Ashoka (Cape Town)
13 April 2007
press release
Arlington — Thirty of the leading social entrepreneurs from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mali, Nigeria and South Africa are being inducted as Ashoka Fellows on April 19th in Johannesburg, South Africa. Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, a global organization supporting social entrepreneurs around the world, recognizes these Fellows for their system changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. They join the ranks of more than 1,800 Fellows in over 60 countries who are solving social challenges throughout the world.
The Induction of the new Fellows is part of a four day Pan-African gathering of Fellows, staff, business entrepreneurs, and strategic partners. Throughout the event, they will explore opportunities for greater collaboration and create collective actions for accelerating systemic social change throughout Africa.
Over the four days, the Pan African gathering will feature three major events: the Orientation for 30 new African Fellows, a roundtable with business entrepreneurs exploring opportunities for business-social partnerships, and a public celebration and induction of newly-elected African Fellows
“Ashoka is working to elevate and strengthen the ‘citizen sector’ around the world,” says Ashoka founder Bill Drayton in announcing this year’s Fellows. “We admire the qualities traditionally associated with leading business entrepreneurs – vision, innovation, determination and long-term commitment – and we look for those entrepreneurs who are committed to systemic social change in their fields.”
These social entrepreneurs will become lifetime members of Ashoka’s global fellowship, an international association of their peers. Fellows receive financial support that enables then to focus full-time on continuing their work, and access to pro bono professional and strategic services to help them achieve systems-changing impact. Each Fellow is also eligible to apply for supplemental funding on collaborative projects, and to receive training and technical assistance through Ashoka partners.
“We are thrilled about this unique opportunity to bring together so many members of the Ashoka community from across the African continent,” said Leila Biko, Director of Ashoka Africa. “Strengthening the Ashoka network, this gathering will enable Ashoka to recognize the work of our newest changemakers who are transforming Africa through social entrepreneurship.”
Since 1990, Ashoka Africa has supported over 225 dynamic leading social entrepreneurs in 17 countries who are implementing solutions at the grassroots level to solve the continent’s most pressing social problems. Currently Ashoka operates five fully staffed offices in Kampala, Abuja, Dakar, and Johannesburg.
About Ashoka
Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs—men and women with system-changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Since 1981, Ashoka has elected over 1,800 leading social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows. Ashoka works to create communities of innovators while building a vibrant citizen sector that not only supports those creating change today, but empowers everyone to become changemakers tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.ashoka.org
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