Monday, July 27, 2009 – Friday, July 31, 2009
As promised, a “Roundup” of the five enterprises that we featured on Twitter as our “Social Enterprise of the Day.”
Monday, July 27, 2009
Social Enterprise of the Day – Mideast Youth
When you think of the Middle East, what images come directly to mind? That’s right, probably images of war, violence, oppression (and maybe oil and the pyramids). Up until last month in Iran, they probably weren’t images of mass demonstrations, mobilized students, people saying “no more,” DIALOGUE. This is exactly what Mideast Youth is trying to change by enabling a bold, young, and intelligent generation of Middle Eastern youth through a forum of productive dialogue.
Mideast Youth is a student-owned independent network that promotes constructive dialogue and understanding using the internet within the Middle East and North Africa. Using the internet, a place that affords the modicum of protection necessary to practice free speech (all of the Mideast Youth writers are aware of the limitations on their freedoms), Arabs, Iranians, Kurds, and Israelis work side by side on a variety of different projects in order to advance towards moderation and interfaith understanding (much like the well-known Seeds of Peace). Its mission being “to inspire and provide young people with the freedom and opportunity of expression, and promote a fierce but respectful dialogue among the highly diverse youth of all sects, socio-economic backgrounds, and political and religious beliefs in the Middle East,” Mideast Youth uses this freedom “to create social change and to prove that the collaboration necessary for stability is possible.”
How does Mideast Youth measure it’s success? By the people whose perceptions they are able to change. Bravo!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Social Enterprise of the Day – FrontlineSMS
Imagine being able to communicate from anywhere, at any time. Now imagine being able to communicate with large groups of people anywhere there is a mobile signal. This, and more, is exactly what FrontlineSMS allows you to do.
FrontlineSMS is free open source software that turns a laptop and a mobile phone into a central communications hub. Once installed, the program enables users to send and receive text messages with large groups of people through mobile phones. What you communicate is up to you, making FrontlineSMS useful in many different ways, although it is intended for use by grassroots non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in developing countries.
The ways in which it can be used are endless: human rights monitoring, disaster relief coordination, natural resource management, election monitoring, emergency alerts, mobilizing task forces, field data collection, conducting public surveys, health care info requests, agricultural price updates, organizing protests, mobile education programs, coordinating fundraising efforts, providing weather updates, and much, much more!
Follow FrontlineSMS on Twitter at @FrontlineSMS
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Social Enterprise of the Day – Barkwheats
Barkwheats are not only wholesome dog biscuits, but producing them supports small-scale agriculture in the founder’s home state of Maine. Barkwheats is committed to producing a grain-free biscuit because that’s the way dogs are meant to eat. The biscuits are made out of buckwheat which is easily grown in Maine. The biscuits are one step away from the soil in which the ingredients were grown, giving dog owners the peace of mind in knowing their dog’s safety is thought of every step of the way.
Barkwheats operates with a “Triple Bottom Line,” where all stakeholders are considered in its business decisions: People (& Pups), Planet, and Profits.
People: Barkwheats produces nutritious dog treats, while being committed to purchasing at least 95% of ingredients directly from neighboring farmers, the rest of which is sourced directly from farmers in Belize at Fair Trade wages, in order to help sustain small, organic farms and their communities.
Planet: Barkwheats purchases only all-natural or organic ingredients; its packaging is 100% compostable; and they compost, recycle, purchase wind energy, use CFL bulbs and select the most energy efficient equipment to run our facility.
Profits: Barkwheats supports the local economy by purchasing ingredients and services locally when possible. They pay a fair price to producers of their ingredients and they charge for a fair price in turn for their product.
As a result of this, Barkwheats is the first B-Corporation in the pet industry.
Follow Barkwheats on Twitter at @Barkwheats
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Social Enterprise of the Day – Gambia is Good
Gambia is Good (GiG) is a dynamic and progressive social enterprise that strives to improve local farmer livelihoods, taking action to meet the challenges of sustainable development. GiG works to connect poor rural farmers to the country’s lucrative tourist market, increasing earnings, reducing the need for imported produce, encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit among producers and diversifying the agricultural crop base of The Gambia.
Training, supporting, and purchasing from approximately 1000 farmers, 90% of which are women, GiG provides tangible economic and social benefits to local communities. It not only benefits local growers, but it provides the best quality and freshest produce directly to hotels and restaurants, in turn raising the standard of quality and variety of local fruits and vegetables. As a social enterprise, when GiG becomes financially sustainable, it plans on investing any surplus into additional farmer trainings.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Social Enterprise of the Day – Source for Change
Source For Change is an all-women rural Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company based in Bagar, Rajasthan. Source For Change takes the BPO model one step further: empowering women with employment opportunities and providing quality dedication and best practices to the BPO industry.
The BPO began with a group of 10 sari-clad women who yearned to contribute to the progress of their village and their country and sought an opportunity to do so. However, in a region plagued with female infanticide and purdah, it was an uncommon sight to watch women go to work. Hence, Source For Change began with a vision to present rural women a platform to become financially empowered and to achieve a greater social standing. We really can’t think of anything better!
Now, Source for Change employs 15 rural women from Bagar and surrounding villages. These 15 women have at least a 10th grade education, and perhaps even more remarkable, they are all first-time paid employees.
Follow Source for Change on Twitter at @SourceforChange
