Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, 10 September 2012 – Twenty-six social entrepreneurs have been recognized by the Schwab Foundation as 2012 Social Entrepreneur awardees. Drawn from a pool of more than 1,000 global applicants, the winners are selected in recognition of their innovative approaches and demonstrated impact. Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, will present the awards during a reception at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of New Champions on September 11.
“Given the complex nature of today’s challenges, we must find more effective ways to collaborate across sectors, rather than working at cross purposes,” Hilde Schwab said. “The 2012 awardees are successfully mobilizing a range of actors, including governments and corporations, to effectively address urgent social and environmental challenges. It is a testament to their impact – and to the efforts of thousands of other social entrepreneurs – that social innovation is becoming a priority for decision-makers at the most senior levels.”
The 2012 awardees include: Veronica Colondam of YCAB Foundation (Indonesia), Ronald Bruder and Jamie McAuliffe of Education For Employment (United States), Jane Hunt of Fitted for Work (Australia), Jordan Kassalow of VisionSpring (United States), Runa Khan of Friendship (Bangladesh), Vikram Kumar and Jonathan Jackson of Dimagi (United States),Tri Mumpuni of IBEKA (Indonesia), Thorkil Sonne of Specialist People Foundation (Denmark), Jim and Debbie Taylor of Proximity Designs (Myanmar), Gary White of Water.org (United States), and Anna and Dylan Wilk of Human Nature (Philippines).
The 2012 Awardees will become part of the broader Schwab Foundation community of Social Entrepreneurs, which includes 225 social entrepreneurs from more than 70 countries. Schwab Foundation social entrepreneurs are fully integrated into the events and initiatives of the World Economic Forum, and benefit from peer-to-peer exchanges with other social entrepreneurs as well as interactions with top leaders in business, government, civil society and the media.
As Darell Hammond, the CEO of KaBOOM! and a 2010 Schwab Foundation awardee, said: “The ripple effect we experienced after our recognition by the Schwab Foundation is huge. As a direct result of this award, we deepened our relationships with top CEOs, developed important partnerships, and had major breakthroughs with key institutions such as the National Institute for Health. This will be the best year in the history of our organization and it would not have been possible without the work of the Schwab Foundation.”
With the Announcement of the 2012 Awardees, the Schwab Foundation launches the call for the 2013 Social Entrepreneur Award nominations and applications. To apply, please visit www.schwabfound.org