Celebrating ChangemakHERS: How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate by Ashoka

Celebrating ChangemakHERS How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

Supported By

February 2019

ABOUT THIS REPORT ashoka , with the support of the citi foundation ,

About Ashoka:

sought to understand how female social

Ashoka envisions a world in which everyone is a

entrepreneurs lead and innovate, and how these insights could help more women and girls drive positive social change. Through a mapping of diverse women social entrepreneurs in Ashoka’s network—the largest in the world—this research offers an analysis of the barriers and opportunities related to women’s leadership in social innovation, and a roadmap for how the social entrepreneur, business, and donor communities can create enabling

changemaker. Ashoka identifies and supports the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, learns from the patterns in their innovations, and mobilizes a global community to build an “Everyone a Changemaker” world.

About the Citi Foundation: The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. It invests in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant cities.

environments for women and girls to succeed as changemakers: people who take creative action to solve social problems for the benefit of all.

HOW TO USE THIS REPORT Social entrepreneurs:

Business leaders and investors:

Social entrepreneur ecosystem:

Discover the insights that help

Learn more about the unique ways

See how foundations, incubators,

women social entrepreneurs succeed

female social entrepreneurs are

universities, and other relevant

and contribute best practices to the

redefining success and explore how

organizations can best help female

community.

their lessons could be applied to

social entrepreneurs succeed.

different sectors.

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

CONTENTS: Executive Summary

Introduction

Celebrating ChangemakHERS: How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate 1. Practice inclusive, collective leadership—a shared process

that considers the expertise of people at all levels to address a situation 2. Create new roles for girls and women to accelerate social

impact 3. Assert women’s life experiences, such as motherhood, as an

asset for leadership and entrepreneurship 4. Include men in solutions to problems typically viewed as only

affecting women, such as access to reproductive health—so that everyone sees the value of solving these challenges together

Opportunities for Action

Appendix

Acknowledgments

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

“This is not about helping women. This is about helping the world through women. This is about showing women that they are needed the way they are.” r i c c a r da z e z z a , c e o ,

m at e r n i t y a s a m a s t e r s

Community Health Initiative, Liberia.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS THINK DIFFERENTLY. They see innovative solutions to problems

According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender

that seem unsolvable and they do not give up

Gap Report 2018, the world has closed 68% of its gender

until they create vital social change. Leveraging insights from Ashoka Fellows, the largest network of social entrepreneurs in the world, we began to see that female social entrepreneurs have unique, intuitive ways of leading. These insights could be applicable for women and men across sectors to further equity and success.

gap, as measured across four key pillars: economic opportunity; political empowerment; educational attainment; and health and survival. Despite pockets of progress toward narrowing this gap, however, glaring inequalities still exist. In politics, only 24% of Parliament members worldwide are women2. In the workplace, 50% of women are part of the global labor force, yet earn on average 24% less than men3. In the United States, femalefounded startups received just 2.2% of venture capital investment money in 2017.4

Women constitute more than 50% of the world’s population and are distinctively positioned to uplift

An analysis of the Ashoka Fellowship network—over

families and communities. However, women continue to

3,500 people in 92 countries—paints a different picture.

be disproportionately underrepresented in leadership

38% of Ashoka Fellows are women.5 These women are

positions and systematically face a lack of access to the

leaders of their own organizations and initiatives, which

social and capital resources that would allow them to

they launched based on systems-changing solutions they

maximize their success. The structural and social barriers

created in response to a pressing societal problem. This

begin in childhood and adolescence, when girls and young

rate surpasses the level of representation and leadership

women are typically less supported and empowered

in many fields. While many female social entrepreneurs

to lead social initiatives at home and school. The global

experience gender-specific challenges—such as a lack

poverty rates are highest among girls, and as they get

of networks, funding, and recognition compared to their

older, the gender gap in poverty widens further.1

male peers—they overcome these challenges to create significant social impact.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS When we started investigating the way that female social entrepreneurs lead and innovate, four clear themes emerged that made us take notice. Female social entrepreneurs:

1. Practice inclusive, collective leadership Typical leadership models use a top-down approach

without diverse perspectives and contributions. They:

that often excludes women.6 Alternatively, many female

• Ensure that communities have decision-making power

social entrepreneurs use collective leadership—a shared

• Create ways for people to take ownership and

process that considers the expertise of people at all levels to address a situation—to create a deeper impact.

contribute toward a shared vision • Don’t just serve youth, but trust youth to lead

They believe that true, sustainable success is not possible

Impact Spotlight: Hasina Kharbhih, Impulse NGO Network • Impulse NGO Network is combating human trafficking in India by implementing a comprehensive system that brings together the government, security, law, media, and citizen sector organizations to work together to increase impact. • Over the past 20 years, the Impulse NGO Network has helped reintegrate over 70,000 survivors of human trafficking and exploitation into society. • Impulse founder Hasina credits a shared leadership system that engages people at the community level around all eight regions of Northeastern India on new, diverse ideas as a key to success.7

2. Create new roles for girls and women to accelerate social impact. A common strategy for social entrepreneurs to spread

or empowering women in India to participate in local

impact is to create new roles for people to further advance

governance, these social entrepreneurs spread innovations

a solution. The women in our study did this time and time

by creating pathways for women and girls to see themselves

again. Whether it’s giving women in Liberia the tools and

in new leadership roles that did not exist before.

confidence to solve their own community health problems

Impact Spotlight: Morgan Dixon, GirlTrek • GirlTrek pioneered a health movement for African-American girls and women, creating a network of over 100,000 neighborhood walkers in over 2,900 U.S. cities. • GirlTrek also trains women as health professionals in the areas of fitness, mental health, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. • GirlTrek co-founder Morgan credits making roles for people to lead at all levels—from community to nationwide—as a key to their success.

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

3. Assert women’s life experiences, such as motherhood, as an asset for leadership and entrepreneurship. Many women find that caregiving experiences, such

effective caregiver, such as empathy and selflessness, can

as maternity leave, can have negative effects on

also be useful for insightful leadership. The skills required

women’s careers, lessening chances for promotions and

to parent children, such as communication, creativity and

advancement.8 In contrast, female social entrepreneurs

critical thinking, are the same skills needed for robust

show how their unique life experiences catalyze and fuel

innovation.

their success. For example, the skills needed to be an

Impact Spotlight: Riccarda Zezza, Maternity As A Masters (MAAM) • MAAM founder Riccarda works to redefine maternity leave as a time of profound learning and professional growth, instead of time away from work, building on her experience of becoming a mother. • MAAM’s approach is based on the concept of ‘transilience’—transferring experience and learning from life to work, and vice versa.9 • Over 1,000 managers in company workshops confirmed the effectiveness of MAAM’s approach.

4. Include men in solutions to problems typically viewed as only affecting women—such as access to reproductive health—so that everyone sees the value of solving these problems together. Female social entrepreneurs dedicated to gender equity

understand why changes are needed and create concrete

often flagged that they found deeper change to be

ways through which they can be a part of the solution.

hindered by not fully engaging men and women to work

Many female social entrepreneurs in our research entrust

together to design solutions. To create effective, lasting

men as allies in a context-specific way, and encourage

change for women, strategies must empower everyone to

them to respect and support the change led by women.

Impact Spotlight: Inna Hudaya, Samsara • Samsara is the first Indonesian organization providing reproductive health counseling, education and advocacy to ensure sexual health. • Samsara’s hotline for reproductive health has helped thousands of teenage girls and women and fields about 600 calls per month. • Samsara founder Inna credits one key to their success as their inclusion of men as partners in their work. Men are active members of Samsara’s Sexuality and Reproductive Health Schools, which engage more than 8,000 young people.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

Reclaim Project, United Kingdom.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION this report highlights some of the distinc t ,

peer communities as key to their personal and

solutions-oriented ways female social

professional success. Helping to create and cultivate

entrepreneurs lead political, economic and cultural change, with a strong focus on solving challenges that affect women, girls, and lowincome communities. The more society celebrates powerful examples of women who are innovating and defining success their way, the more women and girls will be inspired to lead the same way. And equipping more women and girls with the awareness and ability to create positive change results in a full-tilt, problemsolving society that is ready to quickly and effectively respond to challenges.

networks for specific fields and regions will be a welcome boost to female social entrepreneurs.

3. Expand support for female social entrepreneurs beyond individual organizations and programmatic areas A number of female social entrepreneurs interviewed for this research pointed out that there is a lack of skills in building movements and catalyzing collaborations in the social sector. Specific support to increase collaboration can help accelerate the impact of female—and male— social entrepreneurs. In addition, flexible investments that reduce the financial burden of caregiving can help social entrepreneurs, especially those who are primary caregivers, focus fully on their social impact.

for action will enable more women and girls to succeed as

4. Conduct further research on how female social entrepreneurs are redefining social impact

changemakers.

Female social entrepreneurs’ leadership behaviors and

Based on our analysis of how female social entrepreneurs lead and innovate, we believe the following opportunities

1. Recognize more female social entrepreneurs and celebrate their stories to serve as role models for young girls and women

patterns of innovation are diverse and nuanced. Research institutions and social entrepreneurship networks can help expand the body of knowledge about women who are social entrepreneurs by further researching topics

Many female social entrepreneurs mentioned the lack of

such as definitions of success, frameworks for different

recognition for women as entrepreneurial and innovative

scaling models, and the role of gender in the lifecycle of

leaders. Media, educators, parents, donors, and other

social entrepreneurs.

influencers can help highlight more women and their innovative ideas and social impact.

2. Support networks that elevate women’s leadership and gender equity in the social entrepreneurship sector

5. Explore insights and toolkits to apply the findings from this report See the full opportunities for action section at the end of the report for a sampling of resources and toolkits from initiatives across the sector of social entrepreneurship.

Most entrepreneurs in our research identified supportive

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

INTRODUCTION

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

The Clothing Bank, South Africa.

despite decades of push for women â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s rights

and important progress, female leaders remain

field of work

underrepresented in many sectors. The structural girls are typically less encouraged than boys to take initiative and act on opportunities. women leaders face a lack of access to social and financial capital. Within politics, only 24%

18%

17%

An analysis of the Ashoka Fellowship networkâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;over 3,500 people in 92 countries who are creating systemschanging solutions to pressing social and environmental

Human rights

gender 61% male

39% female <1% Other gender identity

startups received just 2.2% of venture capital investment money in 2017.12

Education

Health

of Parliament members worldwide are women.10

than men.11 In the United States, female-founded

17%

Economic development

Civic participation

Inequality continues through adulthood, where

global labor force, yet earn on average 24% less

20%

Environment

and social challenges begin in childhood, when

In the workplace, 50% of women are part of the

11%

population fo cus People living in poverty

55%

Children and youth (0-18 years)

55%

problemsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;paints a different picture. 38% of Ashoka Fellows are women.12 These women are leaders of their own organizations and initiatives, which they launched based on innovative solutions they created in response to a pressing societal problem. The rate surpasses the level of representation and leadership in most fields (see figure 1). While many female social entrepreneurs in our network experience gender-specific challenges, such as a lack of networks, funding, and recognition compared to their male peers, they overcome those challenges and create significant social impact.

People living in rural (ie. remote) areas

Ashoka is in a distinct position to analyze how these women lead and innovate. The women in our network are exceptional changemakers with system-changing

45%

People working on issues that are not directly related to specifc populations (ie environment) People with disabilities People disadvantaged due to race/ethnicity/religion Migrants and/or refugees

With more than 1,200 leading female social entrepreneurs,

48%

Women

People disadvantaged due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity

35% 25% 22% 18% 11%

figure 1

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

new ideas that address critical human and environmental

deeper social impact.

challenges. Their creativity and relentless pursuit of transformative solutions make their perspectives realistic,

In addition, we believe celebrating successful female

yet visionary. They recognize seemingly intractable

social entrepreneurs who come from all walks of life can

societal challenges that were once left to specialists and

inspire more women and girls to drive positive change. The

large institutions to handle. They have the confidence to

female social entrepreneurs reviewed in this research are

tackle those challenges with creativity and innovation.

at the forefront of social and environmental change. They

Their approaches go beyond service provision and aim

are innovators, founders, business owners, mothers, and

to address the root causes of a problem. Through life-

young women. Their work cuts across sectors—creating

long commitment to their solutions, many Fellows affect

economic opportunities in marginalized communities,

sector- or society-wide change.

empowering young people to lead in society, and shaping the future of technology. Their experiences can guide those who are committed to enabling women and girls to

“Very rarely do people talk about

be changemakers

women as being incredible innovators. Women are more often

Equipping more women and girls with the ability to

described as community builders. I

develop creative solutions to pressing social problems

think that when we talk about those people

is imperative in today’s fast changing world. The rate of change in the world and the number of people causing

who are brilliant innovators—what a social entrepreneur is—it tends to be a man. And I just refuse to believe that all the brilliant, great

change have been accelerating exponentially for at least 300 years.16 With increased individual agency and technological advances lowering barriers to participation, siloes are collapsing and hierarchies are flattening.17

innovators are men.”

The capabilities to lead large-scale change—once only

r u t h i b e g b u n a, f o u n d e r, r e c l a i m

possible for elites, are within most people’s reach. In

The experiences of female social entrepreneurs

contribute to positive change, rather than becoming

hold important insights to help more female social

obsolete or being forced to adjust, is a critical skill.18

this environment, being able to create, embrace, and

entrepreneurs to have a greater social impact, particularly in low-income communities and among young people.

While those with more power and resources are better

Over 80% of social entrepreneurs reviewed for this

equipped to navigate an ever-changing world, populations

research work with low- to middle-income population.

that are vulnerable or marginalized today could face

Global extreme poverty rates are highest among girls, and

a ‘double disadvantage’ in the future, if they do not

as they get older the gender gap in poverty widens further.

have the awareness or means to adapt to this changing

But women also have the power and solutions to address

environment.19 Therefore, equipping women and girls

those challenges. According to the World Bank, female

with the confidence, skills, and support to create positive

entrepreneurs contribute substantially to economic

change is a core aspect of equality. The result is a problem-

growth and poverty reduction and are more likely to contribute to children’s education, health, and nutrition.

solving society that is ready to quickly and effectively 15

respond to the next challenge.

By sharing lessons from female social entrepreneurs and how they successfully change communities, challenge norms, and create economic opportunities, we hope to empower more female social entrepreneurs to create a

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

Most Frequently-Cited Barriers by Female Ashoka Fellows Funding Opportunities for Women-Led Initiatives Many women entrepreneurs expressed that it is more

RESEARCH PROCESS

difficult for them to directly engage potential funders and

using ashoka’s social innovation mapping

acquire the same level of visibility as their male peers.

methodology, and building on our 2018 Global

The State of Diversity and Funding in the Tech Nonprofit Sector report from 2017 outlines that tech nonprofits founded by women are considerably underfunded. The report cites, “only 11% of tech nonprofits with a female founder and only 12% of tech nonprofits with racial or

Impact Study, Ashoka interviewed a carefully selected, diverse group of social entrepreneurs to understand the major barriers and opportunities related to women’s leadership in social innovation.

ethnic minority founders reach budgets of $1M, while 27% of human rights tech nonprofits founded by white men

Ashoka’s social innovation mapping was honed for over

reach budgets of $1M.”20

a decade and uses interviews and case studies of social entrepreneurs to uncover patterns in innovative strategies for

Katja Urbatsch shares her experience as an example.

solving a social problem. Mappings explore the societal shifts

Her organization, Arbeiterkind.de, empowers young

that social entrepreneurs identify as necessary to unlock

people with non-academic family backgrounds to start

widespread social change, coupled with on-the ground

and succeed in college. Her mentoring network and

examples of these shifts in action. Building on research

information platform overcome barriers like financial

efforts contributing to the larger topic of gender equity in

concerns, social networks and low regard for the

social entrepreneurship, especially as it relates to the current

typically-free German university education. Katja states

state of funding and capacity building, this mapping seeks to

that the funding space is still very male-dominated, with

illuminate social entrepreneurs’ perspectives on what their

a lot of funders supporting social entrepreneurs and

most significant enablers have been towards being able to

innovators they can relate to, which ultimately deepens

thrive and create social impact. (see figure 2)

this gender inequality. The 2018 Ashoka Global Impact Study is Ashoka’s latest research on its Fellows, and the largest worldwide survey conducted on social entrepreneurs to date with nearly 900 Lack of Discourse and Recognition of Women Innovators

participants. The survey result and follow-up qualitative

Women social entrepreneurs have long been a

study revealed gender-related barriers female social

powerful force for change. However, many feel that

entrepreneurs face. They also showed that male and female

they are associated more frequently with social work or

social entrepreneurs may differ in terms of their type of

community organizing than innovation. There remains very little mainstream representation of women innovators. Their narratives seem to be recognized within

partner reco gnition method olo gy

certain fields, although women social entrepreneurs ashoka database

are creating solutions in almost every area of social and environmental challenges. For example, Ruth Ibegbuna says that she is rarely

Frame the question

Research solutions

Cull the solutions

Partner recognition

described as an entrepreneur in public events or acknowledgements. She founded RECLAIM to tackle the UK’s low rates of social mobility and building a new strand of working-class youth leadership with the mission of “being seen, being heard and leading change.” As Ruth shares, there are numerous women doing incredible work as social entrepreneurs but there is a lack of recognition of women changemakers in fields that stretch beyond women and gender issues.

Build the framework figure 2

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

growth, relationship with the cause, leadership style, and

competitive advantage they may have as a result. We have

breadth of scale.21

carefully selected and interviewed Fellows from over 15 countries of impact who are leading systemic political,

For example, one of the key findings from the 2018 Ashoka

economic, and cultural change. The perspectives of these

Global Impact Study is that female social entrepreneurs are

leading social entrepreneurs help us understand the

more likely to report that their innovation has been replicated

barriers and opportunities related to women’s leadership in

by other groups or institutions within their country of residency,

social innovation, and helps us recommend ways to create

while male social entrepreneurs are more likely to report

more opportunities for women and girls to succeed as

that their innovation has been replicated in other countries.

changemakers.

A higher percentage of male social entrepreneurs (35%) directly reached more than 10,000 people than female social

The interviews aimed to understand: “what has been the

entrepreneurs did (22%).

most important enablers for female social entrepreneurs?”

In particular: • Analyzing common enablers for female social

In a recently published Social Innovations Journal article, Ashoka Vice President Iman Bibars asserts that this finding

entrepreneurs to successfully lead and innovate • Identifying trends and shifts within women’s leadership

calls for redefining success in social entrepreneurship to value the depth as well as scale of impact: “The success of

in social innovation

many women social entrepreneurs is made invisible when the prevailing model of success in social entrepreneurship considers impact according to a definition that favors maledominated notions of broad impact through scaling out and franchising....a woman social entrepreneur’s choice to scale nationally rather than internationally more often reflects a choice than a challenge - a choice, for example, to prioritize deep-rooted structural solutions over physical expansion.”

• Recognizing the gender-specific challenges female social entrepreneurs face • Measuring impact of female social entrepreneurs’ innovations • Expanding the network for women in social entrepreneurship • Understanding the most transformative types of support given to female social entrepreneurs • Highlighting lessons from others who are advancing

Building on these early findings, Ashoka, with the support

women’s leadership

of the Citi Foundation, has delved deeper into how female social entrepreneurs lead and innovate, and what

demo graphic s of 40 s o cial entrepreneur s included in this report geographic spread

15%

Africa

25% Asia

15%

Europe

20%

Latin America

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

15%

MENA

10%

North America

70%

of women social entrepreneurs featured

53%

of women social entrepreneurs featured

28%

of women social entrepreneurs featured

work with low-middle income populations

lead innovations that support job-creation

lead for-profit social enterprises

01.

how women social entrepreneurs innovate and lead

PRACTICE INCLUSIVE, COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

The type of leadership that Hasina describes is collective leadership - a model that moves away from traditional decision-making by a few people at the top of an organization, to instead opening up to enable many others to also shape, and deliver on a shared vision from the bottom-up. It is a shared process that considers the expertise of people at all levels to address a situation - and encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing to achieve deeper impact and stay adaptive while operating at scale. Female social entrepreneurs in our research repeatedly cited this type of inclusive, collective leadership as a key to their success in accelerating impact. Creating open collaborations is a widely shared strategy for both male and female social entrepreneurs: 90% of Ashoka Fellows in the 2018 Ashoka Global Fellow Study are openly Forever Sabah,Malaysia.

encouraging other institutions or groups to replicate their idea in order to achieve their impact rather than

hasina kharbhih has saved over 72,000 people

solely focusing on growing the size of their organization.

from human trafficking and empowered more

Women, however, are even more likely to ensure women

than 30,000 women artisans.23 She didn’t do it alone.

(55% vs. 43%) and children and youth (60% vs. 51%) are central to the focus of their work. 24 Three key ways leaders practice collective leadership

“The campaign that I started,” Hasina explains, “was about

include:

getting people to participate in the action that requires their expertise and resources. It is collective leadership

1. Ensure that communities have decision-making power

because each one of them are leaders in their own

2. Create ways for people to take ownership and

organization. Each one of them are leaders in their own ‘work of life.’”

contribute toward a shared vision 3. Don’t just serve youth, trust youth to lead

What Hasina defines as the Impulse Model is a formal collaboration between different agencies of the state government, law enforcement, lawyers, and a national network of organizations working on trafficking in India. The model’s different initiatives aim to track and rescue children in the sex trade, facilitate rehabilitation, provide families with livelihood alternatives, prosecute offenders, and raise awareness on the issue. Hasina works directly with the state government and government agencies to make sure that the model is fully incorporated into their operations instead of merely being linked to it. In essence, Hasina has created a platform that is focused on collective leadership and non-duplication of action, bringing together both private and public actors where each one of them contributes their specific and complementary resources, expertise, and commitment to the shared vision.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

Impulse Model Press Lab Consultation, Kathmandu.

1. ENSURE THAT COMMUNITIES HAVE DECISION - MAKING POWER In practicing collective leadership, many female social entrepreneurs go beyond a participatory approach where the community’s voice is “heard.” Besides ensuring community members have a voice, they take engagement a step further by transferring decision making power to the local community and enable community members to lead with their own resources and expertise.

sp otlight :

Hasina Kharbhih has expanded the Impulse Model to include a citizen-led international network

Sustaining an initiative requires champions and

legal groups, media, and citizen organizations to combat

changemakers. People asked me why I’m not opening

the cross-border trafficking of children in the porous

offices in different states. But there are people who

Northeastern states of India.

come from that city and know the language. They are leaders in their own right. Why not focus on getting

The Impulse Model continues to empower leaders in local

them on the same platform? They bring their core

communities to be actively involved in the organization,

expertise to the initiative and their participation is

helping create and manage initiatives within their own

valued. We call that collective action; that this is our

regions. For the past 15 years, it has been replicated in

work and this is how we do it together.”

all eight states of the Northeast and piloted for national replication in India. Through this form of collective

When Hasina was looking to further develop the

leadership, she created a sustainable model that involves

internationally-acknowledged Impulse model—a

everyone working towards positive social impact.

comprehensive system that combats human trafficking in Northeastern India, she came to the realization that

Impact:

the organization must adapt an entirely new leadership

• Over the past 20 years, the Impulse NGO Network has

model. Hasina noticed that it is not enough to engage government and civil society organizations, as most of them are groups who already have an existing platform

helped reintegrate into society over 72,000 survivors of human trafficking and exploitation. • In addition to its holistic method, Impulse NGO

to have their voices heard. She understood that in order

Network conceived and commissioned the Impulse

for initiatives to be both impactful and sustainable,

Case Information Centre (ICIC) in 2015—an online case

individuals who have not had the opportunity to lead

management system that brings all partners together

must be at the forefront of the solutions. Hasina was

on one platform, to provide intelligence and updates

insistent on creating a shared leadership system engaging

on solving human trafficking cases. This collaborative

people at the community level around all eight regions

approach increased reliability, coordination, and

of Northeastern India on new, diverse ideas. She also brought together the state government, security agencies,

efficacy in responding to human trafficking.

sp otlight :

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

Anindita Majumdar is making local government truly representative by mobilizing village women

Our work is based on developing leadership—within

They focus on three key topics: building confidence and

the community we work, the elected representatives

capacity of elected female representatives, training male

who represent them, and women voters who will be

representatives to respect and support women leaders,

the next generation of political leaders. Creating

and creating support networks for female representatives.

community-level institutions that can carry the work forward is the key.”

EquiDiversity does not directly create changes for village women or their elected representatives. Instead,

Anindita is unlocking the potential of women in

it measures its success by whether it supports the

government by making local governance systems

creation of self-run, community-level institutions that

more democratic and representative. Since India’s

champion women leaders. For example, they created

independence, the Panchayat system has served as the

‘watch committees’ managed entirely by local women.

foundation of governance at the village level. While there’s

These committees report gender-based violence to their

a growing consensus that more women are needed in

representatives, review entitlement budgets, and pressure

politics, India’s Panchayat system has been slow to change.

or support their representatives.

Women representatives there are often reduced to proxies for their male counterparts, unaware of their own power

Impact:

or opportunities to effect change. According to a survey

• 52% of female elected representatives working with

conducted by the International Centre for Research on

EquiDiversity took initiative to organize Gram Sansad

Women and the UN Women, 70% of the Gram Panchayat

Sabhas (GSS’s), constitutional forums for citizens to voice

(GP) members - the village level offices in India - said no

their issues. This is in stark contrast to the norm of GSSs

gender-related discussions, such as domestic violence,

rarely taking place. As a result, women voters participated

were raised in GP meetings.

and submitted plans for development, bringing gender issues in the forefront, leading to budgets, departmental

Anindita and her EquiDiversity Foundation create a supply

structures and development projects being reframed and

of empowered women representatives in the Panchayat

redrawn with a gender-focus.25

system as well as a demand for effective women leaders.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

2. CREATE WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE OWNERSHIP AND CONTRIBUTE TOWARD A SHARED VISION The opinions of marginalized people are often unheard over opinions of those identified as “experts” when it comes to problem solving. Female social entrepreneurs in our research recognize that individuals directly impacted by a challenge have the most knowledge about solving problems within their own communities which in turn can lead to more powerful, systemic solutions. Therefore, the female social entrepreneurs deliberately engage communities towards creating a shared vision for what needs to change.

sp otlight :

Cynthia Ong supports sustainable development in Malaysian Borneo by bridging discussions between local communities, government agencies, and NGOs

People come alive when they feel included in important

Forever Sabah is also offering leadership in helping the state to

discussions and decisions. It yields genius and passion.

realize international sustainability and governance standards

Agency is necessary. Anyone and any place can be the

in the palm oil industry—transforming business as usual and

epicenter for change - the middle of a village hall, in a

helping an economy leap to new levels of sustainability.

boardroom or on a global platform. What matters is the

Sabah currently produces 10% of the global supply of palm

way we gather people and create spaces for every voice."

oil, a highly productive vegetable oil now used across the world in a variety of food, cosmetic and industrial products.

Through her organization, Forever Sabah, Cynthia uses the

Palm oil is the target of substantial environmental and other

power of collective leadership to develop solutions for more

scrutiny, and yet is rapidly expanding around the world with

effective conservation and sustainable development in

production expected to double in the next ten years. Sabah

Sabah. By making sure previously unheard and marginalized

has chosen to compete in the changing global marketplace on

voices are included in discussions, more inclusive and

the quality of its governance, not on its volume of production.

permanent solutions emerge. For example, Forever Sabah

With technical support and facilitation from Forever Sabah,

ensures smallholder farmers who are worried about the costs

the Government of Sabah has committed to a partnership

of adopting sustainable palm oil production standards are

with industry and civil society in an integrated effort to close

included in relevant discussions. Forever Sabah harnesses

the deforestation frontier and raise environmental, labor and

the power of facilitation and organisation, legal innovation,

smallholder standards through a certification program for

and innovative finance to build an ecology of partnerships -

both palm oil and forests.

organised in a team structure - to identify solutions for living land and sea ecosystems. This process breaks down barriers

Impact:

between government, private business and the citizen sector,

• Forever Sabah is working to roll out a sweeping sustainable

and allows people with seemingly competing priorities to

palm oil initiative whereby the entire palm oil sector in

recognize their connections and importance to everything

Sabah would go sustainable as a jurisdiction by 2025. One

within a greater web of sustainability. In a larger sense, these

hundred percent of palm oil produced, sourced or used

coalitions strengthen the community’s conservation capabilities

on Sabah would be MSPO (Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil)

and effectively address many long-standing problems that

and RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certified

Sabah faces due to its unique and diverse environment.

in ways that improve the quality of life for Sabahans.

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

THE CRITICAL ROLE OF YOUTH

"Youth live with challenges everyday and they know the solutions. They just need the enablers and support in building skills and networks." j a n e t l o n g m o r e , d i g i ta l o p p o r t u n i t y t r u s t

Many of the female social entrepreneurs we

of finding that typical education and skills

interviewed are intentional about not just serving

training were under-preparing young people for

youth as beneficiaries, but creating deeper

todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s labor market trend. DOT engages youth

impact by including and supporting youth as co-

beyond just delivering trainings, instead placing

leaders. They engage youth in making decisions

youth at the center of its programs as partners,

such as on resources, strategy, and policies,

influencers, and co-designers of solutions

ensure their voices are heard consistently,

they enact for needs they observe within their

and ensure youth are engaged as active and

communities. Through this model, DOT has

meaningful contributors to their community.

engaged over 6,000 youth in 24 countries, who

For example, Janet Longmore founded the Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT), in part, because

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

have in turn impacted the lives of more than 1 million people in their communities.

3. DON’T JUST SERVE YOUTH, BUT TRUST YOUTH TO LEAD Many of the female social entrepreneurs we interviewed are intentional about not just serving youth as beneficiaries, but including and supporting youth as co-leaders, resulting in deeper social impact. While this strategy is not exclusive to female social entrepreneurs, the 2018 Ashoka Global Impact Study showed that not only were women more likely to work with children and youth (by 60 % versus 51 % for male Ashoka Fellows), but that they also provided opportunities for young people to start their own initiatives as a core part of their strategy.

sp otlight :

Janet Longmore Helps Underserved Youth Recognize their Changemaking Potential

Digital Opportunity Trust, from day one, has walked

supports youth to discover their own voices and listens

the talk about putting youth at the center—as

carefully to what youth have to say. Second, DOT positions

partners, as influencers, and as co-designers in the

youth – particularly young women – as changemakers in

solutions that will work for them. Youth live with these

their own communities, and supports them to become

challenges everyday and they know the solutions. They

role models, solution-builders and advocates on their

just need the enablers and support in building skills

own innovation journey. Though the area of focus is youth

and networks to create these systems.”

unemployment, DOT’s approach goes beyond creating livelihood. DOT is committed to helping youth grow their

Janet’s organization, Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT)

self-confidence, decision-making abilities, and passion

tackles barriers to youth employment in developed and

for solving challenges around them. Ultimately, the key

emerging economies through digital and entrepreneurial

impact metric most important to Janet is a young person’s

skills training. Her peer-to-peer, tech-enabled model puts

ability to realize their own changemaking potential.

youth in the role of both trainee and trainer, empowering them to lead change within their own communities.

Impact: • Since 2002, over 6,000 youth engaged through DOT

Janet realized early on that there is a clear gap in how the

have impacted the lives of more than 1 million people

issue of youth unemployment and underemployment

in their communities. Of the total youth engaged,

has been understood. Typically, initiatives that tackle

70% launch or scale a creative solution that addresses

these issues position themselves as service providers to

a community problem; 65% are more involved in

youth communities, limiting young people to the role of

their communities; 67% report that their day-to-

beneficiaries. From its inception, Janet established DOT to

day decisions have better results; 56% are making

challenge this.

contributions to public policy debates and discussions that concern their community. This work takes places in

DOT’s model focuses on two key things: first, DOT

24 countries in 5 continents.26

engages youth at the center of their work as partners and co-designers of solutions that will work for the youth. DOT

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

World Economic Forum, 2018.

sp otlight :

Melina Masnatta is Shifting Young Women’s Perspectives on Becoming Leaders in STEM

The girls we work with commit to a social problem that

CET’s approach focuses on helping young women identify

they experience. This way, they connect with others,

real-world problems that are relevant to their own

including government and private companies. They

lives, and helping them design tech-enabled solutions

develop a holistic understanding of where they can

that can be shared. The girls are actively involved in

and want to make a difference.”

planning, executing, and evaluating all aspects of the curriculum – giving them ownership over their own

Melina’s work with Chicas en Tecnología (CET), is about

learning and growth. Through this, Melina is equipping

more than tackling the evident gender gap within

young women and girls with employable tech skills, but

science and technology. Through her experience in the

more importantly, encouraging them to realize their own

education space, Melina realized that we must do more

leadership capacities and how they play a major part in

than include girls in technology; we must empower

creating the future of STEM.

them to realize that this is a field that they can help shape and utilize to change the world. Melina identified

Impact:

a critical gap in existing tech-education programs: the

• Within three years, CET has established programs in

representation of women innovators who are testament

more than 100 formal and non-formal educational

to the transformative power of technology. Despite the

institutions in 14 provinces of Argentina.27 In 2018, they

increasing proximity young girls had to the tech space,

reached more than 1,700 young women with over

it was still difficult to see themselves as leaders and the

100 mentors and volunteers, and more than 3 million

impact they can make.

people through its social media.28

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES Practice Inclusive, Collective Leadership

United Kingdom

Eleonora Voltolina , La repubblica degli stagisti

Ruth founded RECLAIM to tackle the UK’s

Italy

low rates of social mobility. RECLAIM

Eleonora is ensuring that young people

works at the individual level to ignite

in Italy who are entering the labor market

Ruth Ibegbuna, RECLAIM

at-risk youth in the UK as leaders, enabling young people

have meaningful, paid career development experiences

to believe in themselves and step on to national stages

instead of struggling through unpaid jobs. Through La

as advocates for social justice in issues affecting working

Repubblica degli Stagisti (the Interns’ Republic), Eleonora

class communities. Every young person who participates

works with three key players—interns, companies, and

in RECLAIM is from a working-class community and

the government—to transform the internship period

contributes parts of their holidays and weekends to fight

from an unpaid job into paid, meaningful pathways to

for social change. As a result of their experience, 100% of

further education and employment. Eleonora has created

participants report identifying as disruptive leaders at age

alliances with over 34 companies to set exemplary

13. reclaimproject.org.uk

standards for internships, impacting the quality of over 6,000 paid internships for youth so far, and has

Greta Lucero Ríos Téllez Sill Ollin, Jóvenes en Movimiento, A.C. Mexico

successfully lobbied to make unpaid post-graduation internships illegal. repubblicadeglistagisti.it

Greta created Ollín: Youth in Motion as a

Candice Lys, FOXY

¨think and do tank¨ to create strategies to

Canada

ensure youth have meaningful leadership opportunities

Candice’s Fostering Open eXpression

in Mexican society within the public and private sectors.

among Youth (FOXY) promotes the

In the social sector, Greta works with civil society

leadership and mental and sexual health

organizations to include more youth on their advisory

of young girls from indigenous communities through a

boards. In the private sector, Ollin has been credited with

program rooted in indigenous culture and knowledge.

creating over 10,000 new job opportunities for youth with

One key to FOXY’s model is activating an alliance of

improved working conditions. ollinac.org

indigenous elders, teachers, youth workers, healthcare providers, and community leaders as local “gatekeepers” for the program. Working in 62% of communities in Canada’s Arctic, Candice has reached more than 20% of youth between the ages of 13 and 17 to date. arcticfoxy.com

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

Kritaya Sreesunpagit, Youth Innovation Year Project (YIY) Thailand Kritayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Youth Innovation Year (YIY) Project nurtures young leaders in Thailand to articulate new ideas for social development and connects them to the resources and skills they need to bring their ideas to life. Its Youth Innovation Fair brings together a wide variety of groups working on youth development, seeding collaboration between leaders who might not have otherwise have met, including big funding agencies and international groups like UNICEF, government-related bodies like the National Centre for Child and Youth Development, and a host of citizen sector organizations. During its first year, YIY identified 16 youth-lead ideas for further support including a project to reduce pollution in the Maeklong River and a plan for youth-led education reform in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s far south. ashoka.org/en-CA/fellow/kritaya-sreesunpagit

Raghda Butros, Ruwwad Jordan Raghda founded Ruwwad to enable grassroots community members to advocate for change on issues they care about, not as victims or beneficiaries, but as active players and decision-makers. Ruwwad aims to change how development projects in the country have traditionally been donor-driven and top-down, often with high fees paid to foreign experts. Community members launch programs that are focused on self-reliance, social entrepreneurship, and, ultimately, policy change. For example, the Mousab Khorma Youth Empowerment Fund has provided university scholarships, training and internship opportunities for over 250 young people in the communities where Ruwwad operates. ruwwad.ngo

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

02.

how women social entrepreneurs innovate and lead

CREATE NEW ROLES FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN TO ACCELERATE SOCIAL IMPACT

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

GirlTrek, USA.

how did one of the largest public health non -

profits for African-American women and girls in the U.S. spread to over 2,900 cities in under six years? Morgan Dixon, co-founder of GirlTrek, highlights one main key to their success: building a movement that is co-owned by the people

spread and that it has taken root.31 What is surprising is that many female social entrepreneurs we interviewed take collaboration a step further to empower others to create change. They build communities where they deliberately construct a new role - which may not have existed or been clearly named

they serve.

before - to impact more lives in their respective fields.

With over 100,000 neighborhood walkers, GirlTrek

entrepreneurs, the new roles they create tend to leverage

encourages black women and girls to use walking as a

gender-specific identities. GirlTrek’s co-founder Morgan

practical first step to inspire healthy living, families, and

Dixon, for example, is creating shared identity among

communities.29 “What's happening in, say New Orleans to

Black women to encourage each other to exercise and

make GirlTrek fly and what's happening in Chicago to make

shift health norms; Solar Sister’s founder Katherine Lucey is

GirlTrek thrive are two different things,” Morgan explains.

creating shared identity around women making decisions

“And we could never conceive of those from a national

about their household to shift energy access norms;

top-down perspective. It is both an age-old movement

Grandmother Project founder Judi Aubel is creating

building practice and how we stay innovative.”

shared identity for village elders to change cultural norms

While this strategy is not exclusive to female social

towards better supporting the wellbeing of women and Given the growing sector-wide interest in collaboration

girls in West Africa; and Tech Needs Girls founder Regina

as a way to accelerate social impact,30 it is not surprising

Honu is creating a shared identity around girls learning

that many female social entrepreneurs in our research

to code to shift technology gender norms. It is important

recognized the importance of partnerships. In fact,

to note that the work of these social entrepreneurs go

to reach a big scale impact without having to grow

beyond the typical nonprofit-beneficiary relationship. Like

their organization proportionately, a large majority

a web that spreads, their creativity in changing the way

of leading social entrepreneurs—90%—enable other

people see themselves as well as creating roles for many

individuals and organizations to replicate their idea in

others to carry on the original vision results in a much

different settings. Observing this pattern, Ashoka has

more widespread impact.

long used independent replication as a proxy indicator of systemic impact because it is a sign that an idea has

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

A notable example is Morgan Dixon and GirlTrek.

sp otlight :

Morgan Dixon and GirlTrek are building a national health movement of African American women and girls in the US based on a personal commitment to systemic change. I think the most successful model is one that's open-

resource to change their own lives and their communities

sourced and not owned so that anyone, anywhere can

in the ways that they see fit. And that's what GirlTrek does.

take it and run with it. It works as long as you have

We devote resources to the women who know best how to

some game rules that keep the heart and soul of the

save their own lives.”

movement going.” • With over 100,000 neighborhood walkers, GirlTrek GirlTrek is creating communities of action to address

encourages black women and girls to use walking as

systemic racism surrounding health in the African

a practical first step to inspire healthy living, families,

American Community and equipping African American

and communities. They are the largest public health

women with the tools, inspiration, education, and support

nonprofit for African-American women and girls in the

they need to begin and sustain a commitment to health.

United States. As of 2018, they are present in 2,949 cities,

Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, as co-founders of

have influenced 96,648 children and occupied 108

GirlTrek, have made it integral that everyone has access to their innovation. GirlTrek’s materials are open-sourced.

parks. • Beyond walking, GirlTrek’s active members support

Any woman or girl can take on a role as an organizer,

local and national policy to increase physical activity

having access to their website, videos, and other resources.

through walking, improve access to safe places to walk, protect and reclaim green spaces, and improve the

Morgan describes one the most successful parts of

walkability and built environments of 50 high-need

GirlTrek’s model as its openness, building a movement that is co-owned by the women and girls it seeks to serve.

communities across the United States. • GirlTrek also works on the employment front, through

This approach encourages replicability while ensuring

its training for African-American women to serve as

sustainability and constant innovation of GirlTrek’s

health professionals in the areas of fitness, mental

solution. As Morgan describes, “if we believe that everyone is actually a changemaker then we would give them

health, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. 32

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES Create New Roles for Girls and Women to Accelerate Social Impact

Ghana

Amalia Fischer, ELAS – Social Investment Fund

Regina is turning women and girls in

Brazil

Ghana from consumers to creators of

Amalia created ELAS – Social Investment

Regina Honu , Soronko Solutions

technology by providing them with

Fund (formerly Angela Borba Fundo de

relevant role models and tools. For example, Soronko

Recursos para Mulheres) to channel funds that support

Solutions’ program, Growing STEM, equips rural Ghanaian

women in roles as leaders of organizations and initiatives

children with STEM and critical thinking skills to solve the

for gender equity in Brazil. Through its mobilization of

problems they live with everyday and fight poverty. Since

new resources and calls for proposals, more than 300

2013, Soronko solutions has mobilized over 200 volunteers

groups of women and girls have been supported and more

and mentors who are either computer scientists or

than $6 million have been donated directly. In addition

engineers and served over 4,500 mentees in 8 regions in

to the provision of financial support to the groups, the

Ghana. Regina plans to expand to other areas throughout

organization offers training to group members and

West Africa, building her curriculum and creating a new

monitors their activities to maximize results. As a result,

generation of girls who are not just users but developers of

ELAS has supported more than 25,000 women and

technology. soronkosolutions.com

girls directly and more than 100,000 people indirectly. fundosocialelas.org

Naomi Solanke, Community Health Initiative

Alicia Leal, Alternativas Pacificas

Liberia

Mexico

Naomi founded Community Health

Alicia founded Mexico’s first network

Initiative to improve women’s livelihoods

of women’s shelters for victims of

in Libera by creating roles for women in delivering low-

violence, Alternativas Pacificas (Peaceful

cost health care solutions. Naomi is presently working

Alternatives), in 1996, which has provided support to over

with the Liberian Ministry of Education to incorporate

106,000 women and girls facing gender-based violence.

reproductive health education in the school curriculum

Alternativas Pacificas works to document and spread

nationally. She already initiated an agreement with them

its model of victim recognition, treatment, and ongoing

to create a pilot in 10 schools. chiliberia.org

psychological counseling. It also works to convince local and federal authorities that women on the frontlines of treating victims of violence have a critical role in improving the government’s support for the victims of violence. Alternativas Pacificas advocates for nationwide policy change to better treat and prevent gender-based violence and works to ensure that the implementation of new strategy is monitored for effectiveness. alternativaspacificas.org

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

Viviana Waisman, Women’s Link Worldwide Spain Viviana Waisman founded Women’s Link Worldwide to use the power of the law to advance the human rights of women and girls, especially those facing multiple inequalities. The women represented by Women’s Link Worldwide are empowered to have a role in in telling their own stories with dignity and become movement leaders. In 2012, for example, Women’s Link Worldwide mobilized 1,208 women in Colombia to demand that public officials provide accurate, complete and reliable information about sexual and reproductive rights. In addition to creating legal precedents that benefit women and girls, Women’s Link Worldwide goes beyond the courtroom to create public awareness about gender-based discrimination, violence, and human trafficking. womenslinkworldwide.org

Tracey Chambers, The Clothing Bank South Africa Tracey Chambers founded the Clothing Bank to provide previously unemployed mothers and men with the resources and support needed to take on roles as self-employed business owners, and lead in spreading the entrepreneurship curricula to their own communities. The Clothing Bank partners with South Africa’s major retailers to receive free supply of all their excess (due to customer returns, store damages, end of season and bulk rejections) merchandise. This is then utilized to start small informal retail trading businesses. Tracey also founded the GROW with Educare project to provide women with the opportunity to run a fee-paying learning center. theclothingbank.org.za

The Clothing Bank,South Africa.

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

03.

how women social entrepreneurs innovate and lead

ASSERT WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LIFE EXPERIENCES, SUCH AS MOTHERHOOD, AS AN ASSET FOR LEADERSHIP AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

for riccarda zezza , becoming a mother was held

benefits to the working world, such as improved morale,

against her at work. After coming back from

stronger brand reputation, an increased ability to attract

maternity leave, her company demoted her and moved her to a new department. Because of this, Riccarda explains, “I decided to propose different solutions to this everlasting challenge.”

young talent, and great team cohesion.33 This is a perspective that all sectors could benefit from. “My goal is to change the mental association of maternity leave with a sickness or a problem, to understanding maternity leave as a time that develops valuable skills.” says Riccarda.

Riccarda launched Motherhood as a Master’s (MAAM) digital

Female social entrepreneurs frequently cited two types

program that allows parents to demonstrate how their

of life experiences that were catalysts for their launch as

professional skills grow significantly following the birth of

entrepreneurs, and critical to their success in creating impact:

their children. Studies of over 2,000 MAAM participants show a 16% improvement in solving complex problems, a

1. Daily, gender-based struggles are a catalyst for innovation

31% increase in time and priority management performance, and a 35% improvement in delegating and collaborating.

2. Caregiving is a catalyst for effective

She is on the path to proving that parents bring many other

leadership and entrepreneurship

1. TURN DAILY, GENDER- BASED STRUGGLES INTO A CATALYST FOR INNOVATION The female social entrepreneurs we interviewed described how they were driven to innovate to overcome the gender-based barriers they encountered. As GirlTrek co-founder Morgan Dixon explains, “Our innovation wasn’t from just one spark. It’s a daily entrepreneurial spirit. It comes from a daily grind to survive and to save the lives of the people you love.” GirlTrek’s founders were driven to innovate in public health to prevent black women from dying faster at higher rates than any other group of people in America. Similarly, Inna Hudaya launched Samsara to stop the unsafe reproductive health practices faced by millions annually, based on her own experience putting her life at risk from an unplanned pregnancy without access to medical care in Indonesia. And Naomi Solanke is changing school curricula in Liberia to address reproductive health after surviving gender-based violence as a child. “Women are greatly affected by most of the issues that are happening in the community,” Naomi describes, “And because we know we are affected, we have to take a leadership role. To have the change that we want, there should be more women at that table making decisions.”

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

Solar Sisters, Uganda.

sp otlight :

Katherine Lucey fights climate change by inspiring women to turn their struggles with energy access into solar energy enterprises

I think it's really important to have women and have

In sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 600 million

diversity...Because otherwise, you don't see all sides

people have no access to electricity and over 700 million

and you get very tunneled vision. Being a woman, I

must rely on harmful fuels, it is women who bear the huge

think this has given me a lot of insights, which is part

burden of this energy poverty and who disproportionately

of what unlocks the opportunities that perhaps men

shoulder the harmful effects of climate change. Solar Sister

don't have.”

focuses on African women living in off-grid, underserved, rural communities, who are not reached by traditional

Being in the solar energy industry, Katherine Lucey has

energy methods. Katherine demonstrates that, because

often been the only woman at the table. To Katherine,

of their experience managing household energy needs,

these times were opportunities to make distinct

centering local women in a rapidly growing clean energy

contributions from a female perspective and experience.

sector is essential to eradicating poverty and achieving

This attitude comes from her personal experience. When

sustainable solutions to climate change and a host of

Katherine was working with an organization supporting

development issues.

women weavers in Afghanistan, two staff members, a woman and a man, were assigned to do a site visit. The

Women entrepreneurs also gain important skills like

male staff member’s report was mostly positive and cited

marketing, financial management, communications

that the women were happy. However, the female staff

and technical product knowledge through the training

member’s report cited the opposite, explaining that the

and ongoing mentoring Solar Sister offers. As a result,

women weavers were working in harsh conditions and that

women gain confidence and serve as role models in their

their places of work were below freezing. As the weavers

communities.

would wash the fabric, their hands would freeze and chap, causing bleeding and pain. The woman staff member

Impact:

noted that they have been jeopardizing their health,

• As of 2018, Solar Sister has supported over 3,500

safety, and overall livelihood as a weaver’s hands are their

women entrepreneurs who have reached 1.4 million

fortune. This experience really stuck with Katherine and

people and sold over 246,000 products via 59 regional

reiterated the importance of paying attention to the

distribution hubs.

woman’s experience.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

MAAM,Italy.

2. CAREGIVING IS A CATALYST FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Multiple studies on the most important skills needed for jobs of the future point to the necessity of “soft skills.”- from global studies such as the World Economic Forum’s Top 10 Skills for 2020 Report34, to data mining within top companies such as 15 years of Google employees’ performance data.35 Among the eight most important qualities that were cited for Google’s top employees, for example, STEM expertise was the last, while skills such as “being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others (including others different values and points of view); having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas” were named the top skills for success. At the same time, numerous studies also show that women take the majority of caregiving roles in society (66%)36, where these “soft skills” are used on a daily basis, and yet those roles remain undervalued and largely informal. Female social entrepreneurs, however, are flipping the script, and demonstrating through research, platforms, and storytelling, how caregiving experiences specifically strengthen soft skills that are instrumental for leadership and entrepreneurship. “Women have always been at the forefront of movement building in church basements and other spaces,” GirlTrek Co-Founder Morgan Dixon describes, “we really need to understand this notion of caretaking as radical.”

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

sp otlight :

Riccarda Zezza Ensures Motherhood Receives Professional Recognition by Introducing “Motherhood as a Masters” Program

The point is that as long as we ask women to follow

Through her initiative, Riccarda promotes a new

the existing leadership model, it will be very difficult

leadership model that is centered around care and that

for women to actually thrive or flourish. We need to

recognizes the value of traits such as empathy and the

provide a new leadership model. We need it in order

willingness to nurture others. As Riccarda explains, this is

for women to bring their full potential. And we need

rooted in the rich history of the woman as a leader, and

it because society and the economy need a different

how caregiving helps people to enhance skills that are

leadership model.”

vital in their personal and professional lives.

Riccarda firmly stands for redefining work-life balance

• Over 1,000 managers in company workshops confirmed

and putting forth a new norm around parental leave,

the MAAM method is effective, based on the new

challenging the existing notion that taking leave to

concept of ‘transilience’ (transferring experience and

spend time with one’s children is detrimental to the

learning from life to work, and vice versa).37

advancement of one’s career. Through her work with

• MAAM has thousands of users in Italy and pilots are

Maternity As A Master (MAAM), Riccarda came to conclude

taking place in over 10 countries. After self-rating

that it is extremely difficult for women to thrive within

their skills development, users show significant

the existing leadership model, because it does not value

improvement, for example, time management

the perspectives of women. She asserts that women have

and setting priorities show a 31% improvement,

been tasked with the burden of excelling in a system

communication a 25% improvement, and decision

that does not honor them, and instead must shift focus

making a 22% improvement.38

to transform the world’s existing notion of effective leadership altogether.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES

Assert Women’s Life Experiences, such as Motherhood, as an Asset for Leadership and Entrepreneurship Amina Evangelista Swanepoel, Roots of Health

has a total of forty partner organizations to ensure

Philippines

medical treatment, referral to ASF’s legal aid partners,

Amina founded Roots of Health after her

and emergency financial assistance. ASF then began

experience observing the alarming rate

a nationwide acid attack prevention campaign and

survivors receive comprehensive services, including

of teenage pregnancy and dropout rates amongst young

mobilized leading print and online media to spread

female college students at the campus in Palawan where

the message to all over the country. The ASF Hospital

her mother was a professor. Amina realized that in order

offers free services benefitting around 700 acid victims

to truly improve the lives of women in the Philippines, one

annually (including survivors from previous years) and has

must actively address the cultural context in which Filipina

mobilized campaigns to change laws that would better

women come to understand reproductive rights and

prevent acid attacks. acidsurvivors.org

sexuality as something negative. Roots of Health combines comprehensive reproductive and sexual education with access to free clinical care and services, as well as

Sooinn Lee, Enuma

the establishment of strong community-based support

United States

systems. By 2017, Roots of Health has engaged over 50,000

Sooinn has teamed up with global

high school students. rootsofhealth.org

talents to develop highest-quality, early literacy and numeracy digital content for

Alice Emasu, Terrewode

struggling learners and children who cannot access quality education in developing countries. As a mother of two

Uganda

young children, Sooinn cites her deliberate approach to

Alice founded Terrewode after her

create work-life balance for employees who are parents

experience watching her mother suffer

(many with children with special needs) as a key to her

from the discrimination and stigma

success in attracting the right talent and partners. Enuma’s

associated with widowed women in northern Uganda. To

flagship product, Todo Math, employs a beautiful user

survive, they had to go from door to door begging for food.

experience and strong accessibility functions to help

And Alice’s mother often had to walk many kilometers

struggling learners thrive, and the app continues to be one

to find work—mostly plowing other people’s shambas

of the most successful math apps in the Apple App Store,

in exchange for food for her children. Terrewode is

with over 6 million downloads worldwide.39 enuma.com

transforming the social architecture of rural communities and supporting women’s economic development by enabling women to be land owners. ashoka.org/en-CA/ fellow/alice-emasu

Aparecida Suely Carneiro, Geledés-Inst. da Mulher Negra Brazil Aparecida founded Geledés-Inst. da

Monira Rahman, Acid Survivors Foundation

black women in Brazil through three programmatic areas:

Bangladesh

health, human rights, and communication. Geledés’ work

Monira founded the Acid Survivors

includes asking black women in Brazil to share their

Foundation (ASF) after her experience

experiences and knowledge to produce data that will

Mulher Negra advocate of the rights of

meeting an acid attack survivor and witnessing the daily

support evidence of discrimination against black women.

struggles of acid survivors in Bangladesh. ASF operates

Geledés’ also learns from the experience of black women

a 24/7 hotline for reporting attacks and referrals and

to conduct public education campaigns, formulate policy,

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

and lobby public policy makers on issues of importance

national level, creates publicity campaigns against

to Brazil's black female population. Geledés is credited as

domestic violence, hosts media workshops for social

a mainstay of the human rights movement40 in Brazil as a

leaders and specialists, and hosts the first International

result of its work spanning three decades. geledes.org.br

Seminar on the Culture of Violence against Women. agenciapatriciagalvao.org.br

Dr. Laila Risgallah, Not Guilty for Family Development Laila founded Not Guilty for Family

Nada Dhaif, Bahrain Rehabilitation & Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO)

Development to enable everyone—

Egypt

Nada founded her organization, the

starting with children, parents, teachers and social workers—in Egypt to see and reject, and act to prevent

Bahrain Rehabilitation & Anti-Violence Organization

now widespread and deeply harmful childhood sexual

(BRAVO) as a response to her experience of imprisonment

abuse. Not Guilty leads nationwide campaigns to abolish

and torture during the Arab Spring. After her release from

sexual harassment and sexual abuse through many

prison, Nada was unable to find any centers or facility

venues: media, education, Training of Trainers (TOT),

that provide psychological support to victims of torture.

and counseling. Laila founded Not Guilty based on her

Between 2012 and 2015, Nada’s organization and her team

experience working with children as a doctor, becoming

of psychologists, psychiatrists, healers, and lawyers, as well

concerned about the unmet need to the root causes of

as her network of community anti-violence ambassadors

many children’s health issues she was treating. Not Guilty

and human rights monitors, have rehabilitated 450 victims

is creating educational school books for kids, media

of torture and violence and their families in a culture that

productions for parents and training material for teachers,

is averse to seeking post-traumatic support. Nada’s work

parents and grandparents with the goal of reaching 50

has made it acceptable for these members of society to

million people with quality materials against sexual abuse.

re-integrate into their communities peacefully. bravo-

gheirmozneb.tv

bahrain.org

Jacira Melo, Instituto Patrícia Galvão

Balijepalli Sailakshmi, Ekam

Brazil

Balijepalli’s experience as a pediatrician

Jacira founded the Instituto Patrícia

led her to found Ekam. During her several

Galvão to join together media and

India

years working in government hospitals, Dr.

women’s rights organizations so that they could

Sai observed how healthcare providers increasingly took

collaborate on issues of gender discrimination, violence

for granted the high child mortality rate among the poor.

towards women and strategies to counteract male-

Dr. Sai founded Ekam to make healthcare more inclusive,

dominant culture within Brazil. Jacira describes her path

accountable, and effective by linking communities,

towards social entrepreneurship as being rooted in her

schools, universities, and public providers to public

experience observing her mother overcome her father’s

healthcare and increasing health awareness and healthy

authoritarianism while caring for several orphan children,

behaviors. ekamoneness.org

and in her experience observing her grandmother’s work as a midwife for impoverished women. The Instituto Patrícia Galvã conducts public opinion surveys at the

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

04.

how women social entrepreneurs innovate and lead

INCLUDE MEN IN SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS TYPICALLY VIEWED AS ONLY AFFECTING WOMEN - SUCH AS REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH - SO THAT EVERYONE SEES THE VALUE OF SOLVING THESE PROBLEMS TOGETHER

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

Bootcamp for Emerging Leaders, United Kingdom.

no information , no support , and no safet y . these

and empower more women. “We learned we need to

were the barriers Inna Hudaya faced when

involve men in the conversation because they also

she found herself at 22 with an unplanned pregnancy, and without access to medical treatment or reliable information. She wasn’t alone.

need to be accountable.” Inna describes. “We have to work within the current structure to change the norm; if men are part of the problem they should be part of the solution as well.” In our research, female social entrepreneurs working on

Over 3 million women in East and Southeast Asia face

gender equity entrusted men as allies to create deeper

the same experience of being pregnant without access

social impact, and encourage everyone to respect and

to medical advice or reliable information as Inna did.41

support the change led by women. However, they caution

Inna launched Samsara, Sanskrit for “reborn,” in 2008, as

that the intention is not to say that everyone needs to

the first in Indonesia to ensure women can access free

involve men, but rather that it is important to do so in a

support and information on reproductive health, without

context-specific and strategic way.

risking their health, facing violence or being targeted by discrimination.

For example, Solar Sister founder Katherine Lucy emphasizes how they “have to be deliberate and

Inna had a turning point in her strategy when the

intentional about creating a women-only space to discuss

Samsara team realized that men were accessing its

technology or they won't be included,” while Hasina

online resources in rates almost as high as women (55%

Kharbhih points out that engaging men should add to,

women, 45% men site visitors). As a result, Samsara now

and not undermine, women’s leadership. Ultimately, the

strategically engages men as allies in the conversation

objective is a shared commitment to co-create solutions

around reproductive rights, as a way to ultimately reach

together.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

sp otlight :

Inna Hudaya engage men in reproductive health strategies to reach more women and reduce unplanned pregnancies

[In the local context] It is difficult for a woman to

the same repercussions when attempting to access

ask another woman - there is a lot of stigma among

these resources. Thus, Samsara began targeting men

women when it comes to unwanted pregnancy. But

as partners in their work and including them as active

men are able to talk about it more openly. I think it's

members of the conversation.

really time for us to involve men in the conversation [about reproductive health]. They should be part of the solution.”

• Inna's work focuses on prevention, support and advocacy for sexual health, including Hotline Counselling Service, social media campaigns, several

Inna founded Samsara to provide resources to

workshops targeting different groups and with diverse

Indonesian women who are pregnant but do not have

topics such as sexual and reproductive health, breast

access to reliable information or safe medical services

self-exams, and more.42

due to social stigma and legal barriers. Samsara’s primary

• Samsara’s safe hotline has saved lives of thousands

target population is unmarried women. They provide safe

of women who would otherwise have fallen victim to

spaces, support, and avenues for communication.

unsafe reproductive healthcare when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The hotline fields about 600

When the Samsara team analyzed their online platform

calls per month and is available in local languages

users, they discovered that the number of male visitors

to reach women in rural areas as well as big cities. In

is only 5-10% less than the number of female visitors.

addition, Samsara has reached over 8,000 teenagers

This is in part because Indonesian women facing

through its reproductive health education program

unwanted pregnancy are ostracized when seeking

and has 10,000 website visitors annually.43

information on options. However, men do not face

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

Grandmother Project-Change Through Culture, Senegal.

sp otlight :

Judi Aubel creates forums to ensure village elders become champions for the wellbeing of women and girls

"The alienation of those who are viewed as

many, this is the first time that different generations, and

being cultural authorities can lead to the further

the two sexes, have come together to discuss community

entrenchment of those same harmful traditional

problems related to girls’ development, as well as other

practices...We believe that girls cannot change norms

issues concerning the well-being of children.

on their own and that one of their greatest needs is to have a supportive social environment around them.” 44

As a result of engaging both men and women, elders and youth, GMP engages every part of the community

Based on many years of experience working in

to address issues such as girls’ education, early and

community programs in Africa, Latin America, and

forced marriage, teen pregnancy, female genital

Asia, Judi realized that across cultures grandmothers

mutilation, maternal and child health and nutrition and

have tremendous authority within families on matters

intergenerational communication.

concerning women and children, including acting as advisors to men on these matters. She co-founded Grandmother Project – Change through Culture (GMP) in West Africa, to engage and leverage grandmothers’ influence as an asset to development programs to

Impact: • GMP trained and empowered 80 Grandmother Leaders in southern Senegal who are now providing ongoing support and advice to 230 adolescent girls.

promote positive change in socio-cultural norms and

• GMP strengthened the capacity of 15 NGO program

practices that negatively impact women and children.

managers from Senegal, Chad, Niger, and Mali to improve intergenerational communication and

One key part of GMP’s approach is to organize intergenerational (IG) forums to improve communication between different generations and genders, and to

dialogue on key issues facing women and girls in their community programs. • 75% of students in 2017 GMP intervention sites

facilitate the collective decision-making process. These

successfully passed the national primary school

forums bring together all types of traditional community

completion exam, compared to 53% students

leaders for open dialogue on issues of importance. For

completing it regionally and 57% nationally.45

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES

Include Men in Solutions to Problems Typically Viewed as Only Affecting Women - such as reproductive health - so that Everyone Sees the Value of Solving These Problems Together

Daniela Maudeth Valdivia Gutiérrez, Huellas & Futuro

Isabella Lenarduzzi, JUMP

Bolivia

Isabella established JUMP to close

In a country with the highest rate of

the gap between women and men at

Belgium

femicides and sexual abuse in Latin

work, collaborating with companies to

America, Daniela founded Huellas & Futuro to change

demonstrate how a corporate culture that values work-

how women and men view their roles in society. Heullas &

life balance and inclusive management practices can

Futuro works with schools, the military, police and local

benefit everyone in society through improved human

government, to ensure boys and men play a prominent

and economic development. JUMP’s model includes

role in reducing gender-based violence by redefining

men as allies in shifting the conversation around gender

masculinity and in Bolivia. For example, Heullas & Futuro

equality, by implementing robust media strategies,

has trained over 3,000 military academy students on how

campaigns, and corporate resources that identify men

to prevent and respond to violence against women in

as equal stakeholders in breaking gender roles within

domestic environments they may encounter during their

the workplace. JUMP also organizes an annual forum for

work. huellasyfuturo.com

corporations to come together and work on transforming their own corporate culture in order to advance greater

Kendis Paris, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) United States

equality. Since the forum’s establishment, Isabella has successfully mobilized the largest corporations in Belgium and France, including Deloitte, Sodexo, IBM, and Danone as sponsors and ambassadors of JUMP. jump.eu.com

Kendis founded Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to build an anti-human every mode of transportation in the US and beyond.

Juan Diego Calisto Aguirre, Ruwasunchis

Truckers Against Trafficking creates an entirely new role

Peru

for truckers (94% male46) as advocates against human

Juan Diego is creating a citizen movement

trafficking by targeting them in awareness-building

in the poorest and most marginalized

trafficking movement model that could be applied across

campaigns about the issue; building a clear, safe pathway

urban communities in Peru. Through Ruwasunchis,

for them to act when they detect abuse; and using the

Juan Diego and his team offer age-specific workshops

trucking industry infrastructure as a strategic platform

that focus on livelihood projects, skills learning, and

for the movement. Since its founding, over 680,000

community building. Juan Diego’s model includes

persons have been trained to help prevent human

advancing the role of men in tackling gender issues within

trafficking and over 2,200 calls were made by truckers

their communities by facilitating women-led mentorship

to the national hotline against by human trafficking.

programs that help young men recognize and address

truckersagainsttrafficking.org

their own gender biases, and in turn, normalizing women as decision makers and leaders. Since 2014, Ruwasunchis has engaged 400 agents of change in their communities. ruwasunchis.org

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

based on our analysis of female social

entrepreneurs’ strategies, strides, and persistent challenges, we propose several opportunities for action for those who want to learn more about their work and leadership; better support their entrepreneurial journey; and enable more women and girls to succeed as changemakers. 1. Recognize more female social entrepreneurs and celebrate their stories to serve as role models for young girls and women

2. Support networks that elevate women’s leadership and gender equity in the social entrepreneurship sector

“For all the girls who are aspiring to

“I literally thought I was a freak

something, it's important that they

who had lots of ideas and couldn't

see women doing incredible things.

sleep. The turning point for me was

The girls in our communities that

meeting other people like me

are very poor, their highest dream is to be sales

[through Ashoka]. I felt like I found a tribe. And

ladies in a department store. If they were seeing

every social entrepreneur that I've met, whether

more women and girls doing more than being

man or woman, follow a similar life cycle. That

sales ladies, maybe they would have a different

has been so reassuring to me.”

dream.”

r u t h i b e g b u n a, f o u n d e r o f r e c l a i m

a m i n a e va n g e l i s ta s wa n e p o e l , f o u n d i n g e x e c u t i v e

Like Ruth, most female social entrepreneurs in our

d i r e c t o r o f r o o t s o f h e a lt h

research identified supportive peer communities as a key to their personal and professional success. Many

Many female social entrepreneurs in this research pointed

recognized the need for a community of female social

out the lack of recognition for women as entrepreneurial

entrepreneurs in particular, where they can discuss

and innovative leaders. This is an important gap to address,

gender-specific challenges in the sector, learn from each

as many people start and continue their changemaking

other and share resources. The existing networks they

journey inspired by other successful changemakers. For

recognized include Vital Voices, UN Women, Women

example, when asked which people or groups were most

Power Connect, and the Liberian Feminist Forum.

influential in supporting their development as a person

Supporting the launch and growth of supportive networks

who creates social change, 51% of Ashoka Fellows who

for female social entrepreneurs in a variety of fields,

participated in the 2018 Global Impact Study named other

regions, and approaches would be welcomed, as cited by

social entrepreneurs (second only to parents; 56%). Media,

female social entrepreneurs around the world.

educators, parents, donors, and other influencers can help change the conversation by celebrating more female social entrepreneurs’ strength, creativity, empathy, and social impact.

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

3. Expand support for female social entrepreneurs beyond individual organizations and programmatic support

4. Conduct further research on how female social entrepreneurs are redefining social impact

“There is a massive gap for skills as

“When we talk about impact and

a convener, catalyst and a

vision, success should be thought of

partnership broker. When we all

as going beyond the organization

are speaking different languages

alone. When things really change,

and have different agendas, you have to bring

we shouldn’t need one main organization

those all together under a shared vision. We

anymore.”

have to co-create something that really wasn't there before." j a n e t l o n g m o r e , f o u n d e r o f d i g i ta l o p p o r t u n i t y t r u s t

i n n a h u daya , f o u n d e r o f s a m s a r a

In the course of our investigation, we began to see commonalities in how female social entrepreneurs lead

A number of female social entrepreneurs interviewed

and innovate, as presented in this report. However, our

for this research pointed out that there is a gap in skills

intention is not to over-simplify social entrepreneurship

and support for organizations that build movements

along gender lines. We recognize that further research

and catalyze collaborations. This is consistent with a

is needed to fully represent the diversity and richness of

Bridgespan study which found low philanthropic support

female social entrepreneurs’ leadership behaviors and

for formal collaboration, including coalitions, joint

innovation patterns.

programs, shared support functions, and mergers.

By enabling and supporting collaborations that address

In particular, research institutions and social

interconnected systemic challenges, as demonstrated in

entrepreneurship networks can help expand views of

the cases of Hasina Kharbhih tackling human trafficking

success, and in turn, help strengthen the support system

and Morgan Dixon tackling deep-seated racism, donors

for female social entrepreneurs, by delving into data

and investors can help accelerate the impact of female—

to explore topics such as metrics and frameworks for

and male—social entrepreneurs.

different impact models, leadership and innovation approaches, and the role of gender in the lifecycle of

In addition, when making early-stage investments in

social entrepreneurs.

particular, flexible support that consider the full spectrum of responsibilities female social entrepreneurs have can make a big difference, especially for those who are primary caregivers. It is not uncommon for female social entrepreneurs to use the personal stipend Ashoka provides to afford necessary caregiving support so that they can focus on their social mission with less guilt and financial burden. Not surprisingly, 92% of Ashoka Fellows reported that the unrestricted personal stipend Ashoka provides was key to allowing them to focus full-time on their idea.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

5. Explore insights and toolkits that can help apply the findings from this mapping in your own changemaking journey “To be effective leaders, we're always going to be under construction. Remember we've got to get around that corner again to the top of the mountain, and tomorrow we'll get to the top of the mountain and there will be another mountain to climb.” t r ac e y c h a m b e r s , f o u n d e r o f t h e c l o t h i n g b a n k

Practicing Inclusive, Collective Leadership: • Self-Assessment: How Well Do You Develop Youth Leaders? by Ashoka Future Forward - Initiative for Youth

Incorporating a Gender Lens in Investing • Investing for Positive Impact on Women by Trillium Asset Management, Global Fund for Women, Root Capital, Croatan Institute, Thirty Percent Coalition • Gender Lens Investing: Impact Opportunities Through Gender Equity by Cambridge Associates

Leadership and Livelihoods • Are you ready for collective impact? - Collective Impact Feasibility Framework by FSG • Self-Assessment: Where are you on the Collective Leadership Spectrum? by Ashoka Globalizer Accelerator for Systems Change

Measuring Impact through a Gender Lens • How-To-Guide on Understanding Gender Impact: Bringing a Gender Lens to Impact Measurement by Acumen • Does Social Innovation Actually Drive Gender Equity? by David McGinty and Emma Davies, Palladium

Making the Case for Investing in Women • Women in the Economy II: How Implementing a Women’s Economic Empowerment Agenda Can Shape the Global Economy by Citi Foundation • Women and Social Enterprises: How Gender Integration Can Boost Entrepreneurial Solutions to Poverty by International Center for Research on Women, Acumen,

International • Closing the Gender Gap within Companies and the Workplace • Accelerating Gender Parity: A Toolkit by World Economic Forum • JUMP Toolboxes for Promoting Gender Equality at Work by JUMP

Cartier Charitable Foundation • Reproductive Health Investment Case by Reproductive Health Investors Alliance

We believe that a better understanding of female social entrepreneurs—and how they lead—can show us ways to create more opportunities for women and girls to

Understanding the State of Female Social

succeed as changemakers - those tackling society’s

Entrepreneurship

toughest problems for the benefit of all. And the more

• WEStart: Mapping Women's Social Entrepreneurship

society celebrates powerful examples of women who

in Europe by European Women's Lobby and Chanel

are innovating and defining success their way, the more

Foundation

women and girls will be inspired to lead that way.

• Activist to entrepreneur: the role of social enterprise in supporting women’s empowerment by British Council

When we speak with female social entrepreneurs, they

• How Does a Social Startup Decide to Commercialize? It

point out over and over again how crucial supportive

May Depend on the Founder's Gender by Carmen Noel,

peer networks were to their success. The same is true

Harvard Business School

for Ashoka's effort to gather learnings and identify

• Women Entrepreneurs Are More Likely to Get Funding

opportunities for action to further support women and

If They Emphasize Their Social Mission by Matthew Lee

girls in social entrepreneurship and beyond: it will take

and Laura Huang, Harvard Business Review

continuous learning, investigating with intention, and

• The State of Diversity and Funding in the Tech Nonprofit Sector by Fast Forward Accelerator, AT&T, Nielsen

open collaboration. Let’s keep learning and building further opportunities for action together.

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

APPENDIX Methodology

Each Ashoka Fellow must meet the following five criteria: 1 A NEW IDEA: Candidates must have a new idea—a new

Based on interviews and analysis of case studies on

solution or approach to a social problem—that will change

social entrepreneurs, Ashoka’s Social Innovation

the pattern in a field. We evaluate the idea historically

Mappings illustrate common patterns in how social

and against its contemporaries in the field, looking for

entrepreneurs are creating and scaling positive social

innovation and real change potential. Candidates must

change. Mappings uncover patterns in the strategies

have a truly transformational innovation, not just a tweak

that social entrepreneurs use to approach a particular social problem, explore the societal shifts that social

to how things are done currently. 2 CREATIVITY: Successful social entrepreneurs are creative

entrepreneurs identify as necessary to unlock widespread

both as goal-setting visionaries and as problem solvers

social change, and outline the practical models that other

that are capable of engineering their visions into reality.

practitioners can adopt well as approaches in order to

Among the questions we might explore are: Does the

create these shifts.

candidate have a history of creating other new visions? 3 ENTREPRENEURIAL QUALITY: Successful social

Pattern-Recognition Process

entrepreneurs are driven by the vision of solving the

Ashoka’s Social Innovation Mapping begins by determining

problem they are working on. They typically will not rest

a framing question to guide its research. The question

until their idea is the new pattern for society. At the same

addresses a social problem social entrepreneurs are

time, they are willing to grapple relentlessly with many

working to shift.

practical “how to” challenges. A successful candidate, if given the means, would dedicate themselves full time to

Next, we sift through Ashoka’s database of more than 3,500 solutions from around the world to select those

launching and growing their idea. 4 SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE IDEA: The candidate’s new idea

social entrepreneurs whose approaches are most

has the potential to change the field significantly and will

applicable to the issue. These innovators go through a

trigger nationwide impact. The idea itself needs to be

rigorous process before their election to the Fellowship,

sufficiently new, practical, and useful for people working

which includes a thorough examination of their ideas and

in the field to adopt it and turn it into the new norm sector

performance.

wide. 5 ETHICAL FIBER: Social entrepreneurs introducing major

Next, we pare down the pool of solutions to those that are

structural changes to society will have to inspire that

the most relevant and innovative to the framing question

change at a wide scale and across different stakeholder

and select a subset for case-studies and interviews that

groups. If the entrepreneur is not trusted, the likelihood

is diverse according to factors such as geography, sector,

of success is significantly reduced. Ashoka insists that

target-population, and gender. Finally, we cluster them

every participant in the selection process be assessed for

and look for patterns in how the innovators define the

ethical fiber

problem they face, and what they do to solve it. These patterns can point to powerful ways to reframe a problem,

Throughout Ashoka’s rigorous, five-step global process,

as well as new ways of addressing it.

we gather data and information about the Fellow through application forms, field visits, and semi-structured

Analysis of the social innovators’ models and interviews

interviews. We see the process as generative - as much as

reveals emerging patterns, and the distribution of

we are seeking to understand the ideas and motivations

solutions becomes apparent, showing which strategies are

of our Fellow candidates to make systemic and lasting

most commonly and most powerfully used. Additionally,

change, we are also hoping that our questions, frameworks,

this analysis can reveal areas of unmet potential that are

and perspectives will enable the Fellow candidates to feel

ready for a solution.

they are gaining new approaches and networks. 93% of the Fellows who participated in the 2018 Global Impact Study

How Social Entrepreneurs Are Selected as Ashoka Fellows

agreed that the Ashoka Fellow selection process helped

In order to be elected a Fellow, each candidate undergoes

strengthen their idea.

an extensive interview process with Ashoka leadership and global sector experts.

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

ASHOKA FELLOWS REVIEWED Ashoka Fellow

Organization

Country

Page Number

Regina Agyare Honu

Soronko Solutions

Ghana

Judi Aubel

Grandmother Project-Change Through Culture

Senegal

Raphaelle Ayach

Safarni

Egypt

n/a

Raghda Butros

Ruwaad

Jordan

Aparecida Suely Carneiro

Geledés-Inst. da Mulher Negra

Brazil

Juan Diego Calisto

Ruwasunchis

Peru

Tracey Chambers

The Clothing Bank

South Africa

28, 44

Nada Dhaif

Bahrain Rehabilitation & Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO)

Egypt

Morgan Dixon

GirlTrek

United States

6, 25

Alice Emasu

Terrewode

Uganda

Amalia Fischer

Fundo ELAS

Brazil

Daniela Maudeth Valdivia Gutiérrez

Huellas & Futuro

Latin America

Inna Hudaya

Samsara

Indonesia

7, 38, 43

Ruth Ibegbuna

Reclaim

United Kingdom

11, 12, 22, 42

Hasina Kharbhih

Impulse Social Enterprises

India

6, 15, 16

Alicia Leal

Alternativas Pacíficas, A.C.

Mexico

Sooinn Lee

Enuma

United States, South Korea, Tanzania

Isabella Lenarduzzi

JUMP "Empowering Women, Advancing the Economy"

Belgium

Janet Longmore

Digital Opportunity Trust

Canada

19, 20, 43

Katherine Lucey

Solar Sisters

Uganda

Candice Lys

FOXY

Canada

Anindita Majumdar

Equidiversity

India

Melina Masnatta

Chicas en Tecnologías

Argentina

Jacira Melo

Instituto Patrícia Galvão

Brazil

Kendis Paris

Truckers Against Trafficking

United States

Monira Rahman

Acid Survivors Foundation

Bangladesh

Laila Wahba Risgallah

Not Guilty for Family Development

Egypt

Balijepalli Sailakshmi

Ekam

India

Shreen Saroor

Women's Action Network (WAN), Mannar Women's Development Federation (MWDF)

Sri Lanka

n/a

Greta Lucero Rios Tellez Sill

Ollin, Jóvenes en Movimiento, A.C.

Mexico

Kritaya Sreesunpagit

Youth Innovation Year Project (YIY)

Thailand

Naomi Solanke

Community Health Initiative

Liberia

Reda Shoukry

n/a

Egypt

n/a

Cynthia Ong Gaik Sun

Forever Sabah

Malaysia

Amina Evangelista Swanepoel

Roots of Health

Philippines

34,42

Sarah Toumi

Acacias for All

Tunisia

n/a

Katja Urbatsch

Arbeiterkind.de

Germany

Eleonora Voltolina

La repubblica degli stagisti

Italy

Vivian Waisman

Women's Link Worldwide

Spain

Riccarda Zezza

MAAM - Maternity As A Master

Italy

5, 7, 33

Celebrating ChangemakHERS

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breaking-all-the-trends. Accessed on January 2019 17 Aghina, Wouter, et al. “The Five Trademarks of

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2 Women in Parliaments: World Classification." InterParliamentary Union, 1 Nov. 2018. archive.ipu.org/ wmn-e/classif.htm. Accessed on January 14, 2019. 3 "Activist to Entrepreneur: the Role of Social Enterprise in Supporting Women’s Empowerment." British Council, 2017. www.britishcouncil.org/sites/ default/files/social_enterprise_and_womens_ empowerment_july.pdf. Accessed on January 14,

organization/our-insights/the-five-trademarks-ofagile-organizations. Accessed on January 2019.

teaching-market-value-parenting. Accessed on January 2019. 34 The Future of Jobs - Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. World Economic Forum, Jan. 2016. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_ Jobs.pdf. Accessed on January 2019. 35 Strauss, Valerie. “The Surprising Thing Google Learned about Its Employees - and What It Means

18 Harari, Yuval Noaḥ. Homo Deus: a Brief History of Tomorrow. Harper Perennial, 2018.

for Today's Students.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 20 Dec. 2017. www.washingtonpost.com/

19 “New Skills Now: Inclusion in the Digital Economy.” Accenture, 2017. https://www.accenture.com/_

news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/12/20/the-surprisingthing-google-learn. Accessed on January 2019.

acnmedia/PDF-63/Accenture-New-Skills-NowInclusion-in-the-digital.pdf. Accessed on January

36 “Women and Caregiving: Facts and Figures.” National Center on Caregiving, Family Caregiver

2019. 20 Farley, Shannon and Christina Shatzen. "The State of

Alliance, 31 Dec. 2003. www.caregiver.org/womenand-caregiving-facts-and-figures. Accessed on

Venture Capital Dollars in 2017.” Fortune, 31 Jan. 2018. fortune.com/2018/01/31/female-founders-

Diversity and Funding in the Tech Nonprofit Sector." Fast Forward, 2017. www.ffwd.org/wp-content/

January 2019. 37 “The Science behind MAAM.” MAAM. www.maam.

venture-capital-2017. Accessed on January 29, 2019. 5 Bibars, Iman. “Redefining Success for Women Social

uploads/State-of-Diversity-and-Funding-in-theTech-Nonprofit-Sector.pdf. Accessed on January 15,

2019. 4 Zarya, Valentina. “Female Founders Got 2% of

Entrepreneurs.” Social Innovation Journal, 30 Nov. 2018. socialinnovationsjournal.org/editions/issue52/75-disruptive-innovations/2914-redefiningsuccess-for-women-social-entrepreneurs. Accessed on January 16, 2019. 6 Murphy, Heather. “Picture a Leader. Is She a Woman?” The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2018. www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/health/womenleadership-workplace.html. Accessed on January 29, 2019. 7 Impulse NGO Network website. Impulse NGO Network, 2019. www.impulsengonetwork.org. Accessed on January 29, 2019 8 Minter, Harriet. “Maternity Leave Discrimination: Five Women Tell Their Stories.” The Guardian, 27 July 2015. www.theguardian.com/womenin-leadership/2015/jul/27/maternity-leavediscrimination-pregnant-then-screwed-stories. Accessed on January 28, 2019. 9 “Awardees.” Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. www.schwabfound.org/ awardees/katherine-lucey. Accessed on January 29, 2019. 10 "Women in Parliaments: World Classification." InterParliamentary Union, 1 Nov. 2018. archive.ipu.org/ wmn-e/classif.htm. Accessed on January 14, 2019. 11 "Activist to Entrepreneur: the Role of Social Enterprise in Supporting Women’s Empowerment." British Council, 2017. www.britishcouncil.org/sites/ default/files/social_enterprise_and_womens_ empowerment_july.pdf. Accessed on January 14, 2019. 12 Zarya, Valentina. Ibid 13 Bibars, Iman. Ibid 14 Munoz-Boudet, Ana Maria, Carolina SánchezPáramo. Ibid 15 “Female Entrepreneurship Resource Point - Introduction and Module 1: Why Gender Matters,” The World Bank. http://www.worldbank. org/en/topic/gender/publication/femaleentrepreneurship-resource-point-introductionand-module-1-why-gender-matters. Accessed 24 October 2018. 16 Dobbs, Richard, James Manyika, Jonathan Woetzel. “The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends.”

How Women Social Entrepreneurs Lead and Innovate

life/en/scientific-research. Accessed on January 2019.

2019. 21 Bibars, Iman. Ibid.

38 “The Skilling Challenge - a Study by Ashoka and McKinsey & Company.” Ashoka Germany and

22 “The Unlonely Planet: How Ashoka Accelerates Impact - Results of the 2018 Global Fellows Study” Ashoka, 2018. http://ashoka-cee.org/austria/wpcontent/uploads/sites/2/2019/01/UnLonelyPlanetAshoka-Impact-Report-2018.pdf. Accessed on January 2019. 23 Wangchuk, Rinchen Norbu. “This Shillong-Based NGO Has Saved Over 72,000 Victims of Human Trafficking!” The Better India, 3 Oct. 2018. www. thebetterindia.com/160904/human-traffickingnortheast-impulse-ngo/. Accessed on January 2019. 24 Bibars, Iman. Ibid. 25 “Anindita Majumdar” Ashoka, 2017. www.ashoka. org/en-US/fellow/anindita-majumdar. Accessed on December 2018. 26 “Our Impact | DOT | Digital Opportunity Trust.” DOT Digital Opportunity Trust, www.dotrust.org/ourimpact/. 27 “Melina Masnatta.”Ashoka, 2018. www.ashoka. org/en-US/fellow/melina-masnatta. Accessed on January 2019. 28 “Reporte Anual 2018.” Chicas En Tecnología, 2018. proyectos.chicasentecnologia.org/reporte2018. Accessed on January 2019. 29 “Our Mission.” GirlTrek, 2018. www.girltrek.org/ our_mission. Accessed on December 2019. 30 Neuhoff, Alex, et al. “Making Sense of Nonprofit Collaborations.” The Bridgespan Group, 17 Dec. 2014. www.bridgespan.org/insights/library/mergers-and-

McKinsey & Company, Inc, April 2018. www.ashoka. org/en-CA/file/skilling-challenge-study-ashokaand-mckinsey-company. Accessed on December 2018. 39 “Who We Are.” Kitkitschool, 2018. kitkitschool.com/ who-we-are. Accessed on January 2019. 40 Kia Lilly Caldwell. “Study: 75 Percent Increase in Women of Color Running for Office.” Salon, Salon. com, 11 Oct. 2018, www.salon.com/2018/10/09/ sexism-racism-drive-more-black-women-to-runfor-office-in-both-brazil-and-us_partner/. 41 Gutierrez, Natashya. “'Illegal, but They're Everywhere': How Women Help Other Women Get Abortions.” Rappler, 1 Jun. 2016. www.rappler.com/ world/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/bahasa/ englishedition/134784-abortion-samsara-innahudaya-womens-rights. Accessed on January 2019. 42 “Inna Hudaya.” Ashoka, 2017. www.ashoka.org/enUS/fellow/inna-hudaya. Accessed on January 2019. 43 “Samsara Hotline.” Samsara, 4 Oct. 2018, samsara. or.id/samsara-hotline. Accessed on January 2019. 44 Kelleher, Fatimah. “FGM and Child Marriage: Grandmothers Are Part of the Problem and the Solution.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 17 July 2014. www.theguardian.com/globaldevelopment-professionals-network/2014/jul/17/ mothers-grandmothers-fgm-child-marriage. Accessed on January 2019. 45 “Annual Report 2017.” Grandmother Project –

collaborations/nonprofitcollaborations. Accessed on January 2019. 31 Leviner, Noga, Leslie R. Crutchfield and Diana Wells. “Understanding the Impact of Social Entrepreneurs: Ashoka’s Answer to the Challenge of Measuring Effectiveness” Paper prepared for the 34th annual conference of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action, Washington, DC, November 17-18, 2005. 32 “Our Mission.” GirlTrek, 2018. www.girltrek.org/ our_mission. Accessed on December 2019. 33 Zebini, Daniele. “Riccarda Zezza: Teaching the Market to Value Parenting.” Believe Earth, 11 Mar. 2018. https://believe.earth/en/riccarda-zezza-

Change through Culture, 22 Nov. 2018. https:// www.grandmotherproject.org/wp-content/ uploads/2018/11/2017-Annual-Report-22-Nov2018-compressed.pdf. Accessed on January 2019. 46 Connley, Courtney. Just 6 Percent of America's Truck Drivers Are Women-Here's What It's Like. CNBC, 18 June 2018, www.cnbc.com/2018/06/13/heres-whatits-like-to-be-a-woman-truck-driver.html. 47 Neuhoff, Alex, et al. “Making Sense of Nonprofit Collaborations.” The Bridgespan Group, 17 Dec. 2014, www.bridgespan.org/insights/library/mergers-andcollaborations/nonprofitcollaborations. Accessed on January 2019.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Social Innovation Mapping was made possible thanks

Ashoka is grateful for feedback or resources

to the generous support of the Citi Foundation

recommendations by: Acumen: Yasmina Zaidman, Esha Mufti; Chanel Foundation:

Authored by:

Miren Bengoa; The Croatan Institute: Joshua Humphreys;

Bianca Taberna, Reem Rahman,

Fast Forward Accelerator: Shannon Farley; Harvard

Lauren Jackman, and Sonia Park

Kennedy School: Social Change + Change Initiative: Colleen Kelly; IDEX Accelerator: Bhavna Mathur; Impact Alpha:

Contributions by:

David Bank; Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship: Hira

Iman Bibars, Diana Wells, Lynsey Farrell, Ioanna Moriatis,

Saeed; Skoll Foundation: Brittany Boettcher; The Women in

Rachel Fauber, Stephanie Haapalainen, Maria Clara

Innovation Forum: Catherine Barba

Pinheiro, Tatiana Cary, Aya Sabry, Sara Wilf, Ashoka’s Venture and Fellowship Team Members

JOIN THE CONVERSATION Check out ashoka.org/women or get involved at wise.changemakers.com. There you can: • Connect with the entrepreneurial community • Learn about events, support, funding and best practices • Read about women social entrepreneurs and their new innovations If you have feedback or questions about this report, or opportunities for collaboration, please reach out to Ioanna Moriatis at imoriatis@ashoka.org.