--By Gaurav Aryal

 

Forty semi-finalists of Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Award (SNASEA) 2013 have been shortlisted. According to the official statement issued by Change Fusion, organiser of the event, 40 semi-finalist social entrepreneurs were screened out of 119 applicants from 14 zones and 40 districts. 

 

 The statement reads, “The semi-finalists include social entrepreneurs who made significant contributions not just monetarily, but also in terms of encouraging others to follow suit.” The semi-finalists come from 17 different districts. They include entrepreneurs engaged in ventures ranging from sectors like health, agriculture and agro-based products to education, disability and human trafficking, among others. 

 

The list of 40 semi-finalists was handed over to a panel comprising seven jury members and three advisors, on February 9 for the second round of evaluation. The jury includes personalities known for their contribution to the socio-environmental and economic sectors and cover different sectors from banks and INGOs to women entrepreneurs and activists. The company says that the evaluation will focus on problems that the entrepreneurs have tried to address, solutions they provided, sustainability of their businesses and social and environmental impact they made. 

 

The winners will be declared on March 28, 2014 amid a gala awards ceremony. In addition to the Awards, the semi-finalists will also be featured at the Surya Nepal Asha Bazaar-Minar, a one day event to be held on 1 March 2014, featuring a social entrepreneurship bazaar and seminar, says the company. The seminar will focus on workshops conducted by social enterprise experts and will cover various aspects of being a social entrepreneur and the gaps and challenges in the Nepali context. “A marketplace for ‘Transaction and Transformation’, the very aim of the Bazaar-Minar is to provide a platform for these social entrepreneurs to exchange, interact and learn from the experts, build networks and promote their work,” reads the statement. 

 

The SNASEA is sponsored by Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) as a part of its corporate social responsibility strategy and company’s integrated community vision. Ravi KC, corporate vice president of SNPL says that SNPL Asha is a CSR platform of the company that focuses on creating enduring value through community empowerment. SNPL started the SNASEA in 2011 under which five entrepreneurs were awarded a sum of Rs 100,000 each to help them scale up their ventures. Similarly, in 2012, five entrepreneurs were awarded with the coveted SNASEA out of 15 finalists.

 

In an interview with the New Business Age,  KC, talks about the status of social entrepreneurs in Nepal and SNPL’s commitments for developing social entrepreneurship in Nepal. Excerpts:

 

Since Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Award was established in 2011, the number of awardees has been increasing each year. How do you view this increasing trend of participation and the emergence of social entrepreneurs?

The year on year growth in the number of participants and award winners can be perceived as the success of the motive and vision behind establishment of this award. With the increase in number of participants, we have also been working on making this award more effective and correcting our weaknesses seen in the past so that this initiative can be made more effective in the days to come.

 

What was the main idea behind establishing this award?

SNPL established this award as a part of its CSR activities. This initiative has been taken for the development of the entrepreneurship that can contribute for sustainable economic growth along with social development. In a least developed country like Nepal there are numerous problems like shortage of employment and underutilisation of resources. Entrepreneurship is one of the ways to solve such problems by utilisation of resources. Surya Nepal, as a multinational company supports those people who use their capabilities and make an impact in the society. We are promoting those impacts made at a larger scale so that people involved are encouraged and those willing to do something can get motivated to start-up a venture. There are people around us who have been making impact in the society and the environment positively. Some of the objectives of this award are awarding, recognising, celebrating, and bringing together existing social enterprises in Nepal.

 

You said that the weaknesses of the past are being correct in the new episode of the award. What are you doing different this time?

In the previous years, it was limited to awarding social entrepreneurs. From this year, we have prioritised also to identify social entrepreneurs’ problems and solving them. For this, an advisor committee comprising a team of technical experts, HR experts and other experts is created. This is aimed at making this award more than just an award but also as an opportunity to fill in the gaps and making enterprises more productive and successful.

 

There is a very thin line between social enterprise and commercial enterprise. How would this award help in creating a unique image of social entrepreneurship?

Social entrepreneurs work selflessly for the benefit of the society while sustaining themselves. They do business but also contribute something for the society while commercial entrepreneurs look more into the profitability. There are entrepreneurs working in various parts of the country. But, they may be lacking market, knowledge and technical knowhow. This award helps those hidden entrepreneurs to come into the limelight. The increased popularity helps in creating the market with their visibility and public attention they get. We will also be providing them with technical support for helping them grow their business. Similarly, they also gain confidence with the recognition of their efforts. The recognition and confidence they get also encourages others who are willing to follow their footsteps. 

 

What is the current status of social entrepreneurs of Nepal and what do you think must be done to encourage social entrepreneurship in Nepal?

The concept of social entrepreneurship is fairly new, but is gaining momentum lately. There are a lot of these social entrepreneurs in Nepal, who are changing lives and contributing to development and nation building but most of us do not even know about them. The increasing number of participants’ hints that number of social entrepreneurs is increasing. The jury member this year includes policy makers, bankers and from other diverse sectors. This creates an opportunity for making the voice of entrepreneurs to be taken to the concerned authorities. Initiatives like this can be helpful in bringing out heir issues and problems and solving them. Similarly, such programmes are helpful to highlight the importance and objective of social entrepreneurship.

 

Establishing a business venture in Nepal is quite challenging in the present context. In such a situation, what should be done to encourage establishing socially responsible enterprises?

Due to lack of basic infrastructures like transportation, electricity and lack of raw material, starting a business is equally challenging for social entrepreneurs and for commercial entrepreneurs. These things are vital for any enterprises. However, entrepreneurs are those who face those challenges and emerge successful. In lack of support some might choose to abandon their venture and return back to their conventional career path. Encouraging and supporting them can  provide them the hope and aspirations to continue working in their sector. SNASEA is such an attempt.

 

How will Surya Nepal be supporting and encouraging growth of Social entrepreneurship in the future?

While awarding social entrepreneurs, they are not selected from a single sector. We want to see the positive initiatives by social entrepreneurs be replicated and followed by other people around the country. SNASEA, though is SNPL’s initiative, it is not only our programme. It is nation’s programme for the much needed development of the country. Government, media, and the general public also have some duties to spread the outcomes of this programme.