Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
Encyclopedia
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public is a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, VA, supporting the field of social entrepreneurship
. Ashoka was founded by Bill Drayton
in 1981 to identify and support leading social entrepreneurs through 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 70 countries and supports the work of over 2,000 social entrepreneurs, elected as Ashoka Fellow
s . Ashoka also creates what it calls "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.
, who has been called "the godfather of social entrepreneurship" by David Gergen. 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 1990s, 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.
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.
Social entrepreneurs can post their project information on the Changemakers.com website. Any visitor to the website can view these projects and registered users can communicate with participants to help refine and improve their project up until the competition deadline. The website also serves as a library resource for social entrepreneurs, with information on a variety of topics such as aging, health, and rural development.
Changemakers was founded in 1994 by Sushmita Ghosh, the president emerita of Ashoka, and originally started as a magazine based in Calcutta, India. The project was placed online in 1998.
, College of the Atlantic
, Cornell University
, George Mason University
, Johns Hopkins University
, The New School
, Tulane University
, the University of Colorado at Boulder
, and the University of Maryland
–all chosen specifically on their ability and readiness effect cross-campus change.
", Sandra Day O'Connor
's civics-education initiative, to encourage youth activism through Impact Projects.
, 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.
For instance, in 2004, Ashoka worked with Cemex
, a global cement and building products company, to identify ways in which Cemex could leverage social distribution networks to deliver housing products and services to the poor.
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’.
As of July 23, 2010:
Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change . While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a...
. Ashoka was founded by Bill Drayton
Bill Drayton
William "Bill" Drayton is a social entrepreneur. Born in 1943 in New York City, U.S. Drayton was named by US News & World Report as one of America's 25 Best Leaders in 2005...
in 1981 to identify and support leading social entrepreneurs through a Social Venture Capital
Social Venture Capital
Social venture capital is a form of venture capital investing that provides capital to businesses deemed socially and environmentally responsible. These investments are intended to both provide attractive returns to investors and to provide market-based solutions to social and environmental issues...
approach with the goal of elevating the citizen sector to a competitive level equal to the business sector. The organization currently operates in over 70 countries and supports the work of over 2,000 social entrepreneurs, elected as Ashoka Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
s . Ashoka also creates what it calls "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 DraytonBill Drayton
William "Bill" Drayton is a social entrepreneur. Born in 1943 in New York City, U.S. Drayton was named by US News & World Report as one of America's 25 Best Leaders in 2005...
, who has been called "the godfather of social entrepreneurship" by David Gergen. 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 1990s, 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.
Changemakers
Changemakers sponsors collaborative competitions intended to develop innovative solutions to social problems. The open sourcingOpen source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
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.
Social entrepreneurs can post their project information on the Changemakers.com website. Any visitor to the website can view these projects and registered users can communicate with participants to help refine and improve their project up until the competition deadline. The website also serves as a library resource for social entrepreneurs, with information on a variety of topics such as aging, health, and rural development.
Changemakers was founded in 1994 by Sushmita Ghosh, the president emerita of Ashoka, and originally started as a magazine based in Calcutta, India. The project was placed online in 1998.
Changemaker Campus Initiative
Ashoka U is working to develop new models for higher education, envisioning a day when universities everywhere serve as an enabling environment in which every individual has access to the resources, learning opportunities, role models, and peer community needed to actualize their full potential as changemakers. Through the Changemaker Campus partnership, Ashoka U works with teams of entrepreneurial students, faculty, and staff from across campus to transform select universities into hubs for social innovation. Now in its second year, the Changemaker Campus Consortium includes Babson CollegeBabson College
Babson College is a private business school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts near Boston.- History :Babson College was founded by Roger Babson on September 3, 1919, as the Babson Institute. It was renamed "Babson College" in 1969...
, College of the Atlantic
College of the Atlantic
The College of the Atlantic, founded in 1969, is a private, alternative liberal-arts college located in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine, United States. It awards a bachelor's degree solely in the field of human ecology, though with a variety of emphases. The college is small, with...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
, Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, and the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
–all chosen specifically on their ability and readiness effect cross-campus change.
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. Ashoka Youth Venture works with "iCivicsICivics
iCivics, inc. is a 501 non-profit organization that promotes civics education and encourages students to become active citizens. iCivics was founded by retired Supreme Court of the United States Justice Sandra Day O'Connor...
", Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
's civics-education initiative, to encourage youth activism through Impact Projects.
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 YunusMuhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize...
, Alice Tepper Marlin, Bill Drayton
Bill Drayton
William "Bill" Drayton is a social entrepreneur. Born in 1943 in New York City, U.S. Drayton was named by US News & World Report as one of America's 25 Best Leaders in 2005...
, Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen founded the Advisory Council of Transparency International , a non-governmental organization promoting transparency and accountability in international development since 1993...
, 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.
Full Economic Citizenship (FEC)
In 2003, Ashoka launched the Full Economic Citizenship (FEC) initiative. This program is intended to enable business-social alliances to develop the products and the distribution channels to serve currently marginalized markets better. In particular low income housing, health care, small farmers' and energy sectors. Ashoka's goal is to transform these sectors by encouraging these types of partnerships.For instance, in 2004, Ashoka worked with Cemex
Cemex
CEMEX is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...
, a global cement and building products company, to identify ways in which Cemex could 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 BankDeutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
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
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
magazine’s ‘Fast 50: 50 Profit-Driven Solutions for what Ails the Planet’.
Fellows by Country
- 2,145 Fellows in 73 Countries
- Ranked by Total Fellows
- Ranking ties are shown as the same number
As of July 23, 2010:
| Rank | Country | Year Founded | Total Fellows | Fellows Per Year | Sub-Regional Office | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India |
1982 | 283 | ? | Bangalore, India | Asia |
| 2 |  Brazil |
1986 | 273 | 15-20 | São Paulo, Brazil | South America |
| 3 |  Mexico |
1987 | 145 | 10 | Mexico City, Mexico | North America |
| 4 |  United States |
2000 | 126 | ~23 | Arlington, VA, USA | North America |
| 5 |  Indonesia |
1983 | 111 | ? | Bandung, Indonesia | Asia |
| 6 |  South Africa |
1991 | 90 | ? | Johannesburg, South Africa | Africa |
| 7 |  Thailand |
1989 | 82 | ? | Bangkok, Thailand | Asia |
| 8 |  Nigeria |
1991 | 70 | ? | Dakar, Senegal | Africa |
| 9 |  Poland |
? | 68 | 5-6 | Warsaw, Poland | Europe |
| 10 |  Bangladesh |
1987 | 57 | ? | ? | Asia |
| 11 |  Colombia |
1994 | 49 | 2-4 | Lima, Peru | South America |
| 12 |  Argentina |
1994 | 48 | 4 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | South America |
| 13 |  Pakistan |
1980s | 44 | ? | Karachi, Pakistan | Europe |
| 14 |  Nepal |
1987 | 41 | ? | ? | Asia |
| 15 |  Chile |
1994 | 38 | 4 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | South America |
| 16 |  Egypt |
2003 | 36 | ? | Cairo, Egypt | Middle East/North Africa (MENA) |
| 16 | ? | 36 | ? | Cairo, Egypt | Middle East/North Africa (MENA) | |
| 18 |  Peru |
1994 | 33 | 2-4 | Lima, Peru | South America |
| 19 |  Ecuador |
1994 | 31 | 2-4 | Lima, Peru | South America |
| 20 |  Bolivia |
1995 | 26 | 2-4 | Lima, Peru | South America |
| 20 |  Germany |
2005 | 26 | ? | Frankfurt, Germany | Europe |
| 20 |  Hungary |
? | 26 | 2 | Budapest, Hungary | Europe |
| 23 |  Canada |
2002 | 24 | 15-20 | Toronto, Canada | North America |
| 23 |  Turkey |
2000 | 24 | ? | Warsaw, Poland | Europe |
| 25 |  Czech Republic |
1994 | 23 | ? | Warsaw, Poland | Europe |
| 26 |  Uganda |
2001 | 21 | ? | Nairobi, Kenya | Africa |
| 27 |  Uruguay |
1994 | 20 | 1-2 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | South America |
| 27 |  Early Modern France |
2006 | 20 | ? | Paris, France | Europe |
| 27 |  Burkina Faso |
1993 | 20 | ? | Bamako, Mali | Africa |
| 30 |  Senegal |
1992 | 19 | ? | Bamako, Mali | Africa |
| 31 |  Spain |
2006 | 17 | ? | Madrid, Spain | Europe |
| 31 |  Kenya |
2002 | 17 | ? | Nairobi, Kenya | Africa |
| 33 |  Paraguay |
1995 | 16 | 1-2 | São Paulo, Brazil | South America |
| 33 |  Slovakia |
1995 | 16 | ? | Warsaw, Poland | Europe |
| 35 |  Venezuela |
1996 | 15 | 1-3 | Lima, Peru | South America |
| 35 |  Sri Lanka |
2003 | 15 | ? | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Asia |
| 37 |  Mali |
1992 | 13 | ? | Bamako, Mali | Africa |
| 37 |  Zimbabwe |
1990 | 13 | ? | Johannesburg, South Africa | Africa |
| 39 |  Costa Rica |
? | 11 | ? | ? | South America |
| 40 |  United Kingdom |
2003 | 9 | ? | London, United Kingdom | Europe |
| 41 |  Lithuania |
2000 | 8 | ? | Bratislava, Slovakia | Europe |
| 42 |  Tanzania |
2003 | 6 | ? | Nairobi, Kenya | Africa |
| 42 |  El Salvador |
? | 6 | ? | ? | South America |
| 44 |  Republic of Ireland |
2006 | 5 | ? | Dublin, Ireland | Europe |
| 44 |  The Gambia |
? | 5 | ? | Bamako, Mali | Africa |
| 44 |  Ghana |
1992 | 5 | ? | Dakar, Senegal | Africa |
| 44 |  Guatemala |
? | 5 | ? | ? | South America |
| 44 |  Switzerland |
? | 5 | ? | Paris, France & Frankfurt, Germany | Europe |
| 49 |  Lebanon |
? | 4 | ? | Cairo, Egypt | Middle East/North Africa (MENA) |
| 49 |  Côte d'Ivoire |
1992 | 4 | ? | Bamako, Mali | Africa |
| 49 |  Cameroon |
1993 | 4 | ? | Dakar, Senegal | Africa |
| 49 |  Jordan |
? | 4 | ? | ? | Middle East/North Africa (MENA) |
| 53 |  Palestinian territories |
? | 3 | ? | Cairo, Egypt | Middle East/North Africa (MENA) |
| 53 |  Belgium |
? | 3 | ? | Paris, France | Europe |
| 53 |  Afghanistan |
2006 | 3 | ? | Karachi, Pakistan | Europe |
| 53 |  Nicaragua |
? | 3 | ? | ? | South America |
| 57 |  East Timor |
? | 2 | ? | Bandung, Indonesia | Asia |
| 57 |  Mozambique |
2000 | 2 | ? | Johannesburg, South Africa | Africa |
| 57 |  Israel |
? | 2 | ? | Tel Aviv, Israel | Middle East/North Africa (MENA) |
| 57 |  Kuwait |
? | 2 | ? | Cairo, Egypt | Middle East/North Africa (MENA) |
| 57 |  Sweden |
? | 2 | ? | Dublin, Ireland | Europe |
| 62 |  Latvia |
2003 | 1 | <1 | Bratislava, Slovakia | Europe |
| 62 |  Morocco |
2007 | 1 | <1 | Cairo, Egypt | Africa |
| 62 |  Guinea-Bissau |
1994 | 1 | ? | Bamako, Mali | Africa |
| 62 |  Zambia |
1991 | 1 | ? | Johannesburg, South Africa | Africa |
| 62 |  Botswana |
1999 | 1 | ? | Johannesburg, South Africa | Africa |
| 62 |  Denmark |
? | 1 | ? | Dublin, Ireland | Europe |
| 62 |  Iceland |
? | 1 | ? | ? | Europe |
| 62 |  Italy |
? | 1 | ? | ? | Europe |
| 62 |  Netherlands |
? | 1 | ? | ? | Europe |
| 62 | ? | 1 | ? | ? | Asia | |
| 72 |  Slovenia |
? | ? | ? | Bratislava, Slovakia | Europe |
| 72 | ? | ? | ? | Makati City, Phillippines | Asia | |
Fellows by Continent
As of 2007:| Continent | Total Fellows |
|---|---|
| Asia | 638 |
| South America | 571 |
| Africa | 293 |
| Europe | 192 |
| North America | 167 |
| Worldwide | 1,861 |
Fellows by Field of Work
| Field of Work | Total Fellows |
|---|---|
| Human Rights | 422 |
| Economic Development | 411 |
| Civic Engagement | 375 |
| Learning/Education | 334 |
| Health | 311 |
| Environment | 258 |
| Worldwide | 2,111 |
Fellows and programs
- Fazle Hasan AbedFazle Hasan AbedSir Fazle Hasan Abed, KCMG is a social worker with dual Bangladeshi/ British nationality and the founder and chairman of BRAC . For his outstanding contributions to social improvement, he has received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the UNDP Mahbub Ul Haq Award and the inaugural Clinton Global Citizen...
- Founder, BRACBRAC (NGO)BRAC, based in Bangladesh, is the world's largest non-governmental development organization. Established by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed in 1972 soon after the independence of Bangladesh, BRAC is present in all 64 districts of Bangladesh, with over 7 million microfinance group members, 37,500 non-formal...
in Bangladesh, Abed was also a founding member of Ashoka's Global Academy. BRAC is one of the largest development organizations in the world, with notable successes in their treatment of tuberculosis and diarrhea, providing a market for rural artisans with their social enterprise AarongAarongAarong is a chain of retail outlets located in the major cities of Bangladesh. It is an enterprise of BRAC, the largest non-governmental development organisation in the world. In the Bangla language, "Aarong" means a village fair...
, and creating a national network of schools for the children of the poor. Dr. Abed was the recipient of the Clinton Global Initiative's first ever Clinton Global Citizen Award in 2007.
- Rodrigo Baggio - Founder of Center for Digital InclusionCenter for Digital InclusionThe Center for Digital inclusion is a nonprofit organization that uses technology to fight poverty and stimulate entrepreneurship. CDI and partners create community centers in low-income, rural, indigenous communities, hospitals, prisons, and psychiatric clinics...
(as Comitê para Democratização da Informática), a network of computer schools in poor Latin American neighborhoods.
- George AbrahamGeorge Abraham (India)George Abraham is founding Chairman of the World Blind Cricket Council and the Association for Cricket for the Blind in India . He is founder of the SCORE Foundation, New Delhi.-Early years:...
- Founder and CEO of Score Foundation, which runs Project Eyeway. He is also the founding Chairman of the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) and the Association for Cricket for the Blind in India (ACBI). Elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2000.
- Zackie AchmatZackie AchmatZackie Achmat is a South African activist, most widely known as founder and chairman of the Treatment Action Campaign and for his work on the behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa.-Early life:...
– Founder, Treatment Action CampaignTreatment Action CampaignThe Treatment Action Campaign is a South African AIDS activist organization which was founded by the HIV-positive activist Zackie Achmat in 1998. TAC is rooted in the experiences, direct action tactics and anti-apartheid background of its founder...
(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.
- Mohammad Abbad AndaloussiMohammad Abbad AndaloussiMohammad Abbad Andaloussi is a social entrepreneur in Morocco. He is the founder of Al Jisr , an organization that fosters collaborations between private businesses, the government, and the school system....
, founder of Al Jisr
- Jeroo BillimoriaJeroo BillimoriaJeroo Billimoria is the founder and managing director of Child and Youth Finance International.She is also the founder of Aflatoun , Childline India Foundation and Child helpline international.-Biography:...
, founder of AflatounAflatounAflatoun is a non-governmental organization focusing on educating children about their rights and responsibilities and managing financial resources through social and financial education. Headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Aflatoun currently works in 80 countries who are implementing the...
Child Saving International, Childline India FoundationChildline India FoundationCHILDLINE India Foundation is a non-profit organization that function as a nodal agency for CHILDLINEs across India. The goal of CIF is to reach out to marginalised children in need of care and protection...
and Child Helpline InternationalChild helpline internationalChild Helpline International is a global network of telephone helplines and outreach services for children and young people. Working in over 150 countries, CHI was founded on the belief that children and young people have rights, and that they alone are the best individuals to identify their...
- Vera CordeiroVera CordeiroVera Cordeiro is a social entrepreneur and physician.Cordeiro was awarded the Brazil Ashoka Fellow for reforming the Brazilian health care system...
, for reforming the Brazilian health care system
- Derek EllermanDerek EllermanDerek Ellerman is the Co-Founder, former Co-Executive Director, and current Board Chair of Polaris Project, a Washington DC-based organization that combats human trafficking and modern-day slavery...
, co-founder of Polaris ProjectPolaris ProjectPolaris Project is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that works to combat and prevent modern day slavery and human trafficking. The organization works directly with victims, hosts tip and crisis hotlines and offers solutions to those victimized by human trafficking...
- Kim FeinbergKim FeinbergKim Feinberg is a community organizer and philanthropic worker. She is best known as the founder of Tomorrow Trust, an organization that educates children in South Africa who have been orphaned by AIDS, apartheid, and poverty...
, founder of Tomorrow Trust
- Darell HammondDarell HammondDarell Hammond is an American philanthropist, founder and chief executive officer of the non-profit organization KaBOOM! that helps communities build playgrounds for children. Very active in running the company, Hammond also speaks at conferences and universities about his work and blogs on The...
, founder of KaBOOM!KaBOOM!KaBOOM! is an American non-profit organization that helps communities build playgrounds for children.-History:Darell Hammond and Dawn Hutchison founded KaBOOM! in 1996. They were inspired to start KaBOOM! after reading a story in The Washington Post about two local children who suffocated while...
- Magda IskanderMagda IskanderMagda Iskander is a social entrepreneur in Egypt.Raised in a village in Egypt, she wanted to study music as a child. She found herself on the path of medicine instead, and was intrigued by radiology, which she studied in the United States...
, founder of Care with Love
- Rachel LloydRachel LloydRachel Lloyd is an anti-human trafficking advocate and founder and Executive Director of the New York-based Girls Educational and Mentoring Services ....
, founder of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services, also known as GEMS
- Feliciano ReynaFeliciano ReynaFeliciano Reyna is the founder of Acción Solidaria. He is known for his work fighting AIDS in Venezuela.Following the death of his partner from AIDS in 1994, Reyna began battling the AIDS epidemic. He started a pilot AIDS community center in Caracas, which led to a network of centers in Venezuela....
, founder of Acción Solidaria
- Beulah ThumbadooBeulah ThumbadooBeulah Thumbadoo is the founder of Everyone's Reading in Africa .Thumbadoo works to promote literacy in South Africa and globally as well. She founded ERA at the University of Witwatersrand and has developed it into an independent organization. The mission of ERA is to increase the availability of...
, founder of Everyone's Reading in Africa
- Jimmy WalesJimmy WalesJimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
, co-founder of Wikipedia.
- Sakena YacoobiSakena YacoobiSakena Yacoobi is the founder of the .Dr. Sakena Yacoobi is Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning , an Afghan women-led NGO she founded in 1995. The organization was established to provide teacher training to Afghan women, to support education for boys and girls, and to provide...
- Founder, Afghan Institute of Learning. Elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2006.
- Muhammad YunusMuhammad YunusMuhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize...
– Founder, Grameen BankGrameen BankThe Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...
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 PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.
- Kyle Zimmer, founder of First BookFirst BookFirst Book is a non-profit organization based out of Washington D.C. that works towards getting new "age appropriate" books into the hands of children from low-income families.-History:...
- Dr. SudarshanHanumappa SudarshanDr. Hanumappa Sudarshan is an Indian social worker and tribal rights activist. He is well known for his contributions to the upliftment of the forest dwelling tribes in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. He is also a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award and the Padma Shri.-Early life...
- Founder of VGKK and Karuna Trust (India)Karuna Trust (India)Karuna Trust is an organization involved with integrated rural development and is affiliated to Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra. Both charities were founded by Hanumappa Sudarshan. The motivation to start this trust was was he prevalence of leprosy in Yelandur Taluk of Chamarajanagar district...
was one of the first few Ashoka Fellows in 1982. He is well known for his work on tribal rights and primary health carePrimary health carePrimary health care, often abbreviated as “PHC”, has been defined as "essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost...
.
- Arif HasanArif HasanArif Hasan, is a Pakistani architect, planner, teacher, social researcher, and writer. He is a recipient of Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the country's highest award for its citizens.-Early Life and Education:...
- Founder of Urban Resource Centere, and developed successful housing programs including Urban Community program, Hasan Square and the Orangi Upgrading Project.
- Vineet RaiVineet RaiVineet Rai is founder and the CEO of Aavishkaar Venture Management Service which is India's first Social Venture Capital Firm. He is also chairman and co-founder of Intellecap. Prior to Aavishkaar, he was the CEO of Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network , an incubator for rural innovations...
- Founder of AAVISHKAAR social Venture.
- Reza DeghatiReza DeghatiReza Deghati, born 1952 in Tabriz, Iran is an Iranian-French photojournalist, who works under the name Reza .-Biography:Reza has covered much of the globe for National Geographic Magazine. Several films about Reza's work have been produced by National Geographic Television, most notably Frontline...
- Founder of AINA, Afghanistan. Philanthropist, idealist, humanist, architect and professional photographer.
- Satyan Mishra - Founder of DrishteeDrishteeDrishtee is an India based business that provides information technology goods and services to rural India through village kiosks that are run and managed by local entrepreneurs...
. Drishtee is a social enterprise that provides services to rural India through village kiosks that are run and managed by local entrepreneurs.
Board of Directors
- Mary GordonMary GordonMary Catherine Gordon is an American writer and is the McIntosh Professor of English at Barnard College. She is best known for her novels, memoirs and literary criticism...
, Ashoka Fellow - William C. Kelly, President, Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future
- Gloria de Souza, Ashoka Fellow
- Fred Hehuwat, Founder, The Green Indonesia Foundation
- Roger Harrison, Newspaper Executive and Journalist
- C. William Carter, Business and Social Entrepreneur
- Kyle Zimmer, Founder, FirstBook
- William DraytonWilliam DraytonWilliam Drayton was an American politician, banker, and author from Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of Federal Judge William Drayton, Sr. of South Carolina....
, Founder & Board Chair
Global Office Locations
29 Offices Around the Globe| Office Name | City | Country | Countries Handled | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashoka Andean Region | Lima | Peru |
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela | South America |
| Ashoka Colombia | Bogota | Colombia |
Colombia | South America |
| Ashoka Brazil/Paraguay | São Paulo | Brazil |
Brazil/Paraguay | South America |
| Ashoka-McKinsey Center for Social Entrepreneurship | São Paulo | Brazil |
none | South America |
| Ashoka Southern Cone | Buenos Aires | Argentina |
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay | South America |
| Ashoka Canada | Toronto | Canada |
Canada | North America |
| Ashoka: Emprendedores Sociales | Mexico City | Mexico |
Mexico and Central America | North America |
| Ashoka United States | Arlington, VA | United States |
United States | North America |
| Ashoka Arab World Regional Office | Cairo | Egypt |
Egypt, Morocco, Jordon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait | Middle East/North Africa (MENA) |
| Ashoka France/Belgium/Switzerland (French-speaking) | Paris | Early Modern France |
France/Belgium/Switzerland (French-speaking) | Europe |
| Ashoka Deutschland gGmbH | Frankfurt | Germany |
Germany/Switzerland (German-speaking) | Europe |
| Ashoka Hungary | Budapest | Hungary |
Hungary | Europe |
| Ashoka Ireland | Dublin | Republic of Ireland |
Ireland/Denmark/Sweden | Europe |
| Ashoka Israel | Tel Aviv | Israel |
Israel | Europe |
| Ashoka Innovators for the Public in Poland | Warsaw | Poland |
Poland/Czech Republic/Turkey/Slovakia | Europe |
| Ashoka Slovakia | Bratislava | Slovakia |
Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia | Europe |
| Ashoka Spain | Madrid | Spain |
Spain | Europe |
| Ashoka UK | London | United Kingdom |
United Kingdom | Europe |
| Ashoka India Office | Bangalore | India |
India | Asia |
| Ashoka Indonesia | Bandung | Indonesia |
Indonesia | Asia |
| Ashoka Pakistan | Karachi | Pakistan |
Pakistan | Asia |
| Ashoka Philippines | Makati City |  Philippines |
Philippines | Asia |
| Ashoka Sri Lanka | Colombo | Sri Lanka |
Sri Lanka | Asia |
| Ashoka Thailand | Bangkok | Thailand |
Thailand | Asia |
| Ashoka: Innovators for the Public | Johannesburg | South Africa |
South Africa | Africa |
| Ashoka East Africa | Nairobi | Kenya |
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda | Africa |
| Ashoka Sahel | Bamako | Mali |
Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Senegal | Africa |
| Ashoka Southern Africa | Johannesburg | South Africa |
Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Africa |
| Ashoka Senegal | Dakar | Senegal |
Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria | Africa |