A guest blog post by Juliana Rotich.
A social venture must be able to innovate, and this can only be achieved through inclusion. The more inclusive the venture, the more dynamic the ideas and the more expansive the scope of effecting change! Individuals who embark on social entrepreneurship ventures create a domino effect, encouraging others to invest, economically, physically and even emotionally, in bringing about positive social change. It is important that we leave bits of ourselves in our work and inspire others to value fairness and justice.
It is therefore important that these initiatives provide avenues in which people, who are currently made invisible by mainstream ideologies, see themselves as being active in the change-making process. As a creative enterprise, social entrepreneurship is catalytic in providing solutions for many challenges globally. By its nature alone, this type of venture encourages young populations, whose voices have long been subdued, to be actively involved in the development process by thinking outside the box. Social entrepreneurship continually fuels the passion and drive that sustains momentum for more innovative start-ups.
Juliana is co-founder of Ushahidi Inc and BRCK Inc., and is a trustee of the iHub. She serves as strategic advisor on the councils of BASF and Microsoft 4Afrika, and is an MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow and TED Senior Fellow.