Seforum2007onlineinterviews

Up-close and Personal with... the SE Forum 2007 Speakers Introduction The Social Entrepreneurship Forum 2007 - "Making It Work in Asia" has brought together a panel of engaging speakers - researchers, professors and entrepreneurs - from around the region to share their insights on the best practices of and challenges facing social enterprises in the region. In this exclusive interview, we take a closer look at the personal motivations, advice and views of these incredible people - Associate Professor Albert Teo (NUS Business School), Ms Josephine Lee (St. James Settlement, a Hong Kong Social Enterprise), Mr Ken Ito (Tokyo Social Ventures), Mr Jack Sim (World Toilet Organization), Mr Chris Cusano (Ashoka) and Professor Marie Lisa Dacanay (Asian Institute of Management). *** Q: How did you get personally involved in Social Entrepreneurship or the study of Social Entrepreneurship? Albert: Last year, I was approached by the NUS Business School to be part of the Singapore research team for the CAFO Tri-City Research Project on Social Entrepreneurship - a survey on social enterprises in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei - and immediately said "yes". I have always been interested in doing research on the non-profit sector, having done similar research in cooperative societies and Chinese clan associations in recent years. I also see a very strong link between social enterprises and voluntary welfare organizations (VWOs), as they both focus on helping marginalized communities. VWOs occupies a very special place in my heart. Since 2001, I have been volunteering with Patient Care Center, a social service organization that is affiliated to the Communicable Disease Center and that runs various support programs for people with HIV/AIDS (PWAs). I see my work with PWAs as a calling. Josephine: I loved being a part of the CAFO Tri-City Research as I truly believe in Social Entrepreneurship - people working equally hard to make profits as well as to provide social services. Social enterprise is very meaningful as it fulfils these two double bottom lines. It was particularly important when, a few years ago, Hong Kong's unemployment rate was a record high and there was a critical need to find new ways to help youths and middle-aged people St. James' Settlement is one of the social enterprises in Hong Kong receiving government funding. More than 30% of our services are provided on fee-

charging basis, which gives us space and freedom to spend the fund in ways beyond the output requirement stated by the funding and service agreement of government. Ken: As a student, I used to volunteer in non-profit organizations for international development and cultural exchanges between Japan and Asia. Many Japanese NGOs were doing great work, but I sometimes felt like they were "sprinkling the water at the desert" - full passion to change the world, but unable to do so efficiently and effectively enough. In fact, many of my friends from non-profit organizations eventually returned to the private sector as the wages were not sufficient to support their life. These experiences made me realize that financial sustainability and efficient business models are important not only in the private sector but also in the nonprofit sector. After working a few years in Japanese and American companies, I found many similarities between management in non-profits and private businesses and started thinking of combining the best of both worlds - developing innovative business models supported by the compassion of the people. This was how I started to devote myself to supporting social entrepreneurship in Japan. Jack: I never knew what I did was social entrepreneurship until the Schwab Foundation competition came to Singapore. I was a businessman before but became bored after attaining financial independence and a happy family. I've always taken "Condom King" Mechai of Thailand as my model. Through advocating condom use - a taboo subject in Thailand -, he saved many from diseases and unwanted consequences. I am doing the same with advocating sanitation but, comparatively, I am a newcomer. Thinking creatively and helping others has been a family tradition and I've adopted my grandmother's and mother's spirits of helping relatives, neighbours and strangers despite having few resources. I hope this tradition continues with my children. Chris: It happened subconsciously, and in phases. I always knew that it was my role to contribute to the public in some way—that was part of my upbringing. When I was in college, I began to learn about human rights and the great disparities in the freedom and opportunities enjoyed by different peoples in different places. After I graduated, I spent a number of years getting firsthand

experience working with indigenous people from Burma who had been affected by the long-running civil war there. Those seven years were my real education in the citizen sector. I was involved in several kinds of work: community education, adult literacy, and human rights documentation and learnt the importance of working with people with initiative and strong commitment to their community, as well as the disruption and risk associated with bringing outside resources into poor communities. When I began working with Ashoka, in 2000, I learned how to apply these principles on a global level. Lisa: Since I was a student back in the 80s, I was already concerned about the plight of poor people. We had classroom discussions and exposure programs then that sensitized me about the problems of the poor in the rural and urban areas. I questioned why some people had so much while others had so little and I wanted to find solutions to poverty and underdevelopment. When I left university, I got attracted to the work of non-government development organizations. So when I was invited to work with the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) in 1988, I thought it was a perfect fit. I was attracted to the idea and fell in love with taking on "Development Management" as a lifetime commitment. At that time PRRM was engaged in a pioneering program creating models of sustainable area development in farming, fishing and indigenous communities. This entailed evolving creative approaches and strategies to improve the quality of life of the poor - including efforts in livelihood and enterprise development. This continued when I became Project Manager of an Asian Development Bank-funded project involving agrarian reform beneficiaries or landless farmers' who were awarded land titles and needed to make their lands productive. So in a manner of speaking, I was a practitioner for many years before I became a mentor of social entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurship was my favorite elective when PRRM sponsored my studies (Master in Development Management) at the Asian Institute of Management in 1996. So when I came back to AIM in 2001 to set up its Social and Development Entrepreneurship Program, it was like going full circle. My passion for social entrepreneurship therefore is deeply rooted in practice and a commitment to do my share of working for a sustainable future. Only this time, I'm now mentoring social and development entrepreneurs. Q: What excites you about Social Entrepreneurship?

Albert: What's really exciting about Social Entrepreneurship is its potential to empower marginalized communities, raise the level of their self-esteem and improve their socio-economic condition. Josephine: Three things: finding innovative ways to generate services and employment opportunities for people in need; the fight for business survival in an uncertain economic environment and the continuous search for a competitive business edge! Ken: Social entrepreneurship is the source of social innovation. People often think about how to change social systems to make society more inclusive, but it's not possible to change the whole system at a time. Instead, we should start from our own community - try a new methodology to solve a social problem by establishing a business. It's this step-by-step process of social progress that's exciting - once a new model is established in a place, other can replicate the method to solve the similar problem in the other parts of the society, thus perpetuating a virtuous cycle. Jack: The success of turning dreams into reality, the knowledge that this work is wide reaching and the realization that there's something more to life than the rat-race! Chris: What excites me about - or at least attracts me to - social entrepreneurship is its inclusiveness. There is often a strong tendency for people working on social causes to work in isolation, only communicating and collaborating among themselves. At the same time, those outside the social sector often have a disparaging attitude towards “do-gooders” or idealists. Social entrepreneurship has the power to resolve both of these negative attitudes and replace narrow-mindedness with an inclusive vision for how people from all walks of life: business, social work, students, citizens and government, can work together. The key here is that inclusiveness is not achieved by finding the least common denominator among them—sticking to safe issues and backing away from human rights. Instead, social entrepreneurs lead these various sectors by helping them find their place in social movements based on important human values: justice, equality, respect, peace. Lisa: I'm excited about changing the way the market operates to help solve the problems of poverty, social inequity and environmental degradation. At the moment, the market is seen by many as a place for exploiting the poor, where ordinary people are victims of big businesses that are just concerned with profit.

I would like to push for a movement that would create new benchmarks for doing business that would promote the idea that businesses need to incorporate social and environmental goals, that market players should concern themselves with pursuing sustainable development. In this sense, I believe social entrepreneurship should not just be about creating enterprises that have social or environmental objectives. Successful social enterprises should be used as springboards for advocacy. More than that, successful social entrepreneurs need to band together to influence governments to create an enabling environment for social entrepreneurship to flourish, and to work with the corporate sector so that corporate social responsibility is not just about charity or image building but about incorporating social and environmental goals in their core business. Q: What advice do you have for people who have a passion to affect positive change? Albert: If your heart is stirring and leading you to make a positive impact on others, act on the urge right away! Never procrastinate or tell yourself that this calling can wait till after your education, your career or retirement. There is much community development work to be done and many people who desperately need help. Josephine: Be prepared for long-term commitment. In the social enterprise sector, it typically takes 3-5 years to reap returns and those involved need patience and tolerance. Also, when you start doing something you love, start from your core strengths rather than something totally new. Ken: Think of how you can make the best use of your resources to make systemic changes. And ... join Social Venture Partners! Jack: If you see a social need and wish to solve it, don't think about whether you'll succeed or fail. Having self-doubt is a waste of your energy. Just decide that it has to be done - and do it. Chris: The first and most important thing to be aware of is that change is about people, and therefore you need to understand the lives and aspirations of those who seek to improve their lives. Ultimately, the change is in their hands, not yours. Also, do not assume that the skills you have are necessarily applicable to every situation. Approach new problems and situations with an open and creative mind, rather than with the belief that whatever you already know is all you need.

Social entrepreneurs never set out to "be" social entrepreneurs - they are guided by their passion and conviction to do something concrete: to see more children go to school, to replace corruption with transparency, to see poor farmers gain a foothold in the market, etc. Then someone—usually Ashoka—taps them on the shoulder and says, “Hey, did you know that you are really a leading social entrepreneur?” And they say, “Really? That’s great!” And then they continue following their dreams and ambitions. Lisa: Singapore is one of the more affluent countries in Asia. In this social setting, many social entrepreneurship initiatives are about social inclusion of disadvantaged sectors like the disabled, single mothers, former inmates, victims of drug abuse, persons living with HIV-AIDS or immigrants. These are legitimate causes. But maybe social entrepreneurship should also explore economic linkages between the developed and developing countries of Asia. In this regard, exploring fair trade between Singapore and the rest of Asia is a good starting point. Overall, I'd like to encourage the youth in Singapore who have a passion to affect positive change to broaden their perspectives and see what role Singapore is playing and can play in the region. For example, amidst the prosperity and growth in Singapore and the other affluent societies of Asia, the region is home to 7 out of 10 of the world's poorest. 24 of the 25 most polluted cities in the world are in Asia. These are challenges that all Asians need to be concerned about.

Q: Any personal quotes that you would like to share with us? Albert: Many people think that volunteer work and community service is all about giving. I strongly disagree. Ultimately, the volunteer gains much more than he/she gives. From interaction with the beneficiaries and their loved ones, the volunteer can gain invaluable lessons on selfless and sacrificial love, humility, patience, fortitude, and the indomitable human spirit. Josephine: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference”. (Reinhold Niebuhr) Ken: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6) Jack: "To know is genius, but to do is virtue." When you act, you assume leadership and people will be inspired to follow you. That way, you'll be able to get people who are much more capable than you to support your cause.

Chris: “An ideal society should be mobile, should be full of channels for conveying a change, taking place in one part to other parts. In an ideal society there should be many interests consciously communicated and shared. There should be varied and free points of contact with other modes of association. Democracy is not merely a form of Government. It is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicate.” (Dr. B.R Ambedkar, The Annihilation of Caste) Lisa: "The future is not some place we are going to but one we are creating. The paths to it are not found but made. And the making of those pathways changes both the maker and the destination." (Quote from the Australian Commission for a Sustainable Future)

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