Social consciousness is
the spark that lights up every social entrepreneur and social innovator and
keeps them glued to what they are doing to bring hope to millions of
disadvantaged and underserved people and communities across the globe. Combined
with a strong moral/ethical fiber, an empathic and humane spirit, social
entrepreneurs and social innovators will stop at nothing to make the world a
better place for all. Just as Bill Drayton puts it,
“Social
entrepreneurs are not content just to give fish or teach how to fish. They will
not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.”
Professor
Muhammed Yunus shows how social consciousness can
drive an individual to pursue a cause of positive social change for people most
disadvantaged and excluded and left perpetually at the bottom of the pyramid.
“As
a young economics professor at Bangladesh’s Chittagong University, Muhammad
Yunus was dismayed because his knowledge of economics meant nothing to those in
Bangladesh suffering from widespread famine and poverty. Villagers were
borrowing from loan sharks, and it wasn’t uncommon for defaulters to become enslaved.
“While
visiting the village of Jobra, Yunus made a list of 42 people who, all
together, owed no more than $27. He gave each of them the money they owed, asking
only that they concentrate on their work and repay him when they could. Later,
Yunus served as guarantor for a larger loan to the villagers. It was not
charity, not a handout. It was a hand up to those with an entrepreneurial
spirit who were being systematically denied the small-business basic
opportunities necessary to develop their ideas.
“Grameen
Bank loans, by Western standards, are usually tiny, often in the neighborhood
of $50 to $100. But with the help of a local network of supporters who serve as
loan “collateral” — in the sense that they cooperate to ensure that individuals
repay their loans — these financial boosts are enough to get people started
while making credit a basic human right. But do the people ever repay these
loans? Repayment rates typically are more than 95 percent. Today, Yunus and
Grameen Bank are leading defenders of the global poor, having loaned out more than
$5.1 billion to 5.3 million people.” (Source:
Durieux M. B. and Stebbins R. A.: Social Entrepreneurship for Dummies, 2010. Wiley
Publishing, Inc.)
Like
Professor Muhammed Yunus, many socially conscious men and women and
institutions around the world today are churning out social innovations capable
of solving intractable social, cultural, environmental and economic problems
and transforming society.
Are
you socially conscious of the many social problems around you? If yes, you too
can become a social entrepreneur and/or social innovator. Think about it! And
start where you are now.
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