Do It Now

Sometimes, we are given a vision.

In lingers in our hearts, it whispers in our thoughts, and it tugs at our consciences.  It may a world changing idea, or a personal dream, like climbing Mount Everest or publishing a poem.

Whatever it is, don't ever brush it aside as being ridiculous, selfish, or unachievable.

Narrow down your vision.  Find people that share the same interests, or who have already accomplished your dream, and mimic them (the sincerest form of flattery).

Then, act.  Don't wait to have everything perfect, don't wait for approval or understanding from others.  Just do it.

For example, when Paul and I dreamed of Lost World Imports, we only knew that we wanted to travel, wanted a fulfilling career, and wanted to help end poverty in third world countries.  Literally, the first day we talked about it, we booked a ticket to India.

Because of that ticket - and the fact that it was non-refundable - we made contacts with people in Northern India.  I joined a dozen fair trade and export groups on LinkedIn and sent email after email after email, because I knew we would need inventory quickly.  I contacted a CBS reporter and an Atlanta Magazine columnist to show up at our gala, because I knew we would need media coverage to bring exposure to our brand.  I signed up for a business mentor through my school, because if you don't know about something, learn from someone who does.

I am extremely passionate/obsessive about this venture.  (I work until around 1 am, so, yes, obsessive.)  I believe it will change the world.  I have no fear of rejection because I know in my heart it will work.

Although this may not be as motivating to consider, it is just as important to know:  you'll probably fail 50% of the time.  That's just part of the process.  You'll receive negative feedback, and sometimes your plans just won't work. That's where flexibility comes in.  If the door closes, go in through the window!  Or knock on the back door and see if somebody else answers. ;)  I wrote a 5000 word report recently (for the woman I write for that combats human trafficking).  She took about 1000 of the words and had to re-write the majority of the report herself because it wasn't exactly what she was looking for.  I probably put in 40 hours writing that report, but instead of being crushed - like I would have been in the past - I have asked her to recommend some books I could read to help me become more knowledgeable in the area she needs.  The hard part is continuing the momentum and not giving up.

Someone else told me that my business strategy was too much work with not enough payout.  Obviously I ignored him.

What do you dream of?  Who can you contact that will help you achieve your dream?  What can you do today that will make it impossible to turn back?  What will be your non-refundable ticket?

Poverty and Human Trafficking

Southeast Asia is a hub for human trafficking.  So often, young girls are lured by traffickers through promises of well paying jobs in the cities.  If you have read Half the Sky, by Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl Wudunn, you will already be aware of the horrors endured by women and girls caught in the web of modern day slavery, and if you don't know, read the book.  It's easy to read but hard to handle.

I write for a woman that runs a non-profit in Northeastern India.  The work I have done for her has changed me.  It's overwhelming to realize that such brutality and twisted sexuality exists in the world.  On the other hand, it is an impetus to keep working and making a difference in the world.  

Poverty is the primary factor in human trafficking.  Most girls are not outright kidnapped, at least not in the sense that they are taken from their homes in the dead of night.  They are often promised a  modeling job or simply selling vegetables to provide for their families, then locked up in a brothel until they die of AIDS.  

What if they had other job opportunities?  That's my motivation - to find artists (just for the sake of narrowing down our focus), employ them, and offer grants to other potential businessmen and women in their village.  

With a bridge out of poverty, the path to slavery is blocked.  

Short Little Post

As most of you know through Facebook, Paul and I have started a fair trade fine arts company.  Please visit our website at www.lostworldimports.com for more information!  We are very excited about this.  Our grand opening will be the first week of June, and we are traveling to India in late March to contract with some artists.  Just thought I would share :)

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

This post originally appeared on The Socially Conscious Blog on January 14th, 2010 (by me).  Please check out their website and read many other inspirational posts :)  Thanks to Shawn Sieiro, a phenomenal editor!

In a world of capitalist businessmen and women whose main interest lies in their green bottom line, Ashoka goes against the grain by bringing the rare individual – whose purpose is to save the world – into the spotlight.

Ashoka describes itself as the “global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.” It invests in people.

Wherever there is a need, in any part of the world, Ashoka strives to bring support and solutions.  One primary way of doing that is by offering three-year fellowships to people who have worked to bring justice to their part of the world over the course of their entire adult life.  Their fields of work are in civic engagement, economic development, environment, health, human rights, and education.  Ashoka aims to approach social change in a comprehensive way for all their projects.

A Socially Conscious Strategy

Ashoka works on three levels – supporting the social entrepreneur, bringing communities of social entrepreneurs together, and building infrastructure and financial systems for the growth of the citizen sector.

By building such a progressive network, their impact can be much larger.  Each entrepreneur has proven to have immense commitment and dedication to their work and by linking together the work of many entrepreneurs, Ashoka is able to identify cutting edge trends and implement them more broadly.

Ashoka’s approach is holistic, and in that regard, unique.

They recognize the relationship between the business sector and non-governmental organizations, and that without this relationship there can be no progress.

Check out this interesting video about how Ashoka leverages business partnerships, culture and technology to better the state of thousands of farmers in Africa:

One of Ashoka’s goals is to close the gap between the business and civil societywhile creating a synergy between both communities.  They have developed programs like micro-financing and strategic partnerships to further their goals of aggregate change.

Early Stages of Development

Founded by Bill Drayton in 1980, Ashoka has led the way in the field of social entrepreneurship. Drayton has been involved in social change from a very young age.  In high school, he created the Asia Society, a group that became the largest student organization, and also became a member of the NAACP.  He believed that if people were concerned with social injustices in the West, they could only be more disturbed by the greater inequalities in the East.

Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka

Ashoka’s first fellow was elected in 1981 in India. India remains a strong area of focus and even harbored the inspiration for their name.  Ashoka was a leader in third century BC who unified the entire subcontinent by renouncing violence and dedicating his life to social welfare and economic development.

The strong, broadly spreading oak tree symbolizes their philosophy and commitment to changing the world through expansive networks and a strong support system.

Married to a Vision: Hasina Kharbhih

“A successful entrepreneur is married to a vision and cannot rest until it has transformed all of society.” - Hasina Kharbhih

Hasina Kharbhih is one person chosen by Ashoka for a three-year fellowship.  Her life exhibits those traits perfectly.

Hasina Kharbhih, Ashoka Fellow

A young Indian woman who works in Meghalaya in northern India, her work involves issues like child trafficking, HIV/AIDS intervention, and sustainable livelihood.  She first received recognition as a teenager when she was chosen as a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador for Positive Living. Ashoka chose her because they want to help her in her efforts to spread theMeghalaya Model, an impressive and complete strategy to deal with child trafficking.

Her model is one of the most effective in all of Asia, and involves rescuing and restoring the lives of young girls caught in the web of human trafficking.

Many Ashoka Fellows go on to receive further recognition and awards:

● Kathryn Hall-Trujillo is the founder of the Birthing Project and was recently named one of the top 21 leaders of the 21st century by Women’s eNews.  Her work emphasizes the life of the mother in countries like the U.S., Canada, Cuba, Ghana, Honduras and Malawi.

● Nnaemeka Ikegwuono was chosen as the 2010 Rolex Young Laureate for his work in improving the lives of farmers in Nigeria with his interactive rural radio service.

● In October of 2010, Alvaro Ugalde was a recipient of the prestigious Bravo Award for his work in water resource preservation in Costa Rica.  He aided in establishing national parks in Costa Rica and is regarded as a top environmentalist.

Ashoka in the News

On November 12, 2010, Ashoka had the honor of attending the G20 Summit in South Korea.  Ashoka’s Vice President Bill Carter joined President Barack Obama, Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to announce the winners of Ashoka’s Small and Medium Enterprise Contest.

William Foote’s Root Capital and Vineet Rai’s Aavishkaar were among the winners.

December 16, 2010 brought additional good news to Ashoka when Google announced it would donate $1 million to support their News and Knowledge Entrepreneur Program.  This program operates at the “nexus of news knowledge, and social innovation”.  They support entrepreneurs whose innovations promise to better inform, engage, and connect the world.

Bill Drayton will join 39 other visionaries whose goal is to transform the world through aSocial Entrepreneur Empowerment Series January 11th, 2011 through January 20th.  Drayton will discuss how he came up with his concept and what you can do to change the world in your own way.  It should be an exciting and inspirational tele-summit!

There are a number of exciting ways to get involved with Ashoka.

You can nominate a person who you believe has an incredible concept to better the world, or volunteer directly with an Ashoka Fellow.  You can volunteer virtually or in the field.  If you are the type of person who has been involved in leadership and civic activities your entire life, there may be a spot available for you as an Ashoka employee.

Social enterprise is a rapidly expanding field, and you will find that Ashoka is fast evolving into a major player.

Consider it Globalization 3.0, consider it socially conscious entrepreneurship.

But whatever you want to call it, one thing is for certain and that is everyone on the playing field is benefiting from the effort put in, not just the big businesses.

And that is what makes Ashoka real public innovators.

For a visual feel of what Ashoka is all about, check out this informative video on how people with system changing solutions are changing the world.

If you liked this post, please comment & share it with others.

Review of National Geographic's North Korea

Three nights ago my husband and I watched a documentary on North Korea by National Geographic.  It came out back in 2007 and a lot has happened in North Korea since then, but the core values of the nation are essentially the same.  Then again, they're essentially the same as they were in the 1950s.

It began with a humanitarian mission to the "hermit country".  A crew from National Geographic teamed up with a doctor who planned on performing one thousand operations on North Koreans with cataracts that cause blindness.  The documentary team was undercover, obviously, and they were the only Americans in the nation.

I won't tell you too much about it, because it is worth watching yourself, but a few things blew me away.  First, there are two MILLION soldiers guarding the border between North and South Korea.  Two million!  There are also over a million land mines and an electric fence.

Second, they had a famine during the 1990s that killed three million North Koreans.  The children that grew up during that time are permanently stunted in growth.

Third, they worship Kim Jung-Il like he is the son of God.  Literally, that's not an exaggeration.

Last, the prison camps are like something out of a Cold War science fiction movie.  If you defect from North Korea and manage to slip past the soldiers, land mines, and electric fence, your entire family is placed in hard labor prison camps.  Children, too, for the rest of their lives.  One defector recounted a story of when he was a guard in one of those camps about a group of children who fought over a kernel or corn in cow dung.  And it's not only the families of defectors that are placed in these camps, it is anyone who is remotely disloyal to Kim Jung-Il.

I am normally one who sees the possibility of a solution to anything.  Not here.  The children are taught from the day they are able to understand that America is the enemy.  Old men promise to kill all the Americans to honor Kim Jung-Il.  It's hard to imagine a nation that size and with so many people, so completely under the control of such an evil leader.  Check it out.  Tell me what you think.