Global Issues

Paul Farmer - Scaling Up Healthcare in Rwanda

AIDS, malaria, and maternal mortality are some of the chronic public health issues that plague Africa. Invited to Stanford, Paul Farmer talks about how his Boston-based organization, Partners In Health, is spending donor dollars to bring the lessons garnered from its work in Haiti to scale up healthcare services in war-torn Rwanda. As dicussed in this audio lecture, his organization seeks to fill the gap that exists between medical R&D and healthcare delivery so preventions and cures can be brought to more of the people who need them.

Linda Rottenberg - Taking Entrepreneurism International

Ten years ago, "entrepreneur" didn't exist in the lexicon of many parts of the world. Now, thanks to the work of a nonprofit called Endeavor, entrepreneurs are emerging in countries where such activity was once impossible. Invited to speak at the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford, Linda Rottenberg shares in this audio lecture how her organization has gone from a "crazy" idea of two business school graduates to an important engine for empowering entrepreneurs in Latin America and beyond.

Networked Governance - Multilateral Institutions of the Future

As global leadership evolves from siloed hierarchies to multilateral approaches, networked governance has important potential and faces significant challenges. In this panel discussion, panelists, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Ashraf Ghani, Ambassador John Bruton, Ambassador Harriet Babbitt, and Sir Ian Forbes, address the factors, from the practical to the philosophical, at play.

Beulah Thumbadoo - Making Reading Sexier

Beulah Thumbadoo talks about her experiences promoting adult literacy, first from within the South African government and university system, and then through her own organization. Talking with Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman in this audio interview, she also shares advice from her experience on social entrepreneurship.

Stanford Social Entrepreneurship Day - Funding Social Enterprises

With valuable advice for all types of entrepreneurs, this Stanford Entrepreneurship Week panel offers a unique perspective for funding a social enterprise startup. In this panel discussion, Kriss Deiglmeier leads an engaging discussion between funders and social entrepreneurs that provides actionable advice and insightful lessons in this discussion from the second annual Social Entrepreneurship Day at Stanford University.

Rafael Alvarez - Preparing Students to Succeed

While volunteering at a charter school, Rafael Alvarez was confronted with some shocking information—hardly any students in the senior class had plans to attend college. So, in true social entrepreneurial fashion, he decided to match up this under-served market with another under-served market, entry level IT. Talking with Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman in this audio interview, he explains how Genesys Works prepares students technically and professionally to enter a corporate environment and change their lives.

Kim Feinberg - Self-Sufficiency Through Education

AIDS in South Africa has left millions of children without parents or any resources to help themselves. In this audio interview with Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman, Kim Feinberg describes how her organization, the Tomorrow Trust, uses education to help these children grow into self sufficient, economically productive, and socially included adults.

Natalie Portman - Eradicating Poverty Through Microfinance

One of the biggest problems that low-income people around the world face is the lack of access to capital that might otherwise help them rise out of poverty. Invited to Stanford, actress Natalie Portman turns the spotlight on her work to promote FINCA's International Village Banking Campaign, aiming to bring financial services to one million of the world's lowest-income families through 100,000 Village Banks by 2010.