BECOME A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

“Starting a social entrepreneurship venture in Tanzania”

I hope you also wonder why! Since Tanzania economy threw its feet into free market economy where it had to follow the Structural Adjustment Programs from a capitalist power’s world in 1985s, poverty has been increasing and eating more the life of poor people in urban and more in rural areas.

Before that with Ujamaa policy the government tried to fight poverty by reducing a gap between haves and have-nots and equality in life was a song until the Russian socialistic block where we were allying fell apart in 1980s.
 

I am trying to remind you this history so that you can quickly ponder where this country is coming from in comparison to where we are and the reasons of our economic alteration so that you can choose to become a solution to our poverty by becoming a social entrepreneur.

Almost failed alternatives to poverty eradication: 

Since Tanzania accepted the capitalist free market economy, a large number of NGOs in form of charity organizations, empowerment organizations and so many Government welfare programs came into play to fight poverty and support poor people mostly in rural areas and this is what makes me wonder that poor people are becoming more poor and few rich people are drastically becoming more rich, WHY? 

I bet these solutions are less involving poor people in creating their own pace in solving their own poverty related social problems in their context instead these experts think for the poor and provide irrelevant benefits which favor their own thinking and not the need of poor people who fail to grab the opportunity and instead enjoy the short term charity support which creates their dependence habit which again kills more their ability to fight their own poverty.

Social entrepreneurship a contemporary solution:

This concept is very new however it has been working to some extent in Tanzania as we have few people and organizations which had been applying it to fight poverty without being aware that they are doing social entrepreneurship. Even decision and policy makers in Tanzania have been unaware of it, so it is even not mentioned in their papers though there are some descriptions about it.

Social entrepreneurship is just a way of solving most pressing social problems by using entrepreneurial and business principles. In social entrepreneurship we take an advantage of skills which has made conventional entrepreneurs and businessmen successful and use them to establish social initiatives in form of business or projects focusing on solving crucial social problems and these established ventures go by a title of social enterprises or social businesses depending on its model. 

Success in social entrepreneurship is measured by positive social impact and not profit made that means profit is just a means to an end and not an ultimate goal and it should always be used to expand the same social enterprise and sustain it not goes into someone’s pocket. Social entrepreneurs empower poor people economically or by unusual way of doing business. 

Become a social entrepreneur 

The free market economy allows you to use available many resources around Tanzania to establish a social enterprise which will add value to our community by solving a lot of social problems we have in Tanzania. Be one of them today leave a mark before you die by adding value to our society as a social entrepreneur.

By Erick Chrispin