Author: David Bornstein Publisher: Oxford University Press Date of Publication: 2004 ISBN: Number of Pages: 320 pages

Transcription

1 How to Change The World Social Entrepreneurs And the Power of New Ideas About the Author Author: David Bornstein Publisher: Oxford University Press Date of Publication: 2004 ISBN: Number of Pages: 320 pages David Bornstein David Bornstein is the author of The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank, which chronicles the worldwide growth of the antipoverty strategy micro-credit. The Price of a Dream, which drew on ten months of research in villages in Bangladesh, won second prize in the Harry Chapin Media Awards, was a finalist for the Helen Bernstein New York Public Library Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, and was selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the best business books of Bornstein's articles have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, New York Newsday, Il Mundo (Italy), Defis Sud (Belgium) and other publications. He co-wrote the twohour PBS documentary series "To Our Credit," which focuses on micro-credit" programs in five countries. Bornstein received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in Montreal and a Masters of Arts from New York University. In addition to writing, he has worked as a computer programmer and systems analyst. He lives in New York City with his wife and son. The Big Idea This book documents the true and inspiring stories of the Ashoka fellows - bright, energetic, and creative individuals who are leaders in a growing citizen (non-profit) sector. These innovators for the public are instrumental in introducing change in their countries through practical solutions. Most of them started out with tiny budgets, armed only with an idea and strength of will. From Ashoka founder Bill Drayton, to Brazil's Vera Cordeiro, to South Africa's Veronica Khosa, or India's Jeroo Billimoria, the book also includes a chapter to illustrate the spirit of one of the first social entrepreneurs- Florence Nightingale. These individuals are models of human capability. They worked tirelessly in the service of others. Why Ashoka? Ashoka is named after the great Indian emperor who unified South Asia in the third century B.C. He pioneered in economic development and social welfare. In Sanskrit, Ashoka means the active absence of sorrow. For the organization's logo, Drayton chose an oak tree, because the oak provides a place where villagers meet. It is a tree that comforts people in its shade, spreads its roots far and deep, and is resistant to drought. Published by BusinessSummaries, Building 3005 Unit 258, 4440 NW 73rd Ave, Miami, Florida BusinessSummaries All rights reserved. No part of this summary may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior notice of BusinessSummaries.com

2 Selecting Ashoka Material Fellows who qualify receive an annual stipend that allows them to dive into their work full-time. The Ashoka fellows are innovative because they are dedicated to instituting programs and building foundations, creating and modifying systems that were nonexistent, trailblazing new ideas in areas where most governments fail to provide long-term solutions. These social entrepreneurs are passionate about making their part of the world a better place, and know exactly how to go about it. Social Entrepreneurs Around the Globe Ashoka invests in people. Its roster of social entrepreneurs is made of people who build their programs from nothing, drawing strength and energy from the sheer belief that change can happen. They challenge governments to pass and enforce new laws, generate funding, and support their solutions. This book concentrates on nine stories: Fabio Rosa, Bill Drayton, Jeroo Billimoria, Erzsebet Szekeres, Vera Cordeiro, J.B. Schramm, Veronica Khosa, Javed Abidi, and James Grant. Restless People Today graduating students all over the world see a career in the NGO or non-profit sector as a possible life path. The growth of the citizen public service sector is happening on an unprecedented scale. They are offering long-term solutions and better systems, advocating something more practical than the traditionally wasteful practice of using foreign development aid and highly paid consultants who press their advice on corrupt governments. Social entrepreneurs and business entrepreneurs are merging in some areas, creating a fascinating hybrid of the socially aware business- combining profitability with social responsibility. Today, demand for these social entrepreneurs is on the rise. Ashoka and other organizations like it are springing up around the world, acting as new types of social Venture Capitalists, investing in the future of developing nations and creating a global fraternity of proactive solution-builders. From Little Acorns Do Great Trees Grow Bill Drayton, Ashoka Founder Attended Harvard College, studied Economics at Oxford, and completed a J.D. at Yale Law School. [ 2 ]

3 Worked for five years at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the Rolls Royce of consulting firms Joined the Environmental Protection Agency, battled with government bureaucrats, budget cuts, and an all-out attack by the new administration. 1978, Drayton took exploratory trips to India, Indonesia, and South America with colleagues to answer the question: Is it possible to create a system that spots pattern-changing ideas and first-class social entrepreneurs before they are proven? Drayton starts collecting names of potential social entrepreneurs on 3 x 5 cards. The first Ashoka fellow elected is Gloria de Souza, an elementary school teacher in Bombay who pioneered experiential and environmental education, or EVS. Her teaching method is the antithesis of rote learning, which was the predominant way of learning in India. Gloria de Souza, Education Reformer De Souza was granted a four-year living stipend of $10,000. She then founded Parisar Asha - Sanskrit for hope for the environment and formed her team. Her 0EVS approach or Environmental Studies method is proven to increase students' performance De Souza persuades a municipal school board to introduce EVS in 1,700 schools A million students were learning according to her method. Each year she improves the curriculum, extends EVS to other cities, and looks for creative ways to adapt the method to different locations and tribal or rural areas. Fabio Rosa: Rural Electrification Twenty-two year old Fabio Rosa, an agronomic engineering graduate, thinks of how to address the problem of irrigating farmer's rice plantations in Palmares, where wealthy landowners who charged a high price owned most of the existing water systems. Fabio Rosa works with Prof. Ennio Amaral who designed a one-wire system or monophase in which a single wire carries power to a house via a transformer, using cheaper materials. Rosa realizes this approach reduced the cost of electricity - thus freeing farmers from high-priced water systems. With the monophase design, the farmers could drop wells and irrigate land [ 3 ]

4 independently. Rosa tells villages he could provide electricity for the price of a cow rural families receive electricity for only $400 per family, less than the previous government system, which would have cost $7,000. Seventyfive per cent of farmers buy water pumps; 80% buy refrigerators and television sets. Incomes jumped from fifty to eighty dollars a month to two to three hundred dollars a month. 130 out of 400 Palmares residents were among those who had returned from the big cities because of rural electrification Rosa establishes STA or Agro electric Adequate Technology Systems, for-profit company, to spread photovoltaic solar energy (a system that converts sunlight into electricity) across Brazil Rosa receives an honor from the Schwab Foundation, along with forty social entrepreneurs from around the world. Rosa also wins a $50,000 Tech Museum of Innovation Award for applying technology to benefit humanity Solar Development Group of Washington, D.C. invests in The Sun Shines for All. Rosa also receives support from the Quiron Project, and Avina Foundation. Florence Nightingale: A Woman of Indomitable Will At age 25, Nightingale expresses a desire to work as a nurse in Salisbury hospital. Her father forbids her. In Victorian times, women of good family did not work. The nursing profession was not yet considered part of the medical profession. Nursing was listed on government forms under Domestic occupations. On trips to London and other European capitals, Nightingale tours hospitals, slums, and convalescent homes. She reads reports from sanitary authorities and medical commissions. A friend sends her a copy of the yearbook of the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses at Kaiserwerth, Germany. The institute trains girls of good character to nurse the sick. She fights with her parents for four years until they finally permit her to take the course. A suitor offers her marriage, but Nightingale declines, wishing to remain independent so she can carry out her work. [ 4 ]

5 At age 33, Nightingale accepts an unpaid position as superintendent at Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in London. She gains a good reputation as an excellent administrator Her friend Sidney Herbert, secretary at war, writes her asking to take charge of nursing in military hospitals during the Crimean War. Nightingale raises funds from private donations, and organizes 38 nurses. Upon arrival in Constantinople, she immediately sets to work sanitizing the filthy environment, registering patients and treating soldiers The mortality rate in British army hospitals drops from 43% down to just 2% With the aid of the statistician William Farr, Nightingale produces and prints, at her own expense, the 800-page Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army. Nightingale pioneers the use of pie charts to show statistical data and illustrate the need for change Nightingale publishes first edition of Notes on Hospitals, which revolutionized the way modern hospitals were constructed Published Notes on Nursing: What it Is and What it is Not Established the Nightingale Training School for Nurses. Around 1880's-1890's - The British Census forms reclassified the occupation of Nursing under Medicine. Jeroo Billimoria: Childline! At age twenty, Jeroo's father passes away, causing her to reassess her life plans. She switches from accounting to social work. She enrolls in Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to do post-graduate studies. Studies nonprofit management at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Involves herself in Coalition for the Homeless in New York Returns to India, travels for six months before joining TISS as an instructor. She gives out her phone number to street kids who may need assistance, and gets calls at all hours. [ 5 ]

6 Jeroo proposes the idea of coordinating services with different organizations, but her proposal falls on deaf ears Founded Meljol (Coming Together) to bring together children from diverse backgrounds to work on projects with tangible social benefits such as building playgrounds, cleaning up schools, and creating anti-smoking campaigns Still constantly receiving late night phone calls, Jeroo realizes children need an emergency service. Bombay police turned her down, so she went to the DOT or Dept of Telecommunications to inquire about setting up an emergency hotline. Jeroo writes letters to DOT officials in Bombay and Delhi. She conducts her own survey and almost all street kids said they would use the service. Jeroo recruits a team of students to compile a directory of child service organizations in Bombay. Jeroo sets up meetings to encourage participation in Childline. She raises funds to establish two call centers. The initial budget is $6,000 and the staff is composed of fifteen people. Ratan Tata Trust and Concern India Foundation grant support DOT grants Childline the use of telephone number Childline is officially launched. Street children, volunteers and team members organize plays outdoors at bus stations, railway stations, slums, and hospitals to raise awareness about Childline Jeroo takes her leave of TISS to devote herself fully to Childline, she soon is elected as an Ashoka fellow Jeroo writes the joint secretary of India's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to propose bringing Childline to other cities Childline is registered as a government initiative and given national control over Childline spread to 42 cities, following a franchise set-up Child Helpline International is launched. [ 6 ]

7 The Six Qualities of Successful Social Entrepreneurs Apart from possessing dogged determination and a sincere motivation, the common characteristics shared by social entrepreneurs are shown below: 1. Social entrepreneurs display willingness to self-correct. They are not attached to one right way of doing things. They are willing to modify plans, adjust details, and work around barriers. They are willing to admit mistakes. Most stumble around at first and then use the mistake to improve their projects. 2. Social entrepreneurs have a willingness to share the credit. 3. Social entrepreneurs are willing to break free of established structures. 4. Social entrepreneurs cross disciplinary boundaries, pulling together people from diverse backgrounds who can work together to create a solution 5. Social entrepreneurs display a willingness to work quietly in the background. They don't make front-page headlines. James Grant was such a moving force in global immunization programs for children, saving millions of lives, but his name is unfamiliar to the man on the street. 6. Social entrepreneurs have strong ethical impetus. Money is only a tool they use to drive their programs and get projects moving forward. Everything else, from the books they read to the ideas they support, is filtered through the prism of their thinking. The happiness of social entrepreneurs does not lie in making a lot of money but in building a better world. They prefer to be part of the solution than part of the problem. Like most people with great passion, they are practically married to their work. ABOUT BUSINESSSUMMARIES BusinessSummaries.com is a business book summaries service. Every week, it sends out to subscribers a 9- to 12-page summary of a best-selling business book chosen from among the hundreds of books printed out in the United States every week. For more information, please go to [ 7 ]