Archive for Peace

By Bharathi Ramasubramanian

American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington, in his work The Clash of Civilizations, famously stated that cultural and religious identities would be the main sources of conflict in the post-Cold War era. An assessment of conflicts over the past two decades, from the Bosnian crisis and the Rwandan genocide in the early 1990s to the ongoing crisis in Darfur and Israel/ Palestine, shows the accuracy of his prophecy.

A key to post-conflict reconstruction is the development and strengthening of local institutions. It is often the case that local civil society organizations relying heavily on foreign donors tend to adapt their work to outside demands. This dilutes reconstruction, and efforts become increasingly disconnected from their beneficiaries, members and communities. Effective post-conflict development requires a clear understanding of the dynamics of the conflict-torn community and some success stories prove that local communities know best how to create opportunity for themselves and rebuild their towns and villages. » Continue reading “Post-Conflict Development: From the Bottom Up”

By Inji El Abd, Development Consultant

On February 11th, I was singing in Tahrir Square at the top of my lungs: Horreya, Horreya! — Freedom, Freedom! I was ecstatic: I could not fall asleep until 6am the next morning. I checked Wikipedia articles about the Revolution of 2011 to make sure it was real and the page on Hosni Mubarak, now former president of Egypt. I checked other articles, played songs and emailed friends all over the globe. » Continue reading “The Egyptian Revolution & Social Entrepreneurship”

In the bestselling book Letters to Sam: A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life, Daniel Gottlieb addresses his autistic grandson, Sam. A psychologist by training, Gottlieb and his grandson are bound by something more than blood: a disability. In 1979, Gottlieb was in a near fatal automobile accident which left him paralyzed from the chest down.

In Letters to Sam, he writes:

In the years, I have treated many patients who seem terribly self-absorbed and isolated with their problems. For the sake of their mental health, I often give them advice that takes them far away from my office. Typically, I may ask them to devote two hours a week to help a person or animal:  an animal shelter, a day care center, an old age home. Usually when people accept this deal, and follow through, they tell me the experience has changed their lives.

He calls this concept “Making the container bigger.”  Making the container bigger can change the world from the inside out. Very often, people who step outside themselves and begin helping others wind up getting better more quickly. They become part of the larger world. Their own problems no longer fill up the container.

Your problems will never vanish. Neither you nor I can “wish away” the distress we sometimes feel. And you cannot turn your back on your own suffering.  But if you step out into the world, I think you will find that the container is much, much bigger than you had imagined.

His words resonate.  Service changes your life.

How can you make your container bigger?

The following is the first post in our new partnership with Ashoka Peace. Roshan Paul, Senior Changemaker at Ashoka and new Beyond Profit guest blogger, reports.

Over the last three months, as we’ve been exploring how Ashoka can best contribute to the peacebuilding field, we’ve spoken with a broad spectrum of Ashoka Fellows, other innovators and practitioners, academic institutions, and donors. One of the key questions that arise from these conversations is: What does innovation in peacebuilding look like? Or, how can social entrepreneurship help reduce violence?

Ashoka has always defined the core principles of social entrepreneurship as a focus on innovation and systems-changing impact, not (necessarily) income generation. Ashoka Fellows involved in peacebuilding exemplify this central idea: Bart Weetjens has become world famous through his innovative approach to landmine detection and removal – training African Giant Pouched Rats to detect buried mines. Similarly, Jayne Stoyles is working to position Canada as a leader in the movement for international justice, changing a system where perpetrators of war crimes in one country can find immunity (and, therefore, impunity) in another.

These are a few examples of the 80 or so Ashoka Fellows worldwide who are building new systems to ensure peace through entrepreneurial approaches. Some of the key characteristics of these innovators are:

1. Like Bart Weetjens, these visionaries believe in the possibility of solutions that do not yet exist – and go on to create them. At their essence, they are endlessly creative individuals, which they need to be because of the range of obstacles they have to overcome to achieve their vision.
2. Social entrepreneurs focus on changing the rules of the system that is creating the conflict. Like Bill Pace, they don’t ask how to “mitigate” or “alleviate” violence – they ask how to “end” it by changing the system that causes or perpetuates it.
3. They are in it for the long-haul. All sustainable social change is gradual, and peacebuilding is an especially lengthy process. Embedded in the communities they are trying to change, social entrepreneurs do not think in terms of projects or short-term programs. They are in it for life.

In his excellent book Leading Through Conflict, Mark Gerzon describes the role of the innovator in resolving conflict as that of a ‘Mediator’. Unlike the traditional ‘Manager’, whose approach to problem-solving is defined by the boundaries he chooses to operate in (organizational boundaries, ethnic boundaries, national boundaries), the Mediator is someone who actively crosses boundaries, bridging divides and unleashing collective energy to find solutions. This may be the best definition of the social entrepreneur as peace builder.

This entry was originally posted on the Ashoka Peace blog, and it is cross posted here as part of the partnership between Ashoka Peace and Beyond Profit.

Beyond Profit is delighted announce what promises to be a fruitful collaboration with Ashoka Peace. Ashoka Peace is busy building the architecture for a more peaceful world. If you’re interested in the role that social entrepreneurship can play in preventing violence, building peace, and strengthening tolerance and empathy around the world, this blog is for you.

A selection of posts on Ashoka Peace will be cross-posted on Beyond Profit, and vice-versa for relevant Beyond Profit articles. We look forward to growing this partnership further.