The United Nations is funded through voluntary contributions from its 193 member states and has a set of well defined objectives from international peacekeeping to economic development. If a well-funded organization such as the UN exists, the question arises: Do we need social enterprise?
My answer is yes.
Social enterprise is a necessity according to me. While the UN may have the funds, it cannot go to the ground level in every country to support those facing social and economic problems.
Source: timesofpakistan.pk
I was in grade 8 when I first read about the Grameen Bank, a microfinance organization for the poorest. At the time, I just thought of it as one of those charities. But recently, when the Grameen Bank was discussed in COMM 101 class as a social enterprise, the concept intrigued me. I learnt that it wasn’t a ‘charity’, but instead an organization driven by social objectives to solve social problems and ultimately improve society.
Organizations like Grameen Bank, though infinitesimal in comparison to the UN, are capable of addressing social problems better because they interact with problem-ridden individuals personally. The Arc initiative by the Sauder School of Business is another example that comes to my mind. I find interesting that even Sauder students can help solve business problems by imparting just basic business management knowledge to African entrepreneurs.
I believe that while the UN works on its objectives, social enterprise can coexist all around the world to individually solve region specific social problems.
Sources:
http://skollworldforum.org/about/what-is-social-entrepreneurship/
http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Global_Reach/ARC_Initiative/About_ARC