Regional Social Enterprise Knowledge and Partnership Symposium: Social Enterprise for a Sustainable Future in Asia (3 Jan 11)
Recently the Mae Fah
Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage (MFLF) participated in the Regional
Social Enterprise Knowledge and Partnership Symposium: Social Enterprise for a
Sustainable Future in Asia. Held at the Landmark Hotel from November 15 -
16, 2010 the symposium was organized through the efforts of the
government-affiliated TSEO (The Social Enterprise Office) in conjunction with
the British Council of Thailand, Krungthep Thurakij, the ChangeFusion
Institute, and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.
The
symposium addressed the tremendous potential that social and economic
development can carry in increasing benefits to the public, and as well highlighted
the significance of collaboration and networking in order to engage in socially
responsible activities and enterprises. Furthermore, the general consensus was
that regardless of the industry, the sector, or the business framework in which
an entity operates, it is necessary to understand the grassroots perspective –
the so-called “bottom of the pyramid” – in order to perform and remain
competitive and viable. With
a focus on Asia, participants came from
several countries in the region and included SE practitioners, regional social
investors, CSR officers from private sectors, government bodies related to
social enterprise development, and universities and educational institutions.
M.L. Dispanadda
Diskul, Chief Development Officer of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, was a
featured speaker, along with other leading figures in the social enterprise
world/spectrum: Mr. Zulfigar Ahmed (Director of Programme & Development,
UnLtd., UK); Mr. Riaz Khan (Director, Yunus Center at AIT); and Mr. Vishnu
Swaminathan (the Ashoka Hybrid Value Chain Program).
As part of the panel discussion, M.L. Dispanadda had the opportunity to explain
that MFLF is engaged in “people development”, further elaborating that “Gaining
trust from the communities in which we work is a challenge that cannot be
overlooked. It takes time and requires commitment…If we can learn from the
community which we are trying to help, we can plan our projects from there”. He
went on to suggest that, “There is a fine line between providing assistance for
the sake of doing so, and helping people so that they can help themselves,
which is a guiding principle behind our development projects.” M.L. Dispanadda
also pointed out that there are technical, social, emotional, and psychological
aspects to development work that directly affect the people, and that it is
important to be mindful of these realities when carrying out planning for
development work.
Regarding the topic of
“sustainability” and how social enterprise can contribute to bringing about a
balance between social, environmental, and economic benefits, M.L. Dispanadda
also stated that “Measuring the success of a development effort should be not
just quantitative in terms of how much time or how much money has been put into
a given project. To measure on just that would undermine the concept of “sustainability”.
We need to also look at the qualitative aspects and assess the capacities and
capabilities that we can help to build among communities – this is what enables
the people to become self-sufficient and sustainable in the longer term, rather
than just leaving the people you are trying to help too dependent on aid”.
As well, MFLF and Doi
Tung Development Project exhibited information about the Knowledge &
Learning Centre’s work and its various programs in knowledge management and
sharing. DoiTung products were also featured, soliciting great interest from
conference participants.