My takeaways from the Skoll Forum 2011

Eight hundred delegates gathered at the Said Business School in Oxford, England, for the Skoll World Forum 2011. The theme for this year’s conference was “Large Scale Change – ecosystems, networks and collaborative action.” Just as ‘no man is an island unto himself,’ no social enterprise can bring about systemic change entirely on its own. Given the increasing complexity and interrelatedness of global issues today, social innovators need to work together more than ever to drive progress, scale up solutions, and manage risks. The 3-day programme was organized around an ‘ecosystem’ of themes, such as ideas, investments, innovations, and institutions. 

Guest speakers this year included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, who spoke about justice and peace building in the context of the current democratization process in the MENA region. Another hot topic addressed was the recallibration of microfinance, set off by over-indebtedness of lenders in Andhra Pradesh, India. Panellists Roshaneh Zafar, Managing Director of Kashf Foundation, and Alvaro Rodriguez, Chair of Compartamos Banco, both agreed that microfinance had overpromised in its mission to alleviate poverty, and that having more accountability in the sector would be ultimately beneficial. Both also felt that educating its clients through financial literacy programs and through entrepreneurship support activities would help reinforce the integrity and well-roundedness of microfinance services. 

During one of the plenary sessions, a five-minute video on Riders for Health was aired, and Social Entrepreneurs Barry and Andrea Coleman received a standing ovation for their work since 1989. Riders for Health has made healthcare more accessible through managed transportation for the people of Africa living in rural communities. In 2010, health workers mobilized by Riders for Health benefited 12 million people. In 2015, this number will be 25 million people.’ 

At the Closing Plenary, a Chinese proverb by Lao Tzu was shared by one of the speakers that best sums up the way Social Entrepreneurs work: «Go to the people. Live among them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build on what they have. But of the best leaders, when their task is done, the people all remark: ‘We have done it ourselves.’» 

Vivian Gee

 

Editor's note
Vivian Gee, Head, Asia 
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship