As part of the CSC’s development training, 15 Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows attended a workshop on ‘Social entrepreneurship for development impact’ held on 13 December 2018. This workshop, facilitated by The School for Social Entrepreneurs, explored key themes faced by social entrepreneurs when launching a new venture, and shared practical tips to help with participants’ entrepreneurial journeys.
Participants heard from social entrepreneurs who have launched an organisation and learned what worked, what didn’t work and what they would do differently next time.
Social entrepreneurs who shared their experiences on the day were:
- Mariama Kamara, Founder, Smiling Through Light. Smiling Through Light focuses on clean energy access by working with a network of women to provide clean, reliable and sustainable energy in Africa through the sale of solar products.
- Josh Bicknell, Founder, Balloon Ventures. Balloon Ventures is a unique social enterprise that works with micro businesses in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and the Philippines. By helping these businesses to grow, Balloon Ventures create truly sustainable development that impacts on individuals, families and communities.
Scholars learned a lot throughout the workshop about the skills needed to become a successful social entrepreneur. This includes the importance of being organised, learning from mistakes, working in a partnership and monitoring, measuring and evaluating the impact of the service or product to your community.
Photographs from the workshop can be found on the CSC Flickr and the presentations from the day are available here.
