Ocen Walter Onen

From Depending on Aid to Investing in Social Enterprise. Doing the Usual Business in an Unusual Way Ocen Walter Onen

This book argued that social enterprise is not only the new tool for doing the usual business in an unusual way, but also the 'magic bullet' for addressing some of the most precarious challenges in our times. Because unlike the conventional development narrative which views the poor as infants in need of adults' guidance, it treats them as equal partners in development. This is further reinforced by the fact that; it starts by addressing the root causes of their problems rather than the symptoms as the case with aid-driven development discourse. Thus, revolutionizing the entire unjust socio-economic systems which increase their susceptibility to stress factors such as, multidimensional poverty, climate change, and social injustices. Therefore, it asserts that gone are days when donors dictate solutions for the problems of the poor. Because they already have an alternative in the name 'social enterprise' which put them at the centre of their own development. On that backdrop, it invites; development agencies, faith-based organizations, multinational corporations, private investors, governments, the local community especially those in the global south to appreciate, try, test and promote it in order to harness sustainable development in their context.