HOW DOES ONE CHANGE THE WORLD? …
In the course of our seminar, one thing has become very clear:
If there is something the world’s societies at the beginning of the 21st century are not lacking, it is problems of all kinds and sizes. Among the most pressing social ills in India, for example, are insufficient health care provisions and an underdeveloped social security network assisting especially the country’s disabled citizens. Hardly anyone would disagree that there is a need for change, that disabled people should enjoy the same rights as their fellow citizens; that eye care should not be a luxury service affordable only by the very well-off. The question is not whether things should change but how this change may be brought about.
The following two cases of social entrepreneurship chose very different approaches to changing social problems in India and yet they were both successful in their own right.
FIGHTING FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS IN INDIA:
Javed Abidi and the National Center for the Promotion of Employment for Disabled People
Javed Abidi was born in 1965 in Aligarh, India. He suffers from sclerosis of the spine, an illness that if treated timely, can be controlled fairly well. However, inaccurate medical diagnosis confined him to the wheelchair since young age. Trying to improve his son’s condition, Abidi’s father – a college professor and member of the Congress Party – spent all his savings on a trip to the United States. During his stay in the U.S, Abidi became familiar with concepts such as ‘rehabilitation’ and ‘respect for the disabled’ which he would embrace in his future work.
Soon, Abidi returned to America to study Journalism and Communication at Wright State University in Ohio where he became actively engaged as member of the University’s disability unit and in other campus activities while also achieving high academic honors. However, as his medical treatment continued, it turned out that the wheelchair given to him in India was oversized, leading to a faulty posture. Once again, corrective surgery was required.
Upon graduation from Wright State, Abidi returned to India to pursue a career as a journalist. This turned out to be difficult since – despite his excellent grades and extracurricular achievements – many editors did not consider him able to cover the task of political reporting. Abidi had to overcome many obstacles in order to find employment. Eventually, he managed to establish his credentials as a political journalist when he was able to secure a highly prestigious interview with the Minister of Defense.
The ongoing struggle of determined individuals like Javed Abidi increased political awareness of the disabled rights issue. In 1988, India’s Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi established a committee concerned with disability, which was transformed into the Rajeev Gandhi Foundation after his assassination. When Javed visited Sonia Gandhi to offer his condolences, he mentioned a letter he had written to her deceased husband concerning his committee. A week later, he was invited by Sonia Gandhi, to set up the disability wing of the newly established foundation. Abidi’s first large success then followed in 1995, when the Indian government passed the Disability Act.
In his work, Abidi strives to achieve the employment of disabled citizens in ‘normal’ jobs, in companies where they work alongside non-disabled people, where they deliver the same work and thus receive the same pay. To pursue these goals, Abidi founded the National Center for the Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) in 1997. By now, the NCPEDP has grown into an organization of immense scope: It targets not only the more than 60 Million disabled people, but India’s entire population, to create a climate of universal acceptance of citizens with disabilities.
The interesting part about this case of social entrepreneurship is the way Abidi goes about achieving his goals, namely by building a movement, by connecting his organization to many other similar associations all over the country. The NCPEDP was able to establish partnerships with businesses and other social groups and most importantly, it tries to work with the Indian government. Abidi set out to change the status quo by pushing for a new law, not by simply establishing facts and presenting them to the government.
The size of the NCPEDP itself is rather small, as they work with many partner organizations. Therefore, its scaling up strategy is to get more and more partners involved. Abidi wants to transform the behavior of powerful actors to achieve social change – the increased acceptance of disability in Indian society. Changes in the political sphere (changing the law), and the economic sphere (get disabled people into the workforce) are also highly significant in his model of social entrepreneurship.
Soon, Abidi returned to America to study Journalism and Communication at Wright State University in Ohio where he became actively engaged as member of the University’s disability unit and in other campus activities while also achieving high academic honors. However, as his medical treatment continued, it turned out that the wheelchair given to him in India was oversized, leading to a faulty posture. Once again, corrective surgery was required.
Upon graduation from Wright State, Abidi returned to India to pursue a career as a journalist. This turned out to be difficult since – despite his excellent grades and extracurricular achievements – many editors did not consider him able to cover the task of political reporting. Abidi had to overcome many obstacles in order to find employment. Eventually, he managed to establish his credentials as a political journalist when he was able to secure a highly prestigious interview with the Minister of Defense.
The ongoing struggle of determined individuals like Javed Abidi increased political awareness of the disabled rights issue. In 1988, India’s Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi established a committee concerned with disability, which was transformed into the Rajeev Gandhi Foundation after his assassination. When Javed visited Sonia Gandhi to offer his condolences, he mentioned a letter he had written to her deceased husband concerning his committee. A week later, he was invited by Sonia Gandhi, to set up the disability wing of the newly established foundation. Abidi’s first large success then followed in 1995, when the Indian government passed the Disability Act.
In his work, Abidi strives to achieve the employment of disabled citizens in ‘normal’ jobs, in companies where they work alongside non-disabled people, where they deliver the same work and thus receive the same pay. To pursue these goals, Abidi founded the National Center for the Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) in 1997. By now, the NCPEDP has grown into an organization of immense scope: It targets not only the more than 60 Million disabled people, but India’s entire population, to create a climate of universal acceptance of citizens with disabilities.
The interesting part about this case of social entrepreneurship is the way Abidi goes about achieving his goals, namely by building a movement, by connecting his organization to many other similar associations all over the country. The NCPEDP was able to establish partnerships with businesses and other social groups and most importantly, it tries to work with the Indian government. Abidi set out to change the status quo by pushing for a new law, not by simply establishing facts and presenting them to the government.
The size of the NCPEDP itself is rather small, as they work with many partner organizations. Therefore, its scaling up strategy is to get more and more partners involved. Abidi wants to transform the behavior of powerful actors to achieve social change – the increased acceptance of disability in Indian society. Changes in the political sphere (changing the law), and the economic sphere (get disabled people into the workforce) are also highly significant in his model of social entrepreneurship.
FIGHTING FOR EQUITABLE HEALTH CARE CONDITIONS:
The Aravind Eye Care System
Another example of social entrepreneurship in India is the Courtesy Aravind Eye Care System. The mission of the Aravind Eye Care System, which was founded by Dr. G. Venkataswamy in 1976, is to eliminate needless blindness. The not-for-profit organization wants to achieve this by providing high quality eye care for everybody and by making high quality ophthalmic products affordable and available worldwide. The eye care system consists of five hospitals, three managed eye hospitals, a manufacturing center for ophthalmic products, and their own research institutes.
In contrast to Abidi’s NCPEDP, Aravind is not trying to change the law. Dr. G. Venkataswamy developed a new system that reaches India’s poorest people. He invented strategies to overcome the typical barriers keeping the state from taking care of the poorest part of the population. Aravind provides camps in rural areas that move from village to village to reach those that usually do not get any medical help. Their approach is to combine traditional Indian warmth with the most modern ophthalmic care. The organization manages to be self-sustaining, even though 70 percent of Aravind’s surgeries are performed for free. This is possible, because Aravind is able to attract patients from all over the world.
While Abidi is changing the political sphere, by changing the laws concerning disabled people, Aravind has a completely different approach. Aravind is changing the status quo through taking direct action and finding ways to reach the poorest people without the government. However, both actors are trying to change the attitudes of people with the help of other socially committed organizations.
Overall, there does not seem to be a positively right or wrong way in social entrepreneurship; there is no ultimate guide telling us how change can be brought about. Human societies are complex constructs; they are subject to constant alteration and bearers of an abundance of social, political and economic problems requiring an equally multifaceted tool box of solutions.
In contrast to Abidi’s NCPEDP, Aravind is not trying to change the law. Dr. G. Venkataswamy developed a new system that reaches India’s poorest people. He invented strategies to overcome the typical barriers keeping the state from taking care of the poorest part of the population. Aravind provides camps in rural areas that move from village to village to reach those that usually do not get any medical help. Their approach is to combine traditional Indian warmth with the most modern ophthalmic care. The organization manages to be self-sustaining, even though 70 percent of Aravind’s surgeries are performed for free. This is possible, because Aravind is able to attract patients from all over the world.
While Abidi is changing the political sphere, by changing the laws concerning disabled people, Aravind has a completely different approach. Aravind is changing the status quo through taking direct action and finding ways to reach the poorest people without the government. However, both actors are trying to change the attitudes of people with the help of other socially committed organizations.
Overall, there does not seem to be a positively right or wrong way in social entrepreneurship; there is no ultimate guide telling us how change can be brought about. Human societies are complex constructs; they are subject to constant alteration and bearers of an abundance of social, political and economic problems requiring an equally multifaceted tool box of solutions.
References:
Alvord, S., L. Brown, and C. Letts (2004): “Social Entrepreneurship and Societal Transformation.” The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 40/3, pp. 260-282.
Aravind Eye Care System. Retrieved on April 16th from http://www.aravind.org/.
Aravind Eye Care system. Activity Report 2008-09: Mission. Retrieved on April 16th 2010 from http://www.aravind.org/annualreport09/displayreport.aspx?qstring=Mission.
Ashoka. (1998). Javed Abidi|Ashoka.org. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from Ashoka: http://www.ashoka.org/fellow/2550.
Bonamici Flaim, K. (2009). Aravind Eye Care System. Retrieved on April 16th 2010 from http://www.fastcompany.com/fast50_09/profile/list/aravind-eye-care-system.
Bornstein, David (2007): “This Country Has to Change. Javed Abidi, India: Disability Rights.” In: D. Bornstein: How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. Oxford et al: Oxford University Press, pp. 214-237.
By Carla, Gesche, Ben, and Tina
