Social Entrepreneurs: Health
On 13 October 2007, Shadab Mahmud finally conquered his fear of public speaking, as he introduced his hero, Dr Mohammad Yunus, to a hall packed with over 1,500 students waiting to be inspired by the Nobel Laureate. Public speaking wouldn’t be the only new thing in Shadab’s life that day. By the end of Dr Yunus’ speech, Shadab’s life had changed forever.
Affectionately called the “Mother Teresa of Bihar,” Sister Sudha Varghese is delivering a respectable livelihood to Dalits in the most rural parts of India, by providing basic education and health services
Anjali Gopalan is a pioneer in the response to HIV/AIDS in India, setting up one of the first grassroots initiatives to tackle the politically sensitive issue of the high transmission rates in the MSM (men who have sex with men) community.
Maria Quezada works with Food for the Hungry (FH) in Constanza to provide basic sanitation, educational scholarships, vocational training and spiritual nourishment for children living in poverty.
Akbarudin Arif is the founder of KOMPIP, a local NGO responsible for capacity building, corruption reduction and promoting democracy in Indonesia. He is modeling the “Third Fiscal Devolution”, a pilot program to distribute provincial funds directly to rural neighborhoods.
Samuel Watulatsu overcame a difficult childhood to become the leading light for sustainable development in Eastern Uganda, empowering the disadvantaged to become self-reliant and productive members of society.
Daniel Negatu, a highly entrepreneurial and creative young leader, has joined the fight against HIV/AIDS by harnessing the power of the media to promote public awareness on the impact of the devastating disease in Ethiopia. His initiative is now changing the lives of Ethiopian children orphaned by AIDS and bringing them new hope for the future.
Singaporean businessman Jack Sim is the world’s strongest (and funniest) advocate for clean toilets as the founder of the World Toilet Association (WTO), which tackles the prickly issue of sanitation on a global level.
The odd pair of pants, a faded t-shirt, an old sweater, or an unused blouse — these are just some of the items probably lying in your closet that could save a life. A Developed World’s Wee Shu Ting meets Anshu Gupta, an Ashoka fellow and the founder of GOONJ, who gave up his corporate career to start a massive recycling movement in India to provide for the basic needs of India’s rural poor.