http://www.socialedge.org/ Listen to returned Peace Corps volunteers as they describe their new lives as social entrepreneurs. Feeder 1.5.1(364) http://reinventedsoftware.com/feeder/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en 2007 Skoll Foundation socialedge@skollfoundation.org socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:07:19 -0800 Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:07:59 -0800 http://www.socialedge.org/admin/images/itunes/socialedge_peacecorpsentrepreneurs_144x144.png http://www.socialedge.org/ 144 144 Listen to returned Peace Corps volunteers as they describe their new lives as social entrepreneurs. Social Edge Listen to returned Peace Corps volunteers as they describe their new lives as social entrepreneurs. Listen to returned Peace Corps volunteers as they describe their new lives as social entrepreneurs. no Social Edge socialedge@skollfoundation.org http://www.socialedge.org/admin/podcasts/PeaceCorpsEntrepreneurs.xml no http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/ socialedge@skollfoundation.org Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:25:00 -0800 jenni-morello-morocco Social Edge Jenni Morello is currently serving in the Peace Corps as a health teacher in a small village in Southern Morocco where she addresses hygiene and HIV/AIDS issues. She had to drive for 2 hours in a 4x4 to find a telephone and be interviewed by Social Edge. Jenni Morello is currently serving in the Peace Corps as a health teacher in a small village in Southern Morocco where she addresses hygiene and HIV/AIDS issues. She had to drive for two hours in a 4x4 to find a telephone and be interviewed by Social Edge. no 7:19 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/ socialedge@skollfoundation.org Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:21:58 -0800 john-shores-colombia-the-dominican-republic Social Edge John Shores, Peace Corps volunteer twice in Colombia and later in the Dominican Republic (1972-1978), has consulted on environmental topics in about 35 countries and has seen the emergence of some positive environmental social enterprise. John Shores was a Peace Corps Volunteer between 1972 and 1978, twice in Colombia and later in the Dominican Republic. He was a local advisor to Los Nevados National Park, and later to the National Parks & Wildlife Division in Bogotá. He joined the Peace Corps after realizing that he had benefited from public education and wanted to do something positive in return. He has consulted on environmental topics in about 35 countries and has seen the emergence of some positive environmental social enterprise. His motivation is environmental protection, and he feels enterprises don't always achieve that. Attempts to blend business and sustainability for environmental protection and local income generation have grown. But there are often problems, usually the pressure on small entrepreneurs for immediate income. Local entrepreneurs are frequently cash poor and cannot generate early profits. Many cannot afford to take entrepreneurial risks because the consequences of failure are serious – sometimes the next meal. Agro-forestry and eco-tourism are two of the environmental trends in social enterprises. • Agro-forestry – often successful - is essentially mixing trees with agricultural crops to expand the tree cover, supply timber and non-timber forest products (fuel-wood is often the most important), enhance family nutrition, and increase the income of local people. • Ecotourism is tricky because tourists demand standards and conditions that the local communities may not be able to provide easily and the missed expectations cause tensions. He recommends that social entrepreneurs in ecotourism explore The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) for best practices. John also works with sustainable finance tools like national environmental funds, often established through debt-swaps or debt forgiveness, which are small foundations that select and promote the best NPOs in their own countries. He recommends to check the Conservation Finance Alliance for more on these tools. He reminds social entrepreneurs to remember a saying from ecologists: Everything is connected to everything else. "It helps to be aware of the broader context so that when we solve one problem we don't create other problems elsewhere in the system. Keep the big picture in mind; seek wide advice on the ramifications of development first." no 7:44 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/12/18/matthew-kopac socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:02:28 -0800 matthew-kopac-benin Social Edge Matt Kopac, Peace Corps volunteer in Benin (2001-2003), worked with an agricultural credit union to create a microfinance program for women. He also developed courses in business. He is currently a student at the Yale School of Management. Matt Kopac was in the Peace Corps in Benin between 2001 and 2003 in a mid-sized town, Djougou, near the border with Togo. He was a Small Enterprise Development Volunteer working with an agricultural credit union to create a microfinance program for women's groups, and developing courses in business management. Benin was one of his first trips outside the US and getting off the plane was a thrilling shock. There were some struggles, but once he made friends, adapted to the culture and learned the languages, he had one of his most meaningful experiences of his life. He decided to join the Peace Corps in high school although he was not completely sure what it was, but he knew it offered the opportunity to be of service and to see the world. He also had the opportunity in high school to sing the soundtrack of the film, The Power of One, about the transformation of South Africa during apartheid. The injustice and the haunting beauty of the music resonated with him, and he decided to go to Africa. Five years later he got his chance. Matt is currently a student at the Yale School of Management, where he focuses on community development finance. He is also General Manager of Food For Thought, a social venture coffee shop serving organic Fair Trade coffee and food. All the profits go to the Yale School of Management Internship Fund, which supports students who want to do public service summer internships. His Peace Corps flight to Benin was scheduled to leave on September 12, 2001. It was delayed by the terrorists attack until October. When he arrived in Benin, there was an outpouring of sympathy from the Beninese people. Matt was most inspired by Bilha Foussena, a primary school teacher who worked with him to teach courses on credit and business management to women’s groups. She also served as the intermediary between the women's groups and MFI's involved in micro loans. A widow, she was not subject to many of the same restrictions placed on women in the community, and she used this freedom to advocate for other women around her. His advice to social entrepreneurs: “Get your feet dirty, listen to people – don’t come into a situation with a preconceived notion about what is needed. And don't wait to get started even if all the pieces don’t seem to be in place, and take risks – there is no time to waste.” no 8:24 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/12/11/diane-davis socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:21:16 -0800 diane-davis-kenya Social Edge Diane Davis, Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya (2001-2003), taught HIV prevention in schools, women's groups and orphanages. She later volunteered with the California Habeas Project and has led six youth groups to Mexico to build homes. Diane Davis was in the Peace Corps in Kenya from 2001-2003, working in a rural village near Kakamega. She taught HIV prevention in schools, women's groups, and orphanages. She joined the Peace Corps to satisfy her adventurous spirit and love of learning other cultures. While in Kenya, she raised money for the education of four neighbor children, three of whom have graduated from high school (which is not free in Kenya). She is now raising money to send them to college in Nairobi where they will learn marketable skills. After the Peace Corps, she volunteered with the California Habeas Project, interviewing women serving life sentences for crimes related to intimate partner violence. Diane’s reports were used to recruit defense attorneys for the women. Diane also led youth groups to build homes for poor families in Mexico, enabling her to show American youth who have so much, to see how others live and how to share with them. Diane responded to Hurricane Katrina by volunteering with the Red Cross in Gulfport Mississippi. She recalls sitting on a porch, supporting a man in his grief who recently lost his wife due to the mold in their home. Diane believes that building relationships is essential to meeting needs. One of Diane’s inspirations is her homestay mama in Kenya, a resourceful Kikuyu woman who has supported her family through growing and selling maize. When the prices dropped due to oversupply, she turned to Diane for advice. Diane mentioned women in other villages who were growing sunflowers and selling the oil. Her house mama took her advice planted several fields of sunflowers to harvest the seeds and make oil to support her family. Her advice to social entrepreneurs: “Be adaptable and do not enter a new endeavor with a set paradigm because you need to be ready to have your paradigm shifted as you hear other peoples' stories.” no 8:13 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/12/04/mary-balmaceda socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:50:10 -0800 mary-balmaceda-benin Social Edge Mary Balmaceda, Peace Corps volunteer in Benin (1996-1998), trained cotton producers to form credit unions. She later joined the Calvert Foundation and is now Marketing Director for Unitus where she tries to reduce global poverty through microfinance. Mary Balmaceda was in the Peace Corps from 1996 to 1998 in Benin, where she trained cotton producers to form credit unions to provide micro loans to farmers. The Peace Corps was a life-changing experience that started when she was 13. She was in Sierra Leone visiting her father stationed there with the UN Development Program when she met an exciting Peace Corps volunteer on a motorcycle. She thought to herself, “I want to do that!” She began her career as a marketer through an internship with the National Geographic Channel during her MBA studies at Georgetown University. She was hired as a full-time consultant after she graduated. While at National Geographic, and later at the Discovery Channel, she felt drawn back to social action. Through a Net Impact contact she was offered a job as Marketing Manager at the Calvert Foundation – the non-profit arm of Calvert Mutual Funds. It was a great opportunity to combine her interest in socially responsible investing, her marketing experience and her love for social action. She is now Director of Marketing and Communication for Unitus, trying to reduce global poverty through microfinance. Unitus works with local microfinance institutions, helping them to get access to business tools and capital to scale up so they can serve more people. Unitus’s portfolio of partners now reach close to three million people. Her job is to manage Unitus' print and media communications, branding, reports, website, and e-marketing campaigns - essentially everything to attract attention to Unitus, the social entrepreneurs they fund, and the mission of fighting global poverty. She does not consider herself a social entrepreneur, but an accelerator of social entrepreneurs. Her advice: “Be persistent! Success comes when you persist against the odds, keep your eye on your ultimate vision and your mind on the people you are helping.” no 8:07 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/11/27/luke-filose socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:42:23 -0800 luke-filose-mauritania Social Edge Luke Filose, Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania (2004-05), worked with a micro-finance organization giving loans to women's groups. He later went to Chad to create a supply chain to distribute fuel-efficient cook stoves. He is a student at UC Berkeley. Luke Filose, Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania (2004-2005), worked with a micro-finance organization giving loans to women's groups. He later went to Chad to create a supply chain to distribute fuel-efficient cook stoves. He is now an MBA student at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Luke Filose served in the Peace Corps in Mauritania from 2004 to 2005 after a career with international non-profits in the U.S. He had his first intensive overseas experience in Mauritania working with a micro-finance organization in a small town giving loans to women's groups. After Peace Corps he went to Chad to create a supply chain to distribute fuel-efficient cook stoves. He is now an MBA student at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley and considers himself a social entrepreneur studying new skills. He defines social entrepreneurship broadly, ranging from small micro-loan businesses to big socially responsible corporations. The key is to look at poverty through the lens of entrepreneurship. He was inspired in the Peace Corps by the women's groups he was giving loans to. The women really wanted to take control of their lives and build a future. Mostly illiterate, but very entrepreneurial, they persisted and overcame very difficult obstacles. Luke is a Board Fellow with Lenders for Community Development, a U.S. domestic microlending organization. Lenders makes small business loans in the San Francisco Bay Area to give poor people an opportunity to get a foothold. He also worked with The Children of Uganda dance group that raises funds for HIV/AIDs orphans. He had just graduated from college when he encountered them at his job at a PR firm. They inspired him so much that he fell in love with Africa and dedicated himself to helping others. He feels there is tremendous potential and entrepreneurship in Africa. His advice to fellow social entrepreneurs: “Keep an open mind and think big. Don't limit yourself to the non-profit world; big corporations and the civic sector are also part of the fight against poverty. And do not to forget your backyard – there is work that needs to be done close to home.” no 9:16 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/11/20/meg-garlinghouse socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:33:58 -0800 meg-garlinghouse Social Edge Meg Garlinghouse, Peace Corps volunteer in Niger (1989-92), ran an economic development project after interning at the US State Department. She runs Yahoo for Good, conceiving programs that connect 550 million users with causes that can change the world. Meg Garlinghouse, Peace Corps volunteer in Niger (1989-1992), ran an economic development project after interning at the U.S. State Department. She now runs Yahoo for Good, conceiving programs and campaigns that inspire and connect 550 million Yahoo users with causes that can change the world. no 9:00 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/11/13/steve-wright socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:43:36 -0800 steve-wright-micronesia Social Edge Steve Wright, Peace Corps volunteer in Micronesia (1989-1991), had to be evacuated after contracting a life–threatening disease. Now with the Salesforce Foundation, he helps the non-profit sector use data more effectively. Steve Wright, Peace Corps volunteer in Micronesia (1989-1991), had to be evacuated after contracting a life–threatening disease. He later worked in education where he helped his students understand a broader world. Now with the Salesforce Foundation, he helps the non-profit sector use data more effectively. Steve Wright was sent to Micronesia after completing training in Hawaii in 1989. He was stationed on Wolieye as a teacher after working on one of the smaller islands for a while. He contracted a life–threatening disease and had to be medivacd off the island on Christmas Day. Since Micronesia is a very remote place, he arrived in a hospital in Hawaii a week later after four very bumpy days on a fishing boat. Altogether, his experience changed the course of his career, and probably of his life. He worked in education and spent nine years as a teacher and school administrator, where his experience was tied together with efforts to create connections to help his students understand a broader world. He now works for the Salesforce Foundation, helping the non-profit sector use data more effectively. He helps them understand their baseline, their problems and their progress toward their missions. Salesforce.com sells a customer relationship management, an on-line service that allows organizations to collect the data most important to their mission, such as human resources case management. Since he works with a foundation that does not generate revenue, he is not a social entrepreneur. But he is empowering social entrepreneurs around the world. Social entrepreneurship resonates with the business community. He is trying to leverage the business environment to help social entrepreneurs understand their progress in effectively spending their money and understanding their progress toward their goals. His advice to social entrepreneurs and would-be social entrepreneurs: “Maintain rigor on using data to measure your social impact and keep it pre-eminent. The bottom line is a better world; not more revenue.” He urges social entrepreneurs to use data to understand their progress both internally and across sectors. no 9:29 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/11/06/john-hatch socialedge@skollfoundation.org Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:36:30 -0800 john-hatch-columbia-and-peru Social Edge John Hatch, Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia (1962-64), served as an urban community development volunteer and later went to Peru where he managed an agricultural cooperative. In 1984 he founded FINCA, one of the world's leading microcredit institutions. John Hatch, Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia (1962-1964), served as an urban community development volunteer and later went to Peru where he managed an agricultural cooperative. In 1984, he founded FINCA, one of the world's leading microcredit institutions based on the village-banking model. no 11:05 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/10/30/judi-aubel socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:24:48 -0700 judi-aubel-ivory-coast Social Edge Dr. Judi Aubel, Peace Corps volunteer in Ivory Coast (1970-72), leads The Grandmother Project, an organization she co- founded two years ago based on 10 years of work developing a grandmother-inclusive approach to maternal and child health programs. Dr. Judi Aubel, Peace Corps volunteer in Ivory Coast (1970-1972), is now leading The Grandmother Project, an organization she co- founded two years ago based on 10 years of work developing a grandmother-inclusive approach to maternal and child health programs. no 10:16 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/10/23/phil-lilienthal socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:11:39 -0700 phil-lilienthal-ethiopia Social Edge Philip Lilienthal, Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia (1965-67), was Attorney/Advisor for the Peace Corps General Counsel’s Office, served as regional director in the Philippines and Deputy Director in Thailand. He is founder & CEO of Global Camps Africa. Philip Lilienthal, Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia (1965-1967), was Attorney/Advisor for the Peace Corps General Counsel’s Office, served as Peace Corps regional director in the Philippines and Deputy Director for the Peace Corps in Thailand. He is now founder and CEO of Global Camps Africa. no 8:37 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/10/16/tony-zola socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:30:29 -0700 tony-zola-thailand Social Edge Tony Zola, Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand (1970-72), now has his own consulting firm, the MIDAS Agronomics Company, advising developing projects in Thailand and the rest of South East Asia. Tony Zola, Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand (1970-1972), now has his own consulting firm, the MIDAS Agronomics Company, advising developing projects in Thailand and the rest of South East Asia. He recently conducted several assignments for the Princess Mother's Foundation (the mother of the King of Thailand). no 9:23 http://socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/10/09/lynne-moquete socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:28:44 +0200 lynne-moquete-dominican-republic Social Edge Lynne Moquete, Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic (1990-92), later went into a Master’s program and received an MA in Public Health. She started Building Dreams, Building Hopes to assess needs in remote villages and to build and repair homes. Lynne Moquete joined the Peace Corps after being in a service program called Mexico Outreach and she wanted to continue working to help others. The idea of the Peace Corps came to her on a plane ride when her seatmate who had been in the Corps told her about it. She decided soon afterward that the Peace Corps was what she wanted to do. She learned to fix plumbing, dig latrines and repair homes, and she learned from the people of the village. She realized that she and other volunteers could help facilitate things, but it was the villagers who did the teaching. She later started Building Dreams, Building Hopes to build houses, repair homes, do plumbing, build latrines….whatever a village would need. She says she now understands that she is a social entrepreneur. She feels that the world would work better if each of us took our gifts and worked for the betterment of humanity – if we were all social entrepreneurs. Her skill is teaching, so she gives back through teaching. Her work in the Peace Corps was a life changing event for her, living with people who were so full of love and generosity. She advises other social entrepreneurs to understand that “everyone is gifted in a different way. It is not about competition, it is about helping people. If we can work together, in the end the world will be complete and beautiful. We all have to do our part.” no 9:51 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/10/02/stephanie-tolk socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:35:12 -0700 stephanie-tolk-mali Social Edge Stephanie Tolk, Peace Corps volunteer in Mali (1998-2000), taught children how to protect their natural resources, and ran fruit tree grafting workshops. She founded The Pangaea Project to empower youth from low-income families to become local leaders. Stephanie served in the Peace Corps in Mali, where she was a Natural Resource Specialist, teaching environmental education to village children and doing side projects that the villagers needed. She joined the Peace Corps after traveling abroad with AFS in high school and spending Semester at Sea in college (Semester at Sea is a program in which students live and travel on a large sailboat and visit and stay in ten countries during the semester). Semester at Sea was a jolting experience for her because she would spend days with very poor people, then go back at night to a luxury ship. Stephanie Tolk started The Pangaea Project, an unusual endeavor that empowers Portland’s at-risk youth to become local leaders with a global perspective, a 10-month program that includes a month outside the U.S. They learn about the social justice components both locally and through "change makers" – people who are making a difference in the world. This year they visited Ecuador. They traveled all over the country, met change makers there and visited development projects to learn lessons and techniques that might actually work in Portland. They also lived with local families and completed a service project, getting immersed in the culture and developing the empathy they need to understand the country they are in. Many of these kids are very at-risk, but we see a lot of leadership potential in them, Stephanie says in this interview. Most of them, she adds, would never have a chance to travel outside the U.S. She is a true social entrepreneur herself and trains future social entrepreneurs in the Pangaea Project. She thinks a social entrepreneur recognizes a need in a community and innovatively tries to address it and create social change. There are lots of people re-inventing the wheel to correct social problems –but true entrepreneurs try something different. Her advice to other entrepreneurs: “Keep plugging away to manifest your dreams.” no 8:54 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/09/25/brian-williams socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:27:29 -0700 brian-williams-nepal-and-guatemala Social Edge Brian Williams, Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal (1996-98) and Guatemala (1999-2000), later became a Fulbright Scholar and conducted research on the status of the red panda in the Panchthar-Ilam-Singhalila corridor. He is president of the Red Panda Project. Brian Williams, Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal (1996-1998) and in Guatemala (1999-2000), later became a Fulbright Scholar and conducted research on the status of the red panda in the Panchthar-Ilam-Singhalila corridor. He is now president of the Red Panda Project. no 8:27 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/09/18/allen-andersson socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:41:21 -0700 allen-andersson-honduras Social Edge Allen Andersson, Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras (1966-68), taught mathematics at the National University. He is now president of The Riecken Foundation, which creates public libraries and promotes prosperity and democracy in Central America. Allen Andersson was in the Peace Corps in Honduras teaching math at the National University. He joined the Peace Corps in the middle of his M.I.T. studies because he always loved teaching and wanted an adventure where he could use his Spanish. He was also dodging the draft during the Vietnam War. On his first day in Honduras, his group got a briefing from U.S. Embassy Political Counselor Robert White, whose wisdom, deep knowledge of Central America, and generosity of spirit made a lasting impression. When Allen decided to go back to Central America 35 years later, he called Robert White, who was then president of the Center for International Policy and had been U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay and El Salvador. Allen asked him to be his partner in ventures designed to bring prosperity and democracy to Central America. They have been working together since 2000. Allen's first social venture was the Riecken Foundation, bringing rural libraries to Honduras and Guatemala. Riecken Libraries are run by citizens - unique in countries where every other institution is top-down. The libraries have more than books - they are the most important community centers in the villages, offering computers and internet connections, youth service groups, story hours for children and new methods of agriculture. Allen has expanded beyond the libraries by setting up the only independent newspaper and radio in Honduras. His new ventures are designed to prove that honest businesses are more profitable than corrupt ones. He is going into the energy business with wind and hydro-electric projects. He also supports environmental advocacy, including a national march against illegal logging in national forests, which resulted in some officeholders losing their seats. In 1998, he came out a few million dollars ahead on the sale of his telecom software start-up. He and his wife decided to use the money to do something to help other people. Since then the fortune has multiplied through investments and entrepreneurial ventures. He now operates Paperboy Ventures, which nurtures and commercializes underappreciated scientific discoveries, bringing to market technologies to convert fish heads and scales into amino acids, develop new therapies for diabetes, or turn brown coal seams into natural gas wells. He likes to get into businesses early, turn them into valuable properties, and to use all his capital gains to bring democracy and prosperity to Central America. His advice to would-be entrepreneurs: “Capitalize on your own talents, follow your passions, make all the money you can, and then to use it all to make a crucial difference in peoples’ lives.” no 8:49 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/09/11/nick-maran socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:27:41 -0700 nick-maran-peru Social Edge Nicholas Maran, Peace Corps volunteer in Peru (2004-06), was a small-business and youth development volunteer, farming alongside his community and teaching. He now works for the Global Heritage Fund, preserving archaeological and cultural heritage sites. Nicholas Maran, Peace Corps volunteer in Peru (2004 - 2006), was a small-business and youth development volunteer, farming alongside his community and teaching in the schools. He now works in Mexico for the Global Heritage Fund, preserving humankind’s important archaeological and cultural heritage sites. no 9:06 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/09/04/kriss-barker socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 04 Sep 2007 05:47:56 -0700 kriss-barker-swaziland Social Edge Kriss Barker, Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland (1984-1987), taught in an all-girls school. One of her students eventually became Queen of Swaziland. Kriss is a Vice President at Population Media Center where she oversees management of media programs. Kriss Barker, Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland (1984-1987), taught in an all-girls school. One of her 16-year old students, named Sibonelo Mngomezulu, eventually became the Queen of Swaziland. Kriss is now a Vice President at Population Media Center (PMC) where she oversees management of media programs. no 8:33 http://socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/08/28/tony-gasbarro socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:45:49 -0700 tony-gasbarro-dominican-republic-el-salvador Social Edge Tony Gasbarro, Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic (1962-64), went on a second assignment in El Salvador (1996-98) after a 30-year career as a forester and educator. He received the Lillian Carter Award from former President Jimmy Carter. Tony Gasbarro, Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic (1962-1964), went on a second Peace Corps assignment in El Salvador (1996-1998) after a 30-year career as a professional forester and educator. He received the Lillian Carter Award from former President Jimmy Carter. no 11:42 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/08/21/jim-boylson socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:27:53 -0700 jim-boylson-ethiopia Social Edge Jim Boylson was nominated by UCLA's Africa Studies Center professors to be in the first Peace Corps group sent to Ethiopia (1962-1964). Since then, his career in community economic development has taken him to 65 countries on four continents. Jim Boylson, Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia (1962-1964), was nominated by UCLA's Africa Studies Center professors to be in the first Peace Corps group sent to Ethiopia. Since then, his career in community economic development has taken him to 65 countries on four continents. no 5:57 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/08/14/katrina-clark socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:51:20 -0700 katrina-clark-colombia Social Edge Katrina Clark, Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia (1967-69), worked in rural community development and public health. She's the director of the Fair Haven Community Health Center, a nonprofit health care organization, where she's worked for over 30 years. Katrina Clark, Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia (1967-1969), worked in rural community development and in public health. She is now the director of the Fair Haven Community Health Center, a not-for-profit primary health care organization, where she has worked for over 30 years. no 9:20 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/08/07/david-dawley socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:46:01 -0700 david-dawley-honduras Social Edge David Dawley, Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras (1963-1965), was an activist for civil rights and worked with a black street gang. He is now president of Dawley Hutchins, an international consulting practice working with corporate and nonprofit clients. David Dawley, Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras (1963-1965), was an activist for civil rights and worked with a black street gang with a brutal history of violence. He is now president of Dawley Hutchins, an international consulting practice working with corporate and nonprofit clients. no 8:48 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/07/31/jason-yossef-ben-meir socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:15:32 -0700 jason-yossef-benmeir-morocco Social Edge Jason Yossef Ben-Meir, Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco (1993-1995), returned to the Corps in 1998 as an Associate Peace Corps Director. He is now president of the High Atlas Foundation, which he founded to work with rural communities throughout Morocco. Jason Yossef Ben-Meir, Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco (1993-1995), returned to the Corps in 1998 as an Associate Peace Corps Director. He is now the president of the High Atlas Foundation, which he founded to work with rural communities throughout Morocco. no 9:58 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/07/24/dwight-wilson socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:49:34 -0700 dwight-wilson-chile-and-honduras Social Edge Dwight Wilson, Peace Corps volunteer in Chile and Honduras (1981-1983), spent twenty years working in the field of international development. He is now CEO of OneRoof, a network of franchise businesses in rural communities in the developing world. Dwight Wilson was in the Peace Corps in Honduras and Chile from 1981- 1983, working as a rural community development specialist, which he said was a fancy title for a 23-year old history major who had never been in the developing world before. He lived in small villages for what he says were the best two and half years of his life – a period that still impacts his life today. While in Honduras, he saw the usual problems of underdevelopment, but he also what worked well. He became a facilitator of many small projects ranging from water distribution to vaccinating children and teaching. Today he is CEO of a for-profit social business, OneRoof, which is setting up a network of franchise businesses in rural areas in the developing world, run by local entrepreneurs who care deeply about their communities. OneRoof gives them training and helps to set up businesses that gives the community access to a range of critical goods and services and also offers classes to help people get ready for jobs. OneRoof offers a range of services and products in a replicable and scalable sustainable business. Eventually, OneRoof plans to open many thousands of businesses across the developing world (they now operate 18 company stores) to have a major impact in reducing rural poverty around the world. Dwight Wilson set up OneRoof as a for-profit because, after 20 years in the NPO space, he realized that the NPO world did not think “large scale and long term.” He saw that the for-profit model would provide the energy to create a sustainable, long-term scaleable business. He thinks that OneRoof will make a profit later this year through franchise fees, royalties and markup and commissions on products and services. OneRoof is set up to be a win-win that will enable it to go to scale around the world. One Roof was part of the Clinton Global Initiative, which Dwight Wilson says is a wonderful organization that requires you to make a commitment and then "holds your feet to the fire," making sure you follow through and make good progress. He says the networking at the CGI is tremendous and the encouragement and support is the best he has seen in terms of getting things done. His advice for social entrepreneurs: go the for-profit route. He feels that the for-profit model offers a better opportunity for social entrepreneurs to go to scale and be sustainable and replicable. no 9:03 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/07/17/martha-campbell socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:23:46 -0700 martha-campbell-zaire Social Edge Martha Campbell, Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire (1982-1985), taught math and physics in secondary school in the diamond mining area. She later worked for CARE International in Rwanda and is now Vice President for Programs at The James Irvine Foundation. Marty (Martha) Campbell, Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire (1982-1985), taught math and physics in secondary school in the diamond mining area. She later worked for CARE International in Rwanda and is now Vice President for Programs at The James Irvine Foundation. no 8:51 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/07/10/craig-harris socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:37:51 -0700 craig-harris-paraguay Social Edge Craig Harris, Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay (1995-1997), a marine biology major in college, worked in agro-forestry and helped teach families new methods of farming. He is now founding president of Noza, a large US-based donor database for nonprofits. Craig Harris, Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay (1995-1997), was a marine biology major in college but worked in agro-forestry and helped teach families new methods of farming. He is now founding president of Noza, a large US-based donor database for nonprofits. no 7:31 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/john-hecklinger socialedge@skollfoundation.org Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:03:54 -0700 john-hecklinger-central-african-republic Social Edge John Hecklinger, volunteer in the Central African Republic (1995-1996), was teaching literature at the University of Bangui when he had to be evacuated by the French Foreign Legion as a military mutiny broke out. He was reassigned to Burkina Faso. John Hecklinger, Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic (1995-1996), was teaching literature and linguistics at the University of Bangui when he had to be evacuated by the French Foreign Legion as a military mutiny broke out. He was reassigned to Burkina Faso. no 8:16 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/06/26/elizabeth-bara socialedge@skollfoundation.org Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:42:12 -0700 elizabeth-bara Social Edge Elizabeth Bara, Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland (1989-1991), launched A Self-help Assistance Program (ASAP Africa) to cultivate self-reliance in Southern Africa. She lived in Mutare for ten years. Today ASAP Africa has a staff of 30 in Zimbabwe. Elizabeth Bara, Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland (1989-1991), launched A Self-help Assistance Program (ASAP Africa) to cultivate self-reliance in Southern Africa. She and her husband lived in Mutare for ten years and today ASAP Africa has a staff of 30 in Zimbabwe. no 8:19 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/06/19/sam-goldman socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 19 Jun 2007 13:59:08 -0700 sam-goldman-benin Social Edge Sam Goldman, Peace Corps volunteer in Benin (2001-05), grew up in Mauritania, Pakistan, Peru, India and Rwanda and studied biology and environmental studies in Canada, then launched an NGO in Benin. He is now an MBA student at Stanford and CEO of d.light. Sam Goldman, Peace Corps volunteer in Benin (2001-2005), grew up in Mauritania, Pakistan, Peru, India and Rwanda and studied biology and environmental studies in Canada, then launched an NGO in Benin. He is now an MBA student at Stanford and CEO of d.light. no 6:54 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/06/12/william-shurtleff socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:03:50 -0700 william-shurtleff-nigeria Social Edge William Shurtleff, Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria (1964-65), lived in Japan where he discovered soy as a solution to hunger. He has been a consultant to the soyfoods industry for more than 20 years and is now director of the Soyinfo Center. William Shurtleff, Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria (1964-65), lived in Japan where he discovered soy as a solution to hunger. He has been a consultant to the soyfoods industry for more than 20 years and is now director of the Soyinfo Center. no 7:27 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/06/05/heather-franzese socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:16:10 -0700 heather-franzese-mali Social Edge Heather Franzese, Peace Corps volunteer in Mali (1999–2001), worked for Oxfam, KickStart, Hasbro and Edelman. She was with TransFair before founding Colibrí, a social enterprise delivering market data to Latin American farmers via mobile phones. Heather Franzese, Peace Corps volunteer in Mali (1999–2001), worked for Oxfam, KickStart and companies such as Hasbro and Edelman on corporate social responsibility. She was with TransFair before founding Colibrí, a social enterprise delivering market data to Latin American farmers via mobile phones. no 8:34 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/05/29/timothy-prestero socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 29 May 2007 12:44:56 -0700 timothy-prestero-ivory-coast Social Edge Tim Prestero, Peace Corps volunteer in the Ivory Coast (1995-97), is the Founder and CEO of Design That Matters (DtM), where he designs new products and services to help social enterprises scale and meet their mission. Tim Prestero, Peace Corps volunteer in the Ivory Coast (1995-97), is the Founder and CEO of Design That Matters (DtM), where he designs new products and services to help social enterprises scale and meet their mission. DtM works with hundreds of volunteers – engineers, designers, students and lawyers. no 7:57 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/05/22/paul-slawson socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 22 May 2007 14:32:09 -0700 paul-slawson-bangladesh-pakistan Social Edge Paul Slawson led the first Peace Corps programs in Bangladesh and Pakistan (1961-63), then directed the programs in French-speaking Africa. He served as president of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. He is now on the board of The Asia Foundation. Paul Slawson led the first Peace Corps programs in Bangladesh and Pakistan (1961-63), then directed the programs in French-speaking Africa. After a distinguished business career, he served as president of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. He is now on the board of The Asia Foundation. no 9:58 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/05/15/john-kulczycki socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 15 May 2007 12:11:11 -0700 john-kulczycki-ethiopia Social Edge John Kulczycki, Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia (1963-65), taught history and philosophy at Haile Sellassie University. He is now retired, but still works on causes in Ethiopia as part of the Ethiopia & Eritrea Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. John Kulczycki, Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia (1963-65), taught history and philosophy at Haile Sellassie University. He is now a retired history professor, but still works on causes in Ethiopia as part of the Ethiopia & Eritrea Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. no 12:07 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/05/08/brian-cayce socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 08 May 2007 05:27:38 -0700 brian-cayce-turkmenistan Social Edge Brian Cayce, Peace Corps volunteer in Turkmenistan (1994-96), leads the analysis and evaluation of social venture capital investment opportunities for Gray Matters Capital. The firm, which he founded, is driven by both social concerns and a profit motive. Brian Cayce, Peace Corps volunteer in Turkmenistan (1994-96), currently leads the analysis and evaluation of social venture capital investment opportunities for Gray Matters Capital. The investment firm, which he founded, is driven by both social concerns and a profit motive. no 7:20 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/05/01/scott-morgan socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 01 May 2007 10:08:47 -0700 scott-morgan-ethiopia Social Edge Scott Morgan, Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia (1964-66), worked for two Chicago financial firms, A G Becker and Northern Trust. He is a co-sponsor of the Vocational Training for Children at Risk, which provides help to children at risk in Ethiopia. Scott Morgan, Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia (1964-66), worked for two Chicago financial firms, A G Becker and Northern Trust. He is currently a co-sponsor of the Vocational Training for Children at Risk, which provides help to children at risk in Ethiopia. Scott Morgan was in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia (1964-66) teaching in local schools throughout the country. He is now retired and living in Illinois, but is still connected to Ethiopia through the Ethiopia and Eritrea Returned Peace Corps Volunteers organization. He says that even now, 40 years later, he feels like he still belongs to Ethiopia - it is a part of him. In this interview, he tells how upon arrival in Ethiopia, he was sent to Debre Zeit, a town near Addis Ababa to “teach whatever the principal tells you to teach.” He had received only three months of training in the States before leaving for Africa, so that was a tough assignment. But when he saw the children walking miles a day on dusty, bad roads to come to class, he knew he had a tremendous responsibility, one he took very seriously. He is currently a "champion" of the Ethiopia and Eritrea Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, a group of people who volunteered in those two countries and who have maintained a connection for many decades. In 1974 a coup in Ethiopia brought a regime to power that forced the Peace Corps workers to leave. The Volunteers is their way of continuing their work there. Scott says he gets emails daily from an Ethiopia/Eritrea listserv and stays in close touch with projects on the ground supported by the Volunteers. Most of the children helped by the Volunteers and their local partners are involved in the sex trade or at risk of being involved in it. They receive training, social support, job help from the Volunteers’ local partners. Training includes cosmetology, hair dressing, food preparation, and auto mechanics. Scott Morgan went into the private sector when he returned from the Peace Corps, working in the financial industry. He says the primary lesson he learned from his volunteer experience is that working through local people and local organizations is the key to success. no 9:05 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/04/24/melanie-edwards socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:56:44 -0700 melanie-edwards-togo Social Edge Melanie Edwards, Peace Corps volunteer in Togo (1985-87), is CEO of social venture MobileMetrix. She worked for J.P. Morgan, International Data Group (IDG), and previously launched the Global Technology Corps and UNITeS. Melanie Edwards, Peace Corps volunteer in Togo (1985-87), is CEO of social venture MobileMetrix. She worked for J.P. Morgan, International Data Group (IDG), and previously launched the Global Technology Corps (a “digital Peace Corps”) and the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS). no 7:44 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/04/17/florence-reed socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:11:08 -0700 florence-reed-panama Social Edge Florence Reed, Peace Corps volunteer in Panama (1991-93), was the Latin America Program Coordinator for Trees for the Future before founding Sustainable Harvest International where she helps native peoples shift from slash-and-burn to sustainable farming. Florence Reed, Peace Corps volunteer in Panama (1991-93), was the Latin America Program Coordinator for Trees for the Future before founding Sustainable Harvest International, where she helps native peoples in Central America shift from slash-and-burn agriculture to sustainable farming. no 6:34 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/04/10/ken-lehman socialedge@skollfoundation.org Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:41:00 -0700 ken-lehman-guatemala Social Edge Ken Lehman, Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala (1966-68), worked with the national staff of the Corps in DC until 1971. He is chairman of Winning Workplaces, a nonprofit helping organizations become great places to work, and managing partner of KKP Group. The night before our interview, Ken Lehman had returned from Tanzania where he was inspecting projects on women's micro-credit and lending, water projects, conservation projects, and micro enterprise projects in his role as a member of the CARE USA Board of Directors. In his interview he describes Winning Workplaces, which grew out of his family auto parts business, the Fel Pro Company, which was recognized as one of the best places to work in the US. He ran the business by treating employees fairly and assuming that the employees knew their jobs better than he did. He said the result was high profits and a high level of customer satisfaction. When the business was sold in 1998, he and his family decided to start Winning Workplaces to teach small and mid-sized organizations the lessons they had learned at Fel Pro. Winning Workplaces is a clearing house for information on workplace issues and people practices, providing information and tools to help businesses be successful. Winning Workplaces also provides inexpensive training and consulting for FPOs and NPOs, and, in partnership with the Wall Street Journal, it honors organizations that run great workplaces on small budgets. He tells of being in the Peace Corps in Guatemala teaching English to the students in the Faculty of Law at an elite local Catholic university. He was the first Volunteer ever assigned to Rafael Landivar University. At the inception of his assignment, he found that the student idealism of the 60's had filtered south to Guatemala. Students looked to him to help them get involved in their own country, so he organized a student action organization which, among other things, taught literacy in very poor neighborhoods. He says his driving force behind his social entrepreneurship came from his family's values, which were to help others and treat everyone with respect. His advice to other social entrepreneurs is to view failure not as defeat, but as a learning experience. Social entrepreneurs should believe in the rightness of what they are doing and that it can be done. But he notes that competition is tough in both the corporate and civic sectors and social entrepreneurs must deal with the fact that we are all engaged in a global economy. To succeed means learning to compete and collaborate simultaneously. no 9:23 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/04/02/jessica-shortall socialedge@skollfoundation.org Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:40:43 -0700 jessica-shortall-uzbekistan Social Edge Jessica Shortall, Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan (2000-01), is the Founder of The Campus Kitchens Project in the US and of Catalyst Strategy Advisors in London, where she advises businesses on how to operate for the social good while making a profit. Jessica Shortall has social entrepreneurship in her blood and it shows in this podcast interview from London. She defines social entrepreneurship and speculates on why it currently is more recognized and supported in the UK than in the US. She also explains the route that brought her to start a consulting firm to advance social entrepreneurship by advising businesses on how to operate for the social good while making a profit. She is upfront about her desire to guide companies that can "change the world." Jessica tells us about her early desire to "shave her head and join the Peace Corps," a wish she confided to her parents at the age of 10 years. She says that she never shaved her head, but she did join the Peace Corps and worked in Uzbekistan where she made substantial impact on the village where she worked and on the Ministry of Education. She was placed in the far eastern region of Uzbekistan where she conducted community development projects and taught English. She became very involved in her small host town, founding an English library, organizing an empowerment-themed summer camp for teenage girls, and developing a primary English curriculum for the country's Minister of Education. Her Uzbek host family have become life-long family members-in addition to laughing at her stumbles through Uzbek culture, they treated her like one of their own, and taught her Uzbek, a bit of Russian, and some Soviet-era drinking songs of questionable taste. This podcast ranges over Jessica's founding The Campus Kitchens Project in the US, now operating in 10 cities, to her winter working with Mother Theresa in Calcutta, to her time at Oxford as a Skoll School in the Said Business School MBA program, to her thoughts on social entrepreneurship in the US and the UK and lessons she has learned that can benefit social entrepreneurs worldwide. no 7:37 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/03/26/carl-pope socialedge@skollfoundation.org Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:41:36 -0700 carl-pope-india Social Edge Carl Pope, Peace Corps volunteer in India (1967-69), is Executive Director of the Sierra Club, the largest grass roots environmental organization in the US. The Peace Corps motivated him to look carefully at how political and bureaucratic systems work. Carl Pope worked in the Peace Corps advancing family planning in a small village in India from 1967 -1969. His work in the Peace Corps had a profound impact on him and indirectly led him to the environmental movement. It also motivated him to look very carefully at how a political or Carl defines "social entrepreneur" as someone who combines a new idea with social capital to create a social service or social movement that is new. He differentiates this from "entrepreneurship with a conscience" as exemplified by venture capitalists investing in alternative energy. Their driving force is profit, although they may want to earn that profit in an environmentally benign way. Pope's example of social entrepreneurship is the Sierra Club's work to organize the skills of Native Americans in the Southwest United States to develop alternative energy sources on their reservations- thus building a new economy that helps people's livelihoods. He notes that the efforts by British Petroleum's movement into alternative energy research is not social entrepreneurship, it is brand building and positioning for market share in what may become a profitable industry. He says is could be enlightened investment and could lead to very positive research, but it is commercial, not social entrepreneurship. Pope feels that social entrepreneurship is critical today because, in addition to stopping bad things from happening, we also have to start good things happening, and that requires entrepreneurs. He says that the "triple bottom line" many social entrepreneurs work with is still at a very early stage because we have not yet figured out how to measure the social and environmental bottom lines. He points out that in an industry like carbon offsets, it is not clear that the money spent actually results in the environmental benefits claimed. Pope's view is that for social entrepreneurship with a triple bottom, the social and environmental bottom lines come before the profit bottom line. He is personally interested in finding ways to insure that those who make decisions pay the price for them. He says that many environmental problems result from the fact that people don't pay for resources they use - including the commons. He says that designing mechanisms to insure this may be the single most important environmental challenge and he encourages social entrepreneurs to tackle it. He advises social entrepreneurs who think they have a new idea that is not in the world today, to ask why. There may be hidden obstacles that have stopped others - he feels the world needs shrewd strategy as much or more than originality. no 9:38 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/03/20/jason-ryer-bolivia socialedge@skollfoundation.org Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:07:19 -0700 jason-ryer-bolivia Social Edge Jason Ryer, Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia (2003-05), started Grupo de Avance Tecnológico to help children gain skills to be competitive in the modern economy of Bolivia through the use of technology. Next step? Underserved communities in the US. Jason Ryer talks with us from La Paz, capital of Bolivia where he directs Grupo de Avance Tecnológico (Technology Advancement Group), a Bolivian-registered NGO that he started himself. Jason was working in a technical position at IBM and decided to get an MBA and join the Peace Corps. He saw the Peace Corps as an opportunity to do business development by helping start and expand small local businesses. In this interview, he says that this was considered an unusual decision - most people who get business degrees do not go into the Peace Corps. It taught him lessons he could not have learned anywhere else, including how to work on his own with very little support and when to take his own initiative. During his Peace Corps service, Jason worked in a pueblo in southern Bolivia and his job was to build a computer classroom and teach computer skills. He started with four computers. Since sustainability was a priority from the start, he not only setup the classroom, but he also trained people to become teachers when he was gone, working with the education superintendent in the village. He expanded the number of computers to 15 and integrated computer training into the high school curriculum. However, as he ended his Peace Corps service, he saw there was not enough time to complete the project and make it sustainable, and he started Grupo de Avance Tecnológico. Although he is no longer in the Peace Corps, he often works with Peace Corps volunteers. He gets computers from an organization that collects computers in the US and sends them to developing countries. He installs them in small villages with poor infrastructure where large NGOs find it difficult to operate. Jason's computers often go to Peace Corps volunteers - in village libraries, orphanages and schools. Right now, most of his time is spent dealing with the red tape the Bolivian government requires for importing computers. His goal is to help children gain skills to be more competitive in the modern economy of Bolivia through the use of technology. He intends to turn the work of the NGO completely over to Bolivians. When that happens he may turn his attention to underserved communities in the US, working with the MBA Corps, an organization of business graduates who work with small businesses in US inner cities. no 7:02 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/03/13/david-schweidenback socialedge@skollfoundation.org Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:47:49 -0700 david-schweidenback-ecuador Social Edge David Schweidenback, Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador (1977-80), started the "for-profit non-profit" Pedals for Progress to create economic growth in the developing world. He has now given 100,000 bicycles to people in rural areas. When he was serving in the Peace Corps, David Schweidenback lived in a tiny settlement with a hunter-gatherer tribe known as the Shwar while he worked as a land surveyor, surveying tribal lands for the region's indigenous people. This was critical because they had no title to their ancestral lands and risked losing them. He would fly to tiny villages throughout the region, some of which had airstrips, to map the land. The plane would leave him for a month or two at a time while he surveyed what the local people considered to be their land --anything within one day's walk of their house. That was when he discovered that they all walked everywhere, and that if they had humanity's greatest invention - the wheel, they could improve their quality of life. This is why he started Pedals for Progress, a New Jersey-based non-profit organization. By distributing bicycles in rural areas of the developing world, he reports that he can increase the income by 14% and create an important new force in the local economy. In this interview, David Schweidenback tells us that when he started P4P he was looking to collect a dozen bicycles. He received 140. His euphoria soon disappeared when he realized that the cost of preparing and shipping bicycles far exceeded his capability - he had planned on paying for shipping the bikes himself. Pedals for Progress collects bicycles from individuals, donation centers and other sources in the US - mostly in New Jersey where David Schweidenback lives - and ships them overseas. He tells us that there is very high demand for bicycles, but no supply. So he sells the bikes, although at a vastly reduced price. Pedals for Progress gets about $10 per bike from their sale, and it asks the bike donors for an additional $10. This pays for about 75% of the organization's costs and enables people in the village to pay for them at about 10% of their real value. The sales money is recycled back into the organization where it is used for loans to small bike repair shops in the villages. These businesses are sustainable because they provide services for the bikes that they sell. no 8:34 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/03/06/jerr-boschee socialedge@skollfoundation.org Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:48:51 -0700 jerr-boschee-india Social Edge Jerr Boschee, Peace Corps volunteer in India (1968-70), has been an adviser to social entrepreneurs worldwide for 25 years. He is the founder and executive director of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurs and chairman and CEO of Peace Corps Encore! Jerr Boschee has been an advisor to social entrepreneurs worldwide for 25 years. He is Executive Director of The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs, which he created in 1999, and is Chairman and CEO of Peace Corps Encore! a non-profit he co-founded in 2003 to send former Peace Corps volunteers and staff members back into service on short-term assignments that match their professional expertise with specific social needs. He is also the former President of the National Center for Social Entrepreneurs and served as an advisor to England's Department of Trade and Industry's Social Enterprise Unit. He has also been General Manager for a Fortune 100 company and Managing Editor for a chain of 44 newspapers. Jerr Boschee defines himself as an innovator who is promoting social entrepreneurship around the world. A social entrepreneur, he says, is "a person in any sector who runs a social enterprise - one that uses earned income strategies to pursue either a double or triple bottom line as a business or an NPO." Today Jerr Boschee runs the Institute for Social Entrepreneurs, dedicating his time to writing, speaking, coaching and running workshops to train people in social entrepreneurship. In this podcast he talks about his 25 year history in creating and promoting the field (he coined the term "social entrepreneur" in 1990), Peace Corps Encore! - an organization he launched to send former Peace Corps volunteers to help NGOs around the world, and the Social Alliance organization which he helped found to bring social entrepreneurs together. When asked about advice for social entrepreneurs, Jerr Boschee says that the single greatest obstacle to social entrepreneurship in any non-profit organization is the embedded culture of a typical NGO - salaries, risk taking, the kind of employees they hire, what they see as their mission.. He advises NPOs to explore moving from the dependency model in which they rely on grants and gifts, to a sustainability model where they generate other income, and a to self-sufficiency model in which they become a true social enterprise, generating their own revenue streams. no 18:41 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/02/27/loren-finnell-ecuador socialedge@skollfoundation.org Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:50:13 -0700 loren-finnell-ecuador Social Edge Loren Finnell, Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador (1964-66), is the founder and President of The Resource Foundation, an organization that channels millions of dollars to indigenous grassroots organizations in Latin America. The Resource Foundation came out of Loren Finnell's Peace Corps experience in Ecuador (1964-66) as he noticed that many good local organizations working in development did not have the resources they needed. He set up The Resource Foundation to link individual organizations in Latin America with wealthy individuals and the philanthropic programs of corporations and foundations that needed connections with local organizations. The Resource Foundation sees both the donors and the recipient groups as clients because it matches both and provides a service to both groups. In this interview, Loren Finnell tells us that this has been a very successful formula. He has grown the program from nothing in 1987 to $4.5 million in 2006 and expects to grow at 10% to 15% per year for the foreseeable future. The Resource Foundation works on a 8% overhead, a remarkable achievement considering that many social benefit organizations struggle to stay under 25%. Loren Finnell's Peace Corp experience taught him that people are basically the same around the world and that people with few resources are to be respected. He also learned that the secret to success for the long term is to motivate people to do something for themselves; if you give them something today, the help will be short term. The Resource Foundation works for the long term by motivating people to develop themselves. Loren Finnell operates The Resource Foundation like a for-profit organization - he makes sure that its income is greater than the expenses. But the difference, he says, between The Resource Foundation and most social benefit organizations and the world of for-profits is that the "profit" is re-invested in their clients. It does social good rather than only personal good for the owners. In this interview, Loren Finnell tells us that too many social benefit organizations think of themselves as charities. They must shift this thinking to recognizing that they do charitable work, but they cannot operate as a charity. no 12:22 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/02/20/pat-christen-hope-labs socialedge@skollfoundation.org Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:51:17 -0700 pat-christen-kenya Social Edge Pat Christen, Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya (1982-1985), is the President of HopeLab in Palo Alto, California, a non-profit corporation dedicated to creating and rigorously testing innovative solutions to help young people with chronic illness. A graduate of Stanford University, Pat Christen was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, an experience that has supported her passion for practical problem solving. She was President of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) for 15 years, and also served as President of the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, the international affiliate of SFAF. In this role, she played an active role in national AIDS planning efforts in Rwanda, South Africa, and China. She is now the President of HopeLab, which has developed, tested and launched its first product, Remission, a video game that helps kids and young adults with cancer take their chemotherapy and their antibiotics more consistently and develop a strong sense of control over their disease. Pat is currently directing development and research of other technologies to address obesity and sickle cell disease as well as continue HopeLab's work in cancer. In this interview, she says that she is not a technologist, but that she sees technology as a practical way to solve problems to make people's lives better. She is inspired to work with young adults and adolescents with chronic diseases because people in these age groups often fall through the medical and research cracks. It is assumed that they are old enough to take care of themselves and their healing - which is rarely the case. Pat considers herself a social innovator. She is continually looking for ways to improve alleviate suffering and improve lives and, to that end, she puts her curiosity and the ability to improve systems and processes to work. Pat advises social entrepreneurs to do their homework, to build a factual, data-informed foundation under their dreams. They should be open to changing their mental models when their research turns up facts that do not conform to their beliefs. "As an entrepreneur, you may find things that are contrary to your thinking, and you should remain flexible, informed and eager to unearth those contrary insights. Doing so will improve the likelihood of success." no 9:27 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/02/13/ralph-bolton-chijnaya-peru socialedge@skollfoundation.org Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:52:14 -0700 ralph-bolton-peru Social Edge Ralph Bolton, Peace Corps volunteer in Peru (1963-65), is the founder and director of the Chijnaya Foundation, named after the village where the foundation works. He is also a Professor of Anthropology at Pomona College in California. The Chijnaya Foundation sponsors a range of agricultural, tourism and educational projects in this highland village to create a model community based on an integrated approach, one that links projects together and integrates them with the local culture and resources. For example, the foundation is using the Internet to obtain scholarships for some of the villagers to go to college. As the foundation is planning to build a small tourist lodge, it is also planning to use the village's new Internet connection to handle the reservations and keep the reservation fees, rather than share them with travel agents in other countries. The foundation has also begun a micro loan program to help villagers build stables for dairy cows. As each loan is paid back, it is recycled back into the community in the form of new loans, which keeps the momentum of development moving and growing. The foundation is tracking the milk production to determine the effectiveness of the program. When asked about the impact of the Internet, foreign tourism and college education on the village culture, Ralph Bolton points out that Chijnaya (the village) was created by refugees from other villages that underwent hardships and were well integrated into a modern cash economy when they arrived. Bolton recruited Pomona College students to live in the village and teach English in preparation for the tourism project - this "mini-Peace Corps" was very well received by the villagers and was a life-changing experience for the students. no 12:21 http://www.socialedge.org/features/peace-corps-entrepreneurs/archive/2007/02/06/molly-melcher Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:53:30 -0700 molly-melching-senegal Social Edge Molly Melching, Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal (1974-76), is the founder and director of Tostan, an NGO that empowers African communities to take charge of their own development through literacy and management skills. Molly chose the Wolof word "tostan," which means "breakthrough" or "spread of knowledge," because Tostan graduates become communicators for social change, as they spread the knowledge they have learned in their Tostan classes. Over the past two decades, she has learned that it is crucial to understand the local cultures to initiate social change. In this interview, she describes her approach to the death of young girls in child marriages and how she is trying to stop the practice of female mutilation. She explains how she trained a Tostan graduate to collect statistics in his travels from village to village to keep track of the numbers of young girls dying in childbirth. He detailed these numbers in meetings in each village, often sitting outside on the ground with villagers arrayed around him. He showed them that they were literally killing their daughters. The result was a change in the culture of the 28 villages he contacted. Molly found this pattern - people learning skills at Tostan and then taking them to other villages, putting them to work and passing them on- to be the most effective way to initiate social change. no 18:48