A social entrepreneur is defined as a person who pursues novel initiatives that have the potential to solve community-based problems. A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes social problems and brings about social change by employing entrepreneurial principles, processes and operations. A social entrepreneur mainly focuses on creating social capital without measuring the performance in profit or return in monetary terms. Along with social problems, social entrepreneurs also focus on environmental problems. Unlike traditional entrepreneurs or businessmen, social entrepreneurs focus on maximizing gains in social satisfaction, rather than maximizing monetary profit gains.
A prominent social entrepreneur is Muhammad Yunus, a leader of social entrepreneurship in South Asia. Yunus was the founder of Grameen Bank, which pioneered the concept of microcredit for supporting innovators in multiple developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He received a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. What started as a small microfinance initiative in 1976, today has 9.44 million members, 97 percent of whom are women. With 2,568 branches, Grameen Bank provides services in 81,678 villages, covering more than 93 percent of the total villages in Bangladesh.
Neichute Doulo, CEO of Entrepreneurs Associates, Nagaland, is a familiar name in social entrepreneurship circles. Founded in 2000, Neichute Doulo led Entrepreneurs Associates have been working to promote entrepreneurship and develop sustainable livelihoods in Nagaland and other North Eastern states of India for economic development and increased participation of local people in the economic activities of the states for social equity and harmony. Entrepreneurs Associates has now mentored over 18,000 youths, both in Nagaland and Manipur, supported more than 6,000 farmers to take up livelihood activities in rural areas and works with 1500 SHGs for livelihoods, enterprise development, and credit linkages. The organization has also successfully trained and mentored over 3000 women street vendors across the state of Nagaland.
Nuklu Phom is another name that we cannot miss. Although he is recognized as a grassroots conservationist, his nature of work fit into the definition of a social entrepreneur. Under his leadership, communities worked together to do away with hunting, protect biodiversity and adopt sustainable livelihoods, centered around the 10 SqKm Yaongyimchen Community Biodiversity Conservation Area (YCBCA), set aside by them for conservation. A Church worker, he aims to connect more communities in rural Nagaland to be part of the network of community reserves managed by indigenous communities in what he calls the Biodiversity Peace Corridor. He was awarded the prestigious Whitley Award in 2021, considered the ‘Green Oscar’.
Noted social worker Dr Chingmak Chang, who runs the Tuensang based NGO called Eleutheros Christian Society (ECS) is another social entrepreneur involved in transforming lives and communities. He has taken up pioneering social work in healthcare, education and livelihoods in the eastern districts of Nagaland, despite a hostile environment. He successfully involved the church in overcoming stigma attached to HIV / AIDS infections and in rehabilitating those affected and, among many other others, implements a successful public-private healthcare model with active community participation.
Mokokchung needs such social entrepreneurs.