Lauren+L.

=Social Entrepreneur Lauren Sooyeon Lee  =

**What is a Social Entrepreneur?**
A Social Entrepreneur is a person who creates business that has a long-term positive effect on the society. These people care more about the long-term effects they can have towards the society, rather than the profits that they will make.

Unlike traditional entrepreneurs, who only care about the profits that they will gather, social entrepreneurs don't care about the revenue they will gather, but they care about the small scale effects they can have to help the society. However, they are also very different from normal non-profit organizations. For example, the micro investment website can be considered as a social entrepreneur. They lend money to people who are in need for money to start a small business, for education, or for their living. The website gathers many people to lend small amounts of money to the borrower. Many people often only lend $70 or even less. These small amounts of money are added up to be the exact amount that the borrower needs. The website doesn't collect interests, and the website does not earn much profit from this event either. However, they care for the people out there who are in need for help.

Social entrepreneurs are the ones who care about the future. Social entrepreneurs believe in changing the future. For example, the micro investment website believes that through this website, people will borrow money to become educated and these educated children will lead the country in the future. They also believe that people who are borrowing money to start small businesses, will eventually succeed in their businesses and help the country develop further on.

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Social Entrepreneurs in Our World: The Baby Academy
Dina Abdel Wahab is currently in the field of learning and education. She has an organization called The Baby Academy in Egypt. She was elected in 2003 and her target populations are children who are disabled, both physically and mentally. When Diana had her son, she learned that her son was born with the mental disease called the Down syndrome. She soon learned that it was almost impossible to find a preschool for her son, who was in need of special care. This is how she decided to organize The Baby Academy for other children out in the society who are in need for education.


 * **Infants** – 3 months to 1 year
 * **Toddlers** – 1 year to 2 years
 * **Juniors** – 2 years to 3 years
 * **Seniors** – 3 years to 4 years
 * **Preschoolers** – 4 years to 5 years

The Baby Academy is a chain of preschool. The preschool is available for the people who are three months to five years old. The school teaches the children philosophy about love and potential. Through these philosophies and lessons, the preschool tries to bring up new achievement or potential that the children have, hidden inside them.

The strategy that Dina Abdel Wahab has been using is brilliant. Dina's reasons for organizing a preschool instead of a different type of educational step, is because she believes that most people develop their growth and learning during their early years. She believes that by making sure that these kids have beneficiaries during their early age, despite their disabilties, she can change the children's future completely.

//"It is easier for me as an entrepreneur to take the risk and do something, than for the government to do that on a mass scale. I do think that this is the future, I do think we can work together as partners."-Dina Abdel Wahab//

**People who Received Help**


Through The Baby Academy, the economy has started to grow slowly, but efficiently. Just like any other social entrepreneur, Dina Abdel Wahab's goal is to look forward towards the long-term positive effects towards the society and the economy. Through this organization, many disabled children and their family members have benefited out of Wahab's organization. This was the positive effects towards the society. However, Kelly M., an unemployed worker, has been searching for a job, where she could teach children Art in a school. In the year of 2004, she learend about The Baby Academy and she wished to work for the children and Dina Abdel Wahab. Through these organizations, small number of people are becoming employed and these people are making profits that they can spend. These people can greatly influence the economy in the long-term in a positive way. Just like the way Dina Abdel Wahab, a social entrepreneur wished.

**Discussion Questions**

 * 1)How big do you believe Dina Abdel Wahab's influence has been?**

disabled children?
 * 2)How do you think the society and the economy will change if Dina Abdel Wahab decides to organize a middle school and a high school for

3)What connection do you think exists between Dina Abdel Wahab as a social entrepreneur and Ashoka?

4)How do you think people like Kelly M. could further improve the organization that Dina Abdel Wahab has created?

5)What do you think some improvements can be made about Dina Abdel Wahab's organization? Why do you believe so?**

**Sources**
"The New Heroes . Meet the New Heroes . Dina Abdel Wahab |." __PBS__. 02 June 2009  "Http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/cnn.heroes/flash_gallery/images/new.wahab.jpg." 3 June 2009 http://www.ashoka.org/node/2988 http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/4892408/161604-main_Full.jpg

