remote and rural areas of Jordan while operating as a successful for-profit
cooperative. Its women members cultivate, manufacture, package and market the
cooperative’s products and share in the profits, while their children are safely in the child
care program or benefiting from school and university grants given by the group.
The Sakhrah Women’s Cooperative has emerged from within the community, not from an
outside donor, NGO or government initiative and is completely self sustainable from its
own labors. It empowers women through offering them financial access to invest in their
own activities that could be part of the cooperative, be it farming or crafts, or offering them
new work opportunities that keep them engaged with the community.
Background
About 20 per cent of Jordanians live in rural areas where poverty is more prevalent than
in urban areas. Approximately 19 per cent of the rural population is classified as poor.
Because of the arid nature of the land, many rural poor people cannot grow enough crops
to feed themselves and their families. Regular droughts exacerbate the situation. People
who find other ways to supplement their incomes generally earn very little. Thus many of
Jordan’s rural poor people live in extremely difficult conditions, with limited opportunities
to diversify their farming enterprises, limited access to alternative sources of income and
they lack collateral and cannot obtain loans needed for investment in farm activities.
Sakhrah is just such a community in Jordan with a population of 18,000 people and with
high rates of unemployment. In Sakrah the relative disempowerment of women meant
they were duty-bound to care for their children at home as no child care centres existed
in the community.
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Sakhrah Women's Society
Middle East
Cooperative
Founded in 2002
Jordan
Strategy
Mrs Al Momani’s initial project in Sakrah was to establish the Zain kindergarten and
nursery school that would enable working women a safe place to leave their children with
supervision and stimulation while at work. This also provided other women who were
obliged to otherwise mind their children at home the opportunity to engage in economically
productive activities. The Sakhrah Womens Society Cooperative was subsequently
founded to play an active role in the development of the community and the reduction of
poverty and unemployment through the economic, social and cultural empowerment of
women. It aims to raise the standard of living for the people of the area through the
creation of different self-sustaining projects such as the dairy plant, sewing workshop and
the grain processing and packaging project. The dairy products, grain and textiles are
packaged, marketed and sold through various channels both in the community as well as
beyond Sakrah.
With their children in safe and good care, the Cooperative offers the women loans to start
their own enterprises and activities. It also provides the necessary technical training to
become project managers of various agricultural and dairy initiatives while also providing
job opportunities for the people of area, such as teaching students through the nursery,
kindergarten and the school.
The cooperative now boasts 721 members involved in the cultivation and packaging of
cereals, manufacture of dairy products, textiles and crafts. The cooperative has 32 full time
staff involved in the management of micro-loans to members, training, packaging,
marketing and sales of its members’ products. Each member contributes to the
cooperative in the beginning of the year. The funds raised are invested into the various
projects, and from the diversified sources of income, the profits of the cooperative are
distributed equally between all its members at the end of the year. Profit itself is not the
objective of the cooperative, but rather the sustained self-sufficiency of its members and
their community. In addition the micro-credit project allocates small loans to women to
help them start their own small personal projects such as renovating old houses, land
reclamation and digging wells to collect water. Education loans for younger women of the
community who have completed school and seek higher educational opportunities have
also been provided
The Entrepreneur
Mrs Zeinab Al Momani was born in Irbid and received a Bachelor’s in elementary education.
Mrs Al Momani wanted always self-reliant and completed her studies while sustaining her
family. With her husband she moved to the Sakrah region and was driven to find solutions
for the problems of working mothers caring for their children and to provide free education
for orphans and people with special needs while reducing poverty and unemployment. She
established the Zain Nursery and Kindergarten School as the first step in 2002, following
which she founded the Sakhrah Women’s Society Cooperative by the end of 2003. After
representing Jordan in the International Visitor Program in the United States, Mrs Al
Momani founded a specific union for rural women farmers under the name Muzareat, the
first of it’s kind in the Arab speaking world. She has participated in numerous conferences,
workshops and exhibitions relating the stories of rural women and the cooperative, many
of which have been covered by local media. In 2006, she won first place in the King
Abdullah II award of self-employment and leadership.
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Ibrahim Abouleish and
Helmy Abouleish
Focus: Agriculture, Education, Enterprise Development, Environment, Health, Rural

Development
The Innovation
Sekem is establishing a blueprint for the healthy corporation of the 21st Century. Taking
its name from the hieroglyphic transcription meaning “vitality,” Sekem was the first entity
to develop biodynamic farming methods in Egypt. These methods are based on the
premise that organic cultivation builds up fertile soil structures, improves agro-biodiversity
and does not produce any unusable waste. All products of the system can be sold, used in
processing or reused in cultivation, thereby creating sustainability.
However, Sekem is not just an agricultural enterprise. It believes that sustainable profit
making should go hand-in-hand with an integrated socioeconomic business model, providing
employees and farming communities throughout the country the opportunity to improve
their education, health and quality of life. Sekem has grown exponentially in the last decade to
become a nationally renowned enterprise and market leader in organic foods, clothing and
phyto-pharmaceuticals. It has established reliable links with European and US customers in
the export trade. In the beginning, Sekem medicines and agricultural produce were
exported. Now, 55% of its sales are domestic, as Egyptians have become more aware of the
benefits of organic foods. This is an essential element for Sekem’s long-term sustainability.
Its strong commitment to innovative development led to the nationwide application of

biodynamic methods to control pests and improve crop yields. For example, in
collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Sekem deployed a new system of plant
protection in cotton, reducing total pesticide intake to less than 10% and leading to a ban
on crop dusting in Egypt. Today, Sekem employs about 2,000 people and its revenues
more than quadrupled between 2001 and 2005. Among other accreditations, Sekem was
awarded HCCP and ISO9001:2000; ISO 14001; 17025; OHSAS 18001 and Fair Trade.
Background
Egypt’s problems are inter-related and include overpopulation, environmental degradation
and inadequate education and healthcare. Agriculture occupies 40% of the workforce, yet
remains the least developed sector of the economy. Costs of agricultural production have
increased while the resource base has diminished. Today, Egypt is one of the world’s
largest importers of food. Because the country’s problems are interrelated, Sekem has
built a thriving social and cultural base to address Egypt’s crumbling health, educational
and cultural preservation capacities.
Strategy
The Sekem Initiative is formed by three closely interrelated and interdependent entities.
First, the Sekem Development Foundation, formerly known as the Egyptian Society for
Cultural Development, is responsible for all cultural aspects. Next, the Sekem Holding
company is comprised of eight companies, each responsible for an aspect of Sekem's
business value proposition. Finally, the Cooperative of Sekem Employees is responsible for
human rights and social resource development. Working together, they have created a
modern organization based on innovative agricultural products and responsibility towards
society, nature and the Earth’s future.
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Sekem Group
Middle East
Founded in 1977
Egypt
www.sekem.com
To address complex social and cultural aspects, Sekem has set up various health and
education facilities. A number of its socio-cultural initiatives in the Arts and other fields
contribute to the development of Egyptians, raising their self-esteem and promoting
mutual respect. Increasingly, Egypt’s younger generation seeks to pursue tertiary studies;
but the country has major deficits in higher education. In response, Sekem has founded
the Heliopolis University for Sustainability Studies which will start in September 2009. It
will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees at its four faculties (Sustainable Economics
& Entrepreneurship, Ecological Engineering & Technology, Organic Agriculture, and Holistic
Cultural & Social Sciences).
The Sekem “mother farm” and processing facilities are located on 400 acres of land near
Belbeis, outside of Cairo. After the successful implementation of the biodynamic method
here, other farmers, stunned by the results, started to cooperate with Sekem. Today,
around 800 farms from Aswan to Alexandria are applying the international guidelines for
biodynamic agriculture. Right from its start, the protection of the environment was deep-
rooted in Sekem’s activities. Sekem actively works on reducing its environmental impact.
Its compost site, registered at the United Nations as a Clean Development Mechanism
project, offsets CO2 emissions. In 2005 the Sekem Environmental Science Center was
established, offering outdoor activities for its own staff and for pupils of surrounding
schools to redefine their relation to the environment through environmental awareness. In
the end of 2007 Sekem started its carbon footprint initiative with the objective to calculate
and offset all fresh fruit and vegetable products. In the beginning of 2008 an Energy
Saving Project started to critically assess and reduce the energy demands of the Sekem
companies. However, with the foundation of EcoTech, a holding of companies in the
renewable energies sector, Sekem started to pursue its objective of environmental
protection also outside of its own premises. Various companies will offer products and
services of wind and solar energy as well as of efficient energy use to customers in Egypt
and the whole Middle East. Sekem further published its first Sustainability Report giving a
comprehensive overview over its impact and business practices, reflecting its threefold
approach to sustainable development (economy, culture, social).
The Entrepreneurs
Sekem is the vision of Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, an Egyptian medical pharmacologist. He received
his medical education in Austria, where he worked initially in research and development of
natural drugs. Years later, on his return to Egypt, the country's pressing problems in
education, overpopulation and pollution overwhelmed him. His admiration for his country
led him to take up the biodynamic farming method and implement it for the first time on
desert land. In addition to healing the land, Dr. Abouleish wanted to heal its people. Sekem,
therefore, aims at comprehensive development of Egyptian society involving economic, social
and cultural spheres of life in the quest for sustainable development. For this unique
approach, Sekem was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative
Nobel Prize, in 2003. Sekem’s Managing Director, Helmy Abouleish, has joined his father’s
quest, building Sekem into one of the leading entrepreneurial corporations for the 21st
Century. In 2004, Helmy Abouleish took the initiative, inspired by the Initiative of the
World Economic Forum and the Initiative of the Global Competitiveness Report to establish
the Egyptian Competitiveness Council. He is also Chair of the Industrial Modernization
Center (IMC) and board member of the Agricultural Modernization Center (AMC). Helmy
Abouleish is a founding member of the Arab Sustainability Leadership Group (ASLG) which
was established under the patronage of Queen Rania. He also actively engages in various
environmental initiatives such as "Caring for the Climate" platform of the United Nations
Global Compact or the Expert Commission on Climate and Energy of the World Future Council.
267
Sari Revkin
Model: Leveraged Not-For-Profit
Focus: Social and Economic Rights, Homelessness & Housing, Communication/ Media,
Labour Conditions
The Innovation
YEDID was established with the goal of empowering the underprivileged by giving them
the means to help themselves. Through its Citizen Rights Centres throughout Israel, it
seeks to turn the personal struggles of individuals in poor neighbourhoods into active
initiatives that have a personal impact on their lives while also advocating changes in
public policy that will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who find
themselves in similar circumstances. In 2007 YEDID empowered approximately 35,000
Israelis to access their social and economic rights. The most frequent client cases involved
National Insurance Institute benefits, employment rights, debt management and avoiding
repossessions, mortgage and housing rights, and food insecurity. YEDID operates at three
levels: the individual, the community, and society. At the local level, YEDID’s operates both
through the provision of information and legal advice to individuals struggling with daily
distress and by creating tools for community responsibility and active participation in a
democratic society. At the national level, YEDID wages public struggles and legal battles
to change Israel’s social and economic policies. YEDID is unique in its extensive
geographical reach throughout Israel and in its holistic approach to the multiple challenges
faced by Israel’s less privileged communities.
Background
Several significant events in Israel have exposed great chasms in its society. As time
passed since the creation of the State of Israel, it became clear that there has been a
failure in fully integrating new immigrants into the country. Israel increasingly became a
society of tribal groups. Communications between long-time residents and new
immigrants, Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, the rich and the poor, Muslim and Jewish,
Right and Left political supporters, as well as between other broad communities worsened
over time – alienation occurred between these groups with the risk of social disintegration.
YEDID has developed a vision of a social alliance based on partnership, dialogue, and
mutual aid. Sari Revkin, the founder of YEDID, set the goal of empowering Israel’s
disadvantaged and bringing them closer to the values of democracy, pluralism, active
citizenship, peace, equality, justice, and progress by building bridges between these
citizens and other social groups. YEDID does not merely advocate for such values, but
undertakes pragmatic and professional measures that give the disadvantaged the tools to
help themselves to reach them.
Strategy
YEDID now operates 24 Rights Centres throughout Israel to impact the individuals in
poorer communities, the community itself and society at large in Israel.
At the level of the individual – YEDID operates community based rights centres that
provide free information and advice in legal, consumer, educational, employment, housing,
national insurance, health and other social needs. The solutions provided are based on the
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YEDID
Middle East
Founded in 1997
Israel
www.yedid.org.il
principle of empowerment. YEDID directly assists approximately 35,000 people a year.

Since its establishment, the organization has assisted more than 210,000 Israelis and their
families. For example, in housing and debt policy, YEDID defends the rights of the
disadvantaged and in 2007 helped almost 5,000 families who faced eviction from their
homes because they could not meet their mortgage payments, while also assisting over
3,300 individuals in overcoming debt, refinancing bad debts, and avoiding repossessions
and imprisonment. YEDID also enables people to access benefits to which they are entitled
by assisting over 2,000 elderly and disabled individuals receive such benefits. YEDID has
succeeded in overturning decisions in 90% of the cases where underprivileged clients were
denied unemployment benefits through free legal representation.
At the level of the community – in addition to helping individuals, the rights centres act as
a focus point for needs-determined community and educational activities (new
immigrants, single mothers, children, youths, unemployed, etc.) YEDID's approach is
through systematic and long-term community activities to strengthen residents’ self
assurance and create local community leadership. Approximately 3,000 people a year
participate in YEDID’s community education programs.
At the level of society/nation – YEDID seeks social influence and to defend the rights of
disadvantaged groups, by changing laws (lobbying) in areas such as housing and
employment. YEDID’s Public Policy Department heads this activity, sometimes in
collaboration with other organizations. To date, YEDID has had successes on various issues
on the public agenda. A recent example is YEDID’s success in enabling single mothers to
study in institutions of higher learning while continuing to receive welfare benefits - the
only true way to free them of the bonds of poverty.
The Entrepreneur
Sari Revkin is an Israeli-American citizen and has a M.S.W. in Social Work from the School
of Social Work at the University of Maryland. She immigrated to Israel in 1983, and within
a year became the CEO of SHATIL– The New Israel Fund’s Empowerment and Training
Centre for Social Change Organizations in Israel which provides program and management
assistance to hundreds of NGOs. After 14 years as the CEO of SHATIL, Revkin founded
YEDID after realizing that there were few community resources and initiatives for the
disadvantaged who resided outside Israel’s large cities. Revkin applies a pragmatic
approach to change from below through the application of small practical measures. She
is an optimist imbued with an ideology of social justice, which drives her to act even now
after so many years of work and struggle; a desire to help people who fall between the
cracks, who lack representation, connections, an ability to help themselves, and who need
direction and opportunity to prove to themselves that they can generate change. As the
Executive Director of YEDID, Revkin is responsible for recruitment, training, and
supervision of a nationwide team, and for the development and implementation of a
national strategy to apply the decisions of the board of directors, raising money, and the
formulation of programs.
269
James R. Fruchterman
Focus: Disabilities, Technology
The Innovation
Benetech open avenues of high technology to society’s disadvantaged. It is a non-profit
venture capital model that fosters and finances the development of socially valuable
technological initiatives discarded by commercial developers because of potentially low
market returns. The first Benetech project was the Arkenstone reading machine for the
blind. To date, the Arkenstone system has delivered reading tools in a dozen languages to
well over 50,000 disabled people living in 60 countries. Subsequently, Benetech initiated
Bookshare.org - an extensive online library of accessible digital books in XML or digital
Braille format for people with visual or learning disabilities. Currently, over 40,000 persons
from around the world subscribe to Bookshare.org. In the US, all students who are blind
or have a visual impairment may access the Bookshare.org library free of charge. Their
subscriptions are underwritten by the U.S. Office of Education. Benetech’s Human Rights
Program applies technology and scientific methods to protecting human rights. Martus, the
Greek word for “witness,” is a software program developed by Benetech that permits
human rights groups to collect and store sensitive information on a secure database
regarding human rights violations. Currently, human rights groups in 60 countries
including Guatemala, Liberia, and Lebanon, as well as exile groups from Burma and Darfur,
are using Martus to document incidents of human rights abuses. Benetech’s
Environmental Program applies technology and scientific methods to protecting the
environment. Miradi, the Swahili word for “goal,” is a software program developed by
Benetech in collaboration with the eConservation Measurement Partnership. Before Miradi,
there were no project management tools on the market designed specifically for
conservation practitioners. As a result they were required to cobble together a variety of
software programs to store and track data, calculate projections and generate reports of
their efforts to conserve species and ecosystems. Miradi is far more useful and affordable
than any off-the-shelf improvisation and is currently being used by over 600
environmental organizations in over 80 countries.
Background
The idea for Benetech came about when Jim Fruchterman was an undergraduate studying
engineering at the California Institute of Technology. As one of his professors was
explaining how machine pattern recognition was used to guide “smart bombs” in battle,
Fruchterman began wondering how pattern recognition could be used to benefit a society.
He came up with the idea of applying this technology to language, specifically written
characters, to create a machine that could read aloud to the blind. During the 1980s, with
US$ 25 million of venture capital, he co-founded a company to build his optical character
recognition technology that could read any printed material. Fruchterman subsequently
founded Arkenstone, a non-profit organization, to deliver the technology to the blind and
visually disabled community. Benetech grew out of Arkenstone, which was eventually sold
to a commercial company. The capital generated from that sale went to fund Benetech’s
continued innovations.
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North America
The Benetech Initiative
Founded in1989
USA
www.benetech.org
Strategy
Benetech acts as an incubator for socially oriented technology projects. It provides seed
capital for market and technical feasibility studies, as well as the infrastructure needed for
developing socially beneficial ventures. Ideas for the projects come from potential
customers, Benetech staff and advisers, external inventors, and entrepreneurs. Initiatives
operate as projects under the Benetech umbrella, reducing costs by sharing a common
infrastructure. Benetech has 50 full-time employees and over 200 volunteers. The majority
of volunteers are people with disabilities helping others by scanning and processing books
for Bookshare.org. Benetech has been able to mobilize pro bono Silicon Valley expertise
and has worked with a wide variety of global partners including IBM, Intel, Sony, Hewlett
Packard, Fujitsu, Sun Microsystems, NEC, and Microsoft. The impact of Benetech’s
innovations has been well documented and includes enhanced educational outcomes,
improved employment prospects, and fuller participation in society for the disabled,
particularly the blind. A conservative estimate indicates that over 75,000 individuals have
benefited directly from Benetech’s reading systems.
The Entrepreneur
Unlike many individuals working in disabilities, Fruchterman was not drawn to the field
because of personal experience, but rather because of his keen interest in applying
technology to bridge an equity gap. After attending two of the best engineering schools in
the US, Caltech and Stanford, Fruchterman continues to interface with the engineering
profession. He lectures regularly to engineering and business students at schools such as
Stanford, UC Berkeley, and the University of Washington, and inspires his students to
apply their training in socially innovative ways. Fruchterman is chair of the Board of the
Social Enterprise Alliance, and a 2006 MacArthur Fellow.
271
Michael Brown and Alan Khazei
Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2001
Geographic Area of Impact: South Africa, United States
Focus: Children and Youth, Civic Participation, Education
The Innovation
City Year’s signature program, the City Year youth corps, unites young adults, ages 17 to
24, in a demanding year of full-time service, in which they work in diverse teams to
address societal needs, particularly in schools and neighborhoods. These young leaders
put their idealism to work as tutors and mentors to school children, reclaiming public
spaces, and organizing after-school programs, school vacation camps, and civic
engagement programs for students of all ages. More than 1,100 corps members serve in
sixteen City Year sites across the United States and on site in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Over the past seventeen years, City Year has generated 13 million hours of service to
community and country, served nearly 900,000 children, and engaged nearly 900,000
other citizens in service.
Background
City Year was founded in 1988 by Michael Brown and Alan Khazei, who were roommates
at the time at Harvard Law School, who felt strongly that young people in service could be
a powerful resource for addressing society’s most pressing issues. Particularly concerned
about the community disengagement and racial polarization, they were witnessing in the
United States, Brown and Khazei sought to develop a well-designed, year-long program of
national service that would be an effective way to unite people across different classes,
races, and geographic regions. City Year was launched as a summer pilot program with
fifty corps members and five founding sponsors. Since then, City Year has graduated more
than 8,000 alumni and has engaged more than 800 corporate sponsors.
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North America
City Year
Founded in 1988
USA
www.cityyear.org
Strategy
City Year is dedicated to building democracy through citizen service, civic engagement,
and social entrepreneurship. As an "action tank" for national service, City Year seeks to
combine theory and practice in order to illustrate, promote, and expand the power of
service to build a stronger democracy. City Year works toward the full realization of its
mission through its youth service corps, which unites young adults from diverse
backgrounds for a year of full-time community service, leadership development, and civic
engagement. Upon completion of their year of service, corps members receive a US$4,725
college scholarship. In addition to the youth corps, City Year is committed to engaging
business, civic and government leaders in its vision that, someday, the most commonly
asked question of a young adult will be, "Where are you going to do your service year?"
City Year helped to lead the Save AmeriCorps Coalition (a nationwide grassroots campaign
to respond to federal budget cuts) and is involved in its successor organization, Voices for
National Service.
Partnerships have always been a hallmark of City Year. The organization’s citizen service
initiatives are rooted in innovative relationships with schools, corporations, community
organizations, civic leaders, elected officials and others. City Year’s premier corporate
sponsors, called National Leadership Sponsors, are Bank of America, Comcast, CSX, The
Timberland Company, and T-Mobile. City Year is a member of AmeriCorps. City Year’s
vision for citizen service extends well beyond its borders and is based on establishing
"action tank" programs in other countries. It aims to leverage those programs to inspire
and build capacity for expanded national youth service movements and systems, and to
show the power of idealism and service to build stronger democracies.
The Entrepreneurs
Classmates and roommates at Harvard College and Harvard Law School, the partnership
and vision of Michael Brown and Alan Khazei have been the guiding force for the evolution
of City Year into a national movement. Michael Brown currently serves as President of City
Year and often speaks around the country on issues relating to youth policy, national
service, and democracy building.
273
J.B. Schramm
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, USA, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: United States
Focus: Education
The Innovation
The long-term health of the United States depends on whether the nation can expand the
pool of college-educated talent to grow the economy. High performance in low-income high
schools is not just about the availability of quality academic courses. Students must buy
into the rigor. Research finds that students lose motivation and drop-out when they
believe high school is not relevant for their college and career goals. Student performance
increases when they experience high school not as a destination but as a launchpad for
college and career success. College Summit works to increase university enrollment rates
of low-income students in the United States by helping high schools build college-going
culture. Using a systemic approach combining teacher training, post-secondary planning
curriculum, peer leadership, and data management that facilitates accountability, College
Summit has served 53,000 students from low income communities. College Summit's
partner schools increase their school-wide college enrollment rates by 15% over baseline,
closing the college-going gap between low-income and middle income students by half.
Background
Students from upper and middle income families – even poor academic performers - are
expected to go onto university when they graduate from secondary school. An army of
support systems are deployed to help make that happen, including professional
consultants, test preparatory courses, encouraging teachers and counselors and parents
who can afford to involve their academically low-performing child in a number of
extracurricular activities – music lessons, sports activities, international travel – that
indicate s/he has non-academic talents and interests that will prove to be of interest to a
university. This situation stands in stark contrast to students – even the best ones - coming
from low-income families whose parents most likely did not attend university and whose
school is poorly resourced to provide timely and effective encouragement and coaching. As
a result, the country loses out on a critically important pool of talent at a time when
companies across every industry are avidly seeking to recruit such individuals. Moreover,
the current situation drives a further wedge between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in
America causing social unrest and depriving the country of a wealth of diverse and
prepared adults.
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North America
College Summit
Founded in 1993
USA
www.collegesummit.org
Strategy
College Summit currently works with more than 170 secondary school partners in 13
states and focuses on three levers to effect the change it seeks. The first lever is the
school. College Summit equips schools with the tools, resources and know-how to prepare
them to support students throughout the university application process. For example, it
trains teachers, counselors, and principals on building college-going culture, and provides
a regular, for-credit class to help teachers and students manage college applications
online.
The second lever is a corps of Peer Leaders to motivate fellow students throughout that
process. College Summit trains influential students to help build a student-led university-
going culture in their secondary schools. Approximately 20% of students starting their last
year in secondary school are selected to attend a four-day workshop on a nearby college
campus where they can start learning about aspects of the university application process,
including writing personal statements that showcase their strengths and future aspirations,
learning about options for receiving financial aid, and scholarships. These students then
return to their schools and spread their university-bound experience to their peers.
University-bound students from these low income families in turn inspire their siblings and
wider network to pursue higher education, gradually changing the entire community’s
expectations for its young people as a whole.
The third lever is data. College Summit has developed a performance management system
that provides systematic measurement and analysis of leading indicators to inform schools
throughout the year on students’ progress. Schools can spot and spread high performing
models, and make mid-term corrections when students or classes are off-track. The
following year, schools receive college enrollment reports on their graduated students,
which allow them to evaluate their outcomes and the impact of their partnership with
College Summit. College Summit services are affordable for its partner schools, and
College Summit brings community resources to those schools: for every dollar that the
school contributes, College Summit raises $5 from colleges, corporations, and foundations
to cover the costs. The number of students College Summit has served has increased an
average of more than 40% per year for the past five years. Over that period, the
organization’s cost per student has declined by 30%.
The Entrepreneur
J. B. Schramm is a product of Denver public schools. J.B. learned through personal
experience how family and teacher expectations shape personal aspirations. Supported by
his parents – both university graduates – J.B. successfully applied from his inner-city high
school and enrolled in university. In contrast, many of his talented classmates – whose
parents had not gone to college and who relied on an application support system in their
school that was broken – did not go to college. After graduating from Yale University and
Harvard Divinity School, he directed a Teen Center in the basement of a Washington D.C.
housing project. There he came into contact with smart, curious, and determined young
people who didn't see university as an option. Recognizing a critical public sector and
market failure, J.B. founded College Summit to address this critical gap.
275
Linda Rottenberg
Geographic Area of Impact: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Jordan,
Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, United States, Uruguay
Focus: Enterprise Development
The Innovation
Endeavor was founded in 1997 to help high-potential entrepreneurs to flourish in emerging
economies where they are often overlooked and face significant barriers to success. These
are entrepreneurs who are running businesses that are highly innovative and growing very
quickly. The entrepreneurs running these businesses encounter few role models, a lack of
trust, a limited pool of management talent, an inability to access smart capital, and
insufficient contacts.
Endeavor provides High-Impact Entrepreneurs with tools they need to scale: mentors,
networks, new skills, access to talent, and inspiration. Engaging the private-sector in
mentoring these entrepreneurs in emerging markets is a pioneering aspect of Endeavor’s
model. Typically, a few families hold a majority of the wealth and connections in emerging
economies, resulting in concentrated networks closed off to new entrepreneurs. Endeavor
dismantles this tradition by building a community of trust and eventually making
unheralded entrepreneurs welcome in established business circles. In the process,
Endeavor transforms cultural perceptions of private-sector leaders by turning distrusted
members of the business establishment into valued mentors.
Background
For emerging economies transitioning from international aid to international investment,
there is a gap in the development sector. In these countries, thousands of ambitious and
visionary entrepreneurs have the desire and ability to run innovative businesses that
create jobs, wealth, and economic security for themselves and for entire communities. But
this ambition is often left unfulfilled. There are too many factors lacking – a lack of
mentorship, a lack of self-made role models, a lack of new markets, and a lack of smart
capital – which the global community must proactively address. If not, the same old story
of economies that nearly made it will continue to persist. This is where Endeavor steps in.
Endeavor addresses these lacking factors by applying the missing ingredients – role
models, mentors and the audacity to “think big” – to High-Impact Entrepreneurs.
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North America
Endeavor
Founded in 1997
USA
www.endeavor.org
Strategy
Endeavor’s model is designed to achieve three objectives: 1) to unleash untapped, high-
potential entrepreneurial talent and stimulate new venture creation in a country; 2) to help
create a venture-friendly environment where entrepreneurs can access the knowledge,
networks, and capital they need to succeed; 3) to widen economic participation and
opportunity by elevating Endeavor Entrepreneurs to become national role models,
inspiring emerging market citizens, particularly youth, to take risks and turn their ideas
into reality. Ultimately, Endeavor aims to transform the social and economic landscape of
emerging markets through the power of entrepreneurship.
The 330 certified Endeavor Entrepreneurs (screened from over 17,000 candidates as of
December 2007) have generated nearly 90,000 new jobs and over US$ 2.51 billion dollars
in wages and revenues, and told their stories to tens of thousands in classrooms and
conferences. 95% of Endeavor companies are still in operation. Endeavor also has
promoted high-impact entrepreneurs as role models in their countries: 173 have been
taught as business cases studies and nearly all have been featured in local and
international media. Success breeds confidence and Endeavor Entrepreneurs are
increasingly serial entrepreneurs: over 300 ventures – unrelated to their “Endeavor
company” – have been launched with Endeavor Entrepreneurs serving as founders, board
members, and investors. Seventy five Endeavor Entrepreneurs have inspired a family
member to start a business, and 96 have had employees leave their business to start their
own company. Endeavor will launch offices in Peru and the Philippines in 2009 and plans
to take its model to 25 emerging markets by 2015.
The Entrepreneur
When Linda Rottenberg first spoke of her idea, everyone told her she was crazy. “There
are no entrepreneurs in emerging markets,” they proclaimed. She faced an additional
hurdle: there were no philanthropists either. Determined to shatter these myths,
Rottenberg stalked potential donors at the gym and outside restrooms. She logged over a
million airline miles and ultimately convinced top business leaders in Latin America and
South Africa not only to donate more than US$10 million, but also to dedicate their time
and passion to the organization and its entrepreneurs. Today, she is recognized both for
empowering high-impact entrepreneurs worldwide and for inspiring a new generation of
philanthropists. "Two things drive my work at Endeavor," says Linda, "a passion for helping
young people make their dreams come true, and the challenge of creating a new kind of
non-profit, one that borrows the best practices from the private sector to achieve
development goals in the most high-impact and sustainable way possible."
277
Geoffrey Cape
Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Canada, 2007
Geographic Area of Impact: Canada
Focus: Environment, Sustainable Cities, Health
The Innovation
Evergreen operates as both a charity and hybrid nonprofit venture. Its mission is to bring
communities and nature together for the benefit of both. Started in 1990 to help
communities plant trees and green urban spaces, the organization has rapidly grown in its
impact on schools, communities, businesses, and governments that work together to
create and benefit from a healthy, natural sustainable society. The organization has
partnered with over 3,500 school projects and 500 community projects and has reached
over 3 million school children. Evergreen is a recognized international leader in ‘green city’
movements, in large part because its community partnerships enable it to effectively
measure up to the scale of its ambitions. One of its most recent projects has been the
redevelopment of an old industrial site in downtown Toronto into a national centre for
sustainable cities. This $55M project involves three levels of government and extensive
community partnerships. Evergreen Brick Works will be Canada’s first fullfledged, large-
scale environmental discovery centre. It will be a dynamic, magical place that models
sustainability on all fronts – from the adaptive reuse of the heritage buildings to creating
an economically self-sustaining operation. At heart it is a centre for learning through play,
crafts, demonstrations, programming, and innovative partnerships. The site will be
animated with year-round programs and activities that include a native plant nursery,
demonstration gardens, a local farmers’ market, conference and event facilities, youth
leadership and children’s camps, family programming, and youth-at-risk programs.
Background
With issues such as urban planning, community health, climate change, and environmental
sustainability at the forefront of public concern and international debate, the need for
Evergreen’s work has never been stronger. Evergreen has been able to align resources and
efforts of private, public, and non-profit organizations to address urban environmental
issues and to promote environmental action at the community level. In bringing these
communities together, Evergreen increases the presence of public nature spaces in an
urban context. This approach is particularly vital in large Canadian cities, including
Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary, which have recently experienced significant
urban sprawl. The existence of green landscapes contributes to making the cities truly
livable and also to creating a practical and achievable blueprint for environmental
sustainability.
278
North America
Evergreen
Founded in 1990
Canada
www.evergreen.ca
Strategy
Evergreen’s strength is facilitating and bridging community partnerships to promote
environmental development. The eight-person management team, and seventy staff -
made up of various urban planning, management, marketing and finance professionals,
has built an effective and replicable model to forge corporate partnerships with a
community interest and resources on the ground. This model has been applied consistently
to the organization’s four main programs: Learning Grounds – Projects to green school
grounds; Common Grounds – National service to protect natural and cultural landscapes,
restore degraded environments, and protect spaces for open recreation, education and
enjoyment; Home Grounds – Consulting activities and information resources specially
designed to encourage environment-friendly residential lawn care practices; Brickworks –
A C$55M initiative to redevelop 19th century industrial buildings in Toronto into a mixed
use environmental education and leadership centre. The site, which will be ready by 2010,
is designed to cover 100% of operating costs through leasing of office space and event
rentals, conferences, parking and admissions. The site plan will include a local food
merchants and a seasonal farmers market, community gardens, office space for social
enterprise organizations, arts programming, youth leadership training facilities, a
restaurant, a place to study geological and natural history, exhibits on the future of green
cities, a children’s discovery centre, and community conference facilities.
The Entrepreneur
Geoffrey Cape is the visionary founder and leader behind Evergreen’s national
organization. Over the past 18 years, Geoffrey has played an active role in building a
supportive culture of innovation that is well-recognized and attracts talent. Geoffrey
capitalized on his interest in the environment and his abilities to innovate and to make
things happen. At the age of 25, Geoffrey built upon his experience in the real estate
industry when he recognized an opportunity to focus his efforts on the unbuilt landscape
in cities – the green spaces. Starting out with planting trees, Geoffrey applied great energy
to grow his organization to its present size with over 70 staff and nearly 2000 volunteers.
As an avid supporter of urban issues, Geoffrey Cape is one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40,
and a recipient of numerous other awards, a testament to Geoffrey’s success as a leader
in urban innovation.
279
Kyle Zimmer
Geographic Area of Impact: United States,
The Innovation
Research in this field confirms that the single most important predictor of high reading
scores is the number of books in the home. Countless studies have pointed to these
results. First Book has created a highly innovative, leveraged and successful nationwide
effort to provide children from low-income families with books that they can take home
and keep. The children served by First Book are found in existing literacy programs in
youth centers, housing projects, pediatric clinics, migrant worker camps, daycare centers
and other community-based initiatives serving children in need. In this process, First Book
has engaged the corporate sector in cause-related marketing campaigns, which fund more
than 80% of its operating budget annually. It has set up a national network of 285
Advisory Boards, groups of local leaders upon which First Book relies to select the most
effective programs in their community as First Book grantees. Those grantees — the
various types of child-oriented centers — select and order books from specially discounted
catalogs co-branded with First Book’s publishing partners. New books chosen by program
leaders working directly with the children are incorporated into program lessons and then
given to the children to take home and keep. All the books are brand new, and cost nothing
to the child or to the program. Today, First Book provides over 8 million books annually to
more than 3,000 communities and over 16,000 programs are registered with the
enterprise.
Background
In the USA, 61% of low-income families have no age-appropriate books in the home. This
percentage translates to 28.8 million or 39% of U.S. children. Moreover, 80% of preschool
and after-school programs that serve this group have no books at all for these children.
And there are 181,500 such programs in US cities with populations exceeding 50,000
alone. The results achieved by First Book are compelling. A 2002 Louis Harris evaluation
found that when First Book works with a local organization serving the most disadvantaged
children, the number of children who previously had “low interest” in reading fell
dramatically from 43% to 15%, while those with a “high interest” in reading more than
doubled, from 26% to 55%. Moreover, 92% of children stated that they “love” receiving
books with their own names on them and 80% specifically reported “it means a lot to
receive something new and not used.” Most importantly, 63% of children report a marked
improvement in their interest in reading: 63% are “not unhappy to have to take time away
from play to read and 80 percent “really like to read books on their own.”
Strategy
The children’s book market is a $27 billion industry with over 460 million books sold
annually. However, despite the size of the market, publishers have historically competed
over the same pool of customers. In 2002, just 34.5 % of US households purchased at
least one children’s book. The past few years have been especially tough for the children’s
publishing industry. The trade hardcover publishing market is down 27%, due mainly to
280
North America
First Book
Founded in 1992
USA
www.firstbook.org
increases in the retail cost of books and consolidation of the marketplace. Yet First Book
is routinely overwhelmed by requests for books and unable to meet the demand. Within
48 hours of announcing a 400,000-book distribution, all books are gone and thousands of
programs are turned away. To meet both the demand for books from its intended
beneficiaries, and the downturn in the children’s publishing industry, Kyle and her
colleagues have created the ‘First Book Marketplace’ (FBMP). This innovation meets the
need for affordable high quality books by offering a broad selection of children’s books in
unlimited quantities at a price level that is not available to programs serving disadvantaged
children. They do this through a user-friendly online ordering process with no complex
procedures. They use the revenues generated from FBMP to scale up First Book’s
operations so that more low-income children can get free books. To conduct the market
test, First Book conducted a survey of 10,000 programs focused on low-income children.
Would they be willing and able to pay something for the books? They found that programs
have an annual estimated book buying power of $ 86.6 million. Of the organizations
surveyed, 68% have money available for the purchase of low cost new children’s books.
In 2004 they launched a FBMP pilot study and generated over US$366,000 in sales of
209,000 books to 320 programs. With a current market size of 181,500 preschool and
after-school programs serving this population, including 2,500 Head Start programs
around the country serving disadvantaged youngsters, the market is significant. The FBMP
works as follows: FBMP purchases selected inventory and customized reprints from
publishers in carton quantities on a non-returnable basis — every publisher’s dream! Books
available for purchase are then posted on the FBMP website. Inventory is stored using the
donated, excess warehouse space already provided to First Book. Customer programs
register and order through a simple on-line system. The price per book averages $1.85
and generates a margin to the FBMP of 50 cents per book. Publishers embrace the strategy
because they are able to guarantee that they will have no returned books. Purchases are
pre-paid with credit card or electronic check. Orders are delivered within one to four
weeks. FBMP issues no invoices and no accounts receivable accrue.
The Entrepreneur
A lawyer by training, Kyle also has a strong streak of political activism and worked with
then US Governor Richard Celeste from Ohio, going on to serve as an advisor in Walter
Mondale’s Presidential campaign. But the turning point for her was working at “Martha’s
Table,” a community-based center in the heart of Washington D.C.’s downtown area, home
to many African American and Latino families and far from the capital’s affluent suburbs
and wealthy neighborhoods. There, she worked as a volunteer tutor to youngsters coming
to the center as part of the early childhood programs. During this work, she discovered a
gigantic chasm. Children had no books. In fact, it turned out that the majority of low
income families in the USA have no age appropriate books for their children. Kyle put her
private sector head to work, and thought of Henry Ford and the Model T. If you want to
put a car in everyone’s driveway, you need to price it right. Kyle and two other lawyers,
Peter F. Gold and Elizabeth Arky, founded First Book in 1992. They began in three
communities and distributed 12,000 books in the first year. After three years, Kyle became
its President and, with the help of the other founders, First Book took off. By the end of
2008, the organization will have distributed more than 60 million brand new books through
a network of more than 3,000 communities. First Book is now operating in Canada and has
taken early steps in Mexico and Colombia. The group is also investigating expansion
options in India and throughout Asia.
281
Rebecca Adamson
Focus: Enterprise Development, Microfinance
The Innovation
Rebecca Adamson, a member of the Cherokee Nation, founded First Nations Development
Institute (1980) and First Peoples Worldwide (1997) to assist Indigenous communities in
establishing asset-based economic development programs. After experiencing the dismal
results of government programs and development initiatives in indigenous communities,
Ms. Adamson realized the existing programs increased dependency on public funds and
agencies rather than empowering indigenous people to determine their own futures. She
decided to create alternative development models that focused on controlling assets,
building individual and tribal capacity, and honoring indigenous values. Ms. Adamson
spearheaded a cultural paradigm shift within indigenous communities that encourages
entrepreneurship and decreases dependency. Her work established a new field of culturally
appropriate, values-driven development which created: the first reservation-based micro-
enterprise loan fund in the United States – The Lakota Fund; the first tribal investment
model; a national movement for reservation land reform; and legislation that established
new standards of accountability regarding federal trust responsibility for Native Americans.
Ms. Adamson’s international work with First Peoples Worldwide created the first Aboriginal
foundation in Australia – the LUMBA Community Foundation; established the capacity for
the Sans Tribe to secure land tenure in traditional African homelands; launched an
international corporate engagement strategy; and developed investment criteria
protecting the rights of indigenous people that have been adopted by a mutual fund, an
index fund and numerous investment advisors. Through her activism, she led The World
Bank to recognize the necessity of creating the First Global Indigenous Peoples’ Facility
Fund (May 2003). This fund now makes small capacity-building grants to indigenous
communities throughout the world. Ms. Adamson also founded Community Notes, the first
financial instrument whereby mutual fund shareholders and other individual investors can
invest in community development loan funds. Community Notes was first offered by the
Calvert Group, based in the US, in October 1990. Since that time, private investors have
placed in total over $850 million in to low-income community development financial
institutions.
Background
The approximately 400 million indigenous people located in more than 90 countries
comprise the poorest population group in the world. Yet, indigenous people own significant
assets. Statistically, indigenous people total about six percent of the world’s population,
represent 90% of the cultural diversity, and have traditional land claims for 18-24% of the
Earth’s land surface. These territories contain 80% of the last remaining biodiversity-rich
conservation priorities for this century. Ms. Adamson established the asset-based approach
for indigenous people to utilize their assets for culturally appropriate sustainable
development. First Peoples Worldwide is the only economic development institute utilizing
this approach.
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First Peoples Worldwide
Founded in 1997
USA
www.firstpeoplesworldwide.org
Strategy
Founded by Rebecca Adamson in 1997, First Peoples Worldwide is one of the only
international organizations led by indigenous peoples and dedicated to the mission of
promoting indigenous economic determination and strengthening indigenous communities
through asset control and the dissemination of knowledge. The Fredericksburg, Virginia-
based organization has been at the helm of studying, devising and implementing solutions
to indigenous communities’ issues. First Peoples Worldwide became a project of the Tides
Center in February 2007; the Center provides administrative, financial management, and
organizational support for First Peoples.
First Peoples employs a number of strategies to assist indigenous people take their place
in the world’s systems. Through regranting, technical assistance, education, and advocacy,
First Peoples provides indigenous peoples with the tools, information, and relationships
necessary to build community capacity to leverage assets for sustainable economic
development. First Peoples advocates extensively with policy making bodies,
governments, funders, and institutions on behalf of indigenous peoples. First Peoples
engages with multinational corporations and extractive industries to encourage them to
work directly with indigenous peoples to establish mutually beneficial agreements. First
Peoples established the Indigenous Stewardship InitiativeSM (ISI) to build the capacity of
indigenous peoples to establish and manage protected areas on their own homelands. First
Peoples promotes socially responsible investing, and maintains an aggressive research
program on indigenous peoples and their issues.
The programs of First Peoples Worldwide are grounded in the belief that assets are the
building blocks of wealth; indigenous peoples own substantial assets but frequently lack
the control necessary to benefit from them. First Peoples also believes that successful
economic development is a holistic process that takes into account the political, social, and
cultural variables of a community. First Peoples works to stop and reverse injustices by
equipping indigenous peoples with resources to challenge government, corporation and
conservation policies. At the same time, First Peoples is building capacity in indigenous
communities to play an active role in conservation.
The Entrepreneur
Rebecca Adamson is the daughter of a Cherokee mother and Swedish father. Her youth
included a mixture of time between a Swedish community in Ohio and the Cherokee Indian
Reservation in North Carolina. For the last 30 years, she has been working tirelessly to
improve the lives of indigenous people everywhere. Ms. Adamson received a Masters of
Science in Economic Development from the University of Southern New Hampshire
(Manchester, NH); and a Doctorate in Humane Letters from Dartmouth College (Hanover,
NH). She serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, contributes articles and
presentations on indigenous issues to publications and international fora, and has had her
work recognized through numerous awards over the years.
283
David Green
Focus: Health, Technology
The Innovation
David Green has worked with many organizations to make medical technology and
healthcare services sustainable, affordable and accessible to all, particularly to the poorer
two-thirds of humanity. His most significant work is the development of an economic
paradigm which he calls “humanized capitalism” for making healthcare products and
services available and affordable to the poor.This paradigm of ‘compassionate capitalism’
utilizes production capacity and surplus revenue to serve all economic strata, rich and poor
alike, in a way that is both financially self-sustaining and affordable to all members of
society.
In 1992, Green directed the establishment of Aurolab (India), a not-for-profit

manufacturing facility in South India. Aurolab is one of the largest manufacturers of
intraocular lenses (IOLs) in the world with 10% of the global market share. With sales to
109 countries, Aurolab has sold over 7 million lenses since its inception. IOLs are surgically
implanted in the eye to replace the cloudy lens during cataract surgery. Cataract disease
is the main cause of blindness and visual disability in the world. Aurolab sells lenses for
US$ 2- 4 that are priced at US$ 150 in the developed world, thereby helping countless
patients that otherwise could never afford such treatment to preserve their sight and
ability to work. Green also directed the establishment of suture manufacturing at Aurolab,
and the company has reduced the price of ophthalmic sutures from US$ 200 per box to
US$ 25. Previously, only 10% of suture products were sold to developing countries, where
70% of the world’s population lives.
Green is now turning his attention to hearing impairment. With partners, he is establishing
Conversion Sound, a social enterprise dedicated to making high quality hearing aids
affordable and available to all who need them, regardless of ability to pay. WHO estimates
that 278 million people have severe hearing impairment. WHO estimates that the global
need for hearing aids is 32 million units per year. Despite this need, only 7 million hearing
aids were sold worldwide in 2006 and less than 12% went to developing countries home
to 70% of the global population. Conversion Sound is developing an inexpensivedigital
hearing aid that is combined with a unique system that reduces the cost and complexity
to efficiently measure hearing loss and program and fit hearing aids. Through collaboration
with leading social entrepreneurs, Conversion Sound will develop unconventional cost
effective distribution channels reaching the poorest of humanity. Green has also helped
develop high-volume, quality eye care programs that are affordable to the poor and are
self-sustaining from user fees. He helped develop Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India,
which performs 300,000 surgeries per year, making it the largest eye care system in the
world. 70% of the care is provided free of charge or below cost, yet the hospital is able to
generate substantial surplus revenue. Green has replicated this cost recovery model in
Nepal, Malawi, Egypt, Guatemala, El Salvador, Tibet, Tanzania and Kenya and has assisted
other institutions in providing sustainability planning services and training, such as the Al
Noor Foundation in Egypt and the Lions Aravind Institute for Community Ophthalmology
in India. He is now collaborating with the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness
and Deutsche Bank to create an “Eye Fund” that will improve financing for sustainable eye
care.
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North America
USA
Background
Green’s efforts are underpinned by the concept of compassionate capitalism, which centers
on the choice to use profit and production capacity for service delivery to the poor. It
emphasizes the provision of high-quality service to all economic strata, rich and poor alike.
It relies upon efficiency, productivity and sound financial management to generate surplus
revenue, which is used to cross-subsidize services and products offered free of charge or
below cost, and to expand service delivery. "Free" is the lowest price, and everyone is
eligible to receive service, regardless of his or her ability to pay. Better quality at a price
that is affordable to a broader segment of the population generates consumer demand,
which increases volume and leads to further reductions in unit costs.
Strategy
The cost structure and technology of a given product and manufacturing process is
demystified via careful research and forensic cost accounting. By gaining control of the
relevant technology, production and distribution, price may be controlled to ensure
affordability and accessibility for the intended beneficiaries. Another key aspect of this
economic model is multi-tiered pricing. Prices are set according to the paying capacity of
the local population. This model capitalizes on income differences within national markets
to make medical services available to the poor at an affordable price or at no charge.
The Entrepreneur
David Green's philosophy of development emphasizes ‘deconstructing reality’ to see that
much of the world's problems are due to human artifice that has created economic
paradigms favoring the concentration of wealth into the hands of the few. He addresses
the pricing disparity that exists and works to put basic human needs like sight and hearing
into the realm of affordability for the blind and visually disabled, and hard of hearing.
David is a MacArthur Fellow as well as an Ashoka Fellow, and is recognized by Schwab
Foundation as a leading social entrepreneur. He will be honored as the 2009 recipient of
the “Spirit of Helen Keller” award, given by Helen Keller International for humanitarian
efforts in blindness prevention.
285
Rick Surpin
Focus: Health, Labor Conditions and Unemployment
The Innovation
Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA) and its affiliated organizations,
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI) and Independence Care System (ICS), are
transforming home health care in the United States. The experience is highly applicable
elsewhere given changing global demographics and skyrocketing health care costs. Rick
Surpin founded all three organizations. CHCA, founded in 1985, is the first worker-owned
home health care agency in the United States. Its owner-employees are African-American
and Latina women — 70% previously dependent on public assistance. Today, CHCA has
1,100 workers and US$ 35 million in revenues. CHCA has historically paid wages and
benefits that are 20% higher than the industry average, resulting in high morale that
contributes to higher quality services. CHCA has succeeded in cutting characteristic health
aide worker turnover to approximately 20% annually compared to the 40% industry
average. In 1991, CHCA spun off the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI) to
demonstrate the value of CHCA’s “good jobs — good care” model in other settings and to
catalyze national debate on the quality of paraprofessional jobs and long-term care. PHI
conducts policy analysis at both the national and state levels and conducts demonstrations
and training to improve practice in both home care and nursing home settings. It has 35
staff and US $9 million in revenues.
In early 2000, Surpin founded Independence Care System (ICS) to support low-income
individuals with physical disabilities to live independently in a community setting. ICS has
established unique programs in wheelchair purchase and repair, wound care and
specialized care management for adults with Multiple Sclerosis and spinal cord injury in
addition to home care aide services. ICS serves 1,300 members, 90% of whom are Latino
or African American and has 150 staff and US $85 million in revenues. It is also the driver
of CHCA’s growth over the last 5 years, as a contractor for aide services. In 2005, the
SKILL Training Center spun off from CHCA. It conducts all of the entry level and in-service
training for CHCA with 15 staff and US $2 million in revenues.
Background
Extraordinary growth projections of population aging bode well for opportunities in home
care aide work. Some employment trend analysis even calls it one of the “hot jobs” of the
new millennium. But those taking such jobs are typically Latina and African-American
women, usually single mother heads of household. They provide their ill or elderly client
with a range of services, from cooking to movement assistance, and from simple
companionship to support with bathing and personal care. The work of the typical home
care aide is part-time, often isolating, sometimes degrading and occasionally, even
dangerous. When Rick Surpin started CHCA in 1985, home care aides tended to work part-
time, and most received only the minimum wage. Benefits were non-existent — no sick
leave, vacation or personal days, and ironically, no health insurance. Health home aides
typically receive only the minimum training required by regulation. The resulting situation
is a self- fulfilling prophecy: a home health agency does not invest much in training,
support and compensation because management expects its employees to leave; in turn,
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North America
Independence Care System (ICS)
Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA)
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI)
Founded in 1985 (CHCA), 1991 (PHI), 2000 (ICS)
United States
www.icsny.org – www.chcany.org – www.phinational.org
aides frequently leave their jobs because the pay and other conditions are not attractive.
As a result, the quality of care and the quality of life for the elderly and disabled individuals
the aides work with are negatively affected. Rick started ICS in 2000, after 5 years of
planning, in the context of a service system that has severe constraints for people with
physical disabilities, in terms of both available health and social services and access to
them. Viewed as “problem consumers” who have unusual situations that are not easily
addressed, many of their basic needs are virtually ignored. Further, many disabled
individuals view home care aide services as their “lifeline” or primary support.
Strategy
CHCA, PHI, and ICS are affiliated complementary organizations recognized for their
respective efforts to transform traditional practice. CHCA is a cooperative conceived on the
premise that clients receive higher quality care only when home health care workers are
offered higher quality jobs. Today, 70% of employees own shares in CHCA and receive
annual dividends ranging from US$ 200-400. Employees elected by CHCA worker-owners
comprise the majority of its board of directors. Rigorous recruitment, screening and
intensive training combined with guaranteed hours program, are critical elements of
CHCA’s strategy for improving the quality of home care services provided by its aides.
CHCA quickly became a benchmark corporation and others flocked to learn from it.
Foundations sought to support replication, but CHCA was not equipped to oversee a large
training and replication exercise. In response, Surpin set up the Paraprofessional
Healthcare Institute (PHI) as an independent, national, non-profit health care advocacy
and employment development organization. PHI has led national policy reform,
established the web-based Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce, and currently
conducts projects in several states that are seeking to promote the use of the better care
through better jobs model in both home care and nursing home settings. In 2000, Surpin
launched Independence Care System (ICS) to coordinate and provide quality services to
low-income individuals with physical disabilities who are eligible for placement in nursing
homes but wish to live independently. Starting ICS was an attempt to protect and expand
the market for CHCA both as a social enterprise in New York City and as a national model
of its school of thought by moving higher on the healthcare “value chain” or
reimbursement ladder.
The Entrepreneur
Rick Surpin is a modest person with a seemingly simple but constant focus. Raised in New
York City, he worked with his parents in their wholesale food business, learning to work
hard, hold onto values of fairness and equality, and view family and community as the
underpinnings of strong, healthy societies. Surpin is a passionate believer in an individual’s
ability to be their own agent of positive change if provided with the right opportunities and
support. He has made it his life’s work to address the causes of poverty by creating good
jobs with adequate wages and benefits, job stability, opportunities for advancement and
decent working conditions. That work has been in the health care sector for the last twenty
five years, and creating “good jobs” has been directly linked with providing quality care for
the disabled and the elderly.
287
Victoria G. Hale
Geographic Area of Impact: Asia
Focus: Health
The Innovation
The Institute for OneWorld Health is the first non-profit pharmaceutical company in the
United States. Its mission is to develop safe, effective and affordable new medicines for
people with infectious diseases in the developing world. OneWorld Health conceives
implements and manages complex drug development projects for neglected diseases. Its
expertise includes: integrated project management, pre-clinical development
(pharmacology, toxicology), chemistry, clinical development (clinical study design and
conduct/reporting of clinical studies), submissions to regulatory authorities in the
developing world and to the US FDA, and business/legal expertise necessary to ensure
global access to medicines through local partnerships.
Background
Most of the so-called “neglected” infectious diseases are unheard of in industrialized
countries. These include leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, onchoceriasis, African sleeping
sickness, lymphatic filariasis, and Chagas disease. Others, such as diarrhoeal disease, are
ubiquitous, but their impact is most severe in the developing world: two million children
under age five die each year from diarrhea and more than one million children die each
year from malaria. Moreover, it has been estimated that only 10% of global spending on
health is devoted to diseases or conditions that account for 90% of the global disease
burden. Of the approximately 1,500 new drugs approved in the last 25 years, less than
1% was for neglected infectious diseases, because the diseases associated with global
poverty are not the same as in the West.
Strategy
Safe, affordable and effective new therapies are lacking for many infectious diseases that
disproportionately affect the world’s poorest people. Meanwhile, numerous potential cures
exist but remain undeveloped. OneWorld Health was founded to unite this specific need
with promising industry and academic scientific research, in order to address this specific
global health inequity. Through the model created by OneWorld Health, pharmaceutical
companies and universities can share and/or donate intellectual property, lend experts or
make financial contributions. This enhances their essential role in global health and allows
them to receive acknowledgement for their contributions. This new paradigm for global
health, which encourages collaboration with OneWorld Health, can shave years and
millions of dollars off the traditional new drug development path. OneWorld Health
currently has three active drug development programs; all are funded by grants from the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:
1) Visceral Leishmaniasis: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL, black fever or kala-azar) is the
second most deadly parasitic disease in the world following malaria. VL is a fatal
systemic infection caused by the Leishmania parasite; transmission occurs through the
bite of a sand fly, causing chronic fever, weight loss, severe anemia, and death due to
infection, organ failure or hemorrhage. VL is endemic in 7 countries, of the developing
288
North America
Institute for OneWorld Health
Founded in 2000
USA
www.oneworldhealth.org
world, and the population at risk is estimated at 200 million. Annual deaths exceed
300,000, more than half of these in India. In August 2006, OneWorld Health’s first new
medicine, Paromomycin IM Injection, was approved by the Drug Controller General of
India for VL, and also by Bangladesh. Paromomycin has been added to the WHO
Essential Medicines List.
2) Malaria: Malaria is a life-threatening disease transmitted by mosquitoes infected with
the Plasmodium parasites. All over the world artemisinin combination therapy is used
to cure malaria. Some years ago, the cost of artemisinin was so high that a cure cost
more than $25 in Africa. OneWorld Health and its pharmaceutical partners have reduced
the cost of artemisinin by more than 10-fold by genetically engineering yeast to produce
this critical medicine. The development is completing, and humans will begin receiving
the new medicine in 2010.
3) Diarrheal Disease: Diarrheal diseases account for approximately 2 million deaths
annually in children under the age of 5. It is especially prevalent in developing
countries, and most deaths are due to dehydration. OneWorld Health has partnered with
several pharmaceutical companies to develop new anti-secretory medicines to
complement the traditional treatment, oral dehydration solution, by helping the body to
retain precious water and salt.
The Entrepreneur
Victoria Hale established her expertise in all stages of biopharmaceutical drug
development at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Her corporate experience was
gained at Genentech, the world’s first biotechnology company. She earned her PhD in
Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She has
taught at the FDA and at Universities, and is an Advisor to the WHO for building ethical
review capacity in the developing world. Dr. Hale’s recent honors include being elected to
membership in the Institute of Medicine of the US National Academies in 2007, and being
named a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2006. She is an
outstanding social entrepreneur by Ashoka, the Skoll Foundation, and the Schwab
Foundation. In 2005, The Economist named Hale the recipient of its Social and Economic
Innovation award. That same year OneWorld Health was awarded the Social Responsibility
Award at the prestigious Pharmaceutical Achievement Awards competition.
289
Armenia Nercessian De Oliveira
and Roberto Milk
Geographic Area of Impact: Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Thailand,
United States
Focus: Culture/ Handicrafts, Enterprise Development
The Innovation
Novica works directly with artists and artisans to reduce the effect of the two most
significant factors preventing them from earning a living from their craft and keeping
traditions alive: geographic distance and multiple layers of middlemen. Novica has opened
up global markets to those long restricted by local distribution. Working with Novica,
artists set their own prices, often earning 10-50% more than the going local rate. In
addition, the consumer benefits from paying below-market prices. Novica works with a
growing pool of over 2,000 artisan groups representing over 10,000 artisans and their
families worldwide (about 50,000 people). Novica taps into a growing market for hand
crafted home decor, gifts and apparel that exceeds US$ 10 billion in the US alone. It takes
advantage of two effects of globalization. One is a social phenomenon, wherein more
consumers care about how their items are made, who made them and under what
conditions. The second is technological—the increasing speed and potential of the Internet.
Novica’s website attracts over 10 million visitors per month.
But Novica is not just a website; it promotes not only the items but also the very people
whose inspiration is embodied in their works of art. One of the major goals of Novica is to
communicate the personal stories of the artisans showcased on the website. Artisans share
their life stories in first-person narrative. They express themselves freely, thus forging a
stronger self-identity and relationship to their communities. Artisan stories reveal
elements of their respective cultures, which are then transmitted to a world audience.
Novica’s model is based on an ongoing and transparent feedback loop to the artisan with
whom it works and to the consumers who buy their products. Artists can see at what price
their work is being sold and receive feedback from buyers. Products are rated on a scale
based on sales frequency. Artists appreciate and are challenged by this transparency.
Background
Traditionally, handmade goods from developing nations pass through a series of
intermediaries before reaching primary retail markets. Artisans in rural villages typically
work with local intermediaries who sell to national intermediaries. These national
intermediaries, usually based in larger cities, offer products to international distributors or
agents who then sell to retailers. Customers then purchase the goods at retail stores. As
a result of this lengthy process, consumers often purchase these goods at more than 10
times the producer price. Many developing countries face the possibility of losing
traditional art forms such as weaving, ceramics and carving. Tradition and cultural heritage
are embedded in these forms, typically passed down from one generation to the next. But
artists and artisans, faced with dire economic necessity, face one of two options. Either
they abandon their labor-intensive traditions to suit local tastes and purchasing power, or
they enter new forms of labor. Among artistically talented younger men and women, few
see the possibility of making a living from their work, even when they are passionate about
their craft.
290
North America
Novica
Founded in 1998
USA
www.novica.com
Strategy
Novica is a global company employing more than 100 people in eight countries: India,
Thailand, Indonesia, Ghana, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and the United States. It seeks to
improve the economic prospects of isolated artists in some of the world’s poorest pockets,
preserve traditional art forms, and provide a platform for cultural and personal expression.
From the outset, Milk and Nercessian de Oliveira decided to build an international network
of offices that would enable Novica to work directly with small artisans and to fill orders
from overseas. They knew that the only way to build long-lasting relationships with artists
was to have local offices. They also knew that consumers would appreciate the constant
flow of new products and the ability to learn about the creators of their wares. Novica’s
international infrastructure is built around three primary elements: regional offices,
product sourcing systems, and an extensive technology-based international logistics
system, which enables the fulfilment of orders direct to consumers from Novica’s regional
offices. Novica is strengthened through key partnerships that include National Geographic,
eBay, Amazon, and National Public Radio.
The Entrepreneurs
Roberto Milk, a Peruvian-American, and Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira, a Brazilian,
cofounded Novica. From a young age, Milk loved going to local markets and collecting
indigenous artefacts. He and Nercessian de Oliveira met ten years ago when he was
finishing his undergraduate degree at Stanford. Within a week of their meeting, they came
up with the idea for Novica. Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira has been a lover of traditional
handicrafts all her life. A Sociology professor at the Universidade Federale of Rio de
Janeiro, she also served as a UN officer for 16 years, primarily working with refugees. Both
travel extensively to the regions to work with Novica artists and find new ones.
291
Christopher J. Elias
Focus: Health
The Innovation
PATH brings the benefits of modern science and engineering to bear to address challenging
global health issues, advancing health technologies for unique problems and situations in
poor countries. For example: A chemically active sticker tells health workers when vaccines
have been spoiled by heat during the long journey from an industrial-world factory to a
developing-world village; Clean-delivery kits contain inexpensive but essential items for
safe home births; The Uniject™ device, a pre-filled injection system that looks like a
needle attached to a tiny bubble, is so simple that health workers with little training can
use it to administer vaccines in remote areas. It auto disables, preventing the spread of
infection through reuse.
Tailoring health technologies to low-resource settings is only the first step; getting them
out of the lab and into the real world requires a special kind of innovation—collaboration
with the private sector. PATH’s partnerships with the commercial sector are a critical and
unique element of the organization’s success. PATH draws on the ability of corporations to
make technologies widely available and affordable in developing-country markets. The
result? Private-sector resources applied for public good—and solutions that stand on their
own, for the long haul.
Background
Each year, millions of people in the developing world die from completely preventable
diseases. Children in these countries are especially vulnerable, and are regularly killed or
crippled by diseases that children in developed countries are vaccinated against. For
example, rotavirus, the most common cause of serious infant diarrhea, is rarely fatal
where healthcare is readily available, but kills half a million children a year in developing
countries. Neonatal tetanus is almost unheard of in the United States, but also kills half a
million children each year in places where tetanus vaccinations don’t reach. Millions more
children die from malaria, which commands few research dollars in part because it is
endemic in poor countries. There are a staggering number of people around the world
living with HIV/AIDS, especially in Africa, where the adult infection rate exceeds 30
percent in some countries. Suffering in the world’s most fragile communities is great, yet
the solutions to global health problems are all around us—in winning ideas that stall during
research and development for lack of funds or the right connections; in health workers with
heart and will but little training and few supplies; and in individuals looking for the power to
protect themselves against HIV/AIDS. PATH is the catalyst that brings this potential to life.
Strategy
PATH is well known for its technology achievements. Over the past 30 years, the
organization has advanced more than 55 health technologies for low-resource settings.
However, the need for technologies is only part of the global health equation, which is why
PATH also applies its creativity and connections to strengthening health systems and
encouraging healthy behaviors in communities around the world. Often, the systems that
people rely on need strengthening before other improvements in health can take hold.
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North America
Program for Appropriate
Technology in Health (PATH)
Founded in 1977
USA
www.path.org
PATH shares information and resources with policymakers, trains health workers and peer
educators, and provides technical assistance to program administrators. In Cambodia,
Kenya, Nicaragua, and Vietnam, for example, PATH works with local partners to help
public- and private-sector pharmacists become a critical link between the formal health
system and youth. Through training, pharmacists learn to provide accurate information
and the right products and referrals that help young people avoid sexually transmitted
infections. Individuals need the knowledge and skills to avoid risky behaviors and
safeguard their health.
Many PATH projects reach the community level. In China, for example, PATH and local
partners provide information and life skills training to girls who have left their homes and
families to seek work. The interactive training helps girls learn to protect themselves
against HIV/AIDS, discover that they have the right and the strength to resist sexual
coercion, and get the support they need to stay healthy and imagine new lives. Training
sessions are often held conveniently in the workplace, in collaboration with factory owners,
who see both social and economic benefits to promoting healthy behaviors among
employees. Advancing technologies, strengthening systems, encouraging healthy
behaviors—the magic of PATH is its multifaceted approach. PATH meets the complex health
needs of an expanding world with this multipronged approach that moves solutions from
innovation to impact: supporting new ideas through inception, development, and testing;
paving the way for introduction in low-resource countries; and working with governments
and communities to integrate and expand the most successful ideas. Each activity is made
more sustainable through collaboration with governments and local groups and—whenever
possible—partnerships that enlist private-sector resources for the public good.
The Entrepreneur
Christopher Elias has dedicated his career to tackling the complex problems of global
health. After receiving his medical degree from Creighton University (1983) and
completing postgraduate training in internal medicine at the University of California, San
Francisco (1986), he spent two years in Thailand working with refugee assistance programs,
first as a physician supervising a large pediatric ward in a refugee encampment and then as
a medical coordinator for the American Refugee Committee at the Thai–Cambodian border.
He then obtained an MPH from the University of Washington (1990), where he was a fellow
in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program. For six years, Elias served as a
senior associate in the International Programs Division of the Population Council. He was
the country representative in Thailand and managed reproductive health programs
throughout Southeast Asia. In 2000, Elias joined PATH, assuming responsibility for the
organization’s strategy, programs, finances, and management. Under his leadership,
PATH’s annual budget has more than tripled to reach $218 million, and the number of staff
has increased by more than 50 percent to reach more than 750 worldwide.
Elias represents PATH at domestic and international forums, both as a spokesperson for
PATH and as an advocate for innovative responses to global health challenges. He also sits
on the boards of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Ibis Reproductive Health, and
the Medicines for Malaria Venture, among others. He is a member of the Policy Advisory
Committee for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and is the co-chair of the UNAIDS
“aids2031” working group on science and technology. In 2006, Elias was recognized by the
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship as the U.S. Social Entrepreneur of the Year
and was also selected as an ambassador for the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health
Research.
293
Rick Aubry
Focus: Enterprise Development, Labor Conditions and Unemployment
The Innovation
At the heart of Rubicon’s theory of change is the belief that to enjoy full membership in
society, people need a decent place to live, economic self-sufficiency, and to be part of a
community. The existing systems trying to solve the problem were too fragmented,
compartmentalized, and difficult to navigate for the people they are set up to help. In
addition, most of the “helping" systems do not use the strengths of the business world to
infuse innovation, sustainability, and strategic planning into the solutions. Rubicon created
two thriving social enterprises, Rubicon Bakery, a San Francisco award-winning dessert
bakery icon now distributed to over 2,000 supermarkets throughout the US, and Rubicon
Landscape, with over US$ 4 million in annual sales throughout Northern California.
Additionally, Rubicon has built over 200 housing units and serves over 4,000 people
annually.
Background
Rubicon is engaged in addressing three core issues: multigenerational poverty that
primarily affects the African-American community in the US, homelessness, and the
disenfranchisement and marginalization of the severely mentally disabled. In 1973,
Rubicon was initiated by a group of concerned volunteers in Redmond, California, a large
urban community that is one of California's poorest. Since 1986, Rubicon's president, Rick
Aubry, has spearheaded the conception and vision of Rubicon as a social enterprise,
running numerous business ventures, providing integrated services and building affordable
housing.
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North America
Rubicon Programs
Founded in 1973
USA
www.rubiconprograms.org
Strategy
Rubicon's success is based on a strategic shift in its practice that occurred in 1988.
Rubicon's business ventures were originally conceived to provide training opportunities for
clients. But the businesses reached a scale in which their needs and the needs of the
training programs were no longer in alignment. Was the primary strategy to have a
mechanism where training could occur, or was it to have successful businesses that could
create real jobs and sustain a training component? Rubicon took the latter approach,
deciding that each enterprise had to succeed first in the competitive market in which it
operated. Rubicon recruited leaders from the sectors in which it operated, and its workers
were hired and trained from a pool of people thought to be unemployable. The wisdom of
this strategy has been proven over time. Further, it merged its core services in mental
health, workforce preparation, plus legal and social services into one integrated
department. In the aggregate (US$8 million in 2005), this became Rubicon’s largest
business unit, serving clients better by providing “one door” for all services and benefiting
from the business management approaches of the two social ventures. Concomitantly,
Rubicon has also built one of the leading non-profit evaluation systems in the US, CICERO
(Consumer Information Collection, Entry and Reporting for Organization), to measure its
impact and plan strategically.
The Entrepreneur
Rick Aubry has run Rubicon for over 20 years. A psychologist by training, he turned his
skills to business and for two decades has been regarded as a leader in the field of social
entrepreneurship in the US. Rubicon has been recognized for 3 years running by Fast
Company Magazine as “one of the 25 organizations changing the World.” Aubry is on the
faculty of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, where he teaches a course in
Social Entrepreneurship.
295
Roy L. Prosterman and
Tim Hanstad
Focus: Rural Development, Poverty alleviation
The Innovation
The Rural Development Institute (RDI) is an international non-profit organization that
partners with governments and NGOs to help the rural poor in developing countries gain
ownership of land, thus alleviating poverty on a massive scale. Based in Seattle,
Washington, with offices in Beijing, Bangalore, Delhi, and Jakarta, RDI has been working
for over 40 years, in over 40 countries, and has helped attain secure land rights for over
400 million people, providing a leveraged, sustainable and generational foundation for
poverty alleviation.
Background
Most families in the developing world rely on agriculture for their survival, but only a
minority enjoys secure rights to land. Empirical evidence and history show that once land
is in the hands of the rural poor a progressive cycle of growth out of poverty, escape from
under-nutrition, and reduction in violence can occur. Land rights encourage farmers to
invest and increase their incomes, allowing them to bring their children out of the fields
and into the classrooms, reducing urban migration, and enhancing political, economic and
social stability. In 1966, Roy Prosterman left his Wall Street law career to devote himself
to this social transformation. His initial work in Vietnam in the late 1960s led to legislation
that provided land ownership to a million tenant farmer families in South Vietnam – a
program that has since been instituted in all of Vietnam and has helped Vietnam become
the second largest rice exporter in the world. Since that initial success RDI has gone on to
work with governments representing some of the world’s largest populations of rural poor,
including China, India and Sub-Saharan African nations, among others.
Strategy
RDI uses both field and desk research, relationship development and the rule of law to
develop land-tenure reform recommendations for governments to help them design
programs to alleviate rural poverty – especially focusing on gender and cultural factors.
RDI enters countries at the request of governments or international agencies when
opportunities for reform are ripe. RDI interacts with local farmers, including women,
consults with government officials at various levels and then recommends enforceable and
politically viable reforms. As an example, RDI has worked in China since 1987, and is the
principal foreign adviser to the central government on laws which have now brought
secure, 30-year land rights to over 80 million of that country’s 190 million farm families.
In the former Soviet Republics, RDI has advanced reforms to "de-collectivize" and
establish private ownership rights to farms. RDI has been working extensively in India, and
has developed a new “micro-land ownership” program to provide ownership of small
homestead plots to the landless, with special regard to land rights for women. Under the
leadership of Tim Hanstad, now President and CEO, RDI has grown into a well-structured
organization currently active in India, China, Indonesia, Russia (legal aid center), Pakistan,
Rwanda, Uganda, and Angola.
296
North America
Rural Development Institute
(RDI)
Founded in 1967
USA
www.rdiland.org
The Entrepreneurs
In 1966, Roy Prosterman he left his rising law career with one of the nation’s top law firms,
Sullivan & Cromwell, for a teaching post at the University of Washington School of Law.
Led by a passion for addressing global poverty, he has devoted his career to applying the
law to build a better world. In 1966, Prosterman published an article ("How to Have a
Revolution Without a Revolution") in which he proposed a program of democratic land
reform to satisfy the grievances of the rural landless poor in developing countries.
Prosterman’s idea caught the attention of US policy-makers who were seeking a political
settlement to the conflict in Vietnam. He soon found himself in the middle of the Vietnam
War, drafting legislation for a “land-to-the-tillers” program —carried out between 1970 and
1973 — which provided land ownership to one million tenant farmer families, which
increased their rice production by 30%. Since then, Prosterman and his RDI associates
have gone on to apply and develop variants of this peaceful approach to land reform,
working in over 40 developing countries around the globe, and helping over 400 million
people attain secure land rights.
Prosterman, now Chair Emeritus of RDI, is considered a leading expert on land reform and
has authored numerous publications on land policy, hunger and agricultural development.
Prosterman and RDI have received numerous awards and distinctions including the 2003
Gleitsman Foundation International Activist Award and the 2006 Henry R. Kravis Prize in
Leadership. RDI has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the World Food Prize,
and was a finalist for the Hilton Humanitarian Award and the Rio Tinto Alcan Prize for
Sustainability. Prosterman currently serves as an Honorary Co-Chair of the World Justice
Project and serves on the Board of Directors of the International Development Law
Organization (IDLO). Prosterman is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Harvard
Law School. His forthcoming book (with Tim Hanstad and Robert Mitchell) is titled, “One
Billion Rising: Land, Law and the Alleviation of Global Poverty” with a preface by Nobel
Prize economist Joe Stiglitz.
In 2004, Hanstad became RDI’s President & CEO of (RDI). Under Hanstad’s leadership,
RDI has significantly expanded its reach, size and effectiveness, and has partnered with
the World Bank, USAID, UNFAO, IMF and other international agencies. Hanstad has written
numerous publications on the importance of land and the rule of law in poverty alleviation,
and co-authored several notable books on the subject. He also teaches at the University
of Washington, School of Law, where he co-directs a graduate program in Law of
Sustainable International Development. Tim Hanstad is the President and Chief Executive
Officer of RDI. He joined the organization in 1987.
297
Ron Grzywinski
and Mary Houghton
Focus: Financial Inclusion
The Innovation
ShoreBank refers to a set of companies grouped under the holding company, ShoreBank
Corporation, the first and leading community development financial institution in the USA
supporting economic equity and a healthy environment. ShoreBank started out as an
experiment in 1973, but it has had far-reaching impact on the structure of the banking
industry in the USA and abroad ShoreBank was created by Ron Grzywinski, Mary
Houghton, Milton Davis, and Jim Fletcher Although none of them claimed to know much
about banking, they believed that a commercial bank, flanked by complementary
development organizations, could restore neighborhood economies, including many of
those in their hometown of Chicago. In the 1970s, they purchased the South Shore
National Bank on Chicago’s South Side. The bank had been losing deposits and staff,
blaming its downturn on racial change in its neighborhood. For the first few years after
buying the bank, Ron, Mary, Milton, and Jim focused on gaining the trust of the local
community and revitalizing the investment climate.
As a result of their efforts, the bank booked loans to good borrowers after a careful
assessment of local property values, encouraging the market to normalize. More lenders
entered the market and property values in South Shore rose faster between 1970 and
1980 than any other community in Chicago. In 1985, then Governor Bill Clinton asked
ShoreBank to help start a community development bank similar to ShoreBank, in his state
of Arkansas. The governor was so impressed with the impact of their efforts in his home
state that when he became US President, he enacted federal legislation that spawned the
Community Development Financial Institution program, spearheading community
development banks across the USA. But already in the early 1980s, the co-founders of
ShoreBank began to look beyond national borders to expand their model. In 1983, they
signed their first consulting contract to advise Muhammad Yunus at Grameen Bank in
Bangladesh. Today, ShoreBank, headquartered in Chicago, is a USD $2.4 billion company
that owns, operates, invests in, and advises development banks around the world.
Background
The founders of ShoreBank set out to change the social forces that led to declining
neighborhoods, rudderless lives and hopelessness. To do that, they had to turn the
banking industry and public policy related to it, upside down. The most important
drawback to achieving their goals through the formal banking system at the time was the
issue of distribution of the profits. Ron and Mary wanted to reinvest a significant portion
of the profits to expand the program so as to widen its social impact. So they set out to
start a different kind of bank. They seized the opportunity created by an amendment to
the 1971 Federal Bank Holding Company Act, which expanded permissible activities for
bank holding companies to include investment in community development corporations.
Under that amendment, they asked, could a bank holding company be a community
development corporation? When they bought the South Shore National Bank in 1973, they
applied the law to create a new kind of bank which has now spread around the world - the
community development bank.
298
North America
ShoreBank Corporation
Founded in 1973
USA
www.shorebankcorp.com
Strategy
From the outset, Shorebank’s primary purpose has been to do development work and not
to maximize financial returns or capital for its shareholders. Of course, it must also be
profitable to meet regulatory requirements. This tension has been less of a problem than
one might predict. In the early years, turning a profit was a key to survival, but that profit
was the vehicle for attaining large-scale impact for low income clients. Grounding in a set
of values and principles which now encompass conservation as well as community
development - along with a culture of pragmatic innovation and experimentation - has
been essential to sustaining ShoreBank’s mission and entrepreneurial heart. In reality, the
bank’s most mission-focused lending is also its most profitable. In 1990, ShoreBank
launched its first long-term international program, the ShoreBank Advisory Services (SAS)
beginning in Poland, and expanding to Russia, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Romania,
Georgia, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Northern Ireland. As the work
matured, SAS in 2006 became ShoreBank International (SBI). Shorebank also created a
private investment company, ShoreCap International (SCI), with an international set of
shareholders that made minority equity investments in 16 locally managed African, Asian
and eastern European regulated financial institutions specializing in small business or
microfinance lending. A non-profit capacity building affiliate, ShoreCap Exchange provides
technical assistance and peer-to-peer learning opportunities among investee institutions
and more broadly in the microfinance and small business lending field.
The Entrepreneurs
Ron Grzywinski grew up in a blue collar neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. Of
Polish background, he graduated from college without ever having taken a business course
and went to work for IBM selling computers to banks in the Chicago area. The work left
him uninspired and in 1963 he got a job with a small banking group and was assigned to
its bank in Lockport, Illinois. Three years later, he was its President. At that time, the
owner of the bank in Lockport became interested in buying another bank in the Hyde Park
neighborhood of Chicago, home to the University of Chicago and a rare American instance
of a racially integrated neighborhood, albeit one surrounded by African American
neighborhoods. For the first time he became really conscious of racial divisions in the US.
Ron brought in Milton Davis, an African American civil rights activist who led Chicago’s
chapter of CORE (Congress for Racial Equality. Ron found Mary Houghton looking for
something more challenging after a stint at an insurance company and a foundation. She
and Milton structured the minority lending program and it took off. Milton turned to his
friend, Jim Fletcher, then working for Citizen’s Action Program in the Office of Economic
Opportunity during the Johnson presidency. Jim joined in 1969.
299
Wendy Kopp
Focus: Education
The Innovation
Wendy Kopp refuses to believe that where you were born should determine your future.
She founded Teach For America to build a movement among promising future leaders to
ensure that children growing up in low-income areas in the United States have the same
chance to succeed as their better-off counterparts. Teach For America calls upon
outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors and career interests to
commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and to become lifelong leaders
in the effort to expand educational opportunity. In the short run, corps members go above
and beyond traditional expectations to help close the achievement gap for children. In the
long run, Teach For America alumni (who go on to become educators, lawyers, corporate
executives, and policy makers) use their influence to improve education and social
conditions in low-income communities. Recently, Teach For America collaborated with
Teach First, an adaptation in the U.K., to design and launch Teach For All to support the
development of this model in other countries. Teach For All is supporting efforts in
Australia, the Baltic region, Chile, Germany, India, Lebanon, and South Africa.
Background
Teach For America aims to address the inequities facing children growing up in low-income
areas of the United States, where they are seven times less likely to graduate from college
than those in better circumstances. One of the challenges initially faced by the
organization was the threat felt by the education community itself. How could it be that
young people, straight out of college, could be qualified to teach alongside professionals
who had been through state approved teacher training programs? Recruiting untrained
college graduates seemed to further jeopardize teachers' already fragile status. Teach For
America managed to turn the tide in its favor as veteran educators witnessed the impact
that corps members had on students and the community and as the program’s alumni
proved to be a powerful force of educational leaders.
300
North America
Teach For America
Founded in 1989
USA
www.teachforamerica.org
www.teachforallnetwork.org
Strategy
Each year, Teach For America recruits and selects a corps of recent college graduates,
intensively trains them during summer pre-service institutes, places them as full-time,
paid teachers in urban and rural public schools, provides two years of ongoing professional
development to ensure corps members’ impact on student achievement, and coordinates
an alumni network to foster participants’ ongoing leadership. Teach For America has
fulltime staff members (most of whom are alumni of the program) who recruit, select, train
and support corps members and alumni, raise funds for the organization and manage
administrative and communications functions. It has 25 national board members and close
to 500 local advisory board members. Its funding base is highly diversified, with 70% of
the financial support coming from the local areas where Teach For America places its
members.
In its initial years, Teach For America has achieved impressive growth. In 2008, Teach For
America had close to 25,000 highly qualified applicants, including between 5 and 10% of
the senior classes at 100 colleges and universities including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
Its annual group of over 6, 000 corps members reaches more than 400,000 students. Sixty
percent of the 14,000 Teach For America alumni are still working full-time in the field of
education, and of the remaining 40%have jobs that relate in some way to schools or low-
income communities. While program alumni are still in their twenties and thirties, they are
already leading reform initiatives as school superintendents, running many of the highest-
performing schools in low-income communities, winning the highest accolades teachers
can win as national and state teachers of the year, and pioneering far-reaching reform
initiatives. While Teach For America is in the midst of an aggressive growth plan in the
United States, it has worked in partnership with Teach First, its U.K. adaptation, to launch
Teach For All to support the development of its model in other countries. Teach For All, a
global network of local, independent organizations that will channel the talent and energy
of their countries’ top recent college graduates to help end the educational disparities
facing children in their communities, is supporting efforts in Australia, the Baltics, Chile,
Germany, India, Lebanon, and South Africa.
The Entrepreneur
Wendy Kopp turned her senior thesis at Princeton University into Teach For America. Kopp
pursued potential funders relentlessly, traveled the country, knocked on high-level doors,
and refused to start small. She was determined to start Teach For America with no fewer
than 500 college graduate recruits. For her, achieving this scale from the outset was the
only way to gain the national importance necessary to inspire the most talented graduating
seniors to compete to teach in low-income communities. Spurred on by a relentless
commitment to educational equity, she climbed a steep learning curve in building a strong
program and sustainable organization. Today, she is engaged in an ambitious effort to
expand Teach For America’s impact still further, to become a truly effective movement to
eliminate educational inequality.
301
Bruce McNamer
Geographic Area of Impact: Africa, India, Latin America, Poland
Focus: Enterprise Development, Rural Development
The Innovation
For four decades, TechnoServe has been leading a movement to empower people in the
developing world to build businesses that end the cycle of poverty. Growing enterprises
generate jobs and other income opportunities for poor people, enabling them to improve
their lives and secure a better future for their families. TechnoServe thus provides a
sustained benefit in the form of a “hand up” rather than a handout. Experienced business
advisors (many from the private sector) leverage the expertise and resources of a wide
array of corporations and other partners in order to help clients build successful
businesses, focusing especially on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). We also work
with a full range of stakeholders to build up entire industry sectors. In keeping with a
market-based approach, TechnoServe measures its impact using business metrics.
Background
Millions of men, women and children across the developing world lack access to food, clean
water, housing, health care and education. Where such essentials are available, they often
depend on the vagaries of foreign aid, creating an unsustainable and undesirable situation.
Businesses, most notably SMEs, drive sustained economic growth, offering secure
employment and new job skills, providing reliable markets for other businesses —
including farms — and inject economic vitality into communities that can then afford their
own social services. The developing world has many visionary entrepreneurs who are
capable of launching and growing successful businesses. But they need assistance, to
make sure their business ideas make sense, to plan and manage their enterprises, to find
markets and financing and to overcome technical challenges. TechnoServe provides all this
and more to spur business creation, growth and innovation. Since its founding,
TechnoServe has helped to create or improve thousands of businesses, benefiting millions
of people in more than 30 countries. It is currently working to build and expand businesses
in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya,
Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Uganda; it
also has an affiliate program in Poland. TechnoServe will soon be opening new offices in
other parts of Africa and Latin America and is exploring opportunities elsewhere.
302
North America
TechnoServe
Founded in 1968
USA
www.technoserve.org
Strategy
TechnoServe identifies entrepreneurs and then guides them in planning, marketing,
operating and expanding businesses that are likely to succeed and help the poor. It
accomplishes this by using world-class business techniques and input from strategic
partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Nestlé and
Google. TechnoServe then leverages lead entrepreneurs to grow competitive, self-
sustaining industries. Where necessary, it also tackles constraints in the business
environment. TechnoServe’s impact can be seen in the way it has transformed the cashew
sector (and the lives of hundreds of thousands of poor people) in Mozambique. It
determined that Mozambique could create a competitive cashew market by establishing
small-scale rural processing plants located close to farmers; equipping those plants with
the technology needed to extract premium nuts; and providing both farmers and
employees incentives to produce a better product that yields higher profits. Building on the
success of its pilot project, TechnoServe helped a dozen more Mozambican entrepreneurs
to open factories and form a commercial association that will ensure the sustainability and
continued advancement of the industry after TechnoServe’s departure. In 2007, these
firms purchased nearly US$8.8 million worth of cashews from more than 143,000 small-
scale farmers, and provided jobs for thousands of people living in areas with little formal
employment. Flow-on social benefits include the fact that employees’ children, freed from
having to help their parents with subsistence farming, can attend school and further
improve their lives. This successful model is now being replicated in other countries.
The Entrepreneur
TechnoServe was created by entrepreneur Ed Bullard (now deceased). Bruce McNamer is
the third leader of this entrepreneurial organization, which has continued to grow and
evolve over time to address emerging challenges. He became President and Chief
Executive Officer of TechnoServe after building a career in the private and public sectors.
Bruce has worked as an investment banker, a consultant at McKinsey & Company, a White
House Fellow and director at the National Economic Council. He has also held executive
positions with several technology companies. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in
Paraguay, he was eager to use his business skills to target poverty. He is now steering
TechnoServe through an unprecedented growth phase and gets enormous satisfaction
from seeing how TechnoServe’s dynamic, market-based approach transforms peoples’
lives in the developing world.
303
Paul Rice
Geographic Area of Impact: Africa, Asia, Latin America
Focus: Fair Trade, Sustainable Development
The Innovation
TransFair USA is working to establish Fair Trade practices as an industry standard for
agricultural products grown in developing countries and sold in the United States. Its
strategy is to connect developing world producers, who lack financial resources and
marketing capacity, with US companies in order to guarantee a price that will enable them
to keep their farms and support their families. At the same time, TransFair is building
consumer awareness and demand for Fair Trade products, ensuring that Fair Trade is a
profitable growth market for industry. This win-win value proposition for producers,
consumers and industry distinguishes the Fair Trade model from traditional aid-based
responses to poverty in the developing world and provides the model with unique
sustainability.
Background
TransFair USA currently certifies coffee, tea, chocolate, fresh fruit, rice, sugar, flowers and
wine. Fair Trade Certification addresses persistent market failures within agricultural
supply chains. Conventional market mechanisms have placed most of the world’s
smallholder farmers and agricultural workers at significant disadvantage within the value
chains for their products. Poverty, geographical isolation, and lack of access to market
information leave many farmers with returns that fail even to cover their costs of
production, a pattern with dire human and environmental consequences. The Fair Trade
system enables farmers and farm workers to overcome these challenges. Fair Trade base
prices, calculated to cover both the costs of sustainable production and sustainable
livelihoods, shield farmers from market volatility. These floor prices are supplemented with
Fair Trade “social premiums” for local development—democratically managed by
beneficiaries themselves—including funding for projects such as health systems,
scholarships, and women’s programs, and for productive investments in farms. These
unique benefits empower farmers and workers to achieve sustainable local development,
beginning to share in the benefits of globalization rather than being left behind by it.
304
North America
TransFair USA
Founded in 1998
USA
www.transfairusa.org
Strategy
Rice saw that the key to empowering small farmers in the developing world was to win
over manufacturers and retailers and tap into consumers' growing concern for social and
environmental issues. His push-pull strategy seeks to develop close partnerships and a
leadership role for TransFair within both industry and the consumer movement. TransFair,
the only certifier of Fair Trade products in the US, has signed agreements with more than
700 American companies, including Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Green Mountain. Fair
Trade is the fastest growing segment of the USD $18 billion American coffee industry. In
recent years, TransFair has expanded the Fair Trade product line dramatically in response
to growing consumer demand and the involvement of major U.S. supermarkets. A non-
profit organization, TransFair earns over 70% of its revenue in the form of certification and
license fees from the US businesses with which it partners.
The Entrepreneur
Paul Rice worked in the mountains of Nicaragua from 1983-94 on various grassroots
economic development projects. In 1990, he founded PRODECOOP, a consortium of 52
cooperatives representing 3,000 small coffee farmers in northern Nicaragua, which
became one of the largest Fair Trade organic coffee exporters in the world. For Rice, "Fair
Trade offers all stakeholders a powerful alternative to business as usual. Consumers get a
high quality product they feel good about, farmers receive a fair price and direct access to
markets, and industry has the opportunity to tap into the growing demand for socially and
environmentally responsible products.”
305
Sara Horowitz
Focus: Labor Conditions and Unemployment
The Innovation
Working Today – Freelancers Union is a national non-profit membership organization that
is introducing a new form of portable unionism to promote the interests of the growing
number of independent workers in the United States. Unlike traditional trade unions, which
are limited by law to employees of workplace-based organizations, Working Today –
Freelancers Union delivers flexible and portable benefits applicable to an increasingly
mobile and decentralized workforce adjusting to the changing contours of the US and
global economy. Since 2001, Working Today’s Freelancers Union has provided vital health,
dental, life and disability insurance, advocacy initiatives and education for independent
workers—the fastest growing workforce in the US and globally. In 2006, the organization
went national. Freelancers Union has built a membership of 60,000 independent workers
nationwide, and delivers insurance to 16,000 people. This membership, in turn, serves as
a vehicle for social change, both by acting as an organized constituency to advocate for
change to public policy and by contributing to Working Today – Freelancers Union’s
financial sustainability. Ultimately, Working Today – Freelancers Union’s model could be
expanded to address the needs of the more than 30 million independent workers across
the US.
Background
Today, one-third of all working Americans are temporary, part-time, freelance or
selfemployed. Although this independent workforce is diverse, ranging from low-income
childcare workers to highly-paid business consultants, members share many of the same
problems: they are not covered by employer-based health insurance plans, for example,
nor do they have access to the tax and retirement benefits given to traditional employees.
This overlooked group of workers has been “voiceless” with no mechanism to advocate for
basic protections and benefits. For example, Working Today – Freelancers Union recently
undertook a survey of nearly 3,000 independent workers across New York City and
twentyeight percent spent some portion of last year without health insurance. With low-
cost group rate health care plans for workers in the technology, non-profit, arts and
entertainment, media and advertising, financial services, healthcare, and domestic
childcare sectors, Working Today – Freelancers Union addresses the needs of independent
and project-based workers.
306
North America
Working Today – Freelancers
Union
Founded in 1995
USA
www.freelancersunion.org
Strategy
Freelancers Union's membership is built by linking professional associations, unions and
companies on a sector-wide basis to provide needed services such as health insurance, tax
and retirement planning advice, education, events and discounts. Working Today –
Freelancers Union also carries out advocacy initiatives aimed at building an organized
constituency among the diverse sub-groups within the independent workforce. By binding
industry-specific associations to one another through joint advocacy efforts and group
purchasing arrangements, Working Today – Freelancers Union helps independent workers
understand the importance of collective action as a vehicle for improving their lives.
Working Today – Freelancers Union also collaborates with research institutions and
foundations to study the implications of changes in the economy, developing solutions and
advocating for legislation designed to meet the needs of workers and employers in this
new landscape.
The Entrepreneur
As a labour lawyer working in New York City, Sara Horowitz recognized that changes in the
economy and structure of the labour market were having a profound impact on individual
workers. Labour laws and benefit-delivery systems, created in the 1930s to apply to large
industrial workplaces, were no longer relevant. Horowitz's solution: a new kind of union.
She was well prepared to spearhead such a union. Her grandfather was vice-president of
the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Her father was a labour lawyer, as is
her husband. When she graduated from Cornell University, she went to work as a union
organizer at a nursing home. Running Working Today – Freelancers Union out of a growing
office in Brooklyn, Horowitz hopes to unite the fragmented independent workforce and
provide individuals with the bargaining muscle of a union and the political power of a
lobbying juggernaut. Since its founding in 1995, Working Today – Freelancers Union has
been featured in a variety of US national and local media. In 1999, Horowitz received the
coveted MacArthur Genius Award. “I look forward to a time when mobile safety nets are a
fact of life," she says, “and no longer an innovation.”
307
Our Partners
“Social Entrepreneur of the Year” Selection Partners
Partners
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Route de la Capite 91-93
1223 Cologny/Geneva
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Phone +41 22 8691212, Fax +41 227862744
Email: info@schwabfound.org
www.schwabfound.org
© 2009 Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

All rights reserved
Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs 2009
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship provides unparalleled
platforms at the national, regional and global levels for leading social innovators
that highlight social entrepreneurship as a key element to address social and
ecological problems in an innovative, sustainable and effective way.
In partnership with
Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs

2009

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Brochure Schwab Foundation 2009

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Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs 2009

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship provides unparalleled

Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs

“Social Entrepreneur of the Year” Selection Partners

Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

© 2009 Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

In 1998, we created the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship because we

This experience triggered our determination to set up the Schwab Foundation as a

Hilde Schwab Klaus Schwab

Leveraged non-profit ventures

Hybrid non-profit ventures

Social business ventures

Geographic repartition of organizations

Africa: 11 Latin America: 35

Middle East and

Australia: 2 North America: 19

APOPO / HeroRAT / Bart Weetjens 30-31

Association pour le Soutien et l'Appui à la Femme Entrepreneur (ASAFE) /

CAMFED International / Ann Cotton 34-35

DMT Mobile Toilets Nigeria / Isaac Durojaiye 36-37

Heartlines / Garth C. Japhet 38-39

Johannesburg Housing Company / Taffy Adler 40-41

KickStart International / Martin Fisher and Nick Moon 42-43

Mobility Aid and Appliances Research and Development Centre (MAARDEC) /

Riders for Health / Andrea and Barry Coleman 46-47

Streetwires / Patrick Schofield 50-51

Action Research for Shelter (SAIBAN) / Tasneem A. Siddiqui 52-53

aidha / Sarah Mavrinac 54-55

Aravind Eye Hospital / Thulasiraj Ravilla 56-57

Association of Craft Producers (ACP) / Meera Bhattarai 58-59

Barefoot College / Sanjit (Bunker) Roy 60-61

Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women / Wu Qing 62-63

Bina Swadaya / Bambang Ismawan 66-67

BRAC / Fazle H. Abed 68-69

Centre for Mass Education in Science (CMES) / Muhammad Ibrahim 70-71

Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) / Shobha A. Arole and

Development Alternatives / Ashok Khosla 76-77

Duck Revolution / Takao Furuno 78-79

Hagar International / Pierre Tami 82-83

International Development Enterprises (IDEI) / Amitabha Sadangi 84-85

Kashf Foundation / Roshaneh Zafar 86-87

Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Medical Sciences / Devi P. Shetty 88-89

Nidan / Arbind Singh 90-91

People Tree / Safia L. Minney 92-93

Phulki / Suraiya Haque 94-95

Population and Community Development Association (PDA) / Mechai Viravaidya 96-97

SELCO Solar Light / Harish Hande 98-99

SKS Microfinance / Vikram K. Akula 102-103

Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) /

Telapak / Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto and Silverius Oscar Unggul 106-107

Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation / Maria A. Villalba 108-109

Waste Concern / Iftekhar Enayetullah and A. H. Md. Maqsood Sinha 110-111

World Toilet Organization / Jack Sim 112-113

Yayasan Dian Desa / Anton Soedjarwo 114-115

abcdespañol / Javier Gonzalez 182-183

Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption / Helio Mattar 184-185

Arte Sana / Monica E. Urquijo Illera 186-187

Asociación Nacional de Empresas Comercializadoras de Productores del Campo

Associação dos Pequenos Agricultores do Municipio de Valente (APAEB) /

Associação Saúde Criança Renascer / Vera R. G. Cordeiro 192-193

Centro Popular de Cultura e Desenvovimento (CPCD) / Sebastião (Tião) Rocha 196-197

Cinepop / Ariel Zylbersztejn 198-199

Ciudad Saludable / Albina Ruiz 200-201