How to change the world

Social entrepreneurs are the doctors of society. Since there is a unipolar world and capitalism is the only system we have, there are many side effects no doctor, unfortunately, is able to cure. Social entrepreneurs are creative individuals who question their environment and try to repair the system in their own way.

David Bornstein is the author of “How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas,” and in his book he tells the fascinating stories of remarkable individuals in different parts of the world from Brazil to Hungary, providing examples of positive deviants in the social sector. In South Africa, one woman, Veronica Khosa, developed a home-based care model for AIDS patients that changed government health policy. An American, James Grant, is credited with saving 25 million lives by leading and “marketing” a global campaign for immunization. Another American, Bill Drayton, created the pioneering foundation Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, which has funded and supported these social entrepreneurs and over a thousand like them, leveraging the power of their ideas across the globe. The success stories described in the book are the cases supported by the Ashoka foundation. One of those fascinating stories belongs to Fabio Rosa. In Brazil, Rosa helped bring electricity to hundreds of thousands of remote rural residents. Rosa saw that high water costs were a significant obstacle for local rice farmers in Palmeras and that lowering these costs could improve productivity and wealth. To address high water costs, Rosa understood that there was a need of an invention that would provide low cost electricity. At the time, 70 percent of rural residents in Palmeras were living without electricity. Rosa favored expanding access to electricity through a new invention, which turned out be an inexpensive mono-phase electrification system developed by Professor Ennio Amaral. However, the system did not adhere to certain technical specifications as set forth in Brazilian law. Amaral and Rosa waged a war against the government and big energy companies. With very primitive and insufficient facilities, but a very big heart for villagers, they won the battle. The use of mono-phase technology reduced the costs of electricity for each of these rural households from $7,000 to $400. All of these success stories are the stories of ordinary people. They have extraordinary skills and approaches, but most of them started their journey as an ordinary person. This book is evidence that anybody who has a dream can change the world. Ordinary people -- social entrepreneurs -- are increasingly stepping in to solve problems where governments and bureaucracies have failed. “How to Change the World” shows, as its title suggests, that with determination and innovation, even a single person can make a surprising difference. For anyone seeking to leave a positive mark on the world, this will be both an inspiring read and an invaluable handbook.