The Arc Initiative, social entrepreneurs and the United Nations all share a common goal: help impoverished communities enhance their quality of life. Hypothetically, if the United Nations had the means and decided to give all underprivileged persons the funds necessary to temporarily break them out of poverty, would the problem be solved? I don’t believe so, and my reasoning is quite simple: it’s not about the money. If you give a starving person $10, they will likely buy $10 worth of food and be hungry again the next day. However, if you loan a starving person money, and teach them how to use it to start and grow a business, they can feed themselves for the rest of their lives. In this case, the gift of knowledge and opportunity is more valuable than a lump sum of money.

This transfer of knowledge and opportunity is what the Arc Initiative and many social entrepreneurs choose to focus on. Unlike charities, this approach creates shared benefit for both parties. Students in the initiative are able to gain real world experience, while social entrepreneurs are able to make a profit.

For these reasons, even if the United Nations was able to provide adequate funds to temporarily feed all in need, programs like the Arc Initiative and social entrepreneurs will still maintain an important role in development of have-not communities.