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| Wangari Maathai |
Do you know that making a better life
for other people is a serious business which pays you an everlasting profit in
your life? You will ask me how but the truth is a hand that gives normally
receives. This might sound shallow to you but making the world a better place
for all to live is the purpose you were born for, that is why you normally feel
good and proud when you help people on anything, you normally feel safe in
front of people you have helped and also you get a lot of rewards when you do something
good for people or anything to the environment where people and other creatures
live.
Try to reflect on the Nobel prizes,
what it takes for people to get it, think of all who won that award, do you
know what Wangari Maathai did in her big project of green belt in Kenya? She planted
thousands of trees to serve the environment and we shall never forget her. Do you
know what Profesor Muhammad Yunus did with Grameen Bank in Bangladesh? His idea
of microfinance spread almost all over the world and most of the developing
countries applies and poor people get capital to start their small investments
to raise their daily bread income.
Being joyous because you have done
something good for others is your ultimate success you need, being loved by
other people is what you are struggling for every day, creating good impression
to people is what you fight for almost every day but perhaps you are using a
difficult way, serving other people in the world will give all these success at
once you better choose to become a social entrepreneur.
What is this social entrepreneurship?
Still there isn’t any agreed
definition of this new concept in the world however we almost share the
understanding that is a way of doing business with a directly social mission
from which its profit is not directed to anyone’s pocket. It is doing business
with social focus and adding value to the community. This is like screwing
business as usual like how Richard Branson of virgin Unite put it. Most of the
business as usual seems not to care the environment and people’s health and
life in general then social entrepreneurs are there to cover that gap.
Social entrepreneurs are people with
passion to the society, they always think about other people’s life, they are
almost selfless that’s why they devote their time and resources to change the
world for others to enjoy. When the government never think of supplying
electricity to the interior villages, social entrepreneurs will come up with a
solution and supply a cheap electricity for all people to access, when the
industries cause deforestation in Kenya Wangari Maathai as a social entrepreneur
had to think a way to plant many trees to rescue the environment under her big
project of Greenbelt.
In the free market economy
We definitely need social
entrepreneurs to rescue the world because in this kind of economy there is big feature
of selfish spirit where everyone minds his/her life and not of others. A business
man normally think of the profit he/ she is going to make out of his/her
business regardless all the destruction made up by such business to people and environment.
Most of today’s government leaders mind their personal enrichments instead of
taking care of their voters and the environment they live. All these gaps are
covered by social entrepreneurs.
You cannot separate free market
economy or capitalism and social entrepreneurship that is why it wasn’t there
in most dictatorial governments or states in 20th century. It was
completely difficult to find it in the Eastern Europe, Russia and some of the
African countries like Tanzania during the reign of socialism by that time. The
fall of this ideology in the world and the dominance of capitalism and free
market led to the rise of this concept of social entrepreneurship, even Bill
Dryton the founder of Ashoka struggled a lot by the time he was imparting the
idea of social entrepreneurship in India and Brazil where the dictatorial government
felt so late.
It’s time for you to become a successful social entrepreneur
A social entrepreneur normally think
big, he/she thinks to serve the community at large scale and sometimes a social
entrepreneur thinks to serve the whole world because it is becoming connected
more technologically and economically hence a single mistake done in Chine’s
industry to pollute the environment affects the whole world up to South Africa
and Latin America. Therefore a social entrepreneur like Bill Dryton with his
Ashoka intends to serve the whole world by supporting social entrepreneurs who
has brilliant ideas to serve the community anywhere in the world. Muhammad Yunus
from Bangladesh found a microfinance solution with his Grameen bank, an idea
which is spread almost all over the world up to Tanzania. This is an example of
how social entrepreneurs think big.
Look and think around your social
setup, there is a lot of social problems which needs to be solved simply
because the government and other stakeholders are not responsible. Look at the
education system, see the health problems, a lot of vulnerable groups of
people, look at that environmental degradation because of industries and other carelessness
of people around; to a social entrepreneur all these are opportunities to
undertake a business solution, you need to find a solution to those problems.
You might directly and quickly think
of starting an NGO so as you can ask for funds and give charity to vulnerable
groups and think you are doing social entrepreneurship; that is not a social
entrepreneurship I am talking about, think of this social enterprise in
Tanzania by its name Wonder Workshop. The idea is to support disabled people to
stop begging along the roads in Dar es Salaam city instead working to make
their own income and support their families.
A social entrepreneur gathered some
of these people and started a workshop where they create a lot of ornaments
using recycled materials and an organization find a market to sell them, the money
they get are offered to them as a salaries in a monthly basis. Can you
recognize how this social entrepreneur has solved a problem in a sustainable
way? He first of all gave employment to disabled who were previously beggars
and they are now risen up their esteem to feel like other normal people but
secondly he is cleaning the city because many dirty materials are going to be
dumped to the workshop for reuse.
What makes one a social entrepreneur
I found that most of the emerging
social entrepreneurs became so because of their backgrounds. If you listen to
Wangari Maathai is because she was born in a village where they depended much on
the trees to get natural water, natural air and trees to build their houses etc.
and when she found this nature is distracted by industrial developments, it
pained her, she was not ready to continue witnessing that destruction, she had
to start a Greenbelt movement to plant trees.
Professor Muhammad Yunus was coming
originally in Bangladesh around the village he supported women with his 27$ as
loans with trust to start their small business. It is due to the fact that he
knew the situation since before and may be it was his dream to find a way to
reduce poverty to women and the community in general.
There are other many social
entrepreneurs who start becoming so due to the inspiration they get from other
social entrepreneurs like Wangari Maathai and Muhammad Yunus however others are
becoming sorry with big social problems which are occurring in the community
and they decide to find a way to solve them.
Not only these factors but others
decide to be social entrepreneurs by simply envisioning and seeing the end in
their mind hence create some new innovative initiatives in the community or the
world at large which helps to make it a better place for all of us to live.
It is joyous and great feeling to do
something big and valuable in your community or world before you die and that
is the only success you need as you are alive. We remember, respect and honor
all who did something good for others not those who killed others for their
personal gain. We protect and defend only those who cared for others and are
the one who live peacefully in the world. Decide to become a social
entrepreneur today by adding value to your community and that will be your
ultimate success you want before you pass away.
Good luck!
By Erick Chrispin
