Two stories from two nations show how two communities are lifted out of darkness through the simple modern magic of social enterprise. Two stories that will restore your hope in change that we can make.
Story the first - Townships Transforming (South Africa)
Story the second - Thatta Kedona: The Dolls Project (Pakistan)
An investigative presentation of:
NEXT> by Ramla
www.nextbyramla.com
Ride the Storm: Navigating Through Unstable Periods / Katerina Rudko (Belka G...
Social Enterprise: How Business Can Change Communities
1. Social Entrepreneurship:
How Business Can Change Communities
Ramla Akhtar | Social Designer. Futurist. Writer.
NEXT> | a Social Design & Futures Consultancy
nextbyramla.com | ramla@nextbyramla.com
Details on last pages.
Copyrights, etc.:
The following report was first published in Pakistan in Aurora, Nov/Dec 2008 issue. It is available for publishing in other territories in parts, full, or modified. Contact
ramla@nextbyramla.com for this and other essays, thought pieces and reports.
Readers are encouraged to distribute an electronic version; it is requested that the author's name and website are kept intact for good karma. In printed/ modified
version, byline allows the audience to attribute the story to source. Use generously. Non-commercial use only.
See: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License
THIS VERSION CREATED ON: November 16, 2008.
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2. Social Entrepreneurship:
How Business Can Change Communities
Until a few years ago, social entrepreneurship in Pakistan was a curiosity into which only the soft-hearted, the high school C-
grader mavericks, NGO aunties, and media-blacked out rural area youth leaders engaged – or so we thought. It was mostly a
glorified charity or a cottage business that often failed due to monastic (lonely, colorless, sweet) marketing. There was not even
a charitable attention given to the subject in leading universities. Parents didn't plan this career for their children.
Today, things have changed. By now, most of us have known of social entrepreneurship. It is still to become a mainstream
subject in academia, business & economy, or even families – the building block of human society.
This subject is vast, and our time to act is short. So I'll define the subject for the uninitiated, and then tell us the tales of two
societies, changed for better by social enterprise!
What Makes a Social Entrepreneur?
ASHOKA, innovators in the field of social enterprise, define the specie thus: “Individuals with innovative solutions to society’s
most pressing social problems. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-
scale change.” SKOLL Foundation describe them as “society’s change agents; pioneers of innovations that benefit humanity.”
NEXT> suggests to the aspiring social entrepreneur: “Doing good + the right way + following your passion do not have to be
exclusive from making a profit, as was the case in the world of old business.” This definition accounts for the fact that as the
pace of change accelerates in the world, it will be impossible to do without any of these criteria – especially the entrepreneur's
own passion. That's the starting point of any effort. Money, as we know from countless stories, follows.
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3. Story the First
Townships Transforming
Location: South Africa
“Townships” are the urban dwellings of South Africa that were reserved for non-whites under Apartheid. They are the
equivalent of urban slums or kachi abadis of Pakistan: densely populated, haphazardly planned, and with intricate social issues.
There have been several housing reforms over the years, leading to neighborhoods that could surpass a Pakistani middle class
locality in terms of upkeep and planning. Today, townships are the sign of struggle and transformation in the midst of strife.
During a study tour, I found some positive practices that could be useful for Pakistan.
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7. Story the Second
Thatta Kedona: The Doll-Making Project
Location: Pakistan
15 years ago, “Thatta Ghulam da Dheroka” was a sleepy little village 30 km off the closest major town: Okara, Punjab. It was at
least a 6 km off-road journey from a metal road to the village, where people mostly engaged in livestock or crop management,
or idleness. Women were forbidden from being literate.
Then life changed in Thatta Ghulam. Amjad, a village boy who somehow managed to end up in the city and then an art school
in Germany, off-handedly invited his teacher, Dr. Senta Siller, to visit. She accepted, came to Thatta, and keenly inquired about
local art and craft. The village women showed her hand-made rag dolls aptly fondly called “Churail”. The enterprising art
teacher told the villagers she could teach them to make finer hand-made dolls, and market the products nation-wide and
globally. With the help of an amateur documentary, “Amjad's Village,” on the life and the craft of the villagers, Dr. Siller
marketed the dolls to global craft shops and museums where they were very well-received eventually. Thus spun off a social
enterprise in this 200-house strong village that has changed the way of living here profoundly.
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