Social entrepreneurs are the first to devise solutions to the world's problems. More than 622 million people have directly benefited from the work of organizations in the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship community.
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was founded in 1998 by Klaus and Hilde Schwab. The concept and the recognition of its social entrepreneurs is known worldwide for the diverse work in more than 190 countries.
As reported by the World Economic Forum, Hilde Schwab recently commented that, when she created the Foundation in 1998 with Klaus Schwab, no one knew what a social entrepreneur was. They were the rare, unsung heroes in their respective countries and communities, working in relative obscurity to test new approaches to address deep government or market failures.
When they attended the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos in 2000, he recalled, the "Meet the Social Entrepreneurs" session was poorly attended. Their voices were not heard.
"But it was 20 years ago that we saw in social entrepreneurship the future of how organizations could evolve and felt the need to bring these approaches, and social entrepreneurs, to the attention of world leaders," he says.
Creating the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was a response to the need for a different and more innovative approach to alleviating the problems associated with poverty and social and environmental challenges. They saw a new generation of pioneers who channeled their passion, resources, creativity and sense of injustice and dedicated themselves to finding ways to make real change in their contexts and in the world around them.
"How the world has changed in 20 years! Today, social entrepreneurs are perceived as creative innovators, often the first to see the opportunity to devise solutions to the world's problems," he says.
During the 50th Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, the Schwab Foundation's journey and the life-changing work of social entrepreneurs in building a new model for economic, social and political transformation was shared.
The Schwab Foundation Impact Report highlights the diverse work of the social entrepreneurship community, which works in more than 190 countries.
The report focuses on how social innovation offers a paradigm for alternative work models as it addresses today's critical challenges for the planet, society and the economy. These alternative models are effective: more than 622 million people have been directly affected by the work of organizations in the Schwab Foundation community.
