Climate Change, Poverty Better Solved Through Social Entrepreneurship

Tackling social ills like climate change and poverty takes more than throwing money at the problem.

Tackling social ills like climate change and poverty takes more than throwing money at the problem. It takes social entrepreneurs to attack it from the inside, said Sally Osberg, co-author of Getting Beyond Better. 'Social entrepreneurs attack problems where there is a disadvantaged segment of the population that lacks the power of the means to bring about the change that would make their lives better,' said Osberg, who is also CEO of the Skoll Foundation which sponsors social entrepreneurship. Osberg uses the example of Riders for Health to illustrate how social entrepreneurship differs from other methods of aid. Riders for Health was founded by Andrea and Barry Coleman, who drew on their passions for desert motorcycling to start the organization which makes reliable transportation and vehicle maintenance an integral part of Africa’s health systems. 'They knew what it took to equip people with transportation that would be 100% reliable and to deliver health care effectively, you need that reliability,' said Osberg. 'They went to work and they are now partnering with ministries in five sub-Saharan African countries to build their health delivery transportation system.' Riders for Health differs from microfinance because the project is more about a social than a monetary return. Although she said occasionally a social entrepreneur can turn a profit as well. Most importantly, Riders for Health is a solution that can be scaled and transferred to tackle similar problems elsewhere.