“If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or social enterprise?”

The Arc Initiative Ethiopia Team

Social entrepreneurs are lone pioneers that develop innovative solutions to social problems by disrupting the status quo and implement them on a large scale. There is a need for social enterprises despite United Nations being fully funded as they are designed to fill the spaces in existing services that cannot be delivered by other sectors.

Firstly, I believe that social enterprises such as the Arc initiative are needed in order to achieve a sustainable, long-term impact through their social mission, which results in a more equal distribution of benefits for the people. In contrast, the UN only solves issue at hand that creates a short-term impact. For example, after the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti, United Nations helped to support the immediate recovery and reconstruction of Haiti through their stabilization mission (MINUSTAH). However, this still results in an unequal distribution of benefits for the people. Therefore, this is where social enterprises come to play.

Second, I believe that social enterprises are needed for new innovations and solutions for social development. Yes, the UN may be able to recover and stabilize the country, but this is not enough. Social enterprises are essential in developing a social value proposition and therefore, creating a new and stable equilibrium through alleviating the neglected and highly disadvantaged population.

In conclusion, even though social enterprises may not seem to be in an international scale, I think that it can be replicated globally to provide a better future for the society.