Social Entrepreneurs: Reforming Child Welfare in Russia

Social Entrepreneurs: Reforming Child Welfare in Russia

It is said that “social entrepreneurs recognize a social problem and use entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change (a social venture).” Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka, is quoted as saying that, “Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” When I received the quarterly newsletter from the Fireflykids.org this week, I was reminded of how much that quote applies to my friends who are involved with Firefly: they have identified as their cause the need to reform the child welfare system in Russia and work with Russians to eliminate the need for orphanages in that country; they established and now manage Fireflykids.org as the venture to achieve that social change.