Today's post written by YV Intern Frances Alexander.
Ashoka Fellow Ehaab Abdou has recently written two publications on Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East.
The first is called "A Practitioner’s Guide for Social Entrepreneurs in Egypt and the Arab Region." This document is a great self-assessment and how-to guide if you're considering becoming a social entrepreneur. It addresses concerns such as how to discipline and motivate yourself, how to communicate and work with others, and how to work most effectively on your project. If you're struggling with questions such as "what if I have many talents and passions?" or, "Am I cut out to be a social entrepreneur?" or even, "I have a dream, what do I do about it? Do I join an existing group?", this article can help you find the answers to all these questions! (pages 12-13).
The second publication is called "Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East:Advancing Youth Innovation and Development through Better Policies and Practices." Along with Abdou, it is co-authored with Amina Fahmy, Diana Greewald and Jane Nelson. This article addresses the future of Egypt and how social entrepreneurship might help the many social ills that plague the country today. With 61% of the population under 30 (National Geographic Magazine, July 2011), Egypt's youth are straining the education, health and labor markets. Despite that these youth are more educated than ever before, there are still very few jobs to be had, especially without social connections to help you get your foot in the door of a company. This article discusses how social entrepreneurship and the power of new ideas might be the the most promising solution to solve the problems that so many youth in the Middle East face today.
Both publications mention Ashoka and explain how it functions. If you're interested in the Middle East and its contemporary social issues, especially in how social entrepreneurship can play a role in Egypt's progress, be sure to check them out!
I myself was fascinated to look through these two publications. Having spent five months in Cairo last year and worked with NGOs there, I was familiar with some of the organizations mentioned. As a study abroad student at the American University of Cairo, I took a class called Grant Proposal Writing for Community Building. Though I wrote a grant proposal for the Children's Cancer Hospital of Cairo, some of the other organizations that students worked with were Fathet Kheir and Ashanak ya Belady. Not only was Ehaab Abdou also a student at AUC, he founded Fathet Kheir himself! Also, Ashanak ya Belady, which means "because of you, my country," is an organization for which many students on campus volunteer or teach English, including many of my own study abroad friends. Fathet Kheir is an organization that interest-free loans to poor Egyptians who live in Moqattam, an area I had also visited.
Moqattam is better known by its English name of "Garbage City" and has been made famous by the film, "Garbage Dreams." The rocky cliffs of Moqattam are the home of a population of poor Coptic Christians who earn their living by sorting through trash. However, these gracious and hospitable people seem all the more beautiful against the filth of their surroundings. Visiting this neighborhood and seeing the enormous church built into the cliff itself was definitely one of the most lovely experiences I had in Cairo.
This is a particularly exciting time to be following the Middle East. In the wake of the Arab Spring, it is undergoing massive changes. Even though the revolution has ended, the Eygyptians continue to fight for their country and the dreams of its people. However, there are so many conflicts of interest and contentions for power between political and religious groups that some are worried the revolution hasn't really changed anything. Even today, there are still protests going on in Cairo. That's why the emergence of social entrepreneurs has so much potential for the future of Egypt. Maybe it is their innovative ideas alone that will be able to finally create harmony, peace and a just governing system. All factors and systems of society need to come together to work for a better Egypt, and maybe the social entrepreneurs hold the key to that dream.
* The picture above references the work of Ashoka Fellow Mohamed Shalaan who raises awareness for breast cancer in Egypt.
Photo credit: http://ashokaarabworld.tumblr.com/post/5862480199/learn-everything-about-breast-cancer-care-and.
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