Ashoka is 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, AshokaPeace is for you.
In the fall of 2004, 14 Ashoka Fellows from 5 countries in South Asia gathered in New Delhi to explore how they could collaborate to overcome the obstacles to peace in the region. During the meeting, an Ashoka Fellow from northeast India commented that one of his deepest learnings had been that "True peacebuilding means having no enemies, to yield to being kissed by a tiger."
This quote exemplifies the spirit of the social entrepreneur. With climate change, resource scarcity, and economic turmoil all projected to increase violent conflict in the years ahead, it has never been more critical to live and work together in harmony. Ashoka is embarking on an unprecedented effort to scale up the contribution of social entrepreneurship in meeting these challenges. We invite you to join us.
In these pages, you will see many examples of the social entrepreneur as a peace builder. There is, for instance, the pioneering approach to inter-faith reconciliation being championed by Imam Mohammed Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye in Nigeria. Similarly, in countries ranging from Cambodia to China, Karen Tse is is training and supporting public defenders through the creation of “Communities of Conscience”, as described in this short video. Ashoka is seeking to multiply the number of powerful, proven solutions such as these.
Unfortunately, the pursuit of change is not always a safe endeavor; social entrepreneurs trying to build a more peaceful coexistence are often targets of violent reprisals by those who want to retain the status quo. To realize its vision of an “Everyone a Changemaker” world, Ashoka seeks to ensure that all changemakers can safely pursue their visions for social change. Ashoka’s Fellow Security program is realizing this through emergency response support to social entrepreneurs as well as longer-term security trainings.
In addition to supporting social entrepreneurs and facilitating their security, Ashoka sees an opportunity to develop the platforms for their insights and innovations to be scaled up and replicated to other regions and contexts. Finally, to truly enable a paradigm shift in the ways society responds to the threat of violence, Ashoka hopes to convene thought leaders and entrepreneurs in this field to collectively address the greatest barriers to building a more tolerant and peaceful world.
Please contact Roshan Paul (rpaul@ashoka.org) or Sarah Jefferson (sjefferson@ashoka.org) at Ashoka for ways to get involved with this effort.
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