How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas

"How to Change the World" tells the stories of people around the globe who are working to solve many of the world's most intractable problems. Described as "full of hope and energy, exciting solutions and compelling characters", this book strives to demonstrate how a growing wave of "social entrepreneurs" - individuals with initiative, creativity, savvy and determination - are reshaping the world for the better. According to Bornstein, these individuals - from doctors to lawyers, from engineers to journalists - are successfully demonstrating that one person with a powerful idea and a passionate drive to succeed can bring positive changes to the lives of thousands or even millions.

From an American who has helped thousands of low-income high school students discover their potential, defy test scores, and attend college, to a South African who designed a home-care model for AIDS patients and subsequently altered the government health policy, to a Brazilian who combined the environmental needs of the country with the economic needs of some of its poorest citisens by delivering solar energy to rural Brazil, "How to Change the World" spans the globe telling the stories of these social entrepreneurs. Bornstein profiles ten men and women, including James Grant, an American credited with saving 25 million lives by leading and marketing a global campaign for immunisation, Jeroo Billimoria, whose work throughout India has helped thousands of children escape abuse and neglect, and Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka, a not-for-profit foundation which has funded and supported over a thousand social entrepreneurs, leveraging the power of their ideas across the globe.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1. Restless People
• Chapter 2. From Little Acorns Do Great Trees Grow
• Chapter 3. The Light In My Head Went On, Fábio Rosa, Brazil: Rural Electrification
• Chapter 4. The Fixed Determination Of An Indomitable Will: Florence Nightingale: England, Nursing
• Chapter 5. A Very Significant Force: Bill Drayton, United States: The Bubble
• Chapter 6. Why Was I Never Told About This?
• Chapter 7. Ten—Nine—Eight—Childline!: Jeroo Billimoria, India: Child Protection
• Chapter 8. The Role Of The Social Entrepreneur
• Chapter 9. “What Sort Of A Mother Are You?”: Erzsébet Szekeres, Hungary:Assisted Living For The Disabled
• Chapter 10. Are They Possessed, Really Possessed, By An Idea?
• Chapter 11. If The World Is To Be Put In Order: Vera Cordeiro, Brazil:Reforming Healthcare
• Chapter 12. In Search Of Social Excellence
• Chapter 13. The Talent Is Out There: J. B. Schramm, United States: College Access
• Chapter 14. Ashoka: Global Expansion
• Chapter 15. Something Had To Be Done: Veronica Khosa, South Africa:Care For AIDS Patients
• Chapter 16. Four Practices Of Innovative Organizations
• Chapter 17. This Country Has To Change: Javed Abidi, India: Disability Rights
• Chapter 18. Six Qualities Of Successful Social Entrepreneurs
• Chapter 19. Morality Must March With Capacity: James Grant, United States:The Child Survival Revolution
• Chapter 20. Blueprint Copying
• Chapter 21. Conclusion: The Emergence Of The Citizen Sector
• Chapter 22. Epilogue

David Bornstein is a journalist who specialises in writing about social innovation. His first book, The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank was selected as a finalist for the New York Public Library Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly and the New York Times, and he co-wrote the PBS documentary "To Our Credit." He lives in New York City.

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