Lucky me, who happen to have my Grameen Bank internship start in the same week as the 2nd annual Social Business Day Conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The theme this year was Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through Social Business. As Social Business is on the rise and growing, attending was a unique opportunity. The Yunus Centre, A Hub for Social Business, defines Social Business as such:
"A Social Business is a non-loss divided company. It aims to achieve a social, ethical, and/or environmental goal while being financially self-sufficient"(Yunus Centre pamphlet received at conference).
There are two types of social business as defined by the Yunus Centre:
Type I:
"Type I refers to social businesses that create a product or provides a service that has a direct social impact. For example, Grameen Danone produces fortified yogurt, Shakti doi, which directly fights childhood malnutrition".
Type II:
"A type II social business functions as a profit-oriented business of which the net profits go towards a trust for the benefit of disadvantaged groups or as shareholder dividends to poor people. Grameen Bank is an example of a Type II social business".
Social Business applied as a way of achieving the MDGs
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus introduced the conference by discussing how the MDGs can be achieved through Social Business. It's simple and transparent, and there is no complex theories behind Social Business, anyone can start a social business. The first step is to find and identify a problem, and then create a social business to solve the problem. As I understand it, that means that the method of solving the problem, or how you solve it can be the social business itself. It's not about making money, nor is it about investing money. If someone is to invest money into a social business, they would only get back what they invested. The Essence behind it is innovation and creativity. It's not about how many people you help, if you help five that is great, it's about taking a step in the right direction to solving a problem. We have the capacity to create a poverty-free world.
United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, Thomas Stelzer was also present at the conference as a link between the Social Business Day and the United Nations. Stelzer was on the panel during both session 1 and 2. He addressed that in order to achieve the MDGs there must be political will, development of strategies which are tailored to and implemented in terms of each country's needs, then finally there is a need for financing. His attitudes towards Social Business seemed to be very positive according to my observation and listening.
There was several sistercompanies of Grameen present at both the morning and afternoon sessions. Project Director of Veolia Water talked about the need for safe water, and how social business could be used to solve the drinking water problems in Bangladesh. There is plenty of water here, but not much safe water. Corinne Bazinat the CEO of Grameen Danone, the affordable nutritious yogurt(shokti). Not only does it provide children with a yogurt to combat malnutrition, but it also employs 179 people, 370 farmers and 820 shokti ladies.
Conversation between Dr.Yunus and local and International students
Among the people present in the sessions
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, Thomas Stelzer, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs,Saori Dubourg, President, Regional Functions and Country Management, Asia Pacific, BASF( Malaria nets), Corinne Bazinat the CEO of Grameen Danone, Masaharu Okada, Executive Director, Grameen Creative Lab at Kyushu University, Hans Reitz, Founder, Grameen Creative Lab, Prof, Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, Dean, Business School at North South University (Bangladesh), Shahid Ahmed, Founder of Grameen Fiberglass, Rokia Rahman, President of Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs, Sadeq Khan, Contributing Editor at Weekly Holiday, Riaz Khan, Director of Yunus Centre at A.I.T.
Newspaper article about the Social Business Day.
Pass the Peace.
"A Social Business is a non-loss divided company. It aims to achieve a social, ethical, and/or environmental goal while being financially self-sufficient"(Yunus Centre pamphlet received at conference).
There are two types of social business as defined by the Yunus Centre:
 |
| Dr. Yunus and First Session Panel,Taken by Author (KOF) |
"Type I refers to social businesses that create a product or provides a service that has a direct social impact. For example, Grameen Danone produces fortified yogurt, Shakti doi, which directly fights childhood malnutrition".
Type II:
"A type II social business functions as a profit-oriented business of which the net profits go towards a trust for the benefit of disadvantaged groups or as shareholder dividends to poor people. Grameen Bank is an example of a Type II social business".
Social Business applied as a way of achieving the MDGs
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus introduced the conference by discussing how the MDGs can be achieved through Social Business. It's simple and transparent, and there is no complex theories behind Social Business, anyone can start a social business. The first step is to find and identify a problem, and then create a social business to solve the problem. As I understand it, that means that the method of solving the problem, or how you solve it can be the social business itself. It's not about making money, nor is it about investing money. If someone is to invest money into a social business, they would only get back what they invested. The Essence behind it is innovation and creativity. It's not about how many people you help, if you help five that is great, it's about taking a step in the right direction to solving a problem. We have the capacity to create a poverty-free world.
 |
| Thomas Stelzer, Taken by author (KOF) |
There was several sistercompanies of Grameen present at both the morning and afternoon sessions. Project Director of Veolia Water talked about the need for safe water, and how social business could be used to solve the drinking water problems in Bangladesh. There is plenty of water here, but not much safe water. Corinne Bazinat the CEO of Grameen Danone, the affordable nutritious yogurt(shokti). Not only does it provide children with a yogurt to combat malnutrition, but it also employs 179 people, 370 farmers and 820 shokti ladies.
Conversation between Dr.Yunus and local and International students
Social Business is selfless business, and it is business to change the world, with its essence being creativity. It's powerful because one individual can do it on their own.
Do you see a problem? Do you know of a problem in your society? Be it, health, education, equality, you name it... If you can identify it, then create a solution, and make a social business.
Among the people present in the sessions
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, Thomas Stelzer, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs,Saori Dubourg, President, Regional Functions and Country Management, Asia Pacific, BASF( Malaria nets), Corinne Bazinat the CEO of Grameen Danone, Masaharu Okada, Executive Director, Grameen Creative Lab at Kyushu University, Hans Reitz, Founder, Grameen Creative Lab, Prof, Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, Dean, Business School at North South University (Bangladesh), Shahid Ahmed, Founder of Grameen Fiberglass, Rokia Rahman, President of Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs, Sadeq Khan, Contributing Editor at Weekly Holiday, Riaz Khan, Director of Yunus Centre at A.I.T.
Newspaper article about the Social Business Day.
Pass the Peace.
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