Leading Social Entrepreneurs by Ashoka

LEADING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

In Celebration of

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed Founder Member of Ashoka Global Academy and Ashoka World Council Fazle Abed is probably the greatest social entrepreneur of the last fifty years. And he is one of the earliest, best, and most loved co-leaders of the Ashoka movement. This book is a reflection of what he has helped to build and a celebration of who he is. He created BRAC as newly independent Bangladesh faced unimaginable challenges. He built it into, by far, the world’s largest civil society organization. In one year, it served 126 million people, disbursed $8.4 billion in microloans, and catalyzed grassroots community groups to launch 498,000 community projects. It works across continents and raises 80 percent of its budget from for-profit

Sir Fazle Abed, Founder and Chairperson, BRAC. (Photo:BRAC/ Shehzad Noorani)

businesses wholly owned by nonprofit BRAC.

More important, every year BRAC has many new ideas to make the world a place where everyone can contribute, where all are therefore powerful and far more equal. Then BRAC quickly tests, refines, and spreads these new openings. As these ideas spread, BRAC’s impact multiplies over and over. Even more powerful and contagious are the values and entrepreneurial quality that Fazle and his BRAC define. When Ashoka came to Bangladesh in the mid-1980s with the then very unfamiliar idea of social entrepreneurship, Fazle Abed immediately understood it and welcomed us. He nominated the first Fellow. He served on selection panels. Ever since, in hard times and good, he has helped guide us. Now we are working together to spread empathy and to make changemaking the norm for all young people. Ashoka will soon elect the first group of Fazle Abed Ashoka Young Changemakers in Bangladesh. Bill Drayton, for the Ashoka Community

FRONT COVER

Biplab Paul What causes forced migration and creates refugees? The single biggest cause is environmental damage to the land— be it fields that can’t absorb rain, creating floods and reduced yields; salinization; and waterlogging. Biplab has developed supremely simple ways (10% of the cost of a bore well) of solving all these problems —by channeling underground water through drainage pipes. He works through the poorest local women farmers. He has already spread his model across India and to Bangladesh and Africa.

Cover Photo: Ashoka Fellow Biplab Paul with local farmer partners.

LEADING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

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Managing Editor: Lauren Jackman Campaigns Manager: Jean-Pierre Greenlund Copy Editors: Christine Regan Davi, Katherine Doley, McKayla Gamino, Danielle Kichler, Carson McBain, Tim Slattery Production Artist: Sima Designs Contributors: Rameez Alam, Clara Altfeld, Dian Septiyana Anderson, Pak Aranyawat, Julie Auffray, Reilly Brooks, Sybil Caballero, Maira Cabrini, Laura Catana, Amy Clark, Barbara Teo Dominguez Nagel, Katherine Doley, Mirella Domenich, Ifeyinwa Egwaoje, Caroline Garrett, Beth Inabinett, Akanksha Khurana, Mary Alice Kukoski, Carson McBain, Alexandra Matthews, Rajesh Meher, Josephine Nzerem, Merve Nur Okutan, Shantanu Paul, Melissa Rice, Martyna Rubinowska, Flavia Sartori, Erlijn See, Barbara Steele, Danica Straith, Mariam Tag, Irene Wu, Haerim Yun, and Michael Zakaras. Special Thanks: Chris Cusano, Carson McBain ISBN-13: 978-0-9995578-2-2; Leading Social Entrepreneurs, 2019 Edition. Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved. This publication was printed by More Vang on Eagle Offset paper—an environmentally friendly produced stock certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council.

Ashoka: Everyone a Changemaker catalyzes a global community that is leading the everyone a changemaker movement. We now live in an everything-changing world. This fact requires everyone to be able to contribute to and adapt to change, i.e., to be a changemaker. This requires mastering four abilities: cognitive empathy; working in multiple, complex, and ever morphing networks; new leadership; and changemaking. There is a bidding war for those with these skills, certainly no job scarcity. However, the other half who does not have these skills can’t contribute in the new game, and faces the reality of “Go away, we don’t need you; it’s your fault; and your kids have no future.” This leads to depression and straight on to permanent fury and then the “us versus them” politics that has swept across the world in barely six years. This is “the new inequality”. It is unethical and hugely harmful. Ashoka uses a rigorous, highly-refined, five-step process to identify the most important emerging social change ideas and the entrepreneurs behind them who, together, will redefine their fields, be it human rights or the environment or any other area of human need. This process focuses sharply on five key criteria: • A big, pattern-setting New Idea • Creativity in both goal setting and problem solving • Entrepreneurial quality • The social impact of the New Idea • Ethical fiber

Once Fellows are elected, Ashoka makes sure that they have the support and full freedom—including the ability to work full-time—they need to launch their visions and succeed. This includes providing a launch stipend to the degree it is needed for an average of three years, organizing a wide range of high-leverage supports, and—most importantly—engaging them in a local-to-global collaborative fellowship of their peers. By continuing to develop its extensive network of Fellows, Ashoka works to share the wisdom of these leading social entrepreneurs with a global audience. Its Fellows’ work exposes the world’s most urgent and critical needs. Ashoka looks for patterns in these fields, investigates them to gain new insights, and then mobilizes social entrepreneurs to collaborate and expand in the needed areas. In this volume, you will find profiles introducing a sample of the ideas and leading social entrepreneurs recently elected by Ashoka. They are grouped according to six broad fields: civic engagement, environment, full economic citizenship, health, human rights, and learning/education. These sketches introduce entrepreneurs at different stages in their careers; Senior Fellows have already had profound social impact but most are Fellows just launching their work. However, annual Ashoka evaluations show that five years after their election, 76 % of Ashoka Fellows have changed the pattern in their field at the national and/or international level. Moreover, they encourage many others to stand up and become changemakers—both as role models and because, to succeed, they must—and do—find local changemakers in community after community that adopt and spread their models. Ashoka invites everyone to contribute in the most powerful way by joining with us as co-leaders in the “everyone a changemaker” movement. We are social entrepreneurs, youth entrepreneurs, and change leaders across sectors who are bringing this powerful framework to our communities, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods.

Preface Why is Inequality Getting Worse Everywhere? Why is “Us versus Them” Politics Spreading Globally? Dear Friend, The organizations you lead need even more help. They must hire changemakers, help all their people become changemakers, and organize in fluid, open teams of teams even while becoming more tightly focused.

Missing a turning point is a really, really bad idea—especially when it is the biggest ever. That’s what’s happening now to far too many of us. Starting your day confident in your football skills will get you nowhere if the world’s game is now chess.

Most of us fight for equal opportunity for all. A turning point like this is an opportunity for any disadvantaged group to leapfrog ahead. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for such groups instead to fall quickly further behind. This is deeply disturbing given that so many of the world’s people still suffer from the old gender, ethnic, religious, and social inequalities.

Everywhere, societies are increasingly divided. Two examples: universally worsening income distributions and, increasingly, “us versus them” politics. The chief reason is that those who are successful players in the new game (which requires complex changemaking skills) are doing very well indeed; but those who don’t see it and have none of the new skills required are being pushed out. As the CEO of a major U.S. company that is doing very well in the new game put it to me, “[Hiring only those with changemaking skills] is simply bottom line.”

The new inequality is more deadly than those that went before because the gap grows bigger every year. As the new game is accelerating, the players help one another become even more skilled. However, those not in the game are being left ever further behind.

The worst thing society can do to anyone is to not want them. To leave them useless, unable to contribute.

For a fair and healthy society, we all need to work hard to ensure that this new era is an “everyone a changemaker” world. This is, of course, Ashoka’s goal.

This is the new inequality.

This moment feels to me quite like the few years before the American civil rights movement and, a bit later, the women’s movement took off. Each went through its respective halfdozen dramatic turning point years. Decades of underlying change and preparation had created new realities, but few people saw the signs. The key to society’s tipping into the turning point years where everyone quickly sees the new game— and the hundred things they can and need to do—is building broadening awareness. Here, you can surely help importantly.

It’s not just that the old game—give a person a skill (banker, baker) and organize work (guilds, assembly lines, law firms) so that people repeat their skill forever—is in exponentially fast decline. It’s that the new game is not just different; it’s the opposite of the old patterns in almost every way. One must now organize in always-morphing teams of teams. And each team needs all its members to spot new patterns occurring anywhere, see the implications, and help build and live in a consequent new team of teams. These complex skills require new approaches to everything, from growing up to leadership.

You and all the rest of us in the broad Ashoka movement and community are uniquely well-positioned (1) to see and seize the opportunities of this historic turning point for our family, friends, organizations, and ourselves; and (2) to ensure that everyone at least has equal opportunities to do so.

Is your daughter practicing changemaking? Does she confidently know that she is a changemaker? If she thus has her power, she and you know she will be a powerful giver in life and that the world will always want her. In other words, she will have a happy, healthy, long life. If you can’t answer “yes” to these questions, you have urgent work to do.

To serve this historic turning point, what are the Ashoka community’s unique strengths? The first is its over 3,600 Fellows. (As you know, three-quarters have changed the patterns in their field at the national and/or international level within five years of launch.) In any field, Ashoka can therefore reliably map

The same is true for any young person about whom you care, your coworkers, and your friends.

where the world must go by seeing where our Fellows’ innovations point. So far these prescriptions fit hand-in-glove with what Ashoka has learned is required in an everything-changing world where each change begets yet more change. The Fellows also bring myriad proven ways of getting there. Second, Ashoka recognizes that this transformation must begin by helping everyone go through a hundred changes in how they see and understand the world. Engineering such society-wide mindset change is very different from leading other sorts of change. Ashoka approaches this challenge with the very great advantage that it has already done this once: It set out very consciously decades ago to introduce the construct of social entrepreneurship, a construct that now empowers people everywhere to recognize that it is feasible, normal, and respected to see a problem or imagine an opportunity and to go out and change the world. Third, the Ashoka community is where the co-leaders of such a global mindset change movement can be found. Ashoka Fellows, partnering top-quality business entrepreneurs, staff, and Ashoka Young (teen) Changemakers are all people who have given themselves permission to and who know how to change their world.

team of partners, our movement can now create news, orchestrate events, and reach millions. There are solid beginnings of such teams on most of the continents, all learning from Brazil and from one another. If we all work together, we now have the teams and the tools to end the new inequality, to in fact give everyone the ability to give, to be powerful, to be a changemaker! This ability to enable everyone to have a life and thereby for all of us to escape a bitterly-divided society both draws on and strengthens Ashoka’s original core commitment to its Fellows and to the field of social entrepreneurship it is building across the world. Indeed, it is this unity that uniquely positions our Ashoka movement to succeed in this new, critical work.

Bill Drayton Ashoka: Everyone a Changemaker October, 2019

Moreover, we are now well into the work—and learning fast. On May 23 and 24 this year, several years of brilliant, focused work by Ashoka’s Brazil leadership, several fully co-leading Fellows, and a dozen “jujitsu partners” (the most ethical, entrepreneurial, and powerful organizations in the sectors key to redefining what constitutes success in growing up -- i.e. education unions, publishers, education schools, and select cities or states) joined by Brazil’s first nine Ashoka Young Changemakers came together. These very powerful forces captured Brazil’s attention at the national and many metro area levels. Since then, one change has triggered the next, be it education publishers and education schools shifting their strategies and offerings to “everyone a changemaker” or parents groups stepping up. (See the section on Ashoka Young Changemakers on page 76.) Or the union of those running the country’s 5700 school districts helping spread the “every young person must be a changemaker” message. With this

Letter from Ashoka

Corruption is a major driver of inequality; not only are government funds often misused, but economic growth, business operations, employment, and investment are all adversely affected by corruption.

Dear Friends: In your hands is a glimpse of the future. This latest edition of Leading Social Entrepreneurs features a sample of recently elected Ashoka Fellows, who have become part of the largest global network of social entrepreneurs. In the following pages, you will read about new innovations by people who are building an “Everyone a Changemaker” world and whose ideas are changing the way things are done all over the planet.

Ashoka believes the most powerful force for change in the world is a pattern-change idea in the hands of a first-class entrepreneur. With this conviction, we pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship almost 40 years ago. Ever since, we’ve bet on the optimists and the adventurous who see the world not as it is, but as it should be.

With each new leading social entrepreneur we nurture, Ashoka creates a different kind of future: one where each of us looks inside ourselves and sees a changemaker. We hope the ideas and stories of these leading social entrepreneurs help strengthen the changemaker in you. We invite you to support Ashoka by sharing these stories and helping us continue to find and invest in the next systems-changing social entrepreneurs. Warm regards,

Anamaria Schindler Leadership Team Member

The world’s leading social entrepreneurs are not innovators working in isolation. Their success depends on creating roles for other people to step up and lead change and further spread solutions. Among them are people like Daniela Valdivia of Bolivia, who works with the police and the military to stop gender-based violence. As inequality increases at an alarming rate in countries all over the world, two of our Global Fellows created technical tools that help people monitor the government, ultimately furthering equality. Paul Radu of Romania built the Investigative Dashboard, which connects journalists—and anyone—with open data and support to investigate crime and corruption.

leading social entrepreneurs A Representive Sample of New Ashoka Fellows and Ideas

2019 Edition The Social Entrepreneurs and Their Ideas Civic Participation......................................................................................................................................2 Paul Radu .........................................................................................................................................3 Jin-Kyeong Cho ..............................................................................................................................6 Achraf Aouadi .................................................................................................................................9 Growing Up............................................................................................................................................... 12 Daniela Valdivia............................................................................................................................ 13 Tanin Timtong............................................................................................................................... 16 Komal Dadlani.............................................................................................................................. 19 Environment.............................................................................................................................................. 22 Paula Daniels................................................................................................................................ 23 Pranshu Singhal............................................................................................................................ 26 Wietse van der Werf................................................................................................................... 29 Full Economic Citizenship...................................................................................................................... 32 Regi Wahyu................................................................................................................................... 33 Mélanie Marcel............................................................................................................................. 36 Jeff Cyr........................................................................................................................................... 39 Health......................................................................................................................................................... 42 Prasanna Shirol............................................................................................................................. 43 Nneka Mobisson.......................................................................................................................... 47

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Human Rights........................................................................................................................................... 50 Jess Ladd........................................................................................................................................ 51 Sérgio Serapião............................................................................................................................ 54 Nazma Akter................................................................................................................................. 57 Senior Fellows ......................................................................................................................................... 60 Jakub Wygnański......................................................................................................................... 61 Manu Gupta.................................................................................................................................. 64 Sue Riddlestone........................................................................................................................... 67

Collaborative Entrepreneurship Next Now: Taking on the Biggest Challenges....................................................................... 71 Youth in Charge: Ashoka Young Changemakers................................................................... 73

Organizing the Movement World Council............................................................................................................................... 78 Board, North American Council............................................................................................... 79 Offices Worldwide....................................................................................................................... 80 Ensuring the Future: The Endowments.................................................................................. 82 In Appreciation............................................................................................................................. 88 Gifts with Special Impact........................................................................................................... 89

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The Social Entrepreneurs and Their Ideas

Civic Participation..........................................................................................................................2 Growing Up................................................................................................................................... 12 Environment.................................................................................................................................. 22 Full Economic Citizenship.......................................................................................................... 32 Health............................................................................................................................................. 42 Human Rights............................................................................................................................... 50 Senior Fellows.............................................................................................................................. 60

Civic Participation

CIVIC PARTICIPATION/GLOBAL FELLOW

Paul Radu Executive Director Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

Paul Radu is reinventing global investigative journalism for the 21st century to ensure that the media can fulfill its central role as democracy’s greatest watchdog. He has built the largest transnational investigative reporting network while providing open source technology that citizens and journalists can use to expose organized crime and corruption worldwide. THE NEW IDEA Mimicking the sophisticated, organized criminal networks that ignore international borders, Paul is building his own global network of investigative journalists, activists, librarians, and civic hackers who work together to shrink the reach and influence of organized crime. Through his organization, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Paul teaches investigative journalists how to follow illegal flows of money while also providing citizens with the tools and free data so they can understand and expose corruption and crime. Expanding the traditional investigative process, Paul’s idea uses math, science, and people to expose all types of crime— from drug trafficking to money laundering and from political corruption to theft and murder. Working with programmers and data scientists, he developed algorithms and built a technological infrastructure that detects and analyzes patterns of criminal activities—patterns that can be applied all over the world. Paul also partners with law-enforcement institutions, banks, and intelligence agencies to increase the effectiveness of their work while also enabling intelligence data to be shared globally and open sourced. And while everyone cannot be an investigative journalist, everyone can contribute to an investigation by conducting online research or using a camera. Citizen involvement can deter crime from happening and Paul is gamifying the investigative process to encourage more people to dig into data and uncover crimes.

Romania

Having built the largest, collaborative network of 45 nonprofit investigative centers in 34 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Paul is changing the field of investigative journalism so that it is more streamlined and responsive to the public interest. T H E P RO B L E M Corruption and illegal money flows remain the world’s biggest hidden tax, robbing communities of resources, public funding, economic opportunities, and political stability. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that between 2% and 5% of global gross domestic product (GDP) is laundered each year, the equivalent of $800 billion to $2 trillion. Money is a great connector, incentivizing criminals to work in effective, strong, and sophisticated cross-border networks. Organized crime operates using the “balloon effect”: if squeezed in one country, criminals quickly adapt to another, exploiting technology and seizing new opportunities. Banks and financial institutions often do not have the sophisticated techniques required to catch criminals. Moreover, criminals work within public systems, obtaining protection from public officials, influencing political decisions, and infiltrating state structures and legitimate businesses.

“Collectively (OCCRP has) traced billions of dollars in laundered money and bribes across Eastern Europe and Russia. Radu once posed as a slave buyer to infiltrate a human trafficking ring, but these days OCCRP reports almost entirely with documents, mostly public records they use to trace ownership across borders and through shell companies in tax havens.”

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Globally, law enforcement does not have the appropriate tools and resources to fight the numerous, transnational organized crimes. Many police officers and intelligence analysts have not mastered cross-border, multi-language, opensource intelligence. In addition, the investigative process can be slow; by the time an officer has filed intelligence requests and received cross-border information from one country, criminal networks have often already erased evidence and replicated elsewhere. For these reasons, criminals operate knowing that local police and judiciary don’t have an international mandate, with most countries making little or no progress to end corruption. More than two-thirds of the 180 countries included in Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index scored below 50, with an average score of 43, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is clean.

OFFSHORE COMPANY

FOLLOW THE MONEY

ORGANIZED CRIME

CORRUPTION CASES

T H E S T R AT EG Y Paul’s impact can be traced to OCCRP’s wide-ranging collaborations and partnerships. Paul learned early on that in order to track, expose, and stop criminal activities, he needed to fight criminals with their own weapons. He built the largest decentralized and collaborative global network of 400 local investigative journalists across four continents. To counter the diverse journalistic standards in different parts of the world, Paul invested in developing local talent and building a more collaborative, professional, multicultural, and cross-sectorial work culture, which is now pollinating the investigative journalism sector. In addition to providing journalists with financial resources to undertake cross-border investigations, he offers them: a free support platform to make their work more efficient and faster; access to OCCRP editors, translators, programmers, researchers, commercial databases, and safe online spaces; and tailored technological solutions. Moreover, journalists are provided with professional training, including for physical safety and in cyber security. From his own experience, Paul knew that public data is not always easily accessible or inexpensive, even though it is a crucial part of any investigation. Accordingly, he collaborates with hundreds of professionals with complementary skills—such as programmers, researchers, lawyers, and data

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PROXY PERSON

Paul and his team built the Visual Investigative Scenarios (VIS) data visualization platform to assist investigative journalists, activists, and others in mapping complex business and crime networks. VIS helps investigators explain corruption, organized crime, and other wrongdoings so the public can understand and access the data quickly and easily.

scientists—to gather and connect open databases, and to develop open global infrastructure with the needed tech support. Paul has worked with more than 50 librarians from the American Library Association to help analyze enormous amounts of information. Knowing that the effectiveness of Paul’s solution lies in making tools and data available for everyone to conduct their own investigations, the OCCRP tech team is also creating new ways to do this. For example, the Investigative Dashboard (ID) is a global research website which allows anyone to look for publicly available data about companies and court trials. ID has 65 million database records including over six million searchable text documents, such as land and asset records, as well as litigation in national and international courts. ID is useful for the initial phase of the investigative process. Here data becomes valuable in the hands of trained investigators.

To analyze and connect cross-border information faster, Paul also created Visual Investigative Scenarios (VIS), an online data visualization platform where investigators, activists, law enforcement officers and citizens can easily map complex business or crime networks and translate them into simple, universal visual language for the public. To analyze the increasing information available and hundreds of tips received every day, Paul developed automated processes that surface networks of people and patterns of criminal activities more easily. To further its impact, OCCRP partners with key media outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, and Financial Times; their investigations are typically read by more than 200 million people. OCCRP’s coordinated efforts led to the release of the “Panama Papers,” an unprecedented investigation that revealed the offshore links of some of the globe’s most prominent figures, for which they shared a Pulitzer Prize. Moreover, OCCRP’s investigations have led to: the freezing or seizing of assets amounting to US$5.7 billion; the launch of more than 90 criminal investigations and government inquiries; and more than 147 arrest warrants. The investigations also resulted in 20 major firings and resignations—including the President of South Africa and CEOs of companies such as Danske Bank—and over 1,400 company closures, indictments, and court decisions. Going forward, to scale its impact, Paul aims to mainstream these tools and practices across law enforcement institutions so that they can work faster by distilling organized crime patterns and neutralize situations to prevent business as usual from repeating. OCCRP has provided over a hundred workshops to police, prosecutors, and bank compliance officers, sharing their expertise and information to support them and improve the impact of their work. In the coming years, by providing data, infrastructure, gamified investigations, a network of specialists, and do-it-yourself toolkits, Paul wants to enable all readers and citizens across the world to investigate the causes they care about.

THE PERSON Growing up in Deva, a small and industrial city in Transylvania, Paul was a nonstop reader. While studying journalism and English at West University of Timisoara, he began his first investigation and uncovered a corrupt student housing system. After college, Paul apprenticed at a newspaper in Bucharest. While overseeing the investigations unit, he discovered corruption inside the newsroom, as his editor would sell his stories to the subjects of the investigation before publishing them. Fellowships in London, the U.S. and Vienna deepened his understanding of criminal networks and how they operate and solidified his role as an investigative journalist combating transnational crime syndicates. After uncovering criminal networks in the field of child adoptions in the U.S., he realized the impact his work could have on businesses by ruining reputations and exposing suspect activities. He also discovered that key assets, such as major global databases, were not sufficiently used by journalists, often because of a lack of awareness and skills. He started using the power of these assets to expose global corruption and organized crime across the world and understood that information from one geography can be used in others. Ulitmately, he created the Romanian Center for Investigative Journalism and later, a platform for investigative reporters and hackers to collaborate while avoiding political pressure and interests. After meeting his OCCRP co-founder Andrew Sullivan, they developed their first cross-border investigation to uncover how electricity traders in the Balkans abused their power by charging the region’s poorest people high prices for low-quality electricity. Encouraged by the positive impact of that investigation, Paul further refined his vision and methodology and is now building out globally.

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CIVIC PARTICIPATION

Jin-Kyeong Cho Founder and Executive Director 10 Up

South Korea

is collaborating with the media for creative storytelling and investigations, especially targeting civic-minded millennials. T H E P RO B L E M

Among those caught up in South Korea’s vast commercial sex industry are numerous underage girls. Exploited by pimps and traffickers they are often punished by the legal system as well. Jin-Kyeong Cho makes it possible for police, judges, and citizens to protect, rather than prosecute, these young women and support their rehabilitation. THE NEW IDE A After learning that many adults in South Korea’s sex trade started as runaway teenagers with few options or family support, Jin-Kyeong started her organization to stop sex exploitation at the root. Outraged at the harsh treatment of these young girls by seemingly every person they meet from the pimps and solicitors to police and judges, Jin-Kyeong is equipping Korean society with a new principle when it comes to minors involved in the sex trade: “protect, don’t punish.” Instead of treating them as criminals, they should be understood as exploited persons. This shift in perspective has several implications: Laws need to change; institutions, attitudes and practices must be updated; and new services to identify and help victims need to be implemented. Jin-Kyeong’s organization, Stand Up Against Sex-Trafficking of Minors, which also goes by the shorter name 10 Up, is leading this national campaign. While advocating for legal and institutional reform, working closely with judges, police, and prosecutors, 10 Up also provides and models needed services to trafficking victims. In particular, it has focused on the online world where recruitment takes place and illicit liaisons are arranged and paid for. 10 Up also gives underage victims legal, medical, and psychological support for recovery. Jin-Kyeong helps victims find housing, restart their education, and find safe employment. Jin-Kyeong understands that lasting systemic change also requires changing public mindsets. Sexual exploitation of underage girls is a rapidly growing problem and societal issue. Yet discussing the problem is taboo for most Koreans, who consider the situation a personal failure of the victims. In order to help people understand the reality, Jin-Kyeong

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While it is impossible to know for sure how many underage girls are being exploited in the illegal South Korean sex trade, the number is increasing as smartphones are being used to lure girls. This also has the alarming effect of lowering the average age of sexual exploitation victims. Once a danger for runaway teenagers, underage sex trafficking has now reached girls attending school and living with their families through mobile chatting apps. Some students start to chat with random people out of curiosity and become close to them, talking about school and family pressures. Jin-Kyeong explains: “When the other person asks them to send illicit pictures of their bodies, some students actually comply with the request because they are afraid to lose the person. Once they send it, they can easily be threatened by the adults who say they will distribute the photo if the kid does not get involved in the sex trade. Such actions, which are called grooming, can be found all too commonly online.” According to a 2018 study by the Korean National Police Agency, over 95% of the sexual exploitation of minors starts online, via chatting apps.

“No kid is born for sex trafficking. Every victim has the first moment (when the person gets involved in the sex trade), and the moment is always exploitative in all cases. At every step of the sex trade, there is no one to take care of them.”

The current Korean legal system considers underage victims of sexual exploitation to be criminals. The 2009 Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse allows investigators to determine whether an underage person willingly participated in a sexual act in exchange for

underage victims under the pretext of a crackdown. T H E S T R AT EG Y Jin-Kyeong is bringing to fundamental change to the system, from being one of punishment to one that protects underage victims of sexual exploitation. To change the current practice of belittling the problem and blaming the victims, she is first tackling reforming the relevant laws. She has brought together a coalition of over 35 key players, including civic organizations, the Korean Women Lawyers Association, publicly funded research centers, and National Assembly members to create a shared sense of urgency and to push for a solution. Through the coalition, she developed a powerful, united force pressing to Jin-Kyeong Cho, Executive Director of Stand Up Against Sex Trafficking of Minors, amend the Act on the Protection of Children stands in front of a wall in her office full of messages of support for all victims of and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse, which underage prostitution. Photo credit: Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald. has been one of the greatest obstacles to progress. Jin-Kyeong and her coalition introduced a new bill money or other favors. The minor is not considered a victim, mandating that all metropolitan city governments establish but is instead brought before a juvenile court for possible support centers for sexually exploited minors, which passed criminal charges and a possible custodial sentence. in the Gender Equality and Family Committee and is awaiting the decision of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Once in the juvenile court system, victims are not eligible for restitution, support services, or representation by a public defender. Knowing that such unforgiving treatment awaits, few young women will approach the authorities for help. By contrast, recruiters, traffickers, and pimps routinely evade arrest and prosecution. Only 10% of those swept up in raids are ever charged with a crime. Those who control the sex trade are therefore emboldened and can even maintain their advantage by blackmailing their victims with threats of handing them over to the police. There is currently no specialized training for police officers, attorneys, prosecutors, judges, or other relevant professionals in the criminal justice system who work with underage victims. This often means that the judicial system inflicts a secondary trauma on trafficking victims. A survey by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea even revealed incidents where law enforcement officers sexually assaulted

Jin-Kyeong sees that changing the law is only the beginning. She is creating a highly replicable, comprehensive system that supports sexually exploited girls through 10 Up, which is one of the few organizations in Korea providing specialized support for underage victims of sexual exploitation. 10 Up’s holistic approach addresses victim identification, emergency intervention, recovery, and support for independent living. One of 10 Up’s unique approaches is to train and hire past at-risk youth as peer counselors to identify potential victims, especially via messaging apps. They join chat rooms and online forums that are anonymous and use disguised language. The peer counselors can quickly spot and relate to potential victims based on their own personal experiences. They private message potential victims to offer support and invite them to visit 10 Up. They also report apps that

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knowingly enable sexual solicitation to the authorities. By helping other underage girls, peer counselors regain a sense of dignity and self-esteem and develop meaningful career experience that can help them gain economic independence. The peer counselors are also part of the larger professional counseling team, which handles more than 100,000 online counseling cases each year. In addition to these prevention efforts, 10 Up also provides victims with a wide range of professional supports to enable and speed recovery. A group of doctors, psychologists, and lawyers provides support for roughly 5,000 cases every year. The girls are also helped on their way followed by additional help for housing, career counseling and placement, education, and other practical building blocks that are needed to lead healthy, productive lives. Jin-Kyeong has worked hard to build the society-wide moral consensus that is essential if this evil is to end. To help the public recognize the reality of the problem and act, JinKyeong has led creative media and art campaigns. For example, she partnered with a new media company for millennials to reframe how the media industry portrays sexual exploitation. Instead of focusing on victims and their personal circumstances, she focused on making the offenders visible. In a series of videos, adult men who lure underage girls were tracked down and questioned for the first time on camera. The videos went viral (more than 2,500,000 views to date), resulting in a mass petition supported by 295 organizations urging the revision of the law. She also launched a major Seoul museum exhibition, sharing a journal of a girl who survived sexual exploitation and relevant art. The exhibition built awareness across a vast range of visitors from university students to European Union diplomats in Korea. THE PERSON Jin-Kyeong attended college in the height of Korea’s democracy movement in the 1980s. She was a student activist with a keen interest in the intersection of faith and social justice. She was particularly drawn to women’s rights, as she felt this subject did not get the attention and resources it deserves, even within mainstream civil society. While working at a human rights organization, Jin-Kyeong witnessed her colleagues discounting the issue of sexual exploitation. She

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realized people were ignorant about the systemic causes and consequences of this problem, even at a mission-driven organization. In 2000 and 2002, large fires broke out in Gunsan, a northern city known for its sex industry. The fires swept through the city, killing many sex workers locked up in brothels. Witnessing this tragedy and gross disregard for human life, Jin-Kyeong realized that the women’s rights movement needed to start with fighting against sexual exploitation. She served as the executive director of the United Voice for the Eradication of Prostitution and helped influence getting the anti-prostitution act, the Special Law on Sex Trade, passed in 2004. Through more than a decade fighting for women’s rights and working directly with victims of the sex trade, JinKyeong learned that many prostitutes began as teenagers. When it became clear that few in this country of 51 million were focused on stopping the flow of teenagers into the sex trade, she launched 10 Up, determined to stop sexual exploitation at its root.

CIVIC PARTICIPATION

Achraf Aouadi Founder and President I WATCH

Achraf Aouadi is building a decentralized, national anti-corruption movement, planted in the experience and leadership of young citizens in Tunisia’s underserved regions. THE NEW IDE A Achraf founded I WATCH to build a robust citizen sector to counter the persistent corruption that still impedes good governance and transparency. The organization and movement are founded on principles of inclusiveness, local action, and youth leadership, and is open to all, regardless of location or social status. Achraf also wants to avoid a movement that is overly academic or monopolized by professional experts but is based on local efforts and on real cases and stories of ordinary Tunisians, rather than on large-issue campaigns. By working with young people, Achraf is not only looking toward the future but preserving the lessons and momentum of Tunisia’s 2010 “Jasmine Revolution,” which not only demonstrated Tunisians’ commitment to democracy but deposed an autocrat and brought about significant government reforms. Achraf envisions a movement with minimal central leadership structures, but that is more a distributed network of like-minded citizen groups sharing tools and resources. Leaders and centralized organizations can be all too easily harassed, followed, censored, threatened, attacked, and exiled. However, I WATCH does maintain staff and offices. It works with 40 local watchdog organizations across the country. I WATCH also translates the facts of real-world corruption into proposals for better policy or legislation. Throughout the years, Achraf has heavily influenced four corruption-related policy changes and one new law. He has directly served 10,000 victims. He has created an army of young people and citizens across the region actively fighting corruption.

Tunisia

T H E P RO B L E M Following independence from France in 1956, Tunisia evolved into a centralized political system, where the national government appointed authorities nationwide that had little or no local roots. Since most public officials work in the capital, Tunis, the remaining 23 governorates get barely any attention. This has led to a lack of accountability and invites systemic corruption. Just outside Tunis as there are few officials, so too there were few citizen watchdog organizations or other resources to fight corruption.

“I Watch is one of the most prominent Tunisian nongovernmental organizations founded in the new atmosphere of freedom of association and freedom of speech that blossomed after the 2011 revolution.”

Since 2011, Tunisia has been moving from a tightly-controlled, one party regime to an electoral democracy. Following the Jasmine Revolution’s stunning victory, ousting longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has experienced major improvements in terms of electoral freedoms, civil rights, and freedom of the press. Even though ubiquitous corruption was one of the main reasons people took to the streets in 2010, Tunisia’s rank slipped twenty points from 2010 to 2017 (from 74 to 54) in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. People feel that corruption has increased along with democratization. According to the head of the National Anti-Corruption Authority, Tunisia loses on average $700 million per year due to kleptocracy, corrupt transactions, and poor control over public procurements. While the Jasmine Revolution brought major reform, it also raised questions. How can young people continue to stay involved in building democracy? What tools do they need beyond protests and demonstrations? Tunisian youth face huge challenges, including widespread unemployment and

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Achraf speaks at the 2017 Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders, a biennial event in which human rights defenders from almost every country in the world gather in Dublin to share strategies for advocacy and protection, build solidarity with colleagues around the world, and network with high-level decision makers from governmental and intergovernmental bodies.

few economic opportunities. Yet only their participation today can secure progress for tomorrow. While Tunisia’s citizen sector has been growing steadily, young people have not been invited to step up to battle corruption. T H E S T R AT EG Y First, Achraf investigates cases and pursues justice in the courts in order to fight economic, business, political, and media corruption. I WATCH’s primary goal is to hold people accountable regardless of geographic location. Sometimes it pursues cases to other countries, for example Lebanon and the Seychelles. Since its founding, I WATCH has published 10 major investigations against prominent political and business figures and 42 smaller cases. Achraf is currently suing the prime minister for malfeasance in office, a first for Tunisia. Second, to create a transparent ecosystem, I WATCH monitors parliamentary, municipal, and presidential elections. Prior to the 2014 presidential elections, I WATCH recruited, trained and deployed hundreds of observers nationwide. By

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Election Day, 1,318 citizens from all 24 Tunisian governorates were mobilized to monitor the elections. I WATCH uses the same approach to police local, parliamentary, and student union elections. By allying with several members of parliament, Achraf conceived “Parliamentarians against Corruption”- a political bloc through which I WATCH can influence policies. Along with other CSOs, Achraf successfully made decentralization central to the new Tunisian Constitution. Decentralization gives local authorities more power and more resources for the basic work of governance. Further, Achraf introduced a very new policy protecting whistleblowers and guaranteeing their financial compensation. In addition, I WATCH heavily lobbied for the “access to information” law in parliament, and 90% of their recommendations were incorporated in the newly-introduced or passed law. As for the remaining three laws he proposed (asset declaration, illicit enrichment, conflict of interest); despite Achraf’s strong lobbying, these were steadily countered by the government and never saw the light of day.

To further raise awareness and counter the “normalization of corruption,” I WATCH launched a “crowd-map” for reporting cases of corruption. The interactive website is designed to enable people adversely affected by corruption immediately to report what happened to them whether corruption was financial, administrative, or in the form of favoritism. Just 48 hours after the site went live, it had attracted 7,000 supporters. Achraf also created a self-generating blog, iblog.tn, so everyone can freely and independently blog about corruption. Recently, Achraf introduced a guided tour for young children to visit important sites and monuments in the history of corruption. Some of his anti-corruption cases have been integrated as case-studies in university curricula to educate youth on breaking corrupt cultural habits that have, hitherto, been normalized by the public. He also created a competition inviting rappers to create rap songs about corruption, which he dubbed “Beat the Corrupt,” and “Slam the Corrupt.” Facing reprisals for his work, Achraf decided long ago to decentralize the movement through I WATCH Campus and IAssist. Through I WATCH Campus, he empowers university students by raising awareness about corruption and encourages them to create local anti-corruption initiatives within or outside their universities. It has been introduced to five local universities across Tunisia, especially in the interior. I ASSIST supports local civil sector organizations in 20 of Tunisia’s 24 governorates, (Achraf deliberately avoids the big four: Tunis, Sfax, Sousse, and Ettadhamen). The program starts by mapping small, youth-led organizations, then supports them with incubation, training, and coaching for long-term work. To implement their ideas, they are granted from ten to twenty thousand dollars. Currently, I WATCH has successfully partnered with 40 grassroots organizations that it supports through capacity building and funds and has readied at least 20 organizations to fight corruption and hold political players accountable within their regions. I ASSIST’s theory of change requires learning from real needs and real cases. If they are coached on devising their long-term visions and missions; if they take the time to build core values; if funding is gradually injected into these organizations taking into account their growth pace, internal governance structures and capacities to absorb funding, then these organizations will grow organically.

to fight corruption on behalf of any other nation. However, he believes every nation should be afforded the tools to fight their own battles because “no one would know the Lebanese ecosystem better than the Lebanese themselves.” Already a member of the Transparency International coalition, he helps others. The success of I WATCH’s pilot permitted Achraf to secure a number of strategic partnerships that help with security and resources.

THE PERSON Achraf grew up in Kef, a small city in northwest Tunisia, where both his parents were schoolteachers. Achraf’s parents moved to the capital, Tunis, when he was 15. In high school, he supported himself by selling second-hand clothes and starting an internet café. During college, besides AISEC, Achraf launched a club called Student-to-Student (S2S), which later expanded to four universities. Through S2S, Achraf wanted to “make universities a place to live, not just to study.” Still, Achraf felt the urge to do more. When Achraf’s father wasn’t teaching, he was an activist and was once exiled for three years. Though he chose to adopt an apolitical approach to raising his children, Achraf did not exactly adhere. After the 2011 revolution, one of Achraf’s former professors emailed him, saying, “Achraf, the euphoria will only last a short time, but it will fade; make sure you have a plan when it does.” While abroad, Achraf felt the true meaning of freedom and was determined to continue the long journey the revolution had paved the way for, and he launched I WATCH, Tunisia’s first watchdog organization. His passion for transparency has come at personal cost; Achraf currently has 150 cases against him in court and was summoned to defend himself on 30 different occasions in 2018 alone. He has also faced significant defamation claims and intimidation, but he continues to fight. In 2017, he was recognized as one of the top human rights defenders at risk by Frontline Defenders.

When considering regional expansion, Achraf is not planning

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Growing Up

GROWING UP

Daniela Valdivia Founder and CEO Huellas y Futuro

In a country with one of the highest rates of brutality against women in Latin America, attorney Daniela Valdivia is reducing gender-based violence by helping boys and men across society—from school children to the military—redefine masculinity in Bolivia. THE NEW IDE A Daniela is leading a cultural shift in the way that Bolivian society treats women, with the goal of ending the gender-based violence epidemic. Through her organization, Huellas y Futuro, or Footprints and Future, Daniela is using creative strategies to recruit key target groups to reduce violence. She has started with young boys, the police, and the military. Huellas y Futuro’s work in schools focuses on intervening and changing boys’ attitudes before they get into relationships. This is important because violence is natural to them. For example, one young man had no problem telling Daniela that he couldn’t attend a workshop because his dad broke his mother’s arm and she couldn’t get him to school. Daniela explains why that’s not natural. She encourages the boys to post on social media what they think of violence against women and what they would say to men who are killing women and also asks them to express their views using a creative outlet. Students have come up with murals, sculptures, radio programs, costumes and flash mobs. Daniela also partners with the police force and military academies. They have traditionally promoted outdated gender attitudes such as normalizing a husband abusing his wife. This partnership works on both the personal and the professional levels. The police force and military academies are staffed by men who are trained to respond with violence, which often carries over into their personal interactions. When a police officer does not respond to a report of a husband abusing his wife, he is showing that he does not believe this is a crime worthy of investigation. Using her experience as a lawyer, Daniela works to strengthen the legal rights for women and especially victims of gender

Bolivia

violence. Huellas y Futuro also provides free legal and psychological assistance to victims of domestic violence—in defense of their physical integrity, fundamental rights, and well-being. T H E P RO B L E M Nearly six in ten women in Bolivia have suffered physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner at some point in their lives, according to data gathered in 2018 by the Pan American Health Organization. Violence against women and girls in Latin America remains one of the most concerning issues in the region, despite policies and laws meant to provide protection. National institutions, such as the police force and military, typically do not prioritize protecting women and usually do not respond to reports of abuse against women. Instead of supporting victims, they contribute to the epidemic of violence against women rooted in old ways of thinking about women’s and men’s roles in society. Another problem is that the citizen sector organizations (CSOs) tackling gender violence typically focus on supporting women after encounters, instead of helping men change and grow. A 2018 Oxfam report confirmed that the majority of young people ages 15-25 in Bolivia and seven other Latin American countries consider male violence against women “normal.” Believing that love is expressed as control, not companionship, leads young people to replicate these dangerous patterns of violence and perpetuate attitudes that make it possible for these conditions to persist. T H E S T R AT EG Y Daniela believes that to bring about true change, attitudes about how men and women interact must be addressed on four levels: societal, cultural, political, and economic. She began her work and demonstrated her model in Cochabamba, the most violent municipality in Bolivia with a population of almost two million people. Huellas y Futuro runs after-school workshops for both parents and children to raise awareness of the problem, working especially with families that have experienced violence. These workshops offer free psychological assistance and

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Young men hold signs that state their beliefs against gender violence, including: “Enough Violence Against Women - Protect Them!” and “Women are the Future - Do Not Mistreat Them.”

rehabilitation for both victims and aggressors. During the training, participants learn ways to identify and prevent violence and create activities to spread the message of nonviolence towards women. Daniela also works with teachers, helping to reshape the school curriculum to incorporate key elements of her message. She has succeeded in getting anti-violence messages incorporated into the curricula and educational plans of all schools in Cochabamba, and she has already begun to expand into other regions of Bolivia. Daniela has already directly impacted over 6,300 people, including 1,200 children (ages 5-12), 1,900 adolescents (ages 13-18), 3,000 parents, 130 teachers, and 40 directors and administrative staff. Partnering with the military, Daniela teaches soldiers to control their emotions and prevent violent episodes at home. She persuaded a general—and father of three girls—to let her train his men. She also saw an opportunity for trained military members to spread her message, as the military are stationed widely across the country, even in rural areas. Huellos y Futuro signed an agreement with the military that stipulates training men in anti-violence strategies in all areas where the military is stationed. So far, she has reached over 3,000 members of the military, training them on how to respond to and prevent violence against women in domestic environments.

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In the political sphere, Daniela is also influencing the laws in Bolivia. Huellas y Futuro was the only CSO to participate in drafting Law 348, to “Guarantee Women a Life Free of Violence,” which was adopted in 2017. However, implementation of the law has been challenging and ineffective. At the local level, Daniela works with vice-mayors in Cochabamba who are connected to community leaders with representation in every neighborhood. These leaders attend Huellas y Futuro activities and spread its anti-violence message to their communities. Daniela knows women’s economic empowerment is extremely important because without a way to make money women cannot leave violent situations. Earlier this year, Huellos y Futuro began a pilot program issuing microloans to women to start small businesses. The program requires repayment within six months and teaches women how to run a business, including how to open a bank account, so that lack of money or resources are not obstacles to leaving a bad situation. Moreover, she uses social media as a tool to openly speak about misogyny and to bring a new perspective in addressing gender-based violence. Media campaigns spread pictures and videos focused on eradicating gender-based violence and publicizing new ways to treat women through visible

displays of action from men and women alike. For instance, people participated in Facebook contests using poetry, drawings, and graffiti promoting the no-gender-violence message. THE PERSON Daniela grew up in a loving and traditional family, and yet since childhood she felt undervalued simply because she was female. At her Catholic school, she succeeded in making sure girls had the same rights as boys. She was interested in soccer, but could only play if she pretended to be a boy. This prompted her to become a student representative and change the rules so that anyone, regardless of gender, could play every sport. She also became president of the marching band and changed the policy so that anyone could play whatever instruments they wanted (Previously, girls had to play lighter-sounding instruments, such as the flute, and only boys could play percussion.) Later, Daniela moved to Europe to study law. At the end of her studies, Daniela was in a three-month relationship that ended in violence. She decided to flee despite having no money and no place to go. Her own situation opened her eyes to the circumstances that disempower so many women, leaving them trapped in abusive relationships. She moved back to Bolivia and began working for a violence prevention CSO, where she saw how gender-based violence was a huge problem that needed to be stopped. She realized she had to do something and pledged to end gender-based violence in Bolivia by protecting and empowering women and both holding men accountable and helping them grow and change.

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GROWING UP

Tanin Timtong Founder and CEO Learn Education

Tanin Timtong is changing how math and science are taught in Thai schools through a flexible, new balance between teachers, technology, and students. The measurable results of his “Learn Education” are building momentum that promises country-wide education reform. THE NEW IDEA Tanin is charting a new future for Thailand by mapping out, implementing, and rapidly spreading a series of changes to teaching and learning, starting with high school classrooms. Students using Tanin’s tools are learning better and doing measurably better on standard tests; teachers are not only teaching differently, but co-designing and improving shared tools, while themselves learning new subjects and improving their skill; and entire schools are walking in step with Tanin to leap from pilot projects to systemic reform. Tanin provides schools with a “blended learning platform,” which combines the advantages of traditional classroom learning, like contact with a teacher, with technology and systems that resolve many of the disadvantages, such as unfavorable student-to-teacher ratios. In Tanin’s system, students learn at their own pace, while teachers rebalance their approach to include less time spent lecturing and more individual coaching. Adopting the system is a commitment worked out between Learn Education and an individual school—usually led by a forward-thinking director and a team of energized teachers. Tanin has designed his systems to be customized and adapted easily, which makes it easier for teams of teachers and software developers to co-create. Each school and each teacher decides how much or how little of the system to use and how to introduce it. Schools that can pay are charged a per-student fee, while those that can’t are served through a cross-subsidy structure. Public, private, and alternative schools use Tanin’s systems. Learn Education is making a real impact. Participating schools have seen their national standardized test scores rise

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Thailand

15%-20%, prompting more demand. While he already works with 35,000 students in 150 schools, Tanin has his eye on a tipping point of one million students and 20,000 teachers, a milestone at which he believes the demand for tech-enabled education solutions will create unstoppable momentum for broader education reform. T H E P RO B L E M For decades, Thailand has experienced structural problems with both the quality and accessibility of education. In 2011, the country recorded a shortage of 400,000 qualified teachers in mathematics, science, and English. At many schools, the student-to-teacher ratio reaches 50:1. Because headmasters are judged by how many students they can seat, schools commonly operate beyond capacity. This means more work for teachers. Occasionally, primary school teachers end up teaching secondary school classes, which significantly deteriorates classroom and teaching quality. The annual turnover rate of teachers can be as high as 20% in many schools. Without enough well-equipped teachers, schools are overwhelmed.

“In three years, Learn Education has helped deliver improvement in the exam scores of students using their platform, and has won the endorsement of the Thai government…Their approach could be replicated across Thailand and Southeast Asia.”

Not all schools suffer equally. A centralized, top-down education system allocates resources to schools by size. While first-tier schools in Bangkok and provincial capitals receive more government funding, middle-tier schools are often neglected. Lower-tier schools, often in underserved communities, get the least support and have the most communal challenges, like drugs and incarceration, that place additional

obstacles between students and a better future. Thus, the gaps among different tiers of schools are enlarged by the centralized budget structure. The situation becomes a downward spiral where the smaller, more rural schools are struggling to provide good education. T H E S T R AT EG Y Tanin’s model offers teachers three benefits right away: first, a drastic reduction in tedious paperwork; next, participation and a chance to solve problems and have their voices heard; and third, opportunities to learn about technology or other subjects. To students, the system offers even more: the chance to learn at their own pace and perform better. His target group is the 60% of students who enter lower secondary school at age 12-13 with only elementary skills; they can add and subtract, but struggle to multiply and divide, and are unprepared for the algebra, geometry, chemistry, physics, and calculus classes that lie ahead. Tanin feels that the first three years of lower secondary school—comparable to grades 7-9 are the U.S.—is the crucial time to help students catch up. Tanin developed methods and systems he uses today during an intense several years of testing and refinement, starting in 2011. His first idea, to share great classroom lectures by video, failed to catch on with students, and the lesson he learned was that even the best lectures can’t substitute for individual attention. Tanin then met a private high school director in the rural province of Suphan Buri, who agreed to let him create an experimental pilot using teachers, computers, and students at the school. After two years, the school’s average high-school graduation exam scores had gone from 10 points below average to 20 points above. One piece of the platform is instant feedback. Students are assessed automatically, privately, on their classroom computer, and given customized lessons. Rather than waiting a day or two for quiz results, students are informed immediately. The student’s individual curriculum adapts to the results, offering further review of old material or starting the next lesson. Students also give rating to lessons and teachers, creating a new channel for student feedback. Meanwhile, teachers are relieved of the tedium of marking test and quiz papers by hand—a ritual that consumes their days and nights

and defines the drudgery of the overworked teacher’s career. After that first pilot, five more schools signed up, and Tanin began building his entire service: outreach to schools, research and development, and teacher support. As he took on new clients and began working with public schools, he discovered new challenges and opportunities. He found that public schools evaluate students almost entirely by test scores and that the enthusiasm of the school director was the most important factor in success. Remote schools struggled with absenteeism during agricultural or monsoon seasons. The weakest 20-30% of students require specialized support. He received subsidies and sponsorships to reach the farthest, least-served schools. Learn Education now serves 150 schools in 45 provinces, half public, half private or alternative, and about 20% are fully subsidized by Learn Education or other sponsors. The cost per student is about $40 per year. Tanin expects that as the organization grows, the portion of very needy schools it serves through alternate financing will also increase. Tanin feels that to reach his goal of 1 million students and 100,000 teachers requires more than spreading the use of his learning platform. He wants to focus substantially on creating opportunities for teachers to produce and share solutions. TrainKru.net, which Tanin launched to enable teachers to connect, share resources, and foster collaboration, now has 10,000 members. Teachers can also take online classes related to developing technology for their classrooms in subjects such as coding and design.

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THE PERSON Tanin was born in 1977 in Nonthaburi Province, outside of Bangkok, to a family of modest means. His father, a school janitor with little education, encouraged his oldest son to study hard, and Tanin became a top student. The family’s prospects brightened briefly when Tanin’s father took a job climbing poles for the electric utility, but then were dashed when he suffered a catastrophic workplace accident. Tanin spent his teenage years studying and working, helping his father recover and his mother pay bills. He changed his course of study from history and archaeology to engineering, in order to earn a practical degree. After graduation, Tanin was hired by a Japanese manufacturer hoping to start operations in Thailand. Tanin gained experience in not only the technical side of his trade—setting up a factory from scratch and managing production—but also in sales, finance, management, and marketing. Once a successful young executive, Tanin began a part-time MBA program at Thammasat University, feeling unfulfilled in a self-centered professional life. From his own experience and during his travels throughout the country, he became interested in what it would take to raise the quality of education for the average student in a typical school. Decades of empty talk about education reform had passed with little results. That’s what led Tanin and two friends with backgrounds like his to pool their capital and found Learn, Inc., with Tanin as CEO.

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GROWING UP

Komal Dadlani CEO and Founder Lab4U

Trained as a biochemist, Komal Dadlani is deploying cell phones as essential lab equipment for any science classroom anywhere. Her emphasis on experiential learning connects students to practical applications of science, thereby developing their ability to think critically, analyze data, and to see themselves as future scientists. THE NEW IDE A Komal is making lab-based science education available to more students by developing the cell phone as a laboratory tool. By using this familiar device, she makes experimentation accessible, fun, and inexpensive. She is also helping students develop the skills necessary to thrive in a job market that is increasingly focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Komal knows that science can help solve the world’s biggest challenges and that by giving every student the opportunity to experiment and get excited about science, more problems will be solved. She observed many classrooms that did not emphasize project-based and inquiry-based learning, both essential to engaging with science. She knew that teachers were the key lever in engaging students in science; along with building the experiments, she also began working to support and train teachers through her Lab4Physics app. Her first mobile application, Lab4Physics, provides students with hands-on activities that don’t require conventional lab equipment, which is costly to purchase and to maintain. The app has more than 20 experiments that students can do with the phone’s built-in sensors; for example, the phone’s speedometer can be used to study velocity, distance, and movement. And the microphone can collect data on sound waves and amplitude. Lab4Physics provides teachers with lesson plans, instructional videos, and forums to connect with other science instructors.

Chile

a pilot program in Sinaloa, Mexico, with 10,000 students. A 2018 randomized control trial by the Inter-American Development Bank found that students who performed three or more experiments using Lab4Physics had more knowledge of physics and became more confident and interested in studying for a STEM-related career compared to peers who didn’t use the app. T H E P RO B L E M According to the World Economic Forum, 65% of children entering primary schools today will grow up to have jobs that do not yet exist. Without the proper foundational skills and knowledge in science, young people will be severely disadvantaged in a world of escalating change. In Latin America, classrooms lag in science education. The IDB has estimated that over 88% of schools in Latin America do not have lab equipment. Without labs, science education is abstract, theoretical, and much more difficult for students to engage with or understand. In Chile, science teachers spend so much time lecturing in the classroom that they have little time to prepare lessons plans and labs. Science often fails to inspire and is perceived as boring and detached from daily life.

THIS 30-YEAR-OLD’S START-UP IS BRINGING SCIENCE TO EVERYONE

“‘You never said page 245 of that textbook changed my life,’ Dadlani said. ‘It’s normally the experience, the teacher that changes your perception and the way you think.”’ – KOMAL DADLANI, CNBC “MAKE IT”

Komal’s Lab4Physics app is in 40 schools in Chile and 30 schools in the United States. Moreover, she just finished

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Students slide their phones down various surfaces to understand acceleration and velocity through experiments. Photo Credit: Courtesy of “Mothers of Invention: Stories of Ingenuity and Innovation,” presented by Toyota.

Komal also discovered that teachers were often themselves unfamiliar with the subject they were teaching or the equipment they were supposed to use. When Komal was working in classrooms in Palo Alto, California, a region with one of the best school districts in the United States, she discovered that even well-resourced teachers struggled to teach science literacy to students. A teacher in a Palo Alto high school showed Komal their science equipment but told her that they never used it. When Komal asked why, the teacher said that she never received training and did not know how to use the equipment. Komal realized that the problem wasn’t just access to equipment, but also that teachers need more support to give their students the tools to develop their own science literacy and critical thinking. The lack of quality science education in Chile is also evident by the number of researchers and developers in the country. According to the World Bank, there are 502 researchers and developers for every million inhabitants; by comparison there are 4,313 researchers and developers per million people in the United States, and 5,210 in Japan. As more jobs develop

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in STEM fields and focus on research and development, Chile may fall even further behind. Despite extensive scientific astronomical research being conducted in Chile, which also hosts some of the world’s largest telescopes, local students are not involved. The clear skies of the Atacama Desert have attracted the world’s scientific community, and is referred to as astronomy’s “world capital.” T H E S T R AT EG Y By building a comprehensive strategy that works with teachers, students, municipalities, and companies, Komal is changing the way science is taught. Through the teacher portal of Lab4Physics, Komal provides lesson plans, instructional videos, and lab reports that make it easy to structure lessons that incorporate labs without putting an extra burden on teachers. The lessons align with Chile’s national science curriculum, and cover 40% of the Next Generation Science Standards in the United States. The teacher portal also allows instructors to distribute and grade handouts and exams,

keeping them organized and allowing them to spend more time on experiments. To further support teachers, Komal also created a peer network across Chile, where teachers connect, discuss best practices, and share new lessons. On the student level, Komal knew that when students are engaged in experiments, they want to perform the experiment again and again. She modeled the Lab4U user interface after gaming apps so students could have fun and feel inspired while experimenting with science. The app does not require WiFi after downloading, so students can experiment anywhere—in schools, public places, or at home. Komal also works with municipalities and companies to provide the best experience for science students. Komal assesses each school’s resources, such as access to WiFi, cellphones, and tablets. When schools don’t have WiFi, she petitions the municipality or a provider to donate WiFi. Additionally, she partners with companies such as Samsung to donate cell phones and tablets to schools for students who don’t have access to them.

“I love (experimenting) because it’s more fun than worksheets and I prefer to work with things with my hands.” THIRD GRADE STUDENT, SCHOOL OF THE MADELEINE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA

Komal is giving students of all backgrounds access to a high-quality science education, and empowering teachers and students to experiment with a lab in their pockets. She is working directly with 100 Latin American schools and has directly reached over 60,000 students and 11,000 teachers worldwide. Anyone can use the app through Apple Store and Google Play and it has been downloaded more than 130,000 times. In five years, she aims to have reached one million students. Komal recently expanded her work with the launch of the Lab4Chemistry app, and has another app, Lab4Biology, in development.

THE PERSON Born in Chile to immigrant Indian parents, Komal grew up seeing her parents work hard. Even though she was taught theoretically and not experientially, she came to love science. While attending the Universidad de Chile, Komal joined the National Association of Biochemistry Students. She became the president of the local chapter, then the president of the national association. She helped bring chemistry Nobel Laureate Ada Yonath to speak at the university so her peers could see the real people behind the field, and see themselves in those people. As president for the national association, she traveled to many high schools and universities around the country to encourage an interest in science. She visited schools in lower income areas, and saw first-hand the problems that teachers faced when trying to inspire students to pursue careers in science. Komal saw so many students who were curious but didn’t have the right tools to learn. “You can’t learn to ride a bicycle by reading a book,” she says, “you need to live the experience of scientific experimentation, and I wasn’t seeing that in schools. That’s when it really struck me and I thought, ‘something must be done.’” In 2013, when Komal was 24, she saw a poster at Universidad de Chile from Startup Chile for a contest; she recruited a few friends and pitched her ideas about making lab equipment more accessible (the university also lacked sufficient lab equipment). When Startup Chile required them to produce interested clients or users, Komal pitched her app in those schools she had visited while working with the National Association of Biochemistry Students. Komal and her team, in which she met Lab4U’s co-founder, Álvaro Peralta, won third prize, and they were encouraged to pursue the idea. After applying for and receiving a grant from Startup Chile, they launched Lab4U.

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Environment

ENVIRONMENT

Paula Daniels Co-Founder The Center for Good Food Purchasing

Paula Daniels is changing how large U.S. institutions purchase food, with a new focus on economic equity, environmental sustainability, and public health. THE NEW IDE A Paula is improving the food system in the U.S. by providing large institutions—such as school systems and city governments—with ways to purchase food that promote wellbeing for people and the planet. The strategy, called the Good Food Purchasing Program, is now spreading rapidly throughout the country. The U.S. food system is now at a crossroads. It is dominated by a consolidated handful of multinational corporations controlling a system built almost entirely around profit margins and efficiency—often at the expense of health, the environment, and fair labor practices. Every year, public institutions across the U.S. spend billions of dollars on food purchases; these institutions are uniquely situated to lead the movement for food system change and express their community’s values while influencing supply chains. The Program provides a flexible framework that encourages large institutions to direct their buying power toward five core values: support local economies, environmental sustainability, a workforce that is respected and treated fairly, animal welfare, and nutrition. The Good Food Purchasing Program is the first procurement model to support these food system values in equal measure. Much like the way LEED certifications work in rating energy efficiency and environmental design in buildings, Paula’s team reviews, verifies, and rates compliance levels. There are already 32 institutions from 15 major cities enrolled in the program, including city governments and school districts in Los Angeles, San

United States

Francisco, Austin, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York. The Center expects to influence $1.5 billion in food spending across 30 markets in 2020. T H E P RO B L E M There is a crisis in the U.S. food system, with increasing concerns about the handful of national and multinational corporations that control most of our modern food supply. For example, our food security depends upon three chemical companies who now own more than half of the world’s seeds. These corporations know how to supply a large quantity of food to a large quantity of people at cheap prices. But the shift toward consolidated, industrially efficient agriculture and mass produced food created a wide range of problems: a rise in obesity; exploitative labor practices; overuse of antibiotics in animals; significant climate change impacts from intensive agriculture; destruction of habitat and forests; and exhaustion of freshwater and other natural resources. These problems are the result of a linear, extractive, and ultimately destructive model. Over the last 10 years, however, demand for alternatives have grown, boosted by research that ties manufactured, processed food to chronic health problems. The challenge is to create solutions that are both ambitious and pragmatic, and that could produce true systems change within a complex industry. T H E S T R AT EG Y Paula and her team advance the Good Food Purchasing Program in key markets where there are public and private partners who have a deep understanding of all the moving parts and a clear-eyed view of any roadblocks. The team provides a comprehensive set of tools, technical support, and a verification system to assist institutions in meeting their program goals and commitments. The Good Food Purchasing Program was born during Paula’s time as a senior official with the City of Los Angeles. As one of her many key initiatives, she formed one of the country’s most influential food policy councils, considered so due to its unique organizational structure (led by her through the Mayor’s Office) and a strong partnership with leaders from all

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key sectors of the food system, such as agriculture and food suppliers. Within three years of the launch of her regional food policy initiative, she persuaded the Mayor of Los Angeles to direct its adoption throughout city departments. Through her efforts, the L.A. Unified School District (the second largest school district in the country) adopted it a month later. The adoption of the program by LAUSD showed immediate results: local sourcing of produce increased, directing $12 million into the local food economy, and creating 150 new jobs in regional food processing. Through her leadership role with the U.S. Conference of Mayors Food Policy Task Force, Paula saw there was a national interest in this program. She and her core team spun the program off into the independent Center for Good Food Purchasing, which operates the program. Changing the food system means creating a system based on values. With input from many peers in the food reform sector as well as those in the industry, Paula and her team established a new set of values-based food sourcing standards

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– among the most comprehensive in the country. Each value category is implemented through metrics and guidance toward ranked levels of existing certifications, such as USDA Organic or Certified Humane. For example, in the nutritional health value category, there is a 25-item checklist that ranges from procurement-oriented targets (such as purchasing seasonally or purchasing leaner meats) to food service environment targets (such as eliminating the use of deep frying or replacing unhealthy items with healthier ones near checkout points and registers). With the guiding values clearly articulated, Paula’s work focuses on encouraging large institutions to direct their buying power toward those values. The Center works with institutions to establish supply chain transparency from “farm to fork,” evaluate how current purchasing practices align with the five standards, assist with goal setting, measuring progress, and celebrating successes in shifting toward a new system. Good Food Provider verification seals are provided to participating institutions that meet baseline requirements and that satisfy the four components of adoption: standards, reporting, verification, and transparency.

Paula targeted the school district as the initial unit of change in part because of her knowledge of the role that governments can play in implementing public values, and also because there was a growing swell of community interest in the food system’s role in children’s health and welfare. In addition, school districts are usually the largest food service provider in any region, so their food dollars are highly influential. L.A. Unified School district, for example spends around $100 million on food purchasing per school year, and serves a million meals per day. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, annual institutional food procurement in the U.S. is more than $150 billion. The change in Los Angeles happened almost immediately. Among other things, 60% of produce was locally sourced, up from only 10%. The Center began working with the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago, and New York. Each additional city represents a new member of what Paula calls a “community of practice”—an intentional network that, through the Center, can connect with each other, share best practices, and contribute to a growing movement with national ambitions. About one-third of its revenue is earned income from feefor-service contracts for program evaluation, and Paula’s goal is to reach over 50 % earned income in 2020. By using the power of procurement to create a transparent and equitable food system, Paula wants to influence market behavior to spur innovation along the supply chain. THE PERSON Paula’s heritage includes a lineage traceable to the original people of Hawai’i, mixed with the English who arrived in the 19th Century to follow the whaling trade, and the immigrant Portuguese, Chinese and Korean who were brought to the Islands in the early 20th Century to work the fields and factories of the sugar industry. Paula’s father grew up on the Pu’unene sugar plantation in Maui, where her grandfather was the maintenance engineer at the local sugar mill. As a child, Paula was her grandfather’s student in Hawai’ian history and cultural values, including the principles of mālama aina (stewardship of the land).

estimates that only enough food is grown locally to feed the population of the Islands and its many visitors for about a week. Hawai’i is heavily reliant on expensively imported food of every type, and its Native Hawai’ian population suffers disproportionately from cardio-metabolic disease, which contributes to the likelihood of stroke and heart disease.

“In Cook County, enthusiasm for the program came in large part from those businesses, workers, consumers, and farmers that have long been marginalized in the food system… Says the Chicago Food Policy Action Council’s Rodger Cooley, ‘The Good Food Purchasing Program has the power to transform the food system in every region where it is implemented…’”

Much later, Paula became a business lawyer in California and served on the California Bay Delta Authority as a public member appointed by Governor Gray Davis. She was deeply involved in the issues of irrigation agriculture in California’s Central Valley and learned more about the challenges of the farming community. She developed an instinct for the value of market incentives and disincentives as a way to assert public will. She started thinking about a values-based procurement policy for large institutions and finally had the opportunity to create one after she became a senior official in the City of Los Angeles. In her work, Paula draws on her cross-sector and multi-disciplinary experience as an attorney in the private sector, as a senior public official, and as an avid outrigger canoe paddler who loves the ocean and has a feel for the intricate timing of water and the need for an innate sense of direction. She also draws on the wisdom of business writer and leader Peter Drucker’s saying: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Paula absorbed the lessons and impact of the dominance of industrial sugar processing over Hawai’i’s lands: The state

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ENVIRONMENT

Pranshu Singhal Founder and CEO Karo Sambhav

Former telecommunications executive Pranshu Singhal took his experience implementing energy-saving technologies for the global mobile phone industry to set up new systems to empower India to deal with its electronic waste.

India

climate change. A six-month-long Ambassador program prepares volunteers passionate about the environment to teach communities how to adopt sustainable practices and build a circular economy. Fueling all this activity is the value Karo Sambhav offers to the industry. To Big Tech, he offers a path to realizing the ideals of a circular economy and sustainability. With more than 25 partners, such as Apple, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, Pranshu delivers customized EPR programs—helping these companies take the initiative and comply with regulations.

THE NEW IDE A Pranshu has helped India recognize that it must change how it handles electronic waste—outdated circuit boards, monitors, cables, disk drives, phones, and tablets. The manual scavenging of gold and platinum, as well as other precious or rare metals, is a health catastrophe involving toxic chemicals and little oversight. Since 2016, after years of public advocacy by the citizen sector, new laws and guidelines require manufacturers to safeguard public health throughout their products’ life cycles—“extended producer responsibility (EPR).” Pranshu is also showing India how it can do so. His system serves the interests of all the actors—from children who plunge their hands into buckets of chemicals to the executives of Fortune 500 companies, bringing them into a common framework that prioritizes healthy people and a clean environment. Through his citizen-sector group, Karo Sambhav (“Make Possible”), Pranshu is leading the systemic transition to EPR. Karo Sambhav is the first nationally-recognized organization to guide the industry to meet the newly mandated targets. The organization also has incentive programs for repair shops, bulk consumers, waste aggregators, waste pickers, and manufacturers. Pranshu conducts trainings and also audits that verify producer performance. Meanwhile, he works with 1,500 waste-aggregators in 29 states to refine their operations to also meet health and safety standards. He reaches out to waste pickers—a crucial link in the chain but also the most neglected—with safety training, ways to organize to represent their interests, and payment for e-waste that is not dismantled. A school curriculum develops understanding among teachers and students using activity modules about sustainable development and e-waste management and encouraging discussions about how these things affect

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T H E P RO B L E M India is the fourth largest producer of e-waste in the world, more than 2 million tons a year. That’s about the weight of 200 Eiffel Towers. With one of the fastest-growing electronics industries, an expanding middle class who can afford electronics, and government mandates pushing for a “Digital India,” e-waste is expected to grow more than 20% per year for the next decade.

LEADING THE FIGHT AGAINST E-WASTE

How Pranshu Singhal is working towards changing people’s attitudes

“Karo Sambhav works with industry associations, civic bodies, non-profits and waste pickers in the informal sector as well as collectors and aggregators and responsible recyclers.”

E-waste is a threat to the environment and to the health of the workers who handle it. According to the United Nations University’s “Global E-Waste Monitor,” 95% of India’s e-waste is handled by the informal sector, from collection to dismantling and recycling. Electronic goods are usually sold

Ashraf began collecting waste when he was 16 in Delhi. “I used to have to dismantle the e-waste and sell individual components to different informal recyclers. Then I met Karo Sambhav who bought the whole CPU without dismantling.” By not dismantling electronics, harmful pollutants are kept out of the environment and away from people.

by users to waste pickers, repair shops, and aggregators who manually dismantle, separate and shred the products. They remove parts unsafely, using acid to extract metal and burning parts to remove combustible plastic and isolate metals. These widely-practiced harmful methods result in prolonged exposure to chemicals and pollutants that leads to damage of the nervous system, respiratory issues, and other longterm health consequences. In addition, dangerous toxins and pollutants released from these processes damage the natural environment and other people. Despite landmark legislation that mandates strong recycling rules, producer responsibility, and import bans, there is no system to enforce these rules. There is a lack of resources, information, and infrastructure to recycle electronics safely. According to a study by The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India, e-waste generation is 4.56 times the full e-waste recycling capacity in the country, which leads to improper and illegal dumping. Without strong incentive systems in place, mass awareness among stakeholders and a cohesive and inclusive value chain, the challenges posed by e-waste will grow and grow as a public

health and environmental threat.

T H E S T R AT EG Y Pranshu focuses first on educating key electronics users, especially students and bulk consumers at companies. These two groups are important because young people are among the biggest users of electronic products, while bulk consumers are the biggest generators of e-waste. Through his school curriculum, Pranshu educates students so that they in turn persuade their families and neighbors to drop off e-waste at Karo Sambhav’s country-wide drop-off boxes, which then gets taken to registered recyclers. Similarly, with bulk consumers, Pranshu offers awareness programs to employees so they become champions of responsible recycling within their companies. Second, Pranshu works to build a cohesive value chain with the right incentives at every step. First, he works with the informal sector—repair shops, aggregators and waste pickers—who handle most of the e-waste generated in India today. With trusted local partners, he offers incentives such

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as new business opportunities, upskilling, ways to build reputation, and assistance in getting state identity cards, all while also meeting legal requirements. The role of these informal workers shifts from facilitating an illegal and dangerous cycle of collection and dismantling to now either: (1) selling their waste to Karo Sambhav, who recycles it using registered recyclers on behalf of producers; or (2) shifting to legal safe recycling themselves. These workers take pride in their work, which now meets high environmental, social and ethical standards; they also benefit financially. All of which makes them role models for other informal traders. Third, Pranshu helps producers meet the law’s growing safe recycling requirements and also become leaders in the field. Producers in India tend to ignore e-waste responsibility after the sale of goods. Pranshu works with some of the largest producers in India including Apple, Dell, and Lenovo, to meet their recycling targets—20% of total sales with 10% more year after year until the target reaches 70%. He also helps them meet other obligations under the EPR law—such as building community support for responsible recycling; and providing real time monitoring and data analytics of waste recycling required for government end-of-year auditing. Karo Sambhav stringently assesses all partner recyclers before agreeing to work with them. Pranshu tracks and carefully records each step in the collection and recycling process. To do so, he built a technology platform that provides transparency for each stage of recycling. Each transaction is recorded and stored, creating a complete data trail. For example, when e-waste gets picked up from drop boxes and taken to Karo Sambhav warehouses or recycling plants, the exact weight of the material, as well as photographs of the truck and driver, go into the mobile application. All transactions must have an accompanying invoice which Karo Sambhav collects and stores. This system gives critical legitimacy to all segments of the value chain, including the Indian government. This robust Karo Sambhav national framework gives everyone confidence and the satisfaction of seeing the waste being taken through the whole cycle from collection to responsible recycling. Pranshu is also working with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to create an applied research platform that sets standards and best practices in e-waste recycling. These standards include codes of conduct to work with informal

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collectors and auditing checklists for dismantlers and recyclers. The IFC and Pranshu want these standards to be implemented globally for the many other countries struggling with e-waste. Pranshu also encourages broader e-waste recycling by working with offices, government institutions, schools, universities, hospitals, and many other sectors. Pranshu is working in 68 cities, 29 States, and 3 Union territories where he’s created a network of 500+ bulk consumers, 1,500+ schools, 1,450 waste aggregators, and 2,200 waste pickers. THE PERSON Pranshu always had a passion for green living and received a Master’s in environmental management and policy at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University in Sweden. He credits this experience in Sweden with expanding his knowledge about environmental problems, including the e-waste challenge the world is now facing. Pranshu went to work for Nokia’s sustainability program in different countries, including Finland and Singapore, and India, where he led one of the most successful and largescale e-waste recycling campaigns. These country-wide campaigns built awareness and influenced the telecommunications industry about the importance of retrieving endof-life mobile phones and their responsible e-waste management. Pranshu launched Karo Sambhav when policy changes required producers to meet e-waste recycling targets and he saw an opportunity to use his expertise to help them do this thereby leveraging the whole process.

ENVIRONMENT

Wietse van der Werf Founder and Executive Director Sea Ranger Service

A marine conservationist, Wietse is turning unemployed young people into a highly-trained corps of park rangers for the sea. THE NEW IDEA As the world’s first maritime ranger service, Wietse’s organization relies on navy veterans to train unemployed young people as Sea Rangers. The Sea Ranger Service assists nations in monitoring Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), while also conducting marine research and conserving historic shipwrecks. Wietse’s multifaceted approach tackles youth unemployment, inspires young people to choose a maritime career, re-integrates navy veterans into civilian life, and protects and regenerates marine landscapes. Beginning in the Netherlands, the Sea Ranger Service was piloted in Rotterdam, a city with one of the largest young, uneducated, ethnically diverse communities in the Netherlands, with a youth unemployment rate of 10%. Within two months of launching, the organization had 600 applications from young people. Sea Rangers are not enforcers, but instead are trained for a range of duties such as visual monitoring for pollution and crime, collecting water samples, and conducting meteorological observations. For example, ships will often pollute right before they go into port. Sea Rangers use drones to measure ship emissions, collecting evidence to provide to national authorities with information they need to issue citations. The Sea Ranger Foundation governs three separate companies: Sea Ranger Ships Ltd., which builds energy-efficient sailing vessels for light offshore tasks; Sea Ranger Bootcamp Ltd., which hires navy veterans to train unemployed youth in rigorous five-week sessions; and the Sea Ranger Service Ltd., which Wietse hopes to franchise globally. The nonprofit Foundation oversees the business entities, which prevents “mission drift” and keeps the organization firmly anchored to the social and environmental mission. Any profits from commercial activities are reinvested back into improving the Sea Ranger Service’s operations.

The Netherlands

Wietse is proving his idea works environmentally and financially. He has amassed more than 40 partners, including Randstad and Patagonia. In a little over two years, he has brought together parties with very different motivations and interests: The maritime sector, social service partners, government agencies, veteran organizations, and environmental conservationists. These parties have shown a willingness and determination to look beyond social and political divides to build a clean, compassionate, and sustainable future together. T H E P RO B L E M People depend on the ocean for their health in many ways. According the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the world’s oceans provide over half of the air we breathe and absorbs 50 times more CO2 emissions than the atmosphere. In addition, roughly three billion people depend on fish as a major source of animal protein. Chronic challenges such as plastics pollution and climate change endanger marine ecosystems, decimate the food supply of communities, and risk regional instability. While there is near universal agreement that our oceans are at risk, there are not enough resources to practically monitor and protect the sea from abuse and malpractice. According to the Marine Conservation Institute, there are over 11,000 Marine Protected Areas around the world. These designated areas are supposed to be managed to protect marine ecosystems, preserve cultural resources such as shipwrecks and archaeological sites, and sustain fisheries. Monitoring MPAs is extremely challenging because they are vast and remote and international law enforcement agencies do not collaborate in monitoring them. Yet effective enforcement is critical for preserving healthy marine environments. At the same time, port cities and coastal communities are struggling in many ways. There are high rates of youth unemployment, due to automation and overfishing, resulting in fewer jobs. Navy veterans have expertise but for the most part their knowledge is not utilized, so they may struggle to reintegrate into civilian society and to find meaning and purpose for a thriving “second act.” There is often little local or national government funding dedicated to supporting these groups.

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Sea Rangers emptying a net used to measure plastic pollution at sea.

T H E S T R AT EG Y Frustrated with the lack of resources allocated by governments to protect oceans, Wietse realized that trying to convince others to rally behind his mission wasn’t yielding the urgent results required. He recognized the need to speak to people’s intrinsic motivation, so he began to think of ways to motivate others to pay attention to the health of the oceans. He landed on a strategy that crosses political divides and puts veterans and young people to work while protecting the sea. While building the Sea Ranger Service, he simultaneously created Sea Ranger Ships Ltd. as the shipbuilding arm of his organization. He worked with builders to construct a steelhulled sailing vessel design specifically for marine monitoring, outfitting it with tools such as sonar and infrared technology that assist Sea Rangers with their work. They partnered with

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Utrecht University and used a drone to do visual inspections, proving that their system could effectively monitor areas for poor health indicators like pollution. These vessels are used for a variety of tasks otherwise carried out by more costly motor ships, such as fisheries monitoring, research tasks including water sampling, and shipwreck reconnaissance. Sea Ranger Ships are clean, cost effective, and part of a transition to clean energy; Wietse imagines them playing an increasingly prominent role in offshore work around the world. He also believes these ships will make it easier for small maritime enterprises to launch, as there is no expensive fuel required. This is another way Wietse is working toward ocean sustainability. The third company is the Sea Ranger Boot Camp, in which Wietse’s team of navy veterans trains young people not only

for positions as Sea Rangers, but for other maritime careers as well. The veterans provide discipline and structure, and participants learn how to sail, dive, and perform other maritime tasks. Impact indicators for the pilot show that 95% of boot camp participants either work as Sea Rangers or get maritime employment. A partnership with the Department of Public Institutions at Utrecht University will report on future monitoring and evaluation as well as key performance indicators.

“It’s one of the big wins for environmentalists of the past decade: Governments in many parts of the world have created new marine reserves to protect ocean life… A Dutch environmental-activist-turned socialentrepreneur, (Wietse) Van der Werf believes he’s found a solution: hire veterans from the navy and marines to train unemployed young people as “sea rangers” to patrol areas that governments don’t have the resources to cover.”

THE PERSON Wietse grew up near Utrecht in the Netherlands and fondly remembers being a Youth Wildlife Ranger, obsessed with nature. He soon became an environmental activist, working to protect a local forest. When he was 25 years old, Wietse went to work in the Arctic ocean as an engineer aboard the anti-whaling vessels of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. He was immersed in extreme activism and went for months without seeing land. This influenced him greatly; he saw how determined citizens were cooperating to enforce international laws. Wietse was also influenced by history, especially President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was an innovative, federally-funded social program that provided unskilled manual labor jobs to three million unemployed young men to conserve and develop natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state and local governments. This idea of combining landscape recovery with a cure for unemployment resonated with Wietse.

Wietse’s vision in the coming years is to build 50 ships, expand Sea Ranger operations to reach 15 countries and restore 2.5 million acres of underwater landscape through activities like repairing coral reefs and bringing back oyster beds. Fifty thousand unemployed youths will be trained and inspired to choose maritime jobs. This strategy will work in other parts of the world; ten nations have reached out to Wietse about bringing the program to their countries, including Indonesia, Norway and the U.K. The U.N. has also proposed a partnership.

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Full Economic Citizenship

FULL ECONOMIC CITIZENSHIP

Regi Wahyu Founder and CEO HARA

Indonesia

and immutably, with no central administrator or data storage infrastructure. T H E P RO B L E M

Regi Wahyu is using data technology to enable smallholder farmers in Indonesia to connect more successfully with banks, insurers, and providers of agricultural supplies such as seeds, tools, and fertilizers. THE NEW IDE A Regi’s data system takes on a longstanding structural challenge that has limited the prosperity of small farmers in Indonesia since the 1960s: Their numbers are many; their holdings diverse; each has particular needs, assets, and abilities; and the large institutions tasked with helping them have never been able to customize their outreach and services to a farmer’s individual situation. His solution is a completely new approach to generating and managing the basic information that captures each farmer’s circumstances. Farmers themselves produce the data on who and where they are, what they grow, how they do it, and what services they seek. Regi’s HARA system has four main participants: data providers, the farmers who submit the data; data buyers, such as banks, retailers and insurance companies; value-added service providers, who access the data to build value-added services such as market research reports; and data qualifiers, who verify the data, very much including HARA field agents. Through HARA’s data exchange, farmers receive additional income every time their data is used, so they are incentivized to continually acquire and submit data. The data collected is visible for everyone in the system to see, allowing stakeholders to make informed data-driven decisions. Companies and banks purchase the data they need. Smallholders access market prices, crop-based information and services like loans or insurance, allowing them to improve their future productivity and income. Through this platform, Regi not only connects farmers to new product providers (banks, insurance companies, retailers, suppliers), but he also connects the farmers to one another through peer-to-peer learning, further increasing their productivity. Using blockchain ensures transparency and accuracy across the system, as records are linked together privately, securely

Low agricultural productivity impedes Indonesia’s overall economic wellbeing, affecting competitiveness in markets at the macro level and income and savings at the micro level. Agriculture represents 14% of the national GDP and is 33% of the country’s total labor force, according to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization. 93% of the country’s growers operate small family farms; the rest are large plantations, either owned by state or private companies. Despite the critical role they play in food production, smallholder farmers are some of the poorest in the workforce, with an average $138 monthly income, according to the World Bank. Poverty remains high and almost one fifth of family farms in Indonesia live below the national poverty line. Many of these smallholder farmers are still invisible to the digitally-connected world. Those that have birth certificates or other identification have them only in paper form, and typically there are no formal land records to show farm boundaries. This lack of data makes it expensive for financial institutions to gather the information they need to lend to this group of people, cutting them off from access to financial products, such as loans that would allow them to purchase more seeds, equipment, and fertilizer. This, in turn, holds them back from improving farming techniques and reaching optimum crop yields. Unpredictable weather and worsening climate change further hinders their productivity. Without access to data or funds, loan sharks become the only option for financing. “Being poor is expensive for these farmers,” says HARA Chief Technology Officer Imron Zhuri. “They have to pay 60% interest a year for informal loans. And they need other support, for health care and education for example, so they end up mortgaging their crops at a lower price even before harvest.” All the many other efforts to deal with small farmer poverty suffer from want of data. Now success—for farmers, insurance companies, banks, traders, retailers, and government— is increasingly based on the sharing of data, such as market prices, risk profiles, and the weather. For this reason, many of the challenges that smallholders face originate from the fact

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pays the field officers for the information they collect, encouraging them to become “data entrepreneurs.” Most importantly, Regi set up a process to ensure that every farmer knows their right to ownership of this data and their role as data contributors. For every bit of data shared, they are incentivized through a point system to keep track of the amount of data they have collected. Points can be traded for supplies such as fertilizers or seeds through local partners that are also in the HARA system. The farmers, rather than HARA, maintain ownership of their data and benefit whenever a buyer in the network purchases the data. HARA takes only a comRegi Wahyu, the CEO of HARA, with farmers in Indonesia. HARA is a data exchange mission for the exchange. Specifically, the platform that is geared towards small farmers. Photo: HARA cost structure is as follows: 70% goes to the data owner, 20% to acquisition, and 10% to that they are totally excluded from the whole data market. HARA. Smallholders become active contributors of data that provides better, more localized information for them, while also monetizing their data. T H E S T R AT EG Y Three things compelled Regi to launch HARA. As a farm owner himself, he knew that farmers needed money and resources to succeed, yet it was difficult for smallholders to get these things because no banks would lend to them. They often had no land certificate or formal identification, making them “invisible” to banks and retailers. The second challenge was that the field-to-consumer process typically had seven to nine middlemen, with some farmers only receiving one third of what their produce was worth because of the long food chain. Lastly, Regi saw that big business—financial and retail for example—wanted access to the large smallholder market, but without data, it was too risky to try to serve this market. Regi started by training farmers to collect and input their own data, such as land size and location, cultivation and yield information, pest analysis, and information about market transactions. HARA relies on field officers who volunteer from each village to teach farmers how to register their profile and collect agricultural data. These officers play a crucial role in training smallholders about the importance of data and how to use technology as part of their daily routine. HARA

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“A Jakarta-based startup, HARA, is using blockchain to collect and manage farm data, from soil and crop conditions to pest infestation, cultivation process, land ownership and grains transaction in a bid to help improve farmers’ livelihood…”

Additionally, with this system, banks and insurance companies can access the data they need to provide loans and insurance because the data from HARA is reliable and costs nearly 40% less than what it would cost them to collect the data themselves. Thus, the cost of customer acquisition in

this market is now reduced to a manageable level. The repayment rate for loans through HARA’s network is almost 100%. In addition to banks and insurance companies, retailers and market research companies can also purchase data on the platform. The data can help retailers cater their products to farmers, which also gives them an incentive to participate in order to receive the latest information on items they need to succeed, such as equipment and soil nutrients. Regi also pays other agricultural data providers, such as satellite companies, to share their data on the network, resulting in the most up-to-date information. In addition, retailers and market research companies provide value-added services, taking raw data and enriching it with analysis and market intelligence. This data then goes back into the system for others to use. Furthermore, the system enables peer-to-peer learning between farmers, allowing them to share new techniques and support each other. For example, a grower can alert others about a pest infestation so they can prepare for or try to stem it. There are already more than 22,000 farmers and 400 field agents on the platform, as well as several banks, insurance, fertilizer, and research companies. Crop yields have increased by 15%. Regi wants to spread his impact and reach two million farmers in the next few years. His methods can be adapted to the agricultural sector in other countries with a large amount of smallholder farmers. With that goal in mind, HARA is currently piloting a project with a partner in Uganda and plans to partner with seven more countries this year, including Vietnam, Mexico, and Colombia. He is also exploring how to use his system in other sectors in Indonesia, such as health, education, and transportation.

excluded contributed to this inequality. For example, lack of access to information made it harder for farmers to make the right planting decisions at the right time. Regi later moved to Bandung, a larger city in West Java, to continue his high school and university education. He was the local committee president for AIESEC, a youth leadership organization, through which he started a recycling program for food waste. He also created the Indonesia Marketing Association to globally market Indonesian products. After college, he started his career as a door-to-door salesman in Jakarta, selling cleaning services. His drive to excel took him upwards in several companies including General Electric and Dupont. Throughout his childhood, Regi’s mother encouraged him to watch science fiction movies, which he believes gave him the ability to imagine futuristic worlds. This imagination carried over into his adult life and in combination with his corporate skills, he began creating data solutions to tackle society’s problems. Regi believes that data should benefit all aspects of people’s lives and should not be owned by any company. Whether rich or poor, urban or rural, people should have ownership of their data. Regi’s understanding of technology, smallholder farmers and the agricultural system combined with his entrepreneurial spirit drove him to create HARA and a transparent and accessible system to elevate the agricultural sector in Indonesia.

THE PERSON Growing up, Regi moved around Indonesia due to his father’s job in the government health department. When he was in middle school, his family moved to a small village in Java. At first, Regi struggled to adjust to the rural farming community, but he eventually connected with the farmers and their families and saw the challenges and inequality they faced every day. They were living below the poverty line but were contributing a large part of the country’s GDP. It was not until Regi was an adult that he realized how being digitally

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FULL ECONOMIC CITIZENSHIP

Mélanie Marcel Founder and CEO SoScience

Trained as an engineer and neuroscientist, Mélanie Marcel became fascinated by the possibility of driving research away from being financially-motivated and towards benefiting the good of all. She therefore founded SoScience to create collaborations between research scientists and social entrepreneurs. THE NEW IDE A The best scientific minds and technology in the world are being put to work to serve profit in private R & D. Scientists ready to serve the good of all can’t fund socially impactful studies, while social entrepreneurs hunger for data to expand their impact, data that doesn’t exist. Mélanie is building a bridge between science and its application for people. By creatively curating a process that integrates both scientists and social entrepreneurs, she is introducing the practice of “social valorization,” attributing value to scientific research devoted to solving social issues.

“Mélanie Marcel is the founder of SoScience, a company specializing in responsible research and innovation. She was appointed as an expert on this subject by the European Commission, and co-authored a book focused on the intersection between science and social impacts.”

Through her organization SoScience, she is creating a system where researchers are actively incentivized to drive their work toward social impact. To do so, she creates the needed setting for researchers and social entrepreneurs to discuss

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France

the problem they want to solve, how to apply science to its practical implementation on the ground, and the resulting social impact. Because Mélanie knows that making room for impact-driven research implies redirecting existing capacities, she is also looking to change the criteria for research budgets to include social impact potential. As a first step of this process, she got social entrepreneurs recognized as eligible recipients for European Union research funds. Mélanie also targets private companies, who hold a significant part of the research budget. She bridges corporate social responsibility and research & development departments to introduce social impact as an integral criterion in the research planning process. T H E P RO B L E M Every year, more than 45 billion euros are spent in research and development activities in France (60% by private companies). The entire research system, from grantmaking to valorization processes, is geared toward economic return, which limits where applied research can go and reduces its availability for social returns. Even when research scientists are interested in pursuing social impact, they don’t always have the necessary will, skills, and time to operationally take their findings from the lab to the field by themselves. On the other hand, social entrepreneurs can lack scientific insights to reach the impact they wish to have on the world. While there are incentives, a legal framework, a specific financial pipeline, and a support ecosystem for collaborations between scientists, the logistics of such collaborations remain difficult. They generally don’t know each other or speak the same language, and the academic field is not easily accessible. Consequently, collaboration between research scientists and social entrepreneurs represent less than 0.4% of worldwide research efforts (Houllier’s Report, French Ministry of Research). As a result, there is a missed opportunity for science to contribute to solving pressing social problems. Nevertheless, global institutions are increasingly aware of this potential. For instance, the European Research and Innovation Framework Program “Horizon 2020” (budget of 70 billion euros) set up as an important objective encouraging socially responsible research and innovation. The challenge is now to find the relevant “how-to’s” to make this change happen.

languages and temperaments. “The Future Of __ ” is funded and sponsored by public research institutes or companies who see an opportunity to identify, collaborate, and innovate with new partners. The first editions of the program, on Soil and Water, generated 40 impact-driven collaborations between attendees from 17 different countries. More than half of the participants reported an ongoing collaboration three months later. Mélanie documented the process and methodologies for “The Future of __” and the program is already being replicated. Mélanie success“Social scipreneurs” are entrepreneurs working at the intersection of applied science and fully engaged 800 researchers from the IRD social good. For example, engineer and chemist Gérard Niyondiko from Burkina Faso is developing a line of hygiene products (soap, lotion, and detergent) for FASO SOAP. The (Institute for Research and Development) products repel mosquitos for up to six hours by using microcapsules of natural repellents and aims to build a network of committed that adhere to users’ skin and gradually release their contents. To widely distribute such research institutes that will advocate for products would have a massive impact for populations plagued by malaria. impact-driven research. In addition, Mélanie trained the social entrepreneurship incubator “La Fabrique” T H E S T R AT EG Y in Burkina Faso to organize such a collaborative program in To demonstrate how impact-driven research (whose primary their own local and cultural context, which they launched in objective is solving a social or environmental challenge) is February 2019. Finally, she hopes to build on “The Future concretely feasible, Mélanie carefully crafted the program Of_” former participants to develop an influential cross-sec“The Future Of __”. This begins with a one-day collaborator community of impact-driven science ambassadors. tive event gathering 40 selected experts of a theme (The Given that the majority of research and development investFuture Of Food, Soil, Water, ...) to meet and identify potenments come from the private sector, Mélanie also works with tial collaborations. The number of participants is limited to private companies to move them from valorization focused ensure qualitative and deep exchanges. The selection of the on likely return on investment to seeing market opportunities attendees is also key. First, these experts must come from in impact-driven innovation. Her longer-term goal here is to diverse backgrounds: scientists (including post-docs, who change the way corporates are allocating funds to research have expertise but often struggle finding a full-time position), so that social good becomes part of doing business and gets social entrepreneurs, NGOs, industrial companies. Second, out of CSR silos. While extending her impact, this consulting they have expressed a clear motivation to look for new partactivity also provides her with a sustainable revenue stream. ners in their work. Mélanie also carefully frames the theme of her program around a challenge to be solved rather than a specific technical development issue, in order to give participants more leeway to innovate. Six months after the launching event, there is a follow-up session to support the implementation of the impact-driven collaborations (mediation, identifying funding sources, etc.). This is particularly necessary at the beginning of the project as research scientists and social leaders have different

As an example, she worked with the French multinational car manufacturer Renault R&D and CSR departments to identify new market opportunities integrating social impact criteria, such as investing in the development of low-cost refrigerated vans in order to help solving the issue of food waste. (In some underprivileged rural areas in Southeast Asia and Africa, 10 to 30% of produced food is wasted because of improperly working refrigerated transport means.) Mélanie developed

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and freely shared online a dedicated tool called “the Matrix of Opportunities” to help the company concretely visualize interactions between economic drivers, societal challenges, and their own expertise. Mélanie is now in discussion with large international consulting companies to further structure the market around this emerging business and thus incentivize more companies to invest in impact-driven innovation. While demonstrating this is feasible in the field, Mélanie is also at work at building a facilitating framework for impactdriven research to become a recognized, easily accessible, and attractive career path for scientists. First, to generate wider awareness and demand, Mélanie shares her vision in conferences and gives lectures at universities about responsible research and innovation. She also published a book, Science et Impact Social, in 2017 to share her insights and attract new partners. In collaboration with a communications agency, she is now preparing a media campaign to showcase successful impact-driven research projects. Second, she is building a dedicated financial pipeline for impact-driven research by supporting research funding agencies in integrating social impact in their criteria. She already led this work with the national funding agency ADEME which now has a much greater ability to identify and support impact-driven research collaborative projects. Finally, Mélanie is also advocating at a decision-making institutional level. She has been appointed as an expert on “Science with and for Society” by the European Commission and, as such, has been involved in working groups on reshaping European research policy. Her advocacy work led to the addition of social entrepreneurs as eligible recipients for EU research funds. THE PERSON Mélanie grew up in a committed family. Her grandfather was a member of the anti-Franco resistance, and she was encouraged to find her passion and personal calling. She was always scientifically-minded and, very early on, imagined using science for social impact. (As a child, she dreamt about finding a vaccine for AIDS.) She was then trained as an engineer at ESPCI Paris Tech and chose to study neuroscience rather than quantum physics because it seemed more likely to bring social impact opportunities. Her first job was at a Japanese telecommunication company, designing electrodes that would allow the brain to direct external devices.

ASHOKA 2019

She was passionate about her research and imagined it could lead to directly connecting prosthetic limbs to the brain, but she soon realized that her employer was only commercially driven. At the same time, her friend Eloïse was connected to both the research and social entrepreneurship spheres but met difficulties in bridging these two worlds. Mélanie thus started questioning how the research system worked, what was driving research investment, and how she could align her will to have an impact and her job as a research scientist. As she did not find an existing facilitating framework to lead impactdriven research, she took on the mission to develop this new field. Back in France, Mélanie founded SoScience with the simple idea of connecting social entrepreneurs and researchers, believing there was a strong demand on both sides. But when it came time to engage not only individuals but whole research institutes and companies, at first the message was not enthusiastically embraced. Mélanie persevered and personally called more than 200 potential partners and clients in order to foster new collaborations. She iteratively evolved her model and how she introduced it, extending its reach and sustainability. She carried on, convincing major public actors and building the field. Mélanie, now strengthened by a strong network in the research, business, and social entrepreneurship spheres, is succeeding in changing the way research is led and leveraged in order to achieve social impact.

FULL ECONOMIC CITIZENSHIP

Jeff Cyr Raven Indigenous Capital Partners Founder and Managing Partner

Jeff Cyr, of the Métis indigenous nation, is building wealth, ownership, power and meaning in indigenous communities through investment. THE NEW IDEA Jeff’s model starts with communities setting their development priorities so that they are not dependent on the federal government. Then they assess the communities’ assets: What enterprises exist that can solve their self-identified problems, and what could be developed with capital? In 2017, Jeff co-founded Raven Group, which includes the first indigenous venture capital intermediary, Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, and the Raven Indigenous Impact Foundation. Both provide seed capital to indigenous entrepreneurs. Jeff champions the concept of “community-driven outcomes purchasing” to unlock new capital to create indigenous ventures in renewable energy at a pace that works for entrepreneurs. His new financial model based on indigenous values flips power dynamics, putting the community in charge. Their enterprises improve outcomes in indigenous communities while generating returns for investors. THE PROBLEM While Canadians are increasingly aware of the devastating and multigenerational impacts of residential schools, there is a lesser-known cluster of longstanding and disempowering patterns that reinforce poverty in indigenous communities -their systemic exclusion economically. Paternalistic and racist laws and policies that treat indigenous people as “wards of the state” rather than economic citizens have limited their access to resources, increased dependency, fueled stereotypes and thereby largely denied indigenous communities their right to self-determination. In 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission made visible the extent to which Canada’s colonial history and residential school system systematically disadvantaged,

Canada

disempowered, and discriminated against indigenous peoples. The government “gives” them things, and “experts” parachute into reserves with solutions that are time-limited, dysfunctional, and/or inappropriate, thus increasing dependency, decreasing self-determination, and limiting options resulting in perpetual poverty. According to the UN, Canada ranks 7th worldwide on the Human Development Index, but its indigenous communities rank 65th. Legislation impedes financial inclusion, growth and wealth. For example, the Indian Act (Section 89) prohibits the use of reserve land as collateral. As such, banks are reluctant to provide loans if assets cannot be seized in case of default. On many reserves, except the few that have developed self-government agreements, a house may be owned but the land is not – therefore it cannot be sold - which makes it impossible to build equity. Even on the reserves where homes can be owned, the equity remains much lower than that of homes outside reserves. Major program interventions in indigenous communities have consistently failed over the last 200 years. In 1998, a study by Industry Canada and Aboriginal Business Canada found that over half (56 %) of aboriginal entrepreneurs had inadequate access to equity, citing lack of local financial institutions, lack of personal resources, and unavailability of venture capital. Nearly twenty years later, a report for National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) found that the situation continues to affect many aboriginal entrepreneurs and their small to medium-sized enterprises. Overall, the current financial support systems for reconciliation across Canada are unsophisticated and wasteful. Business-as-usual continues and perpetuates all the old mindsets. Government funding is compliance based (high administration costs and inflexible) and citizen sector organizations that are philanthropically funded are volatile and unsustainable and survive on only the fumes of the economy. There is no unlocking of the mainstream economy to truly tackle the challenges that indigenous groups experience. The promise of Social Impact Bonds (whose repayment comes from the savings that come as social outcomes are being accomplished) to ameliorate this situation and enable government financing of social innovation has also proven

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Raven works with social enterprises like Aki Foods, to ensure that they are investment-ready and have access to resources. Aki is an indigenous non-profit social enterprise focused on food-based projects that promote employment opportunities and economic development in First Nations communities.

insufficient. While they are valuable in theory (and in fact are an integral part of Jeff’s model), most such bonds have historically been complex, and both slow and expensive to negotiate. T H E S T R AT EG Y One integral part of Jeff’s strategy to actively involve indigenous communities in the investment sphere is implementing “solutions labs” which take communities, experts, outcomes buyers and investors through a design-to-execution process leading to social finance solutions that can be brought to market. Through this process, indigenous communities identify their needs and desired outcomes, map their existing assets, and connect with impact investors. They’re also connected with federal government departments and foundations which “purchase” relevant outcomes produced by indigenous enterprises by paying back the original investors that provided the upfront equity. This new financial contract shifts the government’s role from a funder to a purchaser. The government finds this attractive and is motivated to participate because of the social and economic gains and its financial savings. As of 2019, Jeff has deployed this “Community Driven Outcomes Purchasing” (CDOP) model with renewable energy-related projects in 4 out of 63 First Nations communities

ASHOKA 2019

in Manitoba. This included the installation of geo-exchange units, pumps that utilize the earth or a body of water for a heat source and a heat sink, each serving 125 homes. The social and economic outcomes achieved include reduced utility bills and social assistance costs, and an increase in indigenous social enterprise, job creation, skill development, energy savings, greenhouse gas reductions and direct investment in local communities. The First Nations who have employed geo-exchange units passed band council resolutions to have all houses heated with geo-exchange. This creates the potential to scale in stage two to 1000 geo-exchange units in the next round, with a potential market of 10,000 homes in southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In early 2019, Jeff and his partners commenced an indigenous solutions lab focused on diabetes reduction through a CDOP model in two First Nations on Prince Edward Island and four First Nations in Manitoba. These 10-month lab processes aim to develop new contracts for diabetes reduction interventions. Diabetes is a crisis issue in indigenous communities, and by comparison to clean energy, the downstream cost savings for diabetes reduction are exponential. Jeff plans to introduce his model next in British Columbia. His solutions lab process is already at work identifying community priorities and the assets and entrepreneurs to take them on that are ready for investment. In this case, the core challenge identified is to replace diesel with renewable energy. Notably, the British Columbia provincial government is actively participating in, and financially supporting, the solutions lab process for this CDOP initiative. This is unique as indigenous reserves remain under federal jurisdiction and technically outside of provincial mandates In the short term, the Raven Group plans to continue serving as the vessel for investments into indigenous communities and to partner with Ashoka Fellow Shaun Loney’s venture Aki Energy to lead implementation. The CDOP has now scaled to new geographies and sectors, and governments have started to give themselves the capacity to undertake outcomes purchasing. Jeff is at a key inflection point on the way to more scale via building many investment demonstrations that succeed.

“‘The impact of colonization on indigenous people in Canada, and around the world, essentially meant that you had this stripping of wealth and inability to create intergenerational wealth,’ Jeff Cyr said. To meet this gap, Vancouver-based Raven launched the first indigenous equity fund in Canada this year to support social enterprises.”

In the long term, Jeff aims to continue to expand to new sectors and thematic areas, such as food security and health. It is exciting to see how Jeff and his team have learned to syndicate the outcomes to the various Federal department affected by the different social and environmental outcomes. For instance, with the renewable energy interventions, Environment Canada might pay for the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, Employment and Social Development Canada for employment training, and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada for the poverty alleviation on reserves. Since the government can be slow to coordinate between departments, Raven helps by syndicating the costs via the “Rate Card” (highlights return on investment per outcome achieved) to buy when it is a success. Jeff plans to help 400 indigenous communities across Canada through the deployment of many forms of the CDOP model. Of course, this model can be applied anywhere in the world. Indigenous people suffer very similar challenges from the U.S. and Mexico all the way over to Indonesia.

his mind to a wide range of possible ways to address social challenges. Jeff has always considered himself to be one who challenges social systems and who pushes against the “muscle memory” of set social norms. In his professional life, he trained as a negotiator in federal-provincial, indigenous-federal, and international issues. A transformative event for Jeff came when he negotiated a multi-million-dollar agreement with the Government of Canada and the National Association of (indigenous) Friendship Centers. Over a year as Chief Negotiator, he watched the federal government and his indigenous colleagues fall back into traditional funding mechanisms that were known to be broken. He also witnessed immense financial waste: The government was increasingly spending billions of dollars to solve indigenous “issues” without any demonstrable let alone sustainable results. In response, Jeff created the indigenous Innovation Summit, which proved to be a catalyst for change in the field. It did so by mixing mainstream social innovators together with community-based indigenous social innovators. This clash of creativity sparked widespread changes -- including many new enterprises, relationships, funds and initiatives. One in particular was the Indigenous Innovation Demonstration Fund and the Indigenous Innovation platform which he co-created. Their early success inspired him to make a leap of faith and leave his safe CEO position and embark on this new entrepreneurial pathway to meet the need for more flexible and adaptable financing for indigenous peoples via Raven. Jeff often travels internationally to share his vision for a new economic architecture as well as the CDOP model with various indigenous groups and leading educational and research institutions.

THE PERSON Born and raised Métis, Jeff has always been inspired by the resilience and creativity of his indigenous community. As a young person, he lived in Germany and India which opened

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Health

HEALTH

Prasanna Shirol Executive Director Organization for Rare Diseases India Rare Diseases Care Coordination Center

India

After his daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease and his family could not find support and treatment, Prasanna Shirol set out to build the infrastructure to research, diagnose, and treat rare diseases.

“orphan drugs.” To encourage domestic pharmaceutical research, Prasanna is providing evidence and data to government and companies and advocating for an Orphan Drug Act similar to the one in the U.S. This act would stipulate government financial support and regulatory concessions like smaller and shorter clinical trials. Prasanna believes that once rare disease policies start getting implemented across the country, patients will have a better quality of life and access to care and affordable treatment.

THE NEW IDE A

T H E P RO B L E M

Prasanna started the Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI) to help patients and families deal with the significant burden imposed by rare diseases which are chronically debilitating and life-threatening. ORDI improves the lives of patients by connecting families and information to each other; advocating for government funding; and collaborating for the best research, diagnosis, and treatment possible.

There are approximately 7,000 rare diseases and although each disease is individually uncommon, collectively they strike six to eight percent of the global population and about 72 million people in India. Patients’ quality of life is affected by the loss of autonomy due to the chronic, degenerative, and frequently life-threatening aspects of their diseases. Often there are no existing effective cures, adding to the pain endured by sufferers and their families.

To connect families and patients to information, Prasanna launched the first Rare Disease Care Coordination Center (RDCCC) in Bangalore to provide patients with a system that can help them access health care providers, medical experts, diagnostic centers, treatment options, and clinical trials. His goal is to operate a center in each of the remaining 28 states in India. A second facility opened in Karnataka earlier this year. At the same time, he is compiling information from the network to address the immediate needs of patients and their families, such as launching the first national rare disease helpline and building the first database that tracks the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Prasanna wants the government to address rare diseases as an important matter of public health. By forming a coalition that includes public, private, and citizen sectors—such as research institutes, policymakers, and hospitals—ORDI advocates for government support to formally identify rare diseases as an issue that needs attention, funding, and resources. Prasanna is also advancing the search for treatments and cures. Drug research is costly; and pharmaceutical companies only pay for research, development, testing, and marketing for medicines that can turn a profit. Those abandoned as potentially useful but unlikely to make money—because, for example, they would treat rare diseases—are known as

While every country defines “rare disease” differently— and some have no formal definition—the World Health Organization has suggested a rare disease is one with a frequency of fewer than 6.5 to 10 per 10,000 people. 80% of these diseases are genetic and 50% affect children. Visits to multiple doctors, along with expensive experimental treatments, means it can take years to be diagnosed; patients are often misdiagnosed or left not knowing what is wrong. By the time a disease is identified, it is often too late for any viable treatment options and the family is left with a palliative model of care until death. A critical lack of organization, including adequate training and the facilities to screen and diagnose patients in a timely manner, exacerbates the problem. Given that very little is known about individual rare diseases, there is a dearth of support from both the public and private sector to invest in treatment options as well as the research and development of orphan drugs. There is no centralized data to provide to policymakers and pharmaceutical companies, making it difficult to advocate for more inclusive, affordable, accessible, and compassionate health care. This leaves patients and their caregivers without the quality healthcare and related products, such as insurance, that they deserve.

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Prasanna, his wife, Sharada, and their daughter, Nidhi, at a “Race for 7” event. Nidhi was the first person to be diagnosed with Pompe in India. Prasanna counts her as a success story because even though she lived on a ventilator and was in a wheelchair, she went to school and was never confined to the house. Nidhi is currently in a semi-coma. Photo credit: Ajeesh F. Rawther.

Given the low demand for drugs for treatment, pharmaceutical companies have limited commercial incentive to invest in the research and development of these drugs. Even if the companies are incentivized through tax breaks and clinical trials, they still charge as much as they wish. In countries like India, even if drugs do exist for treatment, many people cannot afford them. Without a unified approach to build critical infrastructure as well as awareness of rare diseases, patients and their caregivers will continue to suffer while the pressures on the public health care system continue to rise.

Prasanna has worked to build the vital physical support to focus on the immediate needs of the population. He worked with partners to create the Rare Diseases Care Coordination Center (RDCCC), a hub-and-spoke model which eventually aims to have a facility in each major city (the hub) and spokes in regional hospitals that will provide support for patients. This center, which aims to connect with all primary health care centers across the country, gathers patient information and needs and then arranges for consultations with specialists both in India and abroad. Since inception, this Center has helped diagnose hundreds of patients from across the country at early diagnostic testing centers.

If a family is unable to travel to the RDCCC, they can call into India’s first national rare disease helpline, which provides genetic counseling, emergency support, and information for diagnosis and treatment. Through a coalition of genetic specialists, medical professionals, and international

T H E S T R AT EG Y Prasanna knew that to have an impact in a field that had little to no support, he had to first build the structure for diagnosis and treatment. He found that most people naturally focused only on their child or family member and didn’t look at the larger problems surrounding rare diseases. He launched ORDI as an umbrella organization to combine the knowledge and power of patients, families, and support groups across the country for greater impact.

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Prasanna started the first Rare Diseases Care Coordination Center (RDCCC) in Bangalore and plans to open a Center in every state in India.

organizations, this helpline gives patients and their caregivers direction and support. The helpline has assisted more than 5,000 families and is an especially important lifeline to people living in remote parts of the country. The RDCCC and helpline have helped Prasanna gather patient information from health care centers and other key institutions to build the first national patient registry in India. This registry plays an important role in providing the data needed to influence policymakers. Also, everyone in the system has access to crucial diagnosis, treatment, and medical information. For example, a patient’s illness history and treatment plan can help others with the same rare disease with options and access to specialists.

“…Prasanna Shirol is co-founder of the Organization for Rare Diseases India, an umbrella organization that represents the collective voice of all patients with rare diseases in India. According to Shirol, while 80% of the diseases are of genetic origin, 50% of new cases occur in children, and 35% of deaths occur before the age of one.”

ORDI has also been instrumental in advocating for policy change. By initiating many Public Interest Litigations (PILs) which, for the first time, represented the voices of patients and caregivers from all over the country, the High Court of Delhi recognized the implicit right to health care for those with rare diseases. Because of the PILs ORDI filed, Karnataka became the first state government to issue a rare disease and orphan drugs policy. Its recommendations include asking the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority to reconsider the exclusion of pre-existing genetic disorders and requiring insurance companies to provide basic coverage with low premiums for patients. It also recommended enacting a statute that will allow for tax breaks and funding as incentives for the research and development of orphan drugs. Prasanna

is working with a coalition of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostic companies, as well as other key stakeholders, to push for this policy across the country. Looking for as many resources as possible, Prasanna connected with medical experts in the United States and launched an ORDI office in Virginia. ORDIUSA fosters collaborations between patient advocacy groups and researchers with their counterparts in India to help accelerate research, clinical trials, and therapy access across borders. Lastly, to continue to amplify the issue across the country and worldwide, Prasanna runs campaigns that involve the media, sports organizations, and civil society groups. His “Race for 7” event has become one of India’s predominant annual races, bringing awareness and resources to patients and their caregivers. “Race for 7” represents the 7,000 rare diseases and is a 7,000-meter course (almost four and a half miles); the race has become a global brand and has spread to other countries, including four cities in the United States, and to Singapore, which is hosting its first “Race for 7” event this year. To shift societal mindsets and raise awareness of rare diseases, Prasanna pairs rare disease patients with members of the public to complete the race. He also facilitated India’s observance of Rare Diseases Day, in which more than 100 countries participate to raise public awareness about rare diseases. In India, this day is now a national event that brings together media, government officials, companies, and other stakeholders across the country to commit to address the challenges facing this community. THE PERSON Prasanna was born in southern India to a hardworking, middle-class family. After completing his postgraduate business education, he forged a sales and marketing career in telecommunications. In 1999, Prasanna and his wife, Sharada, had a daughter, Nidhi. From birth, there were complications that kept her in the hospital for 45 days. Eventually, she had trouble crawling, standing up, and walking and experienced numerous respiratory issues. For seven years, Prasanna took Nidhi to over 45 hospitals before she was finally diagnosed with Pompe, a rare disease in which a buildup of glycogen in the body’s cells impairs normal function. Nidhi was the first person in India to

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be diagnosed with Pompe. Without support from the public health care system and without any formal treatment options in India, Prasanna struggled to meet the growing needs of his daughter while managing his career. He eventually quit his job and began selling his assets to support the high cost of treatment and imported drugs. Prasanna realized that there were many other families across the country who were fighting the same silent battle. Understanding that this lifestyle was not sustainable, and in an effort to find the support needed for his daughter, Prasanna launched the first national-level parents support group for children with rare diseases (Lysosomal Storage Disorder Support Society India). He also started the Pompe Foundation in India, a specialized group focused solely on uniting and empowering patients with Pompe and their families. As he slowly began to build national and international networks of specialists and organizations, Prasanna recognized the need for a national umbrella organization to serve as a collective voice and advocate for all rare disease patients across the country and in 2012, he founded ORDI.

ASHOKA 2019

HEALTH

Nneka Mobisson Founder and CEO mDoc, Your Health is in Your Hands

After losing her father due to stroke complications, Dr. Nneka Mobisson built a mobile platform that helps people in Africa prevent and treat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes.

Nigeria

it takes to be healthy, employers benefit from less lost time and lower health care costs. And of course, everyone wins as more people work and are able to contribute fully to the economy. mDoc has trained more than 10,000 people throughout three states in Nigeria and it has spread to South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, and Ghana. By 2024, Nneka plans to have operations in 13 African countries. Through this scale, she estimates mDoc will have impacted the lives of one million people by preventing and managing chronic conditions.

THE NEW IDE A Nneka created mDoc, a digital platform that connects people who have a chronic disease with a multi-disciplinary team of health care practitioners, including nutritionists and fitness coaches. Patients receive personalized support through education and tools that encourage healthy behaviors, including peer-to-peer support. mDoc offers two main services: “Find a Facility” is an interactive, geo-coded listing of health care facilities and services; and “Telehealth Suite” includes access to a network of qualified providers, while also storing patient records, which can be accessed and updated by both patients and the team of providers. mDoc also builds providers’ clinical capabilities by using the platform to connect experienced African diaspora physicians to teach local doctors about the right care and education for NCD patients. Nneka knew that she needed more than just “high tech” to support people in preventing and managing their chronic health needs so they could live longer, happier, and healthier lives. She also uses a “high-touch” approach and launched community-based hubs where screenings and tests are conducted, such as blood pressure checks; the test results are then shared with local coaches who follow up with patients and teach them how to live a healthful lifestyle. “mDoc is really beyond any specific condition,” says Nneka. “It is really about getting people to understand they have control over their health and then best supporting them in living healthy lives.” mDoc’s motto is: “Your Health in Your Hands; Anytime; Anywhere.” Nneka’s approach is as key to productivity—and therefore Africa’s economic health—as it is to saving lives and improving quality of life. Indeed, one mDoc technique is to partner with employers. By helping their staff understand what

T H E P RO B L E M There has been a steady increase in the prevalence of NCDs in Africa. In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with more than 202 million people, NCDs accounted for 29% of all deaths in 2018. The World Health Organization estimates that NCDs will cause about 7 million deaths in Nigeria in the next decade without serious interventions.

“‘It’s not just about the high tech but it’s also about a high-touch approach. It is realizing that in our context, we have got to be innovative in how we create and foster community, and how we foster knowledge and how we empower our people,’ Nneka says.”

There is little understanding of the risk factors associated with NCDs and a lack of preventive measures. Nigerian culture promotes alcohol and tobacco use as a sign of affluence; an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are increasingly more common. Tragically, Nigerians are getting these diseases at a much younger age than before, affecting the health of young people in their prime working years, which not only impacts

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quality of life, but also the economy. The health care system in Nigeria is already strained from managing communicable diseases and is not well equipped to manage the number of NCD cases that are on the rise. Inadequate facilities result in ill patients waiting a long time in hospitals to get tested for their ailments before they can access treatment; hence people who are not critically ill find it inconvenient to visit a clinic and they do not get regular medical checkups to ascertain their health status. T H E S T R AT EG Y Nneka began by mapping the scope of NCDs and interviewing people on the ground. She and her team talked to over 1,000 people across all strata of society to understand the scope of chronic diseases in Nigeria. About half of the people who took part in the research had no knowledge of NCDs or how to manage them, but they were desperate for information. She also discovered that there was no outreach to empower people with NCDs to manage their illnesses and live quality lives. Nneka started mDoc to optimize “end-to-end” care; based on Thaddeus’s “Three Delay” model, she identified three sets of factors that keep people from preventing or managing a chronic disease. She saw that the first delay was people are unaware of the steps they can take to ensure they are healthy, such as managing weight and other risk factors. The second delay is that once a person is educated, they do not know how to interact with the health care system or what to focus on, such as getting their eyes checked if they have diabetes. There also might be financial and transportation barriers to seeking preventative health care. And the “third delay” is that once a patient does go to a doctor, they may not be getting the right care at the right time in the right manner because of the struggling health care system. Nneka knew that building awareness about NCDs had to come first and that she needed to do this both in rural and urban areas. She started by giving health talks in community meetings to help people understand chronic disease prevention and management. This helped her recruit volunteers in the communities to do door-to-door outreach. In addition,

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Nneka organizes talks on radio and television. All these elements work together to build public understanding of NCDs and early prevention. Nneka realized that people did not know where to check their health status, so she created community “health hubs” where patients can get tested and get information about disease management. She also started groups where people connect to navigate the management of their diseases together, sharing best practices, such as healthy recipes, as well as supporting each other and sharing goals while working with one coach. People are exercising and changing their diets, and doctors are taking them off medications, reducing the financial burden as well. mDoc has five hubs in Nigeria, and Nneka’s goal is to have 18 in-person hubs by the end of 2020, either stand-alone facilities or in partnership with hospitals or other citizen sector organizations. Realizing that no one, including the government, had information about health care service providers for NCD management, Nneka created a national database of licensed providers. This is important because there are many unlicensed facilities and she wanted people to trust the care they received. Concurrently, she recognized the need to partner with providers, who initially saw telemedicine as a replacement instead of a positive tool. Nneka convinced them that with overburdened facilities, NCD prevention is optimal over treatment. mDoc also trains providers on how best to care for current NCD patients and those at risk. THE PERSON Nneka grew up in Nigeria but went to college in the United States. While studying biomedical engineering, she took a three-month public health volunteer trip to Tanzania in 1995. Here, she saw how severely the health care system was struggling. This experience sparked a life-long passion for public health. She decided she had to bring change. She returned to the U.S., became a pediatrician, and obtained a Master’s in public health to equip her to help improve the health system in Africa. In 2010, Nneka’s father passed away. He was only 53 years old and died from complications from a stroke; he didn’t have

Nneka speaks with a health care provider in Nigeria.

access to knowledgeable medical providers who could have helped him manage his high blood pressure. This angered Nneka and she asked herself, “How many lives are lost in Nigeria because of NCDs, and what impact is it having on the productivity of the country and the continent?” Nneka retired as a doctor and launched mDoc using technology to address the very same health problems her father had so that ultimately, Nigeria can be a happier, healthier, and more productive country.

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Human Rights

HUMAN RIGHTS

Jess Ladd Founder and CEO Callisto

Jess Ladd designed a new survivor-centered way to report sexual assault, identify repeat offenders, and provide institutions— beginning with universities—with relevant data to guard against and respond to the problem. THE NEW IDE A Jess founded Callisto to enable people to record and disclose incidents of assault on their own terms via a technology platform that also connects them to survivors of the same perpetrator. Independent of the police and school authorities, the platform helps identify repeat offenders and also “time stamps” a report of an incident, while offering a range of counseling options so that survivors understand their choices going forward. Callisto provides this information to institutions and authorities to assist in assault investigations. Fewer than 20% of sexual assaults that occur during college are reported to the police or to college authorities. This is in part because the process of reporting can feel isolating and re-traumatizing, and involves personal and professional risks. Part of what makes Callisto new is its unrelenting focus on survivors’ needs, including specialized legal support for survivors as they navigate the complex options for disclosing their experience. Callisto is also the only reporting system for any crime that offers matching of perpetrators. While survivors choose not to report for a variety of reasons, matching is intended to lower the barrier for those who wish to come forward but feel more comfortable doing so knowing they are not the sole survivor. Data suggests that those with access to Callisto are six times more likely to report than those who do not have access. Callisto was launched on the first college campus in 2015 and is now being used on a dozen campuses. They are adding more campuses in the coming year, while continuing to assess the model and reach out to partners in other industries. Ultimately, Jess and her team want to help survivors detect any serial sexual predator in the United States.

United States

T H E P RO B L E M An estimated 20% of women, 7% of men, and 24% of trans and gender-nonconforming students are sexually assaulted during their college career. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, fewer than 10% of college assault survivors report to administrators, local police, campus security, or other authorities. The few people who report do so an average of 11 months after the assault, making it hard to investigate. These investigations are not challenging because of an unknown perpetrator—85% of college assault survivors know their assailant—but rather because the delay in reporting makes some investigators doubt whether an assault took place.

“(Callisto CEO Jess Ladd) enumerated the reasons that victims like her often don’t report assault—shame, fear, a wish not to ruin the assailant’s life. ‘But why victims do report is fairly consistent, and the No. 1 reason they do report is to protect others, to protect their community,’ she said.”

According to research in the academic journal, Violence and Victims, 90% of college sexual assaults are committed by repeat offenders who assault an average of six times—and that’s just before they graduate college. However, since reporting rates are so low, it’s unlikely that even repeat offenders are reported, so investigators often have no knowledge of a pattern of behavior of the accused when trying to make a fair judgment on a case. And without clear evidence or a pattern of behavior, authorities are often afraid of taking on the liability of acting against the accused. It’s far more likely that a college will be sued expelling an accused assailant than sued by a survivor of sexual assault. Survivors rarely know whether they’re the only one, but if they knew there were other survivors, they’d be more likely to report the assault. Indeed, learning of another survivor of

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the same assailant dramatically increased survivors’ desire to report, as well as their perceived probability of being believed if they reported. Despite the seriousness and scope of the problem of sexual violence, existing solutions are piecemeal and tend to focus on mitigating risk for lawsuits against schools and companies rather than empowering survivors and creating a culture of survivor support. T H E S T R AT EG Y Jess’s strategy is to build and refine a system that combats sexual assault and harassment and then spreads that system and the principles that define it, until it becomes the adopted best practice. The ultimate goal is a world where sexual assault is rare and survivors are supported. Jess believes that if we truly empower survivors to act and help them identify serial predators, we will create new cultures of survivor support, perpetrator accountability, and sexual misconduct prevention. Over the last several years, Jess and her team have designed a new technology platform to significantly improve the sexual assault reporting process. The platform contains college-specific information about reporting options and resources and allows survivors to take three actions related to reporting their assault: Create a time-stamped, secure record of the assault, preserving evidence for later reporting; report by sending their assault record to their college; and save their record for now, but report automatically if another student names the same assailant. The time stamp is significant because it bolsters the veracity of survivors whose integrity is often undermined, especially after months have elapsed between an incident and when someone chooses to come forward. The matching system is a new and creative way to both encourage reporting and to uncover repeat offenders. Survivors have the option of connecting with other survivors of the same perpetrator both for support and as part of their decision-making process going forward, whether that means going to the authorities or confronting a perpetrator and attempting to get them to change their behavior. In addition, the platform directs survivors to a range of resources and options they have in the wake of a

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traumatic experience, including legal avenues and counseling support. Every aspect of the Callisto platform was designed with the needs of survivors in mind, including its recording form which uses elements from the Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview, a science-based way to get information from trauma survivors while triggering them as little as possible. As it grows—and in particular as it solidifies an earned revenue model—Callisto hopes to expand its legal services team (called “legal options counselors”) so that users have access to free top-quality counsel with attorney-client privilege. The system is equally beneficial to partner institutions and authorities. With Callisto, institutions are more likely to know whether a person has been accused by more than one survivor. Currently, institutions also do not have enough data about what sexual misconduct looks like in their community, making it hard to design effective prevention programs. Finally, the platform targets perpetrators and would-be perpetrators by stopping serial offenders earlier on, and by creating a deterrent to sexual assault. According to Dr. David Lisak, a psychologist who researches non-stranger rapists, if serial offenders were stopped after their second assault, 59% of college sexual assaults could be prevented—just by halting repeat offenders. Callisto partners with 12 campuses, reaching more than 160,000 students. Each campus fully incorporates Callisto into its website and markets it across campus as the go-to place for any student who is a survivor of sexual assault. Early results have been promising: Students with access to Callisto are six times more likely to report an assault, and will do so within four months on average (11 months is the average without Callisto). In 2018, Callisto identified serial perpetrators in 15% of records entered into the matching system. THE PERSON As a college student, Jess created her own major in public policy and human sexuality, a decision she made in part because she was sexually assaulted by a friend during her

sophomore year. Jess ended up reporting her assault—over a year after it happened—and found the process of reporting more traumatic than the assault itself. She became her college’s sex columnist where she surveyed fellow students about their sexual experiences, including sexual violence, and learned that her own experience was far from unique. Jess created a chapter of a female sexuality empowerment group and learned that while several of her friends had also been assaulted, none had disclosed the experience to the group because they were too ashamed. In 2011, while at Johns Hopkins University, Jess founded the Social Innovation Lab, an accelerator for student-initiated social innovation projects and organizations. Now staffed full-time by university staff, the lab provides startup funding to student social innovations in public health. The following year, she founded her first nonprofit, Sexual Health Innovations, dedicated to creating technology that advances sexual health and well-being in the United States.

In 2013, after several years working in sexual health policy, including as a federal HIV policy advocate, Jess noticed the increase in stories about college sexual assault survivors and how their schools failed to hold their perpetrators accountable. She thought back to her own assault and began to consider how survivors could be supported during the reporting experience in particular, and how technology might be part of that process. She began designing the Callisto platform, and then she re-branded Sexual Health Innovations as Callisto to focus full time on implementing this solution—one that she wished had existed for her when she was in college.

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HUMAN RIGHTS

Sérgio Serapião Founder LAB60+

Brazil’s population is aging quickly, presenting not only challenges to public policy, but an opportunity to engage older citizens in redefining who they are and where they fit in. Sérgio Serapião, who credits his grandmother for his appreciation of people over 60, is creating a national longevity movement of, by, and for seniors. THE NEW IDEA Sérgio is building a “longevity movement” in Brazil that changes not only how society views older people but also how older people view themselves by providing purposive collaboration that gives them connections and power. By reframing how people view aging, Sergio is reducing social inequalities in a country that Oxfam calls “one of the most unequal on the planet.” He says: “For those with a high standard of living, health care, and financial planning, healthy aging is achievable. For the many that don’t have these things, financial resources are drained just to stay alive. If these issues are not deeply discussed, inequality only increases.” Through the first “aging incubator” in Brazil, Sérgio’s organization, Lab60+, has built a network that works to show how aging is an asset and opportunity. Lab60+ achieves this in several ways, including: Setting up intergenerational hubs throughout the country where people meet and work on solutions to problems, such as isolation and poverty; engaging businesses to appreciate expertise and experience, while preparing and training people for “second act” positions; and building cross-sector connections, such as working with universities so seniors can mentor and guide new college students. Through this work, Lab60+ is helping people age in a healthy way through purpose and positive action. The robust Lab60+ network has over 5,000 members, including people from more than 800 CSOs, educational institutions, and companies that are committed to redefining longevity. Sergio continues to expand awareness and the network across the country. Once a year, he organizes the Lab60+ Longevity Festival, which celebrates the innovations and programs from the network. On average, more than a

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Brazil

thousand people attend the festival, including university students and people of all ages. Sérgio also just launched the B60+ Challenge which invites B Corps companies—certifiably and focusing on people and profits—to show how their work is positively impacting the lives of the elderly. T H E P RO B L E M Brazil is the largest country in South America and has the fifth largest population in the world with more than 200 million people. According to the United Nations, the share of its population age 65 and older is projected to triple by 2050 to 64 million, driven mostly by improved life expectancy. According to research in the journal The Gerontologist, Brazil developed important policies and laws to guarantee older adults’ right to age well and with dignity, such as the National Policy on the Elderly. With the bill, Brazil adopted the guidelines of the World Health Organization for aging societies. Key elements of the bill include health, participation in society, security measures to protect people over 60 from violence and discrimination, and assuring social, physical and financial security. But the implementation of these policies and laws has been slow and hampered by lack of coordination and resources.

“LAB60+ (is) a movement that connects society and organizations to rethink the way we look at aging. At the LAB60+ Festival, there will be lectures, workshops and debates with themes about work, entrepreneurship, and personal fulfillment. Sixty organizations will share their innovations and contributions to the new longevity.”

and Knowledge, Image and Representation, Health and Welfare, and Leadership and Achievement—each achieved through a separate initiative. At the heart of Lab60+ is interaction. People coming together—meeting, discussing local priorities, and learning how to work together to solve problems. These activities are organized by city, where a volunteer “ambassador” establishes a “Café com Vida” (which in Portuguese means “coffee with life,” but can also mean an invitation for coffee), a regular gathering that takes place at least once Sérgio (center, kneeling) with a “Café com Vida” group in Curitiba, Brazil. These a month. The ambassador volunteers go Cafés—spread across the country—are the gateway to the Lab60+ movement where through a twelve-week Lab+60 leader trainlongevity initiatives are formulated and launched. ing program, which focuses on empathy for working in a diverse network and vulnerability Furthermore, prejudices about elderly people dominate as a starting place for leadership. LAB60+ suppopular opinion, making it difficult for them to find work or ports the ambassadors and gatherings with training, guidevolunteer opportunities. A Princeton University study found lines, suggestions, and material, but the groups organize and that ageism in Brazil occurs in families, government agenconduct themselves independently, so that the people in the cies, health care systems, labor markets, and in the media. room, the issues they bring up, and the needs they express As in many places, youth is glamorized, and characteristics form the basic agenda. such as beauty, vitality, and stylishness are attributed only to There are 191 cafes operated by locals in 13 cities. Over 500 younger people; aging is often a subject of shame, ridicule, initiatives have been created, such as Morar.com.vc (“Live and disgust. with You”), a startup launched by two women who didn’t Many Brazilians lack information about aging in a healthy want to live in a senior facility. The app connects people of way—in body, mind, and spirit. While the number of nonprofall ages with similar cultural interests to share housing, thus its and companies that address aging issues has grown, most cutting costs and building financial security. Sérgio created of them are limited—such as offering only education or exerthe LAB60+ Manifesto app to map and spread such longevity cise—and do not take a holistic view that an older person can initiatives all over Brazil. be a driver of social change. Another strategy for action is the LAB60+ Work Reinvention in which Sérgio works with seniors and companies to develop T H E S T R AT EG Y new professions for people over 60. He works with companies to highlight the value of older workers, who have matuSérgio realized that intergenerational, multidisciplinary and rity and expertise, and the benefits of having an intergenercross-sector engagements to create new ways of living, ational workforce. Knowing that millions of people over 60 studying, and working together were essential to create want to “work with purpose” that allows them to contribute social change. The general tendency is to look at old age their knowledge and unique talents toward fulfilling work, he as a matter of rights. However, Sérgio knew that he had to is creating new jobs for these older workers. expand that view and create something much bigger if he was to succeed in building a successful, sustainable public Lab60+ has plunged into the real problems of older people movement. Lab60+ focuses on four categories: Information and identified three: Isolation, which causes depression;

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depression that ultimately compromises health; and financial security, which decreases significantly after a certain age. They then started a series of initiatives testing that could handle this complex problem, and as a result, the startup Labora was launched. Labora works with large companies to help them understand the valuable qualities older employees can offer, thereby creating jobs and addressing the three problems with one solution. Several companies are part of Labora, including the national bank Itaú. Together, they designed a new position to have a senior at each bank branch in roles that are fulfilling for the senior and productive for the company. Lab60+ Work Reinvention offers classes, workshops—such as “How to Reinvent Yourself Professionally”—and real experiences in innovative environments within partner companies. Because of this, seniors build new competencies from real work challenges, as well as new personal and professional connections. THE PERSON When he was growing up, Sérgio used to go to his grandmother´s house every Friday after school. He liked to sit by her side and hear her life stories. His ties with his grandmother grew even stronger when Sérgio was 17 and his father died. Sérgio was strongly influenced by his father, a hard-working businessman, and he studied business in college. He worked for big companies, such as Accenture, where he measured human performance and integrated technology into company systems and processes. He eventually quit, because ultimately, he was responsible for letting people go as technology took their place, and this weighed on him heavily. His decision to leave the business world and create his own model was driven by the desire for more balance between life and work that mattered to him; he did not want to end up like his father who worked all the time. He opened his own boutique consultancy in 2008, advising companies on sustainability and encouraging them to focus on more than just profits. All this time, the issue of aging was always in the background in his work and the companies he consulted for. In 2014, he began working with longevity full-time and wanted to build a network instead of a company. He saw

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that the major players working in this space did not speak or collaborate with each other and that he needed to engage everyone under one umbrella for the greatest impact and launched Lab 60+.

Ashoka is starting a special initiative to strengthen the dimension of our community dealing with aging worldwide. Please see the Next Now section on page 74 of this book to explore this further.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Nazma Akter Founder and Executive Director Awaj Foundation

Nazma Akter, who began working in Bangladesh’s textile mills at the age of eleven, is reshaping the country’s labor movement to reflect the leadership, priorities, and interests of millions of young, female garment workers. THE NEW IDEA The meteoric rise of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment industry now presents an opportunity for its workers to seek fair treatment, resolve disputes, and protect their own health and safety. Nazma is ensuring that the power to achieve these goals is in the hands of the millions of young factory workers, almost exclusively women, upon whom the industry relies. Where labor groups once eschewed female leadership, and used tactics of political manipulation, confrontation, and violence, Nazma is building a new generation of labor groups responding to the actual needs of factory workers and negotiating skillfully and nonviolently with counterparts in industry and government. Nazma’s Awaj Foundation operates by cultivating leaders, establishing new problem-solving structures, and responding to cases of worker grievances as they arise. Awaj has engaged hundreds of thousands of unionized and non-unionized workers in training and listening sessions, a process which not only reveals their priorities, but also identifies potential leaders in each factory or area. The engagement goes beyond simply raising awareness about workers’ rights by setting up new mechanisms, such as committees in each factory that address sexual harassment and other issues. By ensuring that the committees exist, operate effectively, and include women representatives, Awaj creates practical opportunities for leadership and changing factory cultures. Awaj also serves workers in need, offering both general services like health counseling as well as specific advocacy and mediation systems to help resolve disputes. Engaging directly with workers who bring diverse complaints, offering concrete aid, resolving conflicts among companies, regulators, and workers are all fundamental real-world training experiences that prepare more women to broaden and strengthen the movement.

Bangladesh

The women pursue the issues that matter most to them: Fair pay, safe working conditions, dignity in the workplace, and benefits like health care and daycare. While their focus is on protecting their own rights, they also argue their case by appealing to the factories’ interest in increasing productivity and profit. It’s cheaper, in the long run, to employ a nurse than to constantly send workers home for cramps, headaches, and other ailments. Likewise, a nursery eliminates the need for floor managers to rework schedules as women balance the demands of work and family. And by participating in a larger global movement, Nazma is able to advocate directly with brands and align them to her vision and reinforce her practices as a new standard. T H E P RO B L E M The ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh is ripe for change because on the one hand of economic prosperity even as it is plagued by exploitation of workers on the other. As the second largest exporter in the world, the industry accounts for 20% of Bangladesh’s GDP, with 3.5 million workers in more than 4,000 factories across the nation. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the industry for the economy. Yet, weak labor laws, spotty enforcement, and dysfunction in the labor-relations systems have resulted in disrespectful behavior and, sometimes, inhumane conditions. Extremely low wages, unsafe working conditions, injury, harassment, gender-based violence, and salary disputes are common. The 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza, a shoddily built and overloaded eight-story factory complex, killed over a thousand people. While the garment industry was fueling GDP at home and profits abroad, the industry seemed to be getting more hazardous and exploitative. Trade unions began to form in the 1980s as a vehicle for workers to organize collectively to advance their interests and lobby for their rights. The first generation of union leaders was mostly men, at a time when men made up a greater portion of workers and before the dominance of textiles. The power of the movement was in mobilizing large numbers of men and women for strikes and protests, powerful tools that were eagerly co-opted by political parties. Unions were constantly embroiled in political and legal conflicts, while their core mission—pursuing fair and dignified working conditions—suffered.

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harassment and discrimination. And because of cultural barriers to young women speaking out and being taken seriously, their needs went largely unaddressed as the garment sector grew. However, with rising concern about fairness in textile supply chains worldwide, and more pressure on brands to guarantee humane treatment of workers, Bangladesh’s garment workers have an opportunity to harness this attention to secure their rights. T H E S T R AT EG Y

Awaj Foundation works in factories to train workers on their rights under Bangladesh Labor Law, including occupational safety, health standards, and negotiation methods.

In 1991, Nazma was the only female member of the first-ever strike in Bangladesh centered around increasing wages for garment workers. Through organized labor, Nazma observed the power of individuals coming together and demanding justice. During this time Nazma witnessed two key aspects of organized labor. First, trade unions were largely represented and led by men, while most garment workers were women. Secondly, because the violent design of the protests by trade union leaders, the police found it easy to utilize violence as a tool of suppression — the male members and leaders of the trade unions were abused, resulting in the fall of trade unions themselves. These two key observations led Nazma to realize the need for female trade union leadership. If women led these movements, then the physical oppression of union members would be diminished as factory owners and police would find it challenging to physically abuse the female leaders in public. As the garment sector grew, the workforce also changed. More young women from all parts of the country arrived in the industrial zones and built the industry. But the old labor movement was ill-prepared to advocate for the priorities of women workers: Childcare, maternity leave, protection from

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Nazma and her Awaf Foundation are making it possible for a generation of women labor leaders to arise with support both inside and outside their workplaces. The purpose is for them to develop their leadership skills within an environment where constructive problem-solving can take place, where they therefore can learn how to negotiate and resolve conflicts.

Inside the workplace, Awaf has introduced a series of structures that invite women to lead and work in tandem with management. One is the occupational safety and health committee, which gives workers and management a forum for cooperation. Another is a sexual-harassment committee, where women’s leadership is an obvious advantage. These committee structures are ready-made opportunities to help companies comply with regulations and also to help brands that commit to worker participation to do so. Working more broadly, Awaj has led trainings for over 300,000 workers on numerous topics, all centered on dignity and well-being. Only one in ten participants in these trainings had before participated in a union, so encouraging workers to form or join unions and to elect good leaders is an important part of her message. Outside the workplace, Nazma offers various support services. The Awaj Foundation has administered legal aid to over 16,000 individuals. In the personal realm, Nazma provides medical services — including direct medical care, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns and treatment, menstrual hygiene (and supplies of sanitary napkins), education, and first aid

seminars. The foundation also runs schools and daycare centers for workers’ children. Life skills beyond the factory is also central to Awaj’s mission. Nazma also runs community-based cafes that help unite workers and also learn valuable life skills such as financial literacy and nutrition management. As the largest legal aid provider in Bangladesh, the Awaj Foundation ensures the protection of workers in workplace disputes in addition to family and personal needs.

“‘Freedom of association and collective bargaining are the biggest challenges the industry faces today,’ said Nazma Akter, a former child worker and founder of Awaj Foundation, which campaigns for labor rights. ‘Without that power, workers are just surviving, not leading normal lives, and it’s almost a crime.’”

After successfully cultivating over 3,000 trade union leaders through the Awaj Foundation, Nazma is working to diversify and amplify her impact. By expanding the Awaj Foundation’s reach into the leather and non-garment textile sectors, Nazma hopes to provide more workers the tools and strategies to advocate for their own rights. Construction, jewelry-making, and domestic work are other occupations with a high proportion of women and therefore rampant abuse. Beyond Bangladesh, Nazma has programs targeting migrant workers in over sixteen countries. In these programs, migrant workers from Bangladesh are made aware of the potential challenges and abuses they will face working abroad and then are provided with the proper tools and strategies to combat these rights violations. Over the last several years the

Awaj Foundation has assisted 203 migrant workers in filing complaints. Currently the Awaj Foundation serves as an intermediary between the workers and the Bangladeshi government by listening to the concerns of the workers and then lobbying the government for services and policy change. Nazma envisions a world where the Awaj Foundation no longer acts in the capacity of intermediary but instead provides a platform for the workers to lobby the government themselves for these services and rights. She hopes that, by removing the barrier between the government and the workers, the government, and in turn government services, will become more accessible to the workers. THE PERSON Nazma grew up in the Dhaka suburbs, witness to violence both at home and in the garment mills, where at age eleven she joined her mother in supporting the family. She was deeply affected by what she saw and endured, the abuse and humiliation of workers, the treatment of women, and the unsafe conditions. She soon found a voice as a teenage union activist. Nazma became a prominent face in organizing trade unions with a focus on women and disseminating the knowledge of labor laws and workers’ rights. After being repeatedly fired for her organizing work, she gave up factory jobs and became a full-time labor organizer. She gradually learned how to organize trade unions at a large scale and how to collaborate with the upper-level management of the factories. Eventually, Nazma had the opportunity to interact with international governments and European brands to understand their perspectives conducting business in Bangladesh. Nazma gained an overview of global supply chains, from factory to customer, and came to understand and influence those making decisions that do so much to determine the quality of lives of so many millions born as she was without advantage.

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Senior Fellows

SENIOR FELLOW

Jakub Wygnański Founder Shipyard

Senior Fellow Jakub “Kuba” Wygnański has built organizations and networks, one after another, that have enabled the citizen sector to emerge, grow, and thrive in Poland and surrounding countries. He continues to shape the sector as a flexible, open force continuously adapting to new social challenges. THE NEW IDE A In a time of populist reaction that has divided Polish society, Kuba has worked to pull people back into conversation, including the citizen sector itself. Kuba was elected as a Senior Fellow for his longstanding leadership in building the citizen sector in Poland and beyond. In 1989, as Poland transitioned from communism to democracy, Kuba saw three prominent needs in the “third sector:” To develop the legal and institutional structure for civic participation; to increase capacity so the sector could take its place as a cornerstone of democracy and freedom; and to strengthen the ability to respond to critical societal issues as they arose. To address these needs, Kuba designed a multipronged approach, one he defines as “working in between the seams.” His principles of citizen sector organization (CSO) development have five core elements: (1) Base actions on facts, not assumptions; (2) Be powered by humility, not brand; (3) See value in cooperation, not hierarchy; (4) Create decentralized solutions; and (5) Focus on achieving a mission, not strengthening or growing an organization. Kuba has mentored numerous leaders in this approach, both those leading organizations started by Kuba, such as Klon/ Jawor or NGO.pl, and those who lead independent organizations, such as the Laboratory of Social Innovations in Gdynia. Further, he spreads his mission as a member of executive boards of influential organizations, such as CIVICUS and TechSoup, an organization launched by Ashoka Fellow Daniel Ben-Horin that connect tech support and tools to nonprofits.

Poland

T H E P RO B L E M In the decades after 1989, thanks in part to the work of Kuba and other social entrepreneurs, Central and Eastern European countries developed into vibrant democracies with strong citizen sectors. More recently, however, civil society in these regions is weakening as populist leaders increase political polarization and drive people’s dissatisfaction with existing systems. According to the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Poland, the civil society sector has faced numerous challenges since 2016, hampering its ability to promote democratic participation and hold the government accountable for the rule of law and human rights. These challenges include shrinking space for dialogue between civil society and the authorities; lack of transparency for public funds distribution to CSOs; actions limiting basic freedoms, such as freedom of assembly; and both verbal and physical attacks on social service organizations. Kuba is building on his earlier experience, when the era of communism ended in Poland. In 1989, there was no legal or institutional systems in place to build the citizen sector. There was no frame of reference for what a sector could even look like. Most people had no experience with true civic participation, yet believed in the power of group participation, as shown by the Solidarity movement and other social initiatives. T H E S T R AT EG Y Beyond uniting activists and leaders, Kuba influences legislation, grows organizations, and builds systems to house nonprofit research and data. He began by launching the Polish Non-Governmental Organizations Forum, which connected people through regional meetings, where they could strategize and collaborate for the first time on the best way to address social challenges, such as health care and education. The organization continues to host a national festival in Warsaw every three years to celebrate civic engagement and exchange best practices. More than 10,000 people attend these events. The festivals have led to new policies and procedures, including the 2003 Law on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteerism, which is a “CSO-sector Constitution” that regulates relationships between the public and the third sector. ASHOKA 2019 |

Kuba leads “Civic Focus Days,” in which people from different backgrounds gather to read important texts on empathy, listen to lectures, and discuss viewpoints in a safe space. The 2019 gathering was held in the southern town of Niepołomice and the theme was, “Communicating Despite Differences.”

Kuba has been a pioneer in providing free and accurate information about the nonprofit sector. He founded Klon/Jawor (“Maple/Sycamore”), a research organization that publishes dozens of studies about launching and running civil society organizations. Like the forest of its namesake, Klon/Jawor has grown to a vivid online ecosystem, a platform with more than 148,000 nonprofit profiles and a directory of funding opportunities. There are Klon/Jawor Associations in Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, and Kazakhstan, housing research on each country’s citizen sector. Kuba saw the potential of the Internet decades ago, and built a website, ngo.pl, for CSOs to network, collaborate, and support each other. Ngo.pl has five million unique users. It lists training opportunities and has a civic participation guide for everything from volunteering to starting an organization and from accounting to legal assistance. Kuba continues to strengthen and advise CSOs throughout Central and Eastern Europe, including providing spaces for social innovation. His Stocznia Unit for Social Innovation and Research (AKA “Shipyard”) is an incubator for solutions to social needs in Poland. Shipyard is named after the symbol of the Solidarity movement—the main workers’ strike took place in a shipyard in Gdansk. Shipyard concentrates on three areas: Social innovation, such as Apps4Warsaw, which uses open data for greater government transparency and accountability; public engagement and civic participation, such as a national conversation about education; and 62

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research and evaluation such an assessment of social impact bonds. In 2016, Shipyard crowd-sourced more than 300 ideas about services for people with disabilities and mental challenges and implemented 51 projects. A sister organization also launched in Ukraine. Kuba continues to be a connector of people, ideas, and innovations. In 2016, he created a coalition of CSOs, including five Ashoka Fellows from Poland, who launched The Civic Fund. The Civic Fund uses citizen funding to support organizations that have no hope of receiving government funding and has given 47 grants to innovative organizations like Projekt Spiecie (Project “Short Circuit”). Projekt Spiecie tackles ideological isolation by having five magazines with different political views write about the same topic and then publish each other’s work. This collaboration exposes people to experiences and viewpoints outside of their ideological comfort zone, breaking open the echo chambers created by polarized media. In building the CSO ecosystem, Kuba has shifted Polish civil society from solely activism-oriented labor unions towards a multifaceted, resilient, and evolving citizen sector. Currently, he is focused on redirecting civic engagement, from interactions that are negative and oppositional to those that are positive and values-oriented. One way he does this is by holding city-wide rallies that bring people from different sides together to see what they share and to communicate. According to Kuba, the positive vector of civic activism

contributes to an agile and smart citizen sector, which provides a strong base for democracy and freedom. THE PERSON Kuba grew up under communism in a prestigious district in Warsaw and saw two worlds: One with members of the Catholic Intelligentsia Club, who hoped to broaden civic liberties; and the military elites, who were forced to be atheist and belong to the communist party. On his way to high school, he would see the two worlds and realized that they did not know nor understand each other. He was a high school coordinator in the self-education movement, an underground education system that read censored books and met with banned experts who taught officially unapproved ideas, such as socialism and liberalism. Like many Poles of his generation, Kuba learned one version of world history at school and a different version at home. In his early twenties, he was an assistant to Henryk Wujec, one of the three founding fathers of Solidarity. He was one of the youngest participants of the Polish Round Table Talks, a government-initiated discussion with Solidarity, which eventually gave momentum to the relatively peaceful fall of the communist bloc in Eastern Europe. Before the first democratic elections in Poland in 1989, Kuba collected and distributed information about each Solidarity parliamentary candidate. After the election, he received an offer to work in parliament, but he decided instead to invest in building and strengthening the civil society sector in the country. Kuba has devoted himself to this goal ever since.

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SENIOR FELLOW

Manu Gupta Founder and Executive Director Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) Manu Gupta is empowering people to use their own knowledge and resources to better respond to natural disasters, building more resilient communities that recover faster after events. THE NEW IDEA Manu is arming local communities across the Asia-Pacific region with the confidence to use their own knowledge and resources to prepare for and then respond to disasters. In the last 25 years, his organization, Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), has adopted and spread community-led innovations, such as a safe schools program, which works with students and administrators to, for example, develop escape plans and transition shelters (whose sturdy design uses indigenous traditional knowledge and materials). Manu works as a connector who gets these ground-up solutions to national government and United Nations leaders so they can adopt these strategies to build more resilient communities across the region. Based on the belief that all people have the right to dignity, well-being and control over their own lives, Manu’s framework places affected communities at the center of decision-making, closing the gap between reality on the ground and national policy-making. SEEDS starts with listening to people about their needs and concerns, such as reducing risk in schools and student safety. Then community members generate solutions, which are led and expanded by local leaders, such as principals and school administrators. Tested solutions are then positioned as good practices and used in advocacy work which spreads the ideas to all of those engaged in responding to disasters, including governments to institute these new norms. Manu began in India—where, according to SEEDS 22 out of 31 states and union territories are disaster prone—subject to cyclones, droughts, heat waves, tsunamis, floods, and landslides. His work now spans more than ten countries in the region, including Nepal and Bangladesh. Going forward, he is urgently focusing on more ways to connect national and international leaders with disaster work being done

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India

by communities. For example, he started the Asian Local Leaders Forum for Disaster Resilience. One of its roles is to identify and celebrate people from across Asia who have done remarkable disaster work in their communities. Recent recipients include a mayor from the Philippines, a nurse from Nepal and a bakery owner in India. T H E P RO B L E M Every year, natural disasters put millions of people at risk and cause losses worth trillions. These numbers will only increase as climate change causes more severe events. The aftermath, of lost lives, property and livelihoods, leaves people and their communities emotionally weak and struggling to bounce back. According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 95% of all deaths caused by natural disasters occur in developing countries. In most cases, the damage isn’t caused by the disaster itself, but by other factors like unsafe construction, lack of early warning systems, poor safety measures, and lack of consideration for community concerns and knowledge. Despite the Disaster Management Act of 2005 in India, which shifted management from national to the states, events are still addressed in a top-down, event-specific, highcost manner. The affected communities have little say in management or recovery. In the ‘life cycle’ of a disaster, there are generally recognized stages—mitigation, response, early recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Government and other agencies intervene at different stages, providing either relief, rehabilitation or reconstruction. No one agency focuses on the entire life cycle, making it difficult to manage disasters comprehensively. When these agencies vacate affected areas, the communities remain confused and still in need of support. They lack resources and may not feel empowered enough to bounce back on their own, thus perpetuating a cycle of dependency. Vulnerable communities have their own local coping mechanisms and experiences in mitigating disasters, but historically the government has not consulted them, so the local knowledge remains unutilized. Not only is the work done poorly and not responsively but the top down outside interventions undermine previously key local knowledge, capabilities, organization, and spirit.

“My house got made, but others also need help building. Whatever my pain, others feel the same pain. So I decided to become a trainer with SEEDS. It makes me happy to give people an idea of how to build their house, to follow the design so we all will stay safe. This house is strong so you must make it, I tell them. At that point, people really pay attention and I feel good that whatever I am doing is heartfelt.” – Bishnu, Changunarayan, Bhaktapur District, Nepal.

T H E S T R AT EG Y Manu and SEEDS prepare people on the ground to be the leaders and active participants in all stages of disaster management, not passive receivers relying on government aid, which is often insufficient and ineffective. For example, SEEDS distributed guidelines to Kerala flood victims so they could determine for themselves if it was safe to return to their homes. By using the guidelines to check structural damage and following the recommendations for repair, people not only gained new skills they could use in the future, but they also learned how to ensure the house won’t collapse on them and to best prepare the home to withstand another disaster. In response to the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that killed approximately 20,000 people and destroyed 440,000 homes, SEEDS developed the first-ever safe schools program. The safe schools program is a blueprint that shows students, teachers, parent-teacher groups and civic organizations how to work together to prepare for disasters. The community audits the school and neighborhoods from a safety point of view and develops an evacuation

plan with action items, such as developing signage and pathways and performing mock drills. This program served as a template for the National School Safety Program adopted by the Indian government. SEEDS so far has reached 183,541 children and 362 schools with this approach. Another SEEDS initiative is its work with “transition shelters.” Many governments build temporary shelters to house people who have lost their homes, but SEEDS transition shelters are different. They are built quickly, but with a long-term recovery plan that turns them into permanent housing. These structures have strong foundations built from locally-sourced materials and are inexpensive to build. Victims help build the shelters and own them. These homes are built in partnership with the homeowners, and a simple smart card walks them through the construction process. SEEDS supports homeowners for the eventual permanent reconstruction, working alongside the local government to provide technical support. The Indian government now has recognized transition shelters as a critical step in the recovery and reconstruction phase.

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SEEDS is working with Google and Facebook to explore how technology can be used in each phase of disaster management. For the response phase, SEEDS partnered with Google to create the first-ever live floods map in India and an alert system that notifies Google users about imminent floods in their regions. SEEDS wants people to not just receive this information, but to feel empowered to act as local “river guardians” who observe flood conditions and notify their networks for quick response and recovery (See the photo opening this section). To speed relief and reconstruction, SEEDS collaborated with Facebook to develop a social network map that shows the movement of people during a disaster. During the 2018 Kerala floods in southern India, SEEDS used this tool to assess where people were and directed relief efforts towards these areas. THE PERSON Manu was raised in eastern India in Rourkela, Odisha, which is home to a large steel plant. Manu’s father worked for the steel industry but out of doors. Manu developed a love of being in nature from him. After graduating from high school, he studied at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi and became the president of the student union. He and five friends started SEEDS in the school cafeteria. Eventually, they began to work with the Indian government, traveling around the country to assess development. Manu gained critical insights through this work and realized that the planning principles they had studied in college rarely matched the situation on the ground. During this time, India was experiencing serial serious disasters, including damaging cyclones, and SEEDS began on-the-ground relief work. As an urban planner, Manu saw how better construction and design could mitigate disasters. After the Gujarat earthquake struck in 2001, he spent two years there doing reconstruction work, as well as formulating some of SEEDS’ groundbreaking strategies—especially community-based disaster management.

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SENIOR FELLOW

Sue Riddlestone Chief Executive and Co-Founder Bioregional

For the past quarter century, Sue Riddlestone has been a leader in the global sustainability movement, pioneering a set of guidelines for living within the Earth’s resources, called “One Planet Living.” THE NEW IDE A Sue recognized early on that advocacy alone wasn’t enough to reverse the trajectory of unsustainable living. She set out to prove that we can live good lives within the natural limit of the planet and then used that proof to change policies and practices. Demonstrating how sustainable living could benefit people both economically and personally, she launched several green businesses offering cost-competitive, environmentally-friendly products and services; she then founded the research organization Bioregional in 1994 to study and improve these businesses and the broader principles under which they operate. Sue also co-developed BedZED in 2002, the first large-scale eco-community in the U.K., designed to produce zero carbon emissions, where she still lives and works today. From her experience designing BedZED, Sue created the One Planet Living approach, which has ten simple, holistic principles with detailed goals and guidance that can be adapted for individual projects, organizations, and entire cities and regions. For the past 25 years, Sue has pioneered program and policy changes addressing sustainable production and consumption, scaling One Planet Living all the way to the United Nations. From 2011-2015, Sue and her team showed up to every UN meeting, handing out leaflets with the One Planet Living principles and pictures of BedZED. Bioregional played a role in the civil society input for the Rio+20 process championing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 agreed-upon targets for improving economic prosperity and social well-being while protecting the environment. And Bioregional had a formal role as a UN NGO focal point for sustainable consumption and production (SCP), working with international partners and governments to ensure SCP was understood and represented in the SDGs. As a result, one of the goals

United Kingdom

(#12) is devoted to SCP, and several of the targets relate to it. After successfully lobbying for the SDGs, Sue’s focus shifted to implementing them. She is currently leading a “One Planet Cities” project which brings together organizations, businesses, schools, and communities in Canada, Denmark, South Africa, and the UK to create an international network of knowledge-sharing to accelerate sustainable city planning. She is working with the government in Finland, who recently announced the country will be carbon neutral by 2035. Sue also developed an open source platform for One Planet Living which is a toolkit for anyone to implement the framework at an individual, community, city, or country level. T H E P RO B L E M The modern economy relies heavily on extracting raw materials from the earth and processing them into products, most of which are eventually discarded. Other challenges to the planet are the rapid spread of industrialization and urbanization, along with increasingly global supply chains that drive demand for mass production and consumption of ever-wider more goods. Climate-change planning is not yet in place to cope with the anticipated human population migration or the drain of people leaving rural areas for urban ones. The UN estimates the world population will increase from 7.7 billion to over 9.7 billion by 2050, with nearly 70% of the population living in urban areas. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts that 80% more energy will be required for a world economy four times larger than today, but without a sustainable growth model, the planet won’t be able to support this need. Despite the various agreements in place, most notably the Paris Agreement where all nations agreed to make efforts to combat climate change, they are still not enough to prevent the global average temperature from exceeding the two degrees Celsius threshold, unless world leaders enforce very rapid and costly emission reductions. Most governments have not developed comprehensive action plans to achieve the SDGs. With the absence of visible, inspired leadership at a country level to promote longterm sustainable living, citizens of developed and developing

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Completed in 2002, BedZED was the U.K.’s first large-scale, mixed-use sustainable community. It comprises 100 zero-carbon homes, office space, a college and community facilities. Sue Riddlestone works and lives there.

countries urgently need to become environmental champions. Many people feel so overwhelmed by the problems facing the planet that they don’t believe sustainable living is possible. In the private sector, there is a critical need for information, resources and support in the design and implementation of more sustainable production practices.

of the Olympic bid team who wrote the sustainability strategy for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games—and subsequently helped deliver what was the greenest Games to date. Sue applies the One Planet Living model through practical advice and guidance to governments at different levels, often working behind the scenes through the networks of relationships she has built.

T H E S T R AT EG Y

2. Sustainable Homes and Communities: BedZED influenced the sustainable housing policy in the UK; Sue wrote the basis of the UK government’s carbon policy for housing, creating one of the first global standards to measure consumption-based greenhouse gas impacts in cities. She continues to play a role in the UK’s sustainable housing sector, including as the director of Bioregional Homes, a company Sue established in 2018 to build affordable homes that are zero-carbon, called One Planet Communities. She uses the ten principles of One Planet Living in the design, construction

Working at the individual, community, corporate, and government levels, Sue has influenced how sustainability is understood and implemented. Currently, Bioregional works in four main ways: 1. One Planet Living: Sue leverages the One Planet Living framework through key global and national platforms, from mass tourism events like the Olympics to spaces where people live, work, and play day-to-day. For example, she was part

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and management of these communities to ensure that they are built from sustainable materials. The residents are encouraged to recycle, grow their own food, and preserve local biodiversity. 3. Sustainability Consulting for Businesses: Sue helps retailers and other businesses plan and implement innovative sustainability strategies, products and services. For example, Bioregional worked with Kingfisher, Europe’s largest home improvement retailer, with annual sales of over $12 billion, to set sustainability targets and guidelines. Bioregional helped Kingfisher’s retail outlet B&Q develop and launch its One Planet Action Plan, which formed the basis of their sustainability program called One Planet Home. This impacted B&Q dramatically; it has reduced its absolute carbon footprint by 41%, reduced 33% of CO2 emissions and trained up to 80% of its workforce in One Planet Living. This advisory role to big business is both a source of revenue for Bioregional and a powerful way for Sue to showcase the One Planet model. 4. Influencing Wider Change: Looking ahead, Sue is urgently driving initiatives that will create the widest impact. For example, Bioregional helped form “Transform Together,” a multi-sector network that works to catalyze political, business, and societal changes to achieve Goal #12, SCD. Transform Together is working to create a market for sustainable smartphones and ICT to lessen electronic waste by 2030.

THE PERSON Sue was born in the UK in 1960, in the county of Surrey. She loved animals and the environment from a young age. She trained as a nurse but spent her early life concerned about environmental damage. After the birth of her third child, instead of returning to nursing, she began volunteering for Greenpeace. Sue lobbied and advocated for environmental causes and started local campaigns against unethical food production systems. She launched environmentally-friendly companies, supplying resources and services to local communities. By the time Sue was in her mid-twenties, she was a mother of three young children and had set up four social organizations, including a company selling washable diapers. She was also

leading a network of local mothers who fundraised for various environmental causes.

“…it’s so important to get housing right. Not in five or ten years, but right now. If we don’t, we are just locking in unsustainable lifestyles for decades to come…. If we plan things holistically in this way, we can create zero carbon communities where people will want to live. This may sound like a utopian dream, but it doesn’t have to be.” – SUE RIDDLESTONE

As she reached thirty, with her children now at school, Sue decided she wanted to set up a broader, more inclusive green business. She was determined to find ways to produce the things people needed in more efficient, closed-loop models, which reuses the same materials repeatedly to create new products for purchase. She began work with paper and textile alternatives and co-founded Bioregional to research, develop, and implement these new green businesses. She established a working closed-loop paper model for the city of London which reduced paper impact by 93%, and established the Laundry, London’s first curbside recyclables collection. Sue was determined to develop a model that could bring her sustainability approach to mainstream society, while demonstrating to companies that economic growth and an eco-friendly lifestyle don’t have to be mutually exclusive. She continued to develop examples of sustainable solutions at Bioregional and refined the One Planet Living model to do this.

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Collaborative Entrepreneurship

Next Now: The Biggest Challenges......................................................................................... 71 The Power of Ashoka Young Changemakers......................................................................... 73

NEXT NOW: THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES Ashoka’s Next Now Global Team of Teams Launches

Next Now Team Launch Meeting, October 2019

The Next Now team catalyzes all of Ashoka to invent and change by finding the most powerful social entrepreneurs and partners and then all together taking on four of the world’s greatest challenges. This is how entrepreneurs learn. This team (of four teams) then has two mandates, both critical for Ashoka and its “everyone a changemaker” movement: (1) Quickly seeding and developing key new fields, and (2) helping all parts of the Ashoka movement in the process of collaborating to develop much-improved approaches for search in these new fields—and for our working together as a “fluid, open, integrated team of teams” globally. Next Now has chosen four areas that are hugely important, that are becoming more so, and where Ashoka would benefit greatly by expanding the number of Fellows and partners dealing with each of these issue areas. Searching globally, using new tools, and drawing on Ashoka’s world-wide highly skilled presence, each team will launch ten top social entrepreneur Fellows and their pattern-changing ideas each year for five years. Consider the impact on each field, given that three quarters of Ashoka Fellows have changed the patterns of their field at the national and/or international level within five years of launch. And then multiply that impact as they collaborate with one another, with almost 4000 other Fellows, and with Ashoka’s many (carefully chosen) partners. Each of these steps, synapsis, and Ashoka reforms helps open the door to solving these challenges, showing how to take on all the future challenges.

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The Four Challenges

Planet

Tech & Humanity

Led by Corina Murafa

Led by Konstanze Frischen

Of the many global challenges facing us today, few are as wide-reaching as climate change. Every person, organization, and society must change. Next Now/Planet’s global team of top entrepreneur teams will map and catalyze: (1) Reversing the current widespread pattern of disconnection between humans and nature; (2) recalibrating the social and environmental value chain; and (3) reshaping almost all of society’s processes so that they maximize environmental as much as economic and social benefit. Avoiding failure requires a tidal wave of innovations – across the waters, farms, grazing lands, forests, and cities; across the spectrum from preventing climate change to adapting to it; and across the need to change how almost everything is done. Our global climate change team and its Ashoka Fellows can have this sort of reach and impact because it can tap the best social entrepreneurs everywhere and across all the areas affected by climate change.

The 21st century has ushered in a new age of exponential technology and digital transformation. From private to professional to public lives, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has enabled new norms and disrupted old traditions. A few urgent questions arise amidst this fastpaced and disruptive change: How will humanity anticipate, mitigate, and manage the consequences of technology? What are the ethical and philosophical frameworks around AI and technology? And, as younger and future generations become digital natives, what does digital citizenship entail? Next Now/Tech & Humanity aims to explore and find answers to these questions with key stakeholders, and together shape the future of technology and the digital world for the good.

Gender Led by Zeynep Meydanoglu

Aging Led by Hae-Young Lee (supported by Mark Cheng) One of the most fundamental evolutions of our century is population demographic change. The combination of higher longevity and lower fertility, resulting in aging societies, can be viewed as reaping the dividends of societal progress. Nonetheless, how we adapt to this new reality and leverage its opportunities will greatly shape the future of human societies. Next Now/ Aging will change current frameworks around aging towards “Every Senior a Changemaker” and intergenerational harmony.

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Gender disparities are as old as time. They are deeply rooted. Although there has been real progress, it is too slow; and change must be at a deeper level. This requires the best, most powerful system-changing social entrepreneurs working together globally and leveraged by their peers in every crosscutting field – be it education or rural development. Reinforced by equally powerful other allies, be they universities or unions. This is what Next Now/Gender will catalyze working with the whole Ashoka movement.

THE POWER OF ASHOKA YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS If you are really good at baseball but the game has changed to chess, you have a choice: learn chess or be sidelined and unable to play.

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A young person who has her power has a very deep, evolution-rooted impact on others that no adult can. For an animal species to survive, the adults must be powerfully wired so that they will reliably devote much of their life force to helping the young grow up. That’s why when adults experience an AYCer, they are moved, sometimes to the point of tearing up. They are also intuitively experiencing the new standard that they must meet to be successful parents, teachers, or mentors. Thus, when the EACH movement needs to communicate with any person or group, AYCers are literally irreplaceable.

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Young people have less to unlearn than any other group. Not surprisingly, therefore, they are making one contribution after another to designing both the “everyone a changemaker” world and the EACH movement.

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Once the movement builds its core team, especially the “jujitsu partners” (the most ethical, entrepreneurial, and powerful organizations in the most powerful sectors for redefining what constitutes success in education -- i.e. education unions, publishers, select cities or states, and education schools), the co-leadership roles for Ashoka Young Changemakers multiply. A half dozen staff and co-leading Fellows, a dozen jujitsu partners (each with a team roughly of five leaders) and ten or so AYCers is in effect, the EACH movement’s revolutionary core. This sixty or seventy people, a close team of teams, has the power to trigger events, create the news, and reach millions. Each gives power to the other.

The old game long defined by efficiency in repetition (e.g. assembly lines, law firms, most bank lending), is in its exponentially accelerating terminal decline. What is the half-life of any repetitive skill now? The old educational model was: Give a person a skill (e.g. barber, banker) that that person would repeat for life in a world with many walls. That’s baseball. The game today is change, the exact opposite of repetition. Today’s central fact is that the rate of change and the degree and extent of interconnection are both accelerating exponentially, each feeding the other. There is no turning back. Every young person must learn chess or be sidelined for life. Ashoka Young Changemakers and their teams have already changed their world significantly. They fully have their life power -- and they know it. They will always be able to help the world make the next big move for the good. Which means they will always be wanted and respected. What do they want now? (1) to help everyone get this magic, life-changing power and (2) to grow this, their own superpower. That’s why they are a perfect fit for the “everyone a changemaker” (EACH) movement. It needs the AYCers as co-leaders: •

They are the “gold standard” examples of what success in growing up now means. Their stories, available for example through LeadYoung (leadyoung@ashoka.org), hugely help other young people, see this essential path, how to go down it, and how feasible and deeply empowering and satisfying it is. These stories are just as important for parents, educators, writers, and policy and community leaders.

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Who could possibly be more powerful in tipping schools, youth programs, indeed any community of young people?

The best way to grasp (1) what success in growing up now means and (2) the key leadership role Ashoka Young Changemakers play in enabling everyone to get there is to introduce four AYCers. They come from four continents, but they are one.

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CARLLA LEADING (Brazil) Carlla is helping young people gain power by mastering the scientific method. She uses the intrigue and pull of Astronomy to do so. Now an Ashoka Young Changemaker, she has new allies and has quickly become key to the “everyone a changemaker” movement. Carlla fully launched her Cosmos work as soon as she entered the Federal University of Amazones at 16. Later she persuaded the Rectory to make Cosmos an official university extension project. One of her new EACH partners is the Manaus Secretary of Education, who has helped her reach 40 schools and the administrators and teachers in 499 schools with 236,000 students. Carlla, now a central player in the Manaus EACH leadership team, has given it new energy. A good example is the power she brought when the team was invited to bring the EACH challenge to the national meeting of the syndicate of those who manage all 5,700 schools districts across Brazil (see below). Carlla is co-leading the movement in a number of other ways. She is working with parents groups (e.g. CEFA) helping them

to champion EACH. She presented her approach and EACH to Brazil’s main scientific congress, SBPC. She is helping Ashoka and an education publisher jujitsu partner develop a new EACH-focused high school course likely to reach 500,000 students. She is helping design the system that will allow skilled changemaker young people to help one another and also those who are just starting. And she helped select the newest group of Ashoka Young Changemakers in the U.S.

“I’m doing work that is necessary. There was a gap, I saw it, and I am now doing something for the society I am a part of.” CARLLA

ENGAGING SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS Invited by the syndicate of those who run Brazil’s 5700 school districts, UNDIME, (an Ashoka EACH partner), the Manaus “everyone a changemaker” team presented. Carlla was central. Here is what one observer experienced:

Carlla (with Manaus metro area EACH team co-leaders) addressing 90 municipal secretaries of education)

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“A panel with all the co-leaders having Carlla at the center of it focused on how quality education today is all about enabling every student to self-identify as a changemaker -and practice empathy and changemaking. That this should be the ultimate measure of quality and success. The participation of Carlla was a total blast. One could see everyone’s eyes lighting up, and she received a spontaneous and raving applause in the middle of her speech. The direct audience was of about 90 secretaries of education from all across the country. Some were in tears at the end and one, from Porto Alegre (in the south of the country), said he still has goosebumps when he remembers her testimony.” A video featuring the panel was published on UNDIME’s national intranet system which is accessed by all 5,700 political units in the country (Conviva). As a consequence of this engagement, UNDIME’s president has invited the group to present at their annual Board meeting in Brasilia, the federal capital. The goal is to make all young Brazilians recognize changemakers, as well as Carlla, and have objective conditions to exercise this power.

TAYLOR LEADING (United States) After attending a summer camp at Stanford’s AI lab, Taylor reflected on the inaccessibility to STEM education in her rural hometown of Logan, Utah. She made two close friends at the camp who were similarly interested in addressing gaps in STEM education for young women in their communities. Eager to bridge divides in the field, Taylor and her friends aspired to build an online community to promote curiosity and confidence in young women to pursue STEM and, specifically, artificial intelligence. However, they only found blogs geared towards fashion, so the team started a blog called Allgirlithm to showcase diverse women in technology. In two years, they transformed the blog into a esource hub and AI club program in schools across the US and in 6 other countries. The online network of young women share resources for starting a chapter and hosting activities through their open source curriculum. Taylor’s team today consists of 14 other young women who are expanding their initiative by building partnerships with peer organizations to support hackathons and to host workshops. Taylor, selected in June 2019, coleads in the “everyone a changemaker” movement in several ways both locally and beyond. For example, she alongside fellow AYCer Christian, was a keynote speaker at the LEAD conference organized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP is the organization behind National Honors Society and National Junior Honor Society. In her keynote, Taylor shared her changemaking story on how she started Allgirlithm and she challenged all the students to identify a problem, form a team, and go develop a solution. She ended her speech by sharing with everyone the urgent need for truly every one of them to be a changemaker. .

JESSICA LEADING (Indonesia) In primary school, Jessica remembers a growing divide between her classmates over religious and racial differences. Intolerance from adults was perpetuated in her school as young people began to mimic discrimination they saw at home and in their community of Surabaya. Jessica realized that if young people lack their changemaking power, then they ignore social issues and normalize intolerance. Spurred on by a series of bombings in Surabaya, she launched her “Be One in Diversity” initiative. Jessica and her team break barriers with young people from different backgrounds through casual and fun activities instead of serious interfaith discussions. The activities— which include entrepreneurship, social movement, ecology, and community engagement—ignite and build young people’s ability to collaborate and achieve a common goal together. By thus building strongly rooted mutual respect in action across diversity, Jessica is helping create a more resilient and equitable Indonesia and world. Her approach works because she puts kids in charge, because she gives them the power to give. This work, of course, fits perfectly with the needs of the “everyone a changemaker” movement. Elected to co-lead, Jessica now leads workshops in schools across the Surabaya area that enable and encourage students to step up and become changemakers. The first two steps are: (1) to give yourself permission and (2) to master the foundational, first necessary ability—”cognitive empathy based living for the good of all.”

“For the first time in Brazil, the ten young people who stand out in... engaged projects met on Friday in Salvador. The meeting was organized by Ashoka, an international NGO considered one of the five with the greatest social impact in the world.”

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AKASH LEADING (India) As a young teen Akash worked out how to recycle waste from 50 temples and create jobs for 22 prisoners, leading to the release and now leading to the release and new start for some. Once an Ashoka Young Changemaker, he convinced a temple to modify a main festival to encourage young changemakers. He then won support from the Mayor and others to provide incubation and other supports.

“Ashoka Young Changemakers are a carefully selected network of young people who have found their power to create change for the good of all, and who are engaging their peers and the entire society in realizing a world where everyone is a Changemaker.”

Eight of the first group of Ashoka Young Changemakers during their May 2019 launch. They come from every part of Brazil and every background.

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Organizing the Movement

World Council............................................................................................................................... 78 Board, North American Council............................................................................................... 79 Offices Worldwide....................................................................................................................... 80 Ensuring the Future: The Endowments.................................................................................. 82 In Appreciation............................................................................................................................. 88 Gifts with Special Impact........................................................................................................... 89

Ashoka Leaders WORLD COUNCIL

Fazle Abed Fazle Abed is the founder and chairman of BRAC, the world’s largest and one of its most excellent and entrepreneurial citizen groups. BRAC brings structural change to tens of thousands of villages on three continents through education, finance, and integrated development. Queen Elizabeth knighted him in 2010.

Marjorie C. Benton Marjorie, very much a fellow spirit, has founded and co-founded many socially important organizations including: the Chicago Foundation for Women; the Women’s Issues Network; and The Peace Museum. She has been board chair of Save the Children, and she served as a delegate to the United Nations special sessions on disarmament in the 1970s, and then as U.S. Ambassador to UNICEF.

Vera Cordeiro One of the early Brazilian Ashoka Fellows, Vera Cordeiro founded Associacao Saùde Crianca which addresses the root causes that prevent poor families from providing adequate care to their children when discharged from the hospital.

Marian Wright Edelman Marian Wright Edelman is a lifelong advocate for disadvantaged Americans and is the President of the Children’s Defense Fund. Under her leadership, CDF has become the nation’s strongest voice for children and families.

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Anupam Puri Anupam ("Tino") Puri founded and managed McKinsey’s practice in India. In 1996, he was elected a managing director, and from 1998 onwards, he oversaw all of McKinsey’s Asian and Latin American practices. Tino was an incorparator and a founder board member of Ashoka.

Sir Shridath Ramphal Sir Shridath Ramphal is Co-Chair of the Commission on Global Governance and President of the World Conservation Union. He is Former Secretary General of the British Commonwealth, Chancellor of the University of West Indies and former Foreign Minister and Attorney General in Guyana.

Muhammad Yunus Nobel Prize recipient, Muhammad Yunus, provided the global leadership that made microcredit a universally accepted development tool. He went on to create a series of social businesses, including the largest telephone service in the region.

ASHOKA BOARD

Richard Cavanagh (On Leave)

Fred Hehuwat

The Kennedy School of Government Harvard University Former President and CEO, The Conference Board United States

Founder, Green Indonesia Foundation Former Director, National Institute of Geology and Mining of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences Indonesia

Bill Drayton

Sara Horowitz

Chair and CEO, Ashoka: Everyone a Changemaker Chair, Get America Working! Former Assistant Administrator, U.S. E.P.A. United States

Ashoka Member Founder, Working Today and the Freelancers Union United States

Mary Gordon

Writer and Former President, Ashoka India

Ashoka Fellow Founder & CEO, Roots of Empathy Canada

Roger Harrison Newspaper Executive and Chair, Leading Charities Chair, Royal Dance Academy Former Chair, Asylum Aid Former Chair, Toynbee Hall United Kingdom

Sushmita Ghosh

Felipe Vergara Co-Founder and CEO, Lumni Peru

Kyle Zimmer Founder and President, First Book United States

NORTH AMERICAN COUNCIL Marjorie C. Benton

Eugene Ludwig

Trustee, President’s Commission on White House Fellowships Former Chair, Save the Children Former United States Representative to UNICEF

Chair & Chief Executive Officer of Promontory Financial Group Former U.S. Comptroller of the Currency

Richard Danzig Former Secretary of the Navy

Founder & President, Social Accountability International Founder, Council on Economic Priorities

Peter Kellner

Theodore R. Marmor

Founder and Managing Partner, Richmond Global Co‑Founder, Endeavor Founder, Environmental Management and Law Association (Hungary) Founder, Ural Petroleum Corporation

Professor of Public Policy and Management and Professor of Political Science, Yale School of Management

Alice Tepper Marlin

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Offices Worldwide Ashoka Global and North America 1700 North Moore Street, Suite 2000 Arlington, VA 22209 1939 UNITED STATES t: 1 703 527 8300 f: 1 703 527 8383

Ashoka East Africa Nexus Co-Working Ground Floor, Riara Corporate Suites Riara Road, Nairobi KENYA t: 245 0 202 628 738

Ashoka Argentina Zapiola 1451 CP 1426 Caba ARGENTINA t: 54 11 4393 8646 e: infoargentina@ashoka.org

Ashoka Anglophone West Africa F8 Lasode Crescent Off Ozumba Mbadiwe Street Victoria Island, Lagos NIGERIA t: 23 412 950 872 e: jnzerem@ashoka.org

Ashoka Austria and Central Eastern Europe c/o Haus der Philanthropie, Schottenring 16/3.OG Vienna A-1010 AUSTRIA t: 43 1 3840100 e: austria@ashoka.org

Ashoka Belgium Rue Joseph II/20 Jozef-straat II1 000 Brussels BELGIUM t: 32 2 675 2219 e: ashokabelgium@ashoka.org

Ashoka Brazil

Ashoka Israel

R. Dr. Virgílio de Carvalho Pinto 433 - Sala 8 - Pinheiros São Paulo - SP 05415-000 BRASIL t: 55 11 3085-9190 e: brasil@ashoka.org

POB 170 Ein Carmel 30860 ISRAEL t: 972 52 6967722 e: israel@ashoka.org

Ashoka Canada 336 Adelaide Street West, Suite 606 Toronto, Ontario M5V 1R9 CANADA t: 1 416 646 2333 f: 1 416 646 1875 e: canadainfo@ashoka.org

Ashoka Chile Gral Bustamante 26 Providencia, Región Metropolitana CHILE t: 56 2 220 00232 e: bdominguez@ashoka.org

Ashoka France Station F, 55, boulevard Vincent Auriol 75013 Paris FRANCE t: 33 1 40 26 30 83 e: france@ashoka.org

Ashoka Germany

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Via Soperga 36 C/O COSV 20127 Milano ITALY t: 003 934 788 35904 e: italy@ashoka.org

Ashoka Japan 1-11-2 Hiroo, Shibuya-Ku, Room 407 150-0012 Tokyo JAPAN t: 81 3 6459 3144 e: japan@ashoka.org

Ashoka Korea #507 Heyground 22-8 Sungsoo 1-Ga. Sungdong-Gu, Seoul SOUTH KOREA t: 82 2737 6977 e: korea@ashoka.org

Ashoka Mexico and Central America

Prinzregentenplatz 10 Munich 81675 GERMANY t: 49 89 2175 49 754 e: ashokagermany@ashoka.org

Av. Álvaro Obregón 168 Piso 2, Col. Roma Norte Mexico City DIF 06700 MEXICO t: 52 55 5256 2820 e: ashokamexico@ashoka.org

Ashoka India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka

Ashoka Middle East and North Africa

54, 1st Cross, Domlur Layout Bangalore 560071 INDIA t: 91 80 4274 5777 e: india@ashoka.org

Ashoka Indonesia Jl. Durma No. 17, Turrangga Bandung, West Java, 40264 INDONESIA t: 62 81 1222 7201 e: indonesia@ashoka.org

Ashoka Italy

25 Masr Helwan Agricultural Road ElZiney Tower (10th Floor) Maadi, Cairo, 11451 EGYPT t: 2 02 253 285 86 f: 2 02 236 544 04 e: venture-assist@ashoka-arab.org

Ashoka Netherlands

Ashoka Singapore/Malaysia

Ashoka United Kingdom

Lange Voorhout 32 Den Haag, 2514 EE NETHERLANDS t: 221 33 825 43 43 e: info@ashoka.nl

112 Robinson Road #10-03 Singapore, 68902 SINGAPORE t: 65 9154 890 e: singapore@ashoka.org

Ashoka Nordic

Ashoka Southern Africa

People’s Mission Hall 20-30 Whitechapel Road London E1 1EW UNITED KINGDOM t: 44 20 8980 9416 e: infouk@ashoka.org

Fack 46, Norrsken House Birger Jarlsgatan 57 c 113 56 Stockholm SWEDEN t: 0046 72 579 7376 e: scandinavia@ashoka.org

Office 15, The Business Exchange 195 Jan Smuts Avenue Rosebank 2193 Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA t: 27 011 447 1758 e: southernafricainfo@ashoka.org

Ashoka Philippines

Ashoka Spain/Portugal

c/o co.lab Unit 301, 3rd Floor, #3 Brixton Street, Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City, PHILIPPINES 1603 t: 632 899 4587 e: philippines@ashoka.org

Calle de Méndez Álvaro, 9 Bajos 28045 Madrid SPAIN t: 34 91 448 9962 e: coordinador@ashoka.org

Ashoka Poland

Ashoka Switzerland

Ul. Michała Paca 40 04-386 Warszawa POLAND t: 43 1 38 40 100 e: info_pl@ashoka.org

Rue Rothschild 50 1202 Geneva SWITZERLAND t: 41 078 685 45 60 e: switzerland@ashoka.org

Ashoka Romania

Ashoka Thailand

Strada Gina Patrichi 6 Bucureşti 010449, România Găzduiţi de RAF ROMANIA t: +40 799 827 088 e: romania@ashoka.org

101/8 Phahonyothin 32 Road Senanikom, Chatuchak Bangkok 10900 THAILAND t: 66 29 41 9294 e: thailand@ashoka.org

Ashoka Sahel (Senegal)

Ashoka Turkey

Cite Sipress II Villa 176 Dakar, Dakar Fann, BP 15090 SENEGAL t: 221 33 827 37 19 e: ctoure@ashoka.org

Asmali Mescit Mah. Mesrutiyet Cad. Gen. Yazgan Sk. No:14 Beyoglu—Istanbul TURKEY t: 90 538 437 9498 e: turkiye@ashoka.org

Ashoka Venezuela/Andean Region Av Francisco de Miranda Mene Grande Bldg, 5th Floor Office 5-4 URb Los Palos Grandes Caracas VENEZUELA t: 58 212 421 9005 e: venezuela@ashoka.org

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Ensuring the Future: The Endowments Ashoka’s endowments provide an enduring base of support for innovation across the globe. Their growth also helps ensure Ashoka’s long‑term ability to serve a field that will be critically needed as long as society must adapt and change. Ashoka’s endowments have had good results over the last 35 years. Managed with a five‑year perspective by three endowment trustees, the trustees invest with a long‑term perspective and are committed to maintaining the real value of the funds before agreeing to disbursements. Given by both institutions and individuals, Ashoka endowments often create a permanent statement about or memorial to someone the donor especially loves or respects.

The Amaterasu Endowment For the support of women Fellows working outside the Americas in the areas of women’s reproductive rights, women’s empowerment, or sustainable community. Endowed by Katherine Victoria Randolph. Established in December 1999.

The Henry Beal Endowment In memory of Henry Beal, a founding friend of Ashoka and, before his death, one of its Endowment Trustees. He was one of America’s most inspired and effective environmental managers and leaders. The endowment is focused on environment issues and HIV/AIDS. Established in 1992.

The E. Noel Bergere Endowment In memory of Noel Bergere who, though crippled by polio at three years old, became Master of the High Court. He was also a leader of the disabled and a patron of education in Australia. Focused on supporting a Fellow who is handicapped and/or whose work relates either to education or the law. Established in 1984.

The Joan Bergere Endowment Joan Bergere came to America as a young musician and later helped other young musicians get their first career opening at major New York City public concerts. She was a loving parent and a citizen of the world with broad interests. Established in 1982.

The Benjamin and Anne Bloom Endowment Ben Bloom was a successful lawyer and businessman who, as the son of immigrant parents, believed strongly in creating opportunities for others to succeed as he had succeeded. This endowment has been established to honor his desire to provide opportunities for those who are willing to work hard but need a chance in life. Anne, his lifelong partner, passed away in 2019, and thoroughly agreed with him about providing opportunities for others. She would be honored to add her name to this endowment. Established in 1996, expanded in 2019. Unrestricted.

The Columbia Ashoka Fellowships I and II The Columbia Foundation created two endowments to enable Ashoka to elect more women as Fellows. Established in 1986.

The C.M. Cresta Fund Established in 1986. Unrestricted.

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The Padma Rag Datta Endowment Dr. Padma Rag Datta dedicated his life’s work to using science to improve human welfare and preserve the environment. His father, Parasuram Datta, founded a wildlife sanctuary in Assam and was a strong believer in social justice. The family wishes that their legacy be continued through this endowment so that Ashoka Fellows may find their own path to the simple and profound acts that make a difference. Established in 1996.

The Sarah Dunbar Endowment Sarah Dunbar had an enduring concern for downtrodden people whose environment had been destroyed or reduced by modern times, especially by war and industry. Contributing to maintaining a people‑friendly environment was another of her passions. Established in 2000.

Endowment Fund B Established in 1999. Unrestricted.

The Michael Fein Honorary Endowment This endowment is in memory of Michael Fein and his tremendous ability to touch so many lives. He was very passionate about the social enterprises that Ashoka fulfills. Established in 2001.

The Maurice Fitzgerald Ashoka Fellowship Maurice Fitzgerald taught in the Philippines after the Spanish American War. He loved teaching and the people of the Philippines. Created for a teaching and education fellowship. Established in 1986.

The John and Eleanor Forrest Ashoka Fellowship John and Eleanor Forrest were the loving parents of long time Ashoka partner Jack Forrest. Established in 1986. Unrestricted.

The Fort Hill Endowment Fund Established in 1993. Unrestricted.

The Fox Peace Endowment The Fox Peace Endowment is inspired by the Peace Testimony articulated by George Fox in 1651 and by the commitment of Tom Fox, who was killed in Iraq in 2006, while serving as a witness for peace. Its purpose is to identify and launch social entrepreneurs and their projects dedicated to the development of structure, conditions, and communities that nurture peace.

The Buckminster Fuller Ashoka Fellowship For Fellows working to alleviate hunger in South Asia. Established in 1983.

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The General Endowment Fund for Ashoka The General Endowment for Ashoka was established in 1998 from numerous individual contributions earmarked for endowment purposes. Unrestricted.

The Sanjoy Ghose Endowment This endowment is a tribute to the work and sacrifice that Ashoka Fellow Sanjoy Ghose made in building a culture of volunteerism and a sense of citizen responsibility among the youth in India’s northeastern state of Assam. It is a legacy of the work he began to reorient the area’s youth away from violence and anarchy towards constructive and active social involvement in the face of ethnic strife, insurgent movements, and state repression. Sanjoy was abducted on July 4, 1997. The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) claimed responsibility for this event. Unrestricted. Established in 1998.

William T. Golden Ashoka Endowment Bill Golden helped launch Ashoka in 1980. Bill Golden held lifelong enthusiasm for science and the arts. He studied business and used his skills to accomplish useful work in diverse fields. He was himself an artist, repeatedly forging ingenious and effective ways to promote education, research, and understanding. If asked about his purpose, Bill would answer, with a twinkle in his eye, “to do interesting things.” In common with Ashoka, Bill Golden brought opportunity to people with ideas for highly constructive ends. For over three decades, Bill was a close partner and advisor and also an Endowment Trustee for Ashoka.

The James P. Grant Ashoka Endowment Named for the late Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and created by his friends, colleagues, and family to “continue his life’s work and world vision.” The endowment’s purposes include supporting innovative leadership that contributes to social development among children and the disadvantaged, developing new methods and low‑cost technologies to further social development, and encouraging dialogue leading to policies that improve the lives of children and all humankind. Established in 1998.

The Jeroen Hehuwat Endowment In memory of Jeroen Hehuwat, an easygoing young man, with many interests and many good friends. His greatest passion was the natural world and he loved hiking, climbing, and whitewater rafting. In April 2015, he was on a hiking and climbing expedition to Yala Peak in Nepal when an earthquake struck, causing a landslide in the Langtang Valley where Jeroen and his team lost their lives. The endowment will support Ashoka Fellows and Youth Venturers in Indonesia. Established in 2015.

The Albert O. Hirschman Fellowship Given to honor Professor Hirschman’s long leadership in the field of practical, grassroots development. Established in 1986. Unrestricted.

The Jimmy Hopkins Fellowship Jimmy Hopkins was a Judge in the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division. He was known as a very kind man who was a master of the law. Many of his decisions and interpretations are the basis for important legal precedent. Created for a Fellow in the legal or judicial arena. Established in 1997.

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The Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund Ashoka Fellowship For support of Fellows working in Mexico. Established in 1989.

The Abdul Waheed Khan Memorial Endowment Abdul Waheed Khan, who was elected an Ashoka Fellow in Pakistan in 2003, was assassinated in 2013, following death threats for his work. This Endowment celebrates his life and work. Abdul is remembered by his colleagues for his gentle, empathetic, persistent and values-driven approach to finding peaceful solutions to problems. He wanted all children to learn and be prepared to succeed in the modern world. Because of his country’s inadequate investment in education, poor communities often create their own schools, typically madrassas. Responding to what parents and local communities wanted, Abdul brought new approaches to and modern subjects to learning, including mathematics, science, computers and English. Abdul leaves a legacy of great courage and determination; a spirit that was committed to change in spite of risk; and work that will have a lasting impact through the many thousands of children who will be able to live far richer, more open lives because of Abdul. Established in 2013.

The Martin Klitzner Endowment Marty Klitzner was an anomaly. He spent his life in the financial industry, most of it as president of Sunrise Capital Partners, a successful hedge fund. Yet he and his family lived comfortably, not opulently. The family’s extra money was for others—in the local community and world-wide. Marty was one of the most loved and respected men in the American financial community. He was known for his integrity, ready smile and good humor. In the mid-nineties when Marty learned about Ashoka he said, “This is my kind of an organization.” Until his death in 2012, he was a fervent fan and contributor. He was delighted to have dinner with Bill Drayton and discuss their shared ideal of helping others in the most effective way. The greed and excesses of the financial industry are a shame on it and our society. Hopefully, the Ashoka Fellows supported in Marty’s name will help start the reversal of this culture. Established in 2012.

Svayam Krishi Endowment “The soul of India lives in its villages.” -Mahatma Gandhi India has 640,000 villages, which saw three revolutions since the 1970s: rice and wheat, milk and poultry. As a result, India is number one in milk production and among the top five in poultry. Smart village revolution can be next in providing holistic and integrated development. Svayam Krishi Endowment was created to support social entrepreneurs and changemakers to build models for sustainable villages and self-reliance among villagers and to spread the models across villages in India. Sustainability means that villagers are able to meet their human potential and flourish within the village on a long-term basis rather than needing to migrate to cities for sustenance. Self-reliance means that families and individuals within the village are able to meet their needs without external assistance. The Endowment meets these objectives: (1) through the election and support of Ashoka Fellows whose work strongly supports these objectives and who will bring significant pattern change across India, and/or (2) through enabling young people in the villages to play important roles contributing to these same objectives, first (a) by helping them to dream their dream, build their team, and change their world for the better, and second (b) by enabling them to be role models and to provide active and broad-impact self-reliance leadership. Dr. Ratnam Chitturi has taken this initiative with the hope that many others will join and contribute to this Endowment to bring a sustained benefit to rural India. Established in 2018.

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The W. Arthur Lewis Ashoka Fellowship Given to honor Professor Lewis’s remarkably broad contributions to our understanding of development and of key areas of the world. Established in 1986. Unrestricted.

The Mack Lipkin Sr. Memorial Endowment In memory of Dr. Mack Lipkin, a much loved friend and doctor who was also a leader of the medical profession and a founding friend to Ashoka. Dedicated to innovations in the effectiveness and humane quality of health care. Established in 1991.

The Jan Schmidt Marmor Endowment Jan Marmor was a wise counselor to her family, friends, and patients. She was a fine poet and artist. She was a close friend to Ashoka from its launch. With commitment and love she built a family that believed that “no good idea should go unexpressed—or unheard.” Established 2003.

The Francisco “Chico” Mendes Endowment In memory of Chico Mendes, a friend and early Ashoka Fellow. Chico created an approach to grassroots organizing in the Amazon basin that Gandhi would have recognized but that was adapted to his own, very different, environment. Chico, like Gandhi, was killed pursuing peaceful change. The preferred uses of the funds are grassroots work and environmental issues, though the endowment carries no restrictions. Established in 1988.

The Helen Meresman Fellowship In memory of Helen Meresman, the personification of breaking boundaries with determination, grace, and charm. The Helen Meresman Fellowship was established by Roger Barnett in 1997. Unrestricted.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Endowment As the first prime minister in India, Jawaharlal Nehru was far more than a great national leader: He helped build a global community; he was a democrat; he was a historian; and he used his reflective power to hold himself to a high ethical standard. Unrestricted. Established in 2003.

The Nguyen-Phuong Family Endowment Dedicated to supporting social entrepreneurs who operate in emerging markets; a permanent symbol of the family’s keen commitment to social services in the developing world. Established 2014.

The Jacob H. Oxman Memorial Fund In memory of Dr. Jacob H. Oxman, a devoted husband and father, and a kind, caring, generous, and principled man. This endowment is used to support an Ashoka Fellow. Any additional funds can be used either to support another Fellow or to cover operating costs. Established in 1986. Unrestricted.

Diane Pierce Phillips Ashoka Fellowship Endowment Diane Pierce Phillips led an exemplary life of spiritual integrity and servant leadership as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, wife and mother, registered nurse, hospice volunteer, minister of the United Church of Christ (Congregational), and spiritual director. Established in 2003. Unrestricted.

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The Eiler Ravnholt Ashoka Endowment In memory of Eiler Ravnholt, a friend and role model to the founder of Ashoka, a man of values and hard work. He was a dedicated public servant and active citizen, generous with his time, voice and heart. He was a lover of history and defender of our collective responsibility to assist those in need—his own life was shaped by the Great Depression, World War II and the GI Bill. Eiler was a fervent and loyal supporter of the vision of Ashoka throughout its existence: He will be missed by the entire Ashoka community. Established in 2012 and devoted to social justice.

The Daniel Saks Ashoka Fellowship In memory of Dan Saks who, had he lived longer, would have changed U.S. employment policies even more profoundly than he already had. Dan was also one of Ashoka’s earliest creators, beginning in 1963. This fellowship is focused on creating work opportunities for the poor or otherwise disadvantaged. Established in 1986.

The Morton Sand Memorial Endowment Mort Sand, long a highly successful business entrepreneur, turned his energy and creativity to solving society’s ills over his last decades. He helped build Ashoka’s Entrepreneur‑to‑Entrepreneur program, created business opportunities for Brazil’s street girls through three Fellows there, and was key to the launch of the Ashoka U.S.A./ Canada program. The Mort Sand Endowment will be used in the U.S.A./Canada. Although it is unrestricted, the Endowment will give priority to enabling disadvantaged young people through opportunities in business. Established in 2002.

The Richard H. Ullman Endowment Dick Ullman cared deeply about others—from the wellbeing of the world (reflected in his scholarly and journalistic work in the difficult field of international relations) to that of his students (who repeatedly rated him the best professor). As a young professor in the 1960s, he encouraged one of his undergraduate students in the early thinking that eventually led to Ashoka. Over the ensuing decades he was always with Ashoka—sharing ideas, opening doors, and serving on the North America Council. Why was Ashoka such a close fit for Dick? One reason was that he believed in and helped develop young people of values. This belief—plus, in the words of his students, his “combination of rigor and candor,” his “dry wit,” and his “genuine kindness”—changed many lives and, as a result, many important foreign policy decisions. He intuitively knew why the Ashoka Fellows are so powerful, and he recognized the importance of supporting them. These qualities also allowed him to change the country’s course more directly. In addition to teaching at Princeton University for 35 years, he headed the 1980s Project of the Council on Foreign Relations, helped lead Foreign Policy magazine, and served on the Editorial Board of the New York Times. Established in 2014.

The Father Eugene Watrin Endowment In memory of Father Watrin, a remarkable educational founder and builder for over 50 years in Nepal and Ashoka’s volunteer Representative there for our first 15 years. His special commitment to the Ashoka vision and to all in its community, which he did so much to build, exemplifies why he had such a powerful impact on all around him. His greatest legacy is the model of how to live life well through service that is both highly important and performed with the modesty of true caring, love, and faith. For the support of Fellows working in Nepal. Established in 2004.

The Ibrahim Sobhan Endowment In memory of Muhammed Ibrahim Sobhan, the first Ashoka Fellow in Bangladesh. He launched the innovative Association for School Based Education (ASBE) to improve rural primary education for Bangladeshi children attending government, non-government and community schools. Established in 2014.

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THE JOHN AND JUDY HARDING INNOVATION ACCELERATOR Initially intrigued by Yale Law School Alumni for Ashoka two decades ago, John and Judy Harding ever since have been very close and profoundly important partners to Ashoka. They did not want to be seen, but they fully understood Ashoka’s historic role and the special quality of its Fellows, staff, and community. They gave Ashoka their unwavering faith. It is impossible to measure faith, but what could be more powerful -- or moving? Year in, year out they gave Ashoka freedom to elect Fellows with ideas so new that they did not fit funders’ categories. Freedom that has allowed Ashoka itself to innovate – for example in developing “everyone a changemaker”, “the new inequality”, the new definition of what constitutes success in growing up in an everything changing world, the “open, fluid, integrated team of teams” new organizational norm, and much more. Last September John died, followed by his life partner of 70 years, Judy, in December. This is a very deep loss for the Ashoka community. They recognized the historic turning point now before the world and Ashoka’s unique ability to help it through the transition quickly, safely, and wisely. Because Ashoka will therefore have to innovate faster and more broadly than ever, they left a gift to Ashoka designed to continue their support for this innovation for five years. The John and Judy Harding Innovation Accelerator is now at work. For example, it helped Brazil develop and launch what is now Ashoka’s model way of tipping a giant country onto the “everyone a changemaker” path. More recently it is helping Ashoka Africa learn from this Brazil model. Ashoka is also creating a John and Judy Harding Endowment. It will support the launch of the Ashoka Fellows with the most unimagined new ideas forever.

John and Judy Harding John was from the Midwest and Judy from New England. They met at a Yale-Brown football game in 1948. They brought up seven children and were engaged Catholics. John brought his experience in law, banking, and accounting with him when he moved to Omaha to become Warren Buffet’s second hire. Buffet commented: “John Harding was my friend for more than 50 years. Everyone he dealt with knew he had their best interests as his only consideration.” Like John, Judy lived a life guided by values, very much reflecting her deep New England roots. She was engaged with the elderly and the poor. She was a passionate humanitarian and social justice advocate. John and Judy lived lives of love and respect in action quietly, modestly, deeply.

ASHOKA 2019

Gifts with Special Impact Please consider making a bequest to Ashoka and/or building an endowment. The impact of such planned giving is profound. (Please keep in mind that Ashoka accepts no government funding.)

About Bequests

About Endowments

Making a bequest to Ashoka is a very powerful, moving statement. It says that you believe deeply in Ashoka’s work and that you have given this careful thought. When you specify such a gift in your will, you will also very directly and importantly be changing lives. You will, for example, be helping launch the next generation of leading social entrepreneurs—and their impacts will grow and multiply over their lives after their launch.

An endowment will support Ashoka’s work in perpetuity. Ashoka’s Endowment Trustees will maintain the real value of the endowments before disbursing to Ashoka. Endowments that give Ashoka freedom to use resources where they are most needed allow Ashoka itself to invent and also to support Fellows with the most creative, unforeseen ideas. You may also direct that the income provided by an endowment be used for specific purposes, for example, in a field such as the environment and/or a geographic region, such as Africa. Endowments are often named in memory of or to honor a person.

Bequests can be “restricted,” meaning the donor specifies that the gift be used for a specific program or purpose. Unrestricted bequests allow Ashoka to focus their use where and when the need is greatest. Given that Ashoka and the Ashoka Fellows are at the cutting edge of change for the good, having freedom to innovate is especially valuable.

If you are interested in a bequest or endowment, please contact Bill Drayton, CEO, at wdrayton@ ashoka.org.

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ASHOKA 2019

Opportunities Ashoka is working hard to support, accelerate and magnify the groundbreaking work of our ever-growing worldwide fellowship. We are fostering collaborations, opening doors to new partnerships, and building bridges across borders and to new sectors. Volunteer changemakers can be found at every step of the way and during each phase of an Ashoka Fellow’s trajectory. From as early as the nomination and selection process, through different levels of organizational growth, and with operational support virtually and on the ground, volunteers are crucial to maximizing scale and impact. They also lend their specific knowledge and skills to our global and country offices around the world, helping Ashoka staff and partners grow a variety of initiatives that underpin an “everyone a changemaker” world. A partnership with LinkedIn has allowed us to reach a wide global audience of professionals who want to contribute their time and talents to help propel our work and that of our Fellows. Through the Ashoka-LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace, we post current needs and provide a short application that goes directly to the staff or Fellow who posted on the Marketplace. In this way, we quickly and efficiently facilitate direct and fruitful connections between volunteers, Ashoka staff and Fellows. Almost every Ashoka office has opportunities. Needs vary widely and change regularly. Some require assistance on-site and others can be met virtually. Recent volunteer opportunities have included: • • • • • •

Developing business and strategic plans Creating communication and marketing strategies Building or improving websites and their contents Editing books and videos Filming documentaries of Fellows’ work Helping young people and adults learn

• Project managing initiatives within a variety of organizations • Conducting impact assessments • Documenting conditions and needs in rural areas • Researching markets and effective supply chains for rural areas • Providing office, HR and branding support in Canada • Managing crowdfunding campaigns • Writing grants and researching potential donor support • Writing journalistic reports for papers and newsletters • Translating documents and transcribing Fellow interviews There is no shortage of ways in which dedicated volunteers can join Ashoka’s ecosystem of changemaking. In the words of Peggy Carr, a volunteer since 1987 who has managed Ashoka’s virtual communications network from our global office: “Working with Ashoka’s Fellowship team has given me the opportunity to help Fellows in a direct and personal way. Whether researching a request for information or helping Fellows network with each other, the goal is always the same—forging strong links throughout the Ashoka community, of which I am happy to be a small part.” As an Ashoka volunteer, you can tap into your own changemaking power by using your unique talents to help scale the impact of Ashoka Fellows, Ashoka Young Changemakers, and others within the Ashoka network. For more information, please visit https://www.ashoka. org/engage/contribute where you will find answers to frequently asked questions and a checklist for those volunteers traveling abroad. We are also available for any unanswered questions or unique ideas you may have for contributing to our work or expanding our partnerships at volunteers@ashoka.org.

Everyone a Changemaker

“Ashoka Fellows have built a long and storied history as pioneering change agents – men and women who are transforming their communities, their regions, and one day the world. They will always deserve our gratitude.”

U.S. NEWS

“Ashoka launched the ‘Everyone a Changemaker’ movement…an initiative to ensure that everyone can be an agent for good. Different to Ashoka’s work with its global network of fellows — many of whom have helped shift public policy — is the youth-centric focus… an effort to help build ‘their dream, their team, and their changed world.’”

The Hindu

“Mavericks are who they are because of their natural brilliance that causes a seismic jump in qualitative outcomes. Clearly, their minds work at a different pace and trajectory. Bill Drayton, who founded Ashoka to introduce a game-changing model of social entrepreneurship, is one such example. [Ashoka is] a truly transformative innovation of social systems that improve(s) millions of lives across the globe.”

Paul Dupis, CEO, Randstad India

“Ashoka’s global network of Fellows have become an important force for ingenuity in service of society.”

The Atlantic

“The search for solutions to social problems should not be a bureaucratic and bland task. This was seen almost 40 years ago by Bill Drayton... to end up creating the largest network of social entrepreneurs that exists, Ashoka. “

El País Semanal

Ashoka: Everyone a Changemaker 1700 North Moore Street | Suite 2000 | Arlington, VA 22209 USA Tel: (703) 527-8300 | Fax (703) 527-8383 | www.ashoka.org