Social Entrepreneurship:
How Business Can Change Communities
Ramla Akhtar | Social Designer. Futurist. Writer.
NEXT> | a Social Design & Futures Consultancy
nextbyramla.com | ramla@nextbyramla.com
Details on last pages.
Copyrights, etc.:
The following report was first published in Pakistan in Aurora, Nov/Dec 2008 issue. It is available for publishing in other territories in parts, full, or modified. Contact
ramla@nextbyramla.com for this and other essays, thought pieces and reports.
Readers are encouraged to distribute an electronic version; it is requested that the author's name and website are kept intact for good karma. In printed/ modified
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See: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License
THIS VERSION CREATED ON: November 16, 2008.
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Social Entrepreneurship:
How Business Can Change Communities
Until a few years ago, social entrepreneurship in Pakistan was a curiosity into which only the soft-hearted, the high school C-
grader mavericks, NGO aunties, and media-blacked out rural area youth leaders engaged – or so we thought. It was mostly a
glorified charity or a cottage business that often failed due to monastic (lonely, colorless, sweet) marketing. There was not even
a charitable attention given to the subject in leading universities. Parents didn't plan this career for their children.
Today, things have changed. By now, most of us have known of social entrepreneurship. It is still to become a mainstream
subject in academia, business & economy, or even families – the building block of human society.
This subject is vast, and our time to act is short. So I'll define the subject for the uninitiated, and then tell us the tales of two
societies, changed for better by social enterprise!
What Makes a Social Entrepreneur?
ASHOKA, innovators in the field of social enterprise, define the specie thus: “Individuals with innovative solutions to society’s
most pressing social problems. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-
scale change.” SKOLL Foundation describe them as “society’s change agents; pioneers of innovations that benefit humanity.”
NEXT> suggests to the aspiring social entrepreneur: “Doing good + the right way + following your passion do not have to be
exclusive from making a profit, as was the case in the world of old business.” This definition accounts for the fact that as the
pace of change accelerates in the world, it will be impossible to do without any of these criteria – especially the entrepreneur's
own passion. That's the starting point of any effort. Money, as we know from countless stories, follows.
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Story the First
Townships Transforming
Location: South Africa
“Townships” are the urban dwellings of South Africa that were reserved for non-whites under Apartheid. They are the
equivalent of urban slums or kachi abadis of Pakistan: densely populated, haphazardly planned, and with intricate social issues.
There have been several housing reforms over the years, leading to neighborhoods that could surpass a Pakistani middle class
locality in terms of upkeep and planning. Today, townships are the sign of struggle and transformation in the midst of strife.
During a study tour, I found some positive practices that could be useful for Pakistan.
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Community Cellphone Cubicles
A Community Chat container with multiple call points –
Evaton Township, South Africa © January 2008
Cellphones – still called a social “luxury” and
teenager-destroyer in Pakistan – are
respected as a powerful transformation tool
that have enabled a more equal distribution
of power and wealth in the world. In Pakistan,
cellphones have enabled taxi drivers to set up
their informal calling services in the face of
shortage of more organized services. Just call
your favorite driver! In India, cellphones have
enabled farmers to set commodity prices
independently, bypassing the middleman.
In SA townships, cellphone carriers have
offered reduced-rate services through
Community Chat containers owned by
township entrepreneurs. Revenue per minute
is shared with kiosk owners. A-4 size ad
frames installed at eye-level of phone users
ensure an additional stream of revenue.
Community Chat centers are gathering places, and a sign of the empowerment of community. This is important to African
townships where unemployment leads to sex & drug crimes, violence, health care hazards, and social antipathy. I met with a
car-wash business owner who testified how his life had risen above violence and drugs once the Church showed him the way
and encouraged him to start his business – the latter being the key savior here. In this story, there is hint much for Pakistan!
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Multinational-Community Partnership
This tin box hair “saloon” is typical of the kind of
outfits that Unilever and Revlon have partnered
with. (And yes, there is such a product as Black
& Lovely – its name inscribed on many such
container saloons.) In Africa, they have
accepted their true identity – which is less on
glamor, and high on “reality.” Multinationals do
not engage with locals as mere customers, nor
partner with locals as a form of charity, or use
people as a backdrop for jaunty song numbers.
They have gone steps ahead to empower the
locals by sharing revenue with them. This
happens by sharing work – using a distributed
organizational model.
This is an unbranded hair saloon. Most Revlon/ Unilever
partners are similar. – Evaton Township, South Africa ©
January 2008
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To be a partner saloon, you don't have to have an upscale shop in the posh locale. Nor
are you merely an advertising or selling point for the brand, slapping the ad all over your
space. You are skilled in the line of business, and own your shop. Partners conduct their
chosen business using discounted products, and are not forced to change their lifestyles
or shop presentations. There is a clear focus on ensuring that saloon owners take a
greater deal of profit and hence are able to change their economic circumstances while
still remaining within their communities.
In other words, individuals are not promoted at the cost of community – where they will
likely stay. The nature of business is not based on competitive slogans or will million
bucks lotteries that change fates of individuals forever. Rather, people are empowered
within their communities so that they all prosper together – and not create dangerous
polarizations typical to unchecked multinational business.
Hair braiding in a Revlon partner saloon –
Evaton Township, South Africa © January 2008
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Story the Second
Thatta Kedona: The Doll-Making Project
Location: Pakistan
15 years ago, “Thatta Ghulam da Dheroka” was a sleepy little village 30 km off the closest major town: Okara, Punjab. It was at
least a 6 km off-road journey from a metal road to the village, where people mostly engaged in livestock or crop management,
or idleness. Women were forbidden from being literate.
Then life changed in Thatta Ghulam. Amjad, a village boy who somehow managed to end up in the city and then an art school
in Germany, off-handedly invited his teacher, Dr. Senta Siller, to visit. She accepted, came to Thatta, and keenly inquired about
local art and craft. The village women showed her hand-made rag dolls aptly fondly called “Churail”. The enterprising art
teacher told the villagers she could teach them to make finer hand-made dolls, and market the products nation-wide and
globally. With the help of an amateur documentary, “Amjad's Village,” on the life and the craft of the villagers, Dr. Siller
marketed the dolls to global craft shops and museums where they were very well-received eventually. Thus spun off a social
enterprise in this 200-house strong village that has changed the way of living here profoundly.
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A Wholesome Development
Here is the beauty of the plan: it was
aimed at uplifting the village as a whole.
The dolls are prepared such that each
component – body, face painting, hair,
jewelry, shoes, clothes – are contributed
individually. Almost the entire village
participates in the making of the dolls,
which represent the people of the four
provinces of Pakistan. Women from most
households are engaged, on the condition
that they would carry on their normal lives,
and only work in free time. Male cobblers
make miniature doll slippers, and other
men procure raw material. Boys now make
model rickshaws. Friends are engaged in
the business and there is no competition.
The pie is made larger and shared by
everyone.
Finger Puppets – by the Thatta Kedona Project
The smallest of the Thatta Kedona dolls, which are featured in puppet & doll museums around the globe © August 2008
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There is a bed & breakfast operation available. As a
lone backpacking researcher, I was able to just
walk into this village and get myself boarded up
immediately. The only issue was the unacceptably
healthy village food with real desi ghee!
The dolls, though, are just the beginning of this
fantastic story. Today, both boys & girls in this
conservative society have a school. The village has
a road link to the main highway. They have a
dispensary. They experimented with alternative
energy (solar panels) very early on. Now the
villagers are undertaking community energy &
food projects including a “community refrigerator”
– a chilled shared hall with cupboards belonging to
subscribing households.
The Kailashi Tribe doll – by the Thatta Kedona Project
The dolls are prepared in collaboration from village craftspeople,
who contribute individual parts © August2008
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The women from this conservative village now go
on study tours to Hunza with the Germans. The
villagers have learned about sanitation, childcare,
and eco-friendly living. Cleanliness and
environmental-consciousness are rewarded
through an annual award that goes to the “best
mud-built house.” The lone vegetable farmer has
experimented with quality foreign seeds, and
eventually produced export-quality seeds. Almost
all of these initiatives are linked back to the
Women Art Center set up by the doll-making
enterprise!
Above all, these actions were taken within the
system, without breaking down the structure
violently, stoking fear or greed, or turning people
against each other. The NGO did not go there to
“free women from oppression” or “change the
culture/ quality of life.” It went in to empower
people by acknowledging their culture and skills.
Today Thatta Ghulam da Dheroka is the living
testimony to this: change is possible.
Decorated niche in an award-winning mud-house in village Thatta Ghulam da Dheroka
Each year, the village girls prepare and adorn their mud-houses with elaborately carved storage niches, stoves, and crafted walls © August2008
Special thanks to Qasim (South Africa) and SAJ Shirazi (Pakistan) for their help and guidance in researching these stories.
See also: http://thattakedona.blogspot.com
– The End –
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All photos by the author; except images on title page, sourced from http://sxc.hu. Photo rights reserved.
Ramla Akhtar
I am a social designer, integral futurist, and writer. My work is based on universal human principles. I run the consultancy, NEXT> by
Ramla, and contribute to TrendHunter.com. I am also a member of Globond: a US-based international network of thought leaders and
talented people. It includes the likes of Al Secunda, Dr. Dan Schaefer, Ken Rutkowski, and Kaihan Krippendorff.
nextbyramla.com and www.trendhunter.com/nextbyramla
What is Social Design?
Weaving together the elements of life (people, concepts, technology, spaces, etc) in new, creative ways so as to realize human potential,
and to answer pressing contemporary solutions. For my purpose, the term refers to the “soft/ conceptual” design. An ever-updating
know-how of emerging media, technology, social movements, global priorities, etc. is employed for Social Design at NEXT> by Ramla.
What does Integral Futurist mean?
“Futurist” is a technical term applicable to practitioners who see/ forecast/ implement/ assist with future (scenarios). It has several applied
meanings. “Integral” refers to integrating the various fields of life into ONE. It's a time in human history when we create spaces where
humans can co-exist, with our gifts and with Earth. It also implies collective wisdom and decision-making (technologies).
My project is to envision ONE FUTURE for the global human society, and realize that vision. “Vision” comes from seeing things as they
are. A preferred Future is an outcome of the correct CHOICES taken in Present circumstances. The formula:
Future = Present + Choices We Make
I help see the Present as it is usually with visual tools, and then help select a course of choices.
What is your choice in your present scenario? What is your present scenario? Contact for advise: ramla@nextbyramla.com
Explore This Tool!
The People-Centered Model of Business© is a multi-purpose tool developed at NEXT> by Ramla. It has multiple application modules
including: Market Insight, Trend-Forecasting, Entrepreneurship, Creativity, Organizational Leadership, and Social Business.
View online: http://www.scribd.com/doc/7538854/The-PeopleCentered-Model-of-Business-tm
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What areas does NEXT> by Ramla specialize in?
These are areas where I monitor trends, study latest techniques, and know people and organizations. I have test-driven ideas or made
prototypes in these fields. As a rule, if I don't have experiential knowledge of any field, I won't take up a project in it.
MEDIA: The Web. Social (Internet) Media Strategy. Editorial. Audience Identification. Media Trends. Talent Development. Virtual/ Physical
Hybrid Strategy.
SOCIETY & ECONOMICS: Social Enterprise. Grassroots Outreach. Community Organization and Activation. Lifestyles of Health &
Sustainability. Art. Tourism. Economics. Governance. Education. Youth. Ethnic/ Tribal Engagement.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION through integration.
REGIONAL FOCUS: Pakistan.
Case Study:
Social media strategy for a cosmeceutical skin care range, Cosméceutique
The Futurist Part:
Identifying an emerging market segment uncatered to by other offers in market
Identifying social networks and blogs as media of choice
The Social Design Part:
Designing social (Internet) media campaign around the chosen audience + unique Pakistani networks
Co-creating the first-of-its-kind Cosméceutique Blogger Buzz Campaign with Pakistani female bloggers
Match-making Cosméceutique with a bloggers' network to create ad campaign
Brand team capacity building
How can NEXT> Ramla be engaged?
Generally, Social Design = on-ground/field projects. Futures = presentations on futures/ Tailored trend forecasts.
Soon: The People-Centered Model of Business© (see this) tailored applications.
NEXT> Trend Reports are a first in Pakistan! Created by Ramla after framing and scanning; using field observation and
foresight techniques.
For Trends/ Futures: Speaking engagements & writing for journals and magazines. Soon: Courses and workshops.
For Social Design: I work with client teams. I could use elements from my talent eco-system to integrate with yours, when required.
Pick-My-Brains: Coaching/ Advise by email, phone, or online (GTalk/ Skype). In person sessions. (By appointment only.)
For advisory / coaching sessions, a sliding scale fee is charged. Please inquire by email.
Visit: nextbyramla.com | Email: ramla@nextbyramla.com
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