Last month saw the first-ever Social Enterprise Week in Dubai. This series of events attracted over 300 startups from the region and provided a forum for them to share their experiences and ideas as well as network.
These gatherings were able to capitalize on the innovative nature of the regional startup ecosystem, particularly with regard to social entrepreneurship in the Middle East, which encompasses projects that are not only businesses but also fulfill some kind of social mission.
Social enterprises view the types of social problems that would usually be addressed by non-profit organizations or NGOs as market opportunities. The idea behind social entrepreneurship is to make a social impact through an initiative that is financially self-sustainable and does not have to rely on external funding. The way this is done is by creating a profitable business whose main activity helps overcome some type of social challenge.
The organizations that gathered in Dubai were working to address a broad range of challenges, including issues related to clean energy, the environment, and health care. A brief description of some of the projects that are being undertaken provides an idea of the breadth of the work being done through social entrepreneurship in the Middle East.
For example, one project helps farmers in Egypt and the Sudan through the creation of solar powered water pumps, which could help farmers expand their arable land, which could have a potentially huge impact on agriculture and food security in the region.
Another initiative allows people to discretely inform themselves about and seek help for mental health issues through an online portal that provides informational webinars as well as counseling and coaching services.
Environmental concerns are addressed by a project that taps into the popularity for bottled water in the region and overcomes the challenges related to the lack of an established recycling industry by creating a bottle-free filtration system to replace water coolers.
These are just some examples of the fascinating and innovative work being done to help solve social and environmental problems in the Middle East by local social entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurship is a promising field that links the work done by the private and social sectors and could be extremely beneficial in helping resolve social problems around the world. Hopefully other developing economies will follow Dubai’s example and encourage the emergence of home-grown social enterprises.
– Caroline Poterio Martinez
Source: All Things D
Photo: All Things D