The following quote by Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder of Acumen Fund, comes from this great interview with her on Dowser.org. It really hits home for me, for a lot of reasons. You told me that you don’t like the phrase ‘Doing well by doing good.’ Yet, that’s what comes to mind for many when they think…
Recently, through a particularly enlightening conversation with a friend, I realized that there are, essentially, two pathways or methods of thinking about social change and development approaches. There is the “capitalistic” mode of thinking, and the “social justice” mode of thinking. While this is, essentially, the split that so starkly separates the Democrats from the…
In the past decade, as we all know, social enterprise and business has become incredibly popular. The idea is incredibly compelling: utilize business practices while also bettering the world. Unleash the power of the market to solve social problems. We can make money and do good. Along with its increasing popularity, the demand for learning…
I’ve been attempting to find time and contribute to this awesome blog series “Be the change” thanks to Akhila, and of course, I am writing this instead of working on a paper that’s due in a few days . Prior to attending school at UC Berkeley, all I knew was that I was interested in…
When Akhila asked me to write about a social cause I was passionate about I was eager to join in. I consider myself a philanthropist, but I often spread myself thin. I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders and am sometimes (too) empathetic to the point where it hurts every piece of…
I first heard about Hagar International over a year ago while reading the book “Not for Sale,” about human trafficking. Human trafficking is a tough issue to combat, especially since the solutions aren’t exactly clear, and require investment in long-term assistance and systemic change. But Hagar International has a really innovative and effective model, and…
Here’s the second installment of Feature Friday this week: Beyond Good Intentions. Beyond Good Intentions is a wonderful ten-part film series investigating the effectiveness of international aid. According to the website: The Beyond Good Intentions film series follows the round-the-world journey of first-time filmmaker, Tori Hogan, as she investigates how international aid can be more…
I haven’t done Feature Friday in quite a while, unfortunately, since I have been so busy this summer. So today I decided to double the effort and feature two great initiatives. Here’s the first one….and check my next blog post for #2! Better World Books Better World Books (BWB) is in my eyes – the…
I can feel it in the air. There’s something electric out there, something new and exciting. I see it all around me – and it gives me a sense of hope. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like right now we’re experiencing a fundamental shift in the way the world works and the way…
For my first “Feature Friday,” I’ve decided to highlight kiwanja.net for the truly innovative and exciting work they are doing. kiwanja.net helps pioneer new applications of mobile technology to push forward positive social and environmental change in the developing world. kiwanja.net helps “empower local, national, and international non-profit organisations to make better use of information…