Social Entrepreneurship On the Rise in Norway
OSLO, Norway—Although “social entrepreneurship” is an unfamiliar term to many Norwegians, it is nonetheless a fast growing business.
One of the main goals of social entrepreneurship is to use entrepreneurial principles to achieve social change. And this exactly describes Unni Beate Sekkesaeter, one of Norway’s dedicated social entrepreneurs.
One day, while traveling through India, she met a lady named Harijan, who had at one time participated in the YMCA micro-financing program.
Although Harijan belonged to the lowest caste in India, she managed to go from being a street sweeper to owning a store, using just her savings and micro-loans from the YMCA program.
With the business skills she acquired through the program, she was able to put her son through medical school.
“I decided right then and there that this is what I want to do. I chose a new career path and graduated in developmental studies. I have been working in this field since 1996, when I started a project that was the beginning of the micro-financing project Mikrofinans Norge (MFN),” Sekkesaeter told The Epoch Times.
“The pay is low, but it’s worth it. The reward is seeing the change in the people I’ve worked with. The world is about more than just money,” she said.
MFN provides loans to people who can’t get a loan anywhere else. The loan amounts range from $300 to $30,000. Many people take out multiple loans, paying one off and then taking out another one, until they can effectively manage on their own.
But a micro-loan is only one of many things needed to start up a business. There is also education and training, which are equally important. That is why all loan recipients must go through a comprehensive training program. “It would be irresponsible otherwise,” says Sekkesaeter.
Over the years, she has been part of a lot of peoples’ success stories, like the one about an ex-convict who started a business and soon had several people working for him. His business now has a monthly turnover of $25,000. These are the kinds of stories that motivate and drive Sekkesaeter.
“People who get to use their inner resources do things that others can benefit from, enabling them to regain their dignity and get appreciated for who they are,” she explained.
Although what Sekkesaeter does is not unique to Norway, social entrepreneurship is definitely big there.
Ferd AS, a major Norwegian company, has a special division for social entrepreneurship. Its mission is to “identify and invest in companies with a potential to create significant social change and to create lasting value and leave clear footprints.”
The company’s owner, Johan H. Andresen, is personally involved in these activities and is often the division’s spokesman.
Recently, he hosted VälFerdskonferens, a free social entrepreneurship conference. Many Ferd executives are also involved in social entrepreneurship and some even sit on the board of Ferd-supported enterprises.
Andresen’s interest in social entrepreneurship began in Davos, Switzerland, where he ran across a Scotsman who had the idea of organizing a special soccer World Cup, where all participants would be homeless people. At that time, Andresen thought the idea was impossible to pull off, but now it is an annual event.
Ferd supports a number of enterprises and organizations that promote social change in different forms. One example is Trivselprogrammet, a program designed to increase physical activity in the schoolyard.
Aside from the obvious health benefits, schools that implemented the program saw a dramatic drop in bullying. Ferd’s financial assistance played a key role in quickly developing the program and putting it into action.
Another example of social entrepreneurship is Forskerfabrikken, a program designed to enable schoolchildren to participate in science and research classes in their free time.
One case that Andresen finds particularly inspiring is of a 14-year-old girl who wanted to be a model. But after attending classes at Forskerfabrikken, she now wants to become a biochemist.
Hanne S. Finstad, Forskerfabrikken’s manager, is the first Norwegian to become a member of Ashoka, an international network of social entrepreneurs and the most prestigious organization in its field.
At the VälFerdskonferens conference, former Olympic speed skater Johan Olav Koss was awarded a medal by the King of Norway for his international work involving underprivileged children.
Koss formed the organization Right to Play, which promotes development, health, peace, and mutual understanding among children through sports and games.
The method has paid off already, and Koss hopes that promoting cooperation and mutual respect between children will have an even greater effect in the long term.
Read more: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/social-entrepreneurship-on-the-rise-in-norway-57753.html
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