Creating a World Without Poverty
Nobel Peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus talks about how he founded Grameen Bank to offer economic building tools for some of the poorest people in Bangladesh.
Podcast
Ashoka Social Entrepreneurship
Introducing Ashoka and the Social Entrepreneurship Series
A Unique Insight into the Minds of Men and Women Changing the World
Disrupting old patterns of action, catalyzing global change and transforming systems – these outstanding global social entrepreneurs have emerged as beacons of inspiration in the citizen sector. Ashoka’s Social Entrepreneurship Series is an exciting 16-program film series featuring Ashoka and six founding members of Ashoka’s Global Academy of Social Entrepreneurship. These include BRAC’s Fazle Abed, Ashoka’s Bill Drayton, Transparency International’s Peter Eigen, Ethos Institute and the World Social Forum’s Oded Grajew, Social Accountability International’s Alice Tepper Marlin, and Grameen Bank’s Muhammad Yunus.
Bill Drayton recognized the power of individual innovation in addressing social change and founded Ashoka in 1981. Today, 25 years on, Ashoka supports 1700 social entrepreneurs in more than 60 countries. Ashoka's mission is to shape a citizen sector that is entrepreneurial, productive and globally integrated, and to develop the profession of social entrepreneurship around the world.
Ashoka identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs - extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for change in their communities - supporting them, their ideas and institutions through all phases of their careers. Ashoka Fellows benefit from being part of the global Fellowship for life.
We'd love to know what you think after you have a chance to listen to a few of them.
Learn more about Ashoka's Social Entrepreneurship Series on DVD
The programs published in the weeks to come will appear in the list below. The best way to learn about new releases is to subscribe to one of the RSS feeds below, or to one of the site-wide feeds.
Our publication of this series was made possible by your membership dues and:
A Unique Insight into the Minds of Men and Women Changing the World
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Podcast
Bill Drayton - The Citizen Sector Transformed
"Once in a very rare while in history there is a fundamental pattern change. We're in one of those right now," says Bill Drayton in this audio lecture. Before our eyes the social sector is transforming to adopt the business sector's entrepreneurial architecture, where productivity and innovation are absolutely essential. Drayton explains how he sees the merging of pieces from both worlds as the way social entrepreneurs will flourish.
Podcast
Peter Eigen - Fighting Corruption at Every Level
Many countries that should be thriving are dragged into poverty and strife by the burden of corruption. The loss goes far beyond the sums that change hands dishonestly; the true price must take the ensuing opportunity costs into account. In this audio lecture, Peter Eigen describes strategies that can be used by companies, governments, and citizens to break the cycle of corruption and lift themselves to more efficient, fair, and honest dealings.
Podcast
Fazle H. Abed - Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
Fazle Abed explains in this audio lecture how the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) is leading grassroots efforts to achieve the eight U.N. Millennium Development Goals in Bangladesh. He describes a multipronged strategy aimed at education, gender equality, health, environmental, economic, and political progress.
Podcast
Oded Grajew - Another World Is Possible
The annual World Social Forum is the centerpiece of an international effort to promote globalization based on peace, sustainability, and solidarity. In this audio lecture, Founder Oded Grajew describes the early planning and growth of WSF, and explains the core ideals that led to positive change and strengthened his belief that a better world is possible.
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Podcast
Creating a World Without Poverty
Nobel Peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus talks about how he founded Grameen Bank to offer economic building tools for some of the poorest people in Bangladesh.
Podcast
Dr. Muhammad Yunus - Banker to the Poor
Muhammad Yunus started a movement that has lifted millions out of poverty. When he formed the Grameen Bank in 1983 and started giving out microloans, Yunus bridged the divide between business and social needs. In this audio lecture, he describes how he created microcredit, collateral-free lending, and began offering other business services to the poor. Yunus lays out the path to his extraordinary vision and success, which is driving global social change.
Podcast
Fazle H. Abed - Thinking Big and Scaling Up
Solving the world's big problems takes large-scale solutions, says Fazle H. Abed, founder of Building Resources Across Communities in Bangladesh. In this audio lecture, Abed outlines the development and market perspectives that have enabled his organization to expand and meet his country's needs in key areas, including microfinance, agriculture, and education.
Podcast
Dr Muhammad Yunus - Reaching the Full Potential of Microfinance
Microfinance, the extension of small loans to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans, has proved to be an effective strategy for raising millions of families from poverty worldwide. Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, who pioneered the microloan revolution in Bangladesh, explains in this audio lecture how he saw rural poor and women struggle against deeply institutionalized economic systems, and realized the massive change that small loans could provide.
Podcast
Council on Foundations Annual Conference - Philanthropy and Nonprofit Acountability Practices
In the field of philanthropy, are foundations' grantmaking and reporting processes aligned with nonprofits' strategies? In this panel discussion exploring data from a Center for Social Innovation study on nonprofit accountability practices and the costs of conflicting demands, experts debate ways in which evaluation requirements may help or hinder mission delivery.