As I analyzed the methods of social entrepreneurs and the United Nations, I realized that although they both aim for a general goal, the way they achieve that goal is tremendously different.
The UN has become known as a global organization that aids countries around the world, with an overall objective of peacekeeping. In my mind it is very clear that the missions that they run generally do not require their volunteers/workers to act upon the needs of each specific individual. It has been proven evident to me that they supply countries with abundances of resources, but leave the citizens to figure out ways to develop those resources into long term solutions. I believe the main issue for these people that are embedded in poverty is that they lack the knowledge to know how to efficiently use the “fully funded” aid drops of the UN.
UN Cargo Plane Drops Food Crates
That is where I see an immense difference in how social entrepreneurs work, by interacting closely with smaller communities to distinguish the core problems that each community suffers from. I feel that the difference between social entrepreneurs and me is that they see the opportunities for change and innovation in these communities before it even happens, while my view on the scenario would need some clear results of improvement before I would believe that helping these citizens would even be possible.
Social Entrepreneurs Hold Meeting In Rwanda
So that is why we need social enterprises and programs such as the Arc Initiative, to provide struggling people with more than short term fixes, but to supply them with the tools and knowledge for their long term growth and achievements!
Sources:
http://skollworldforum.org/about/what-is-social-entrepreneurship/
http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Global_Reach/ARC_Initiative
http://www.un.org/en/