Social Entrepreneurs & Change Makers

By Bose Creative Publishers

Most often, the project started with one man, or one woman, and then the idea attracted more volunteers. We have in this book an NGO which got established in 1976 by a Swiss pilot, and one that got established in 2020 in response to the pandemic and the plight of daily wage workers in India. The range of social enterprises presented in this book, are from Europe, India, US and South Africa. What each change maker has in common is that they all acted selflessly, and took the first step to 'do something'. Be it to encourage artisans—to stop terrorism, or to grow rice in farmlands—to combat hunger, or to open up schools in tiger infested deltas—for deprived children. Read the book to discover more.

Each chapter is divided into several short sections, including an introduction, a short bio, information about the organisation, their strategy, modus operandi, lessons learned, milestones achieved, products and services, keynote, and real-life case studies—hand-picked by the founders.  
This book attempts to look into the minds of six global social entrepreneurs, and their respective organisations—to understand how and why they responded to a humanitarian crisis. It traces their story from the start, in a Q&A format. Instead of walking away with a heavy heart and doing nothing; these founders, directors, and project leaders decided to stay, listen, and help, when they saw a problem. What kind of impact did they create? Does 'giving and sharing with no return' really bestow an everlasting joy? If all these questions ever made you pause and think, then you have the right book in your hands.  
Book Authors: ACT, Asha Zurich, Humane Warriors, Protsaah, Rice Mill Enterprise (Abundance), Touching Heart, Usthi. 
Publisher: Bose Creative Publisher.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bose Creative Publishers
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9783952527825

Bose Creative Publishers

ACT India: Ms. Nilanjana Das, Director and Chairperson, who helped us structure this book, and came forward enthusiastically to discuss the book’s proposal at its initial stage, despite the lockdown challenges in India. Asha Zurich Foundation: Dr. Pratyush Das Kanungo, Project Lead and Coordinator for outreach activities, Dr. Rajdeep Deb, President of the organization; and Dr. Sampada Bodke, Project Lead, for supporting this project and coming forward to collaborate for this book. Humane Warriors: Dr. Naveen Shamsudhin and Dr. Rhythima Shinde, Founders, who were active during the Covid-19, with their Humane Warriors team supporting the daily wage workers across India. Despite a time-crunch they contributed to this book with their timely inputs. Protsaah – Handcrafted Peace: Ms. Saloni Duggal Sreshtha, Director, who was in India to meet her artisans and was unable to fly back to Zurich due to the lockdown for a long time, despite that she took the time to contribute to this book and raise awareness for the cause. Rice Mill Social Enterprise: Ms. Ruth Mumba, Director, and Abundance Foundation’s Co-Founder Dr. Deepa Pullanikkatil who came forward to contribute to this book with their newly found project in South Africa. Touching Heart: Ms. Helen Yi, Founder and Project Lead Ms. Sumona Das, who relentlessly worked on different projects and produced hundreds of facemasks herself to combat the pandemic in the USA; helped us get the Founder’s interview for this book. Ushthi Foundation: Ms. Olga Egli, PR and Fundraising Director, who contributed with her inputs, and contacted the Founder Mr. Kurt Bürki and the Executive Director Ms. Alessandra Grosse for the interview in this book; and Ms. Mirjam Hirzel, International Project Coordinator, for her valuable thoughts and inputs.

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ACT INDIA: Ms. Nilanjana Das, Director, who helped us structure this book, and came forward enthusiastically to discuss the book’s proposal at its initial stage, despite the lockdown challenges in India.

Asha Zurich Foundation: Dr. Pratyush Das Kanungo, Project Lead and Coordinator for outreach activities, Dr. Rajdeep Deb, President of the organization; and Dr. Sampada Bodke, Project Lead, for supporting this project and coming forward to collaborate for this book.

Humane Warriors: Dr. Naveen Shamsudhin and Ms. Rhythima Shinde, Founders, who were active during the Covid-19, with their Humane Warriors team supporting the daily wage workers across India. Despite a time-crunch they contributed to this book with their timely inputs.

Protsaah – Handcrafted Peace: Ms. Saloni Duggal Shrestha, Director, who was in India to meet her artisans and was unable to fly back to Zurich due to the lockdown for a long time, despite that she took the time to contribute to this book and raise awareness for the cause.

Rice Mill Social Enterprise: Ms. Ruth Mumba, Director; and Abundance Foundation’s Co-Founder Dr. Deepa Pullanikkatil who came forward to contribute to this book with their newly found project in South Africa.

Touching Heart: Ms. Helen Yi, Founder; and Project Lead Ms. Sumona Das, who relentlessly worked on different projects and produced hundreds of facemasks herself to combat the pandemic in the USA, she helped us get the Founder’s interview for the book.

Usthi Foundation: Ms. Olga Egli, PR and Fundraising Director, who contributed with her inputs, and contacted the Founder Mr. Kurt Bürki and the Executive Director Ms. Alessandra Grosse for the interview in this book; and Ms. Mirjam Hirzel, International Project Coordinator, for her valuable thoughts and inputs.

FOREWORD

MOST OFTEN, THE PROJECT started with one man, or one woman, and then the idea attracted more volunteers. We have in this book an NGO which got established in 1976 by a Swissair captain and his wife, and one that got established in 2020 in response to the pandemic and the plight of daily wage workers in India. The range of social enterprises presented in this book, are from Europe, India, US, and South Africa. What each change maker has in common is that they all acted selflessly, and took the first step to ‘do something’. Be it to encourage artisans—to stop terrorism, or to grow rice in farmlands—to combat hunger, or to open up schools in tiger infested deltas—for deprived children. Read the book to discover more.

Each chapter is divided into several short sections, including an introduction, a short bio, information about the organisation, their strategy, modus operandi, lessons learned, milestones achieved, products and services, keynote, and real-life case studies—hand-picked by the founders.

This book attempts to look into the minds of seven global social entrepreneurs, and their respective organisations—to understand how and why they responded to a humanitarian crisis. It traces their story from the start, in a Q&A format. Instead of walking away with a heavy heart and doing nothing; these founders, directors, and project leaders decided to stay, listen, and help, when they saw a problem. What kind of impact did they create? Does ‘giving and sharing with no return’ really bestow an everlasting joy? If all these questions ever made you pause and think, then you have the right book in your hands.

This book with its case studies also attempts to provide information and knowledge to students of social science, as well as an opportunity to corporate houses—to extend a helping hand in the supply chain. What these social enterprises need from people like you and me, is to help them raise awareness for the work that they are doing, and to help the underprivileged in whichever way we can. We also hope to inspire the youth, with this book. Each social enterprise has a contact email address if anyone wishes to contact them.

I would like to end, with my heartfelt thanks to our contributing authors for co-writing this book; and to our readers, for buying and supporting the cause.

One dream, one event, one book—can change a life.

Brindarica Bose

Publisher, Editor

1 action Center for Transformation (ACT)

empowering women

Website: http://actfortransform.org/

Contact: [e-mail]

Established in: 2010

Seated in: Haryana, India

Change Maker: Ms. Nilanjana Das

ACTION CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATION (ACT)—

empowering women

Nilanjana Das, Founder, Director runs an initiative called ACT, based in India. She is a social entrepreneur passionate about empowering the rural communities, particularly women through creativity, art, and innovation. After passing out from Xavier Institute of Social Service, she worked in this field for ten years—and thereafter, due to a strong desire to contribute meaningfully and independently to this sector, she founded ACT, which emphasizes on building sustainable initiatives. Her major focus is on economic empowerment of rural women, and bringing sustainable changes. She has been continuously working on developing a chain of rural women up cyclers who upcycles waste paper in particular, and generates a livelihood and a voice of their own. Nilanjana is the mother of a teenager girl, and loves travelling and putting down her thoughts on the paper through colours and words. She has been actively involved in some of the national programs and social campaigns in India. 

Please tell us about ACT?

ACTION CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATION (ACT) is a non-government; non-profit registered organization. The organization is located in Gurgaon. ACT was conceptualized by social development professionals in the year 2010. The thought behind the building of an institution was to deliver well thought of and strategized action for the underprivileged and the deprived section for a better quality and a sustained standard of living. The idea or the dream behind forming the institution was to bring a change in the society by capacity building and efficient governance and management. ACT’s mission is empowering the women and environment.  This is achieved by creating livelihood opportunities for the rural women self-help groups by upcycling the waste paper, cloth and other items which are transformed into a resourceful marketable product. The organization is registered under society registration act and is based in Maruti Kunj Road, Bhondsi, Gurugram. The organization is also registered under NITI Aayog and is under process to register under DC Handicrafts. Since its establishment in the year 2010, ACT has been working on these aspects in a focused manner.

What is the social problem you identified and how are you attempting to solve it?

ORIGIN OF THE IDEA Kaagaz ke paankh germinated when the founder met a couple of women from Bandhwari cluster in Gurgaon block. The women in the village had no continuous source of income, and there was a dire need of income generation activities in the village. She met