Ashoka

or Asoka

(born circa 304—died circa 232 BC) Last major emperor (circa 269–232 BC) of the Mauryan empire in India and a patron of Buddhism. After his bloody conquest of Kalinga in the eighth year of his reign, Ashoka renounced military aggression and resolved to live according to the dharma. He spoke of Buddhism only to fellow Buddhists and adopted a policy of toleration for other religions. He spread Buddhist teachings through inscriptions known as the Rock Edicts and Pillar Edicts. He enjoined officials to be aware of the needs of common people and to dispense justice impartially; dharma ministers were appointed to relieve suffering and look to the special needs of other religions, women, outlying regions, and neighbouring peoples. He erected stupas and monasteries, developed a course of study for adherents, and sent missionaries to Sri Lanka. He is remembered as the ideal Buddhist ruler.

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Ashoka: Innovators for the Public is a nonprofit organization supporting the field of social entrepreneurship. Ashoka was founded by Bill Drayton in 1981 to identify and support leading social entrepreneurs though a Social Venture Capital approach with the goal of elevating the citizen sector to a competitive level equal to the business sector. The organization currently operates in over 60 countries and supports the work of over 1,800 social entrepreneurs, elected as Ashoka Fellows. Ashoka also creates mosaics of best practices that map the commonalities and intersections of key principles that guide Fellows’ individual solutions. Ashoka’s initiatives include Changemakers, Youth Venture, and Full Economic Citizenship.

History

Ashoka was founded in 1981 by Bill Drayton, who has been credited as the “godfather of social entrepreneurship.” Ashoka began with an annual budget of $50,000, and elected its first Fellow in India in 1981. During its first decade, Ashoka focused exclusively on finding and investing in leading social entrepreneurs in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Central Europe. During the 1990’s, Ashoka expanded its services beyond directly supporting fellows. Today, Ashoka has an annual revenue of nearly $30 million, and has expanded into North America, Western Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East.

Other Programs

Changemakers

Changemakers sponsors collaborative competitions intended to develop innovative solutions to social problems. The open sourcing social solutions model aims to challenge the traditional focus of issues like human trafficking and conflict resolution with a broader, more complete set of stakeholders. Participants include individuals, nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations, public corporations, private companies, and government agencies.

Youth Venture

Youth Venture invests in teams of young people to start and lead their own social ventures. The concept for Youth Venture emerged following an Ashoka Fellow collaboration around youth and civic participation. Currently, Youth Venture operates in the US, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, India, South Africa, Thailand, and across Europe.

Full Economic Citizenship

Full Economic Citizenship (FEC) attempts to find solutions to the vast number of poverty-stricken people in the world. FEC relies on the over 1,000 Ashoka Fellows working to resolve problems of low-income people around the world. To do this, the Hybrid Value Chain establishes partnerships between business and social organizations intended to make products and services available to low-income citizens. Since 2004, Ashoka has been working with Cemex, a global cement and building products company, to identify ways in which Cemex can leverage social distribution networks to deliver housing products and services to the poor.

Social Financial Services

Ashoka started the Social Financial Services (SFS) program to address the lack of quantity and diversity in financial support for social ventures. SFS works with leading financial intermediaries to educate them about the value inherent in the social sector and helps them develop new products and services with the goal of having those institutions invest strategically in the sector. In 2006, SFS partnered with Deutsche Bank to launch Eye Fund I, a fund intended to provide loans and guarantees to support the development of affordable, sustainable and accessible eye care for the world's poor while providing a near-market return for investors. In 2007, this partnership was selected as number 13 on Fast Company magazine’s ‘Fast 50: 50 Profit-Driven Solutions for what Ails the Planet’.

Global Academy

The Global Academy is a group of social entrepreneurs. Members of the program attempt to direct and advance the field of social entrepreneurship, and to bridge social and business entrepreneurs. Founding members include Muhammad Yunus, Alice Tepper Marlin, Bill Drayton, Peter Eigen, Oded Grajew, and Fazel Abed. The Global Academy also established the University Network, a network of academics and practitioners focused on strengthening teaching and research in social entrepreneurship so that more action will result.

Notable Fellows

Muhammad Yunus – Founder, Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Yunus was elected as a founding member of Ashoka’s Global Academy in 2001. In November, 2003 Yunus collaborated with Ashoka to host the Grameen-Ashoka Dialogue to explore the emerging trend of social-business ventures for poverty eradication. In 2006, Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Zackie Achmat – Founder, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Achmat holds the state accountable to its constitutional obligation of guaranteeing a right to life to all citizens by providing affordable AIDS medications. Achmat was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2003.

Sakena Yacoobi - Founder, Afghan Institute of Learning. Elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2006.

References

1. Bornstein, David. How To Change The World: Social Entrepreneurs and The Power of New Ideas. Oxford University Press, NY: 2004, ISBN 0195138058.

External links

• Official website