(The article is in Chinese only) Marie So and Carol Chyau are leading social entrepreneurs in Greater China region. They co-founded Ventures in Development, who subsequently set up two social enterprises Mei Xiang Yak Cheese and Shokay, that have empowered thousands of shepherds in western China to generate better income and improve livelihood.
Marie So and Carol Chyau Elected Fellows by Echoing Green
Marie So (蘇芷君) and Carol Chyau (喬雲珊) are two of the most well-known social entrepreneurs in Greater China. Marie is from Hong Kong and Carol is from Taiwan. Their organization Ventures in Development has been a pioneer in launching social enterprises in western China. Marie and Carol have just been elected Fellows by Echoing Green, an achievement which is not only an honor for these two young ladies but will be a big boost for their effort in bringing development to poor regions of China through social enterprises.
Local Social Entrepreneur Won Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs Award
Ms Deborah Wan, a local social entrepreneur, has won the 2008 Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs Award presented by the Hong Kong Women Professionals and Entrepreneurs Association. The award honors and celebrates the achievements of women in Hong Kong who have made significant contribution to their professions, business environment and society. This is the first time that a social entrepreneur is honored by this award.
Yunus Comes to China
Most people would have heard of Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank, who were the joint winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. They might also be aware of the fact that Yunus’ microfinance model has been replicated in many parts of the world. Very few, however, are familiar with the work of Grameen Foundation which has helped accelerate the spread of Yunus’ model across the world.
One Social Entrepreneur’s Dream
KK attended the Skoll World Forum in March 2008 and met with social entrepreneurs from around the world. Here are some of the inspiring changemakers' stories.
Every HKSEF Member a Changemaker’ – What the Skoll World Forum Has Inspired Me
The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship 2008 has been full of inspiring stories, insights, sharing, personalities and debates. KK shares the insights from the event -
The Influencers – 25 People, Trends and Events that You Can’t Afford to Ignore
In a recent article entitled “The Influencers”, Entrepreneur.com identified 25 people, trends and events that business people cannot afford to ignore. Among them is Bill Drayton, founder and CEO of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. This is intriguing but significant. Has social entrepreneurship beginning to impact on main stream business? Let's look at the list of 25 and find out Ashoka's story.
Strategic Volunteering – The Role of the Intrapreneur-Volunteer
As you could imagine, all social enterprises can benefit from leveraging the time and expertise of volunteers. But surprisingly, there are also a large number of social enterprises that are not benefiting from the service of volunteers at all. What is more, there are plenty of highly qualified, motivated would-be volunteers who want to help but do not know how and where to make a contribution. What makes for this unusual and pitiful state of affairs?