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=Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) - Hand in Hand International=

Abstract
The Hand in Hand Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) is an annual five-day interactive course showcasing the role of social entrepreneurs in reducing poverty, taught by Professor Kasturi Rangan of Harvard Business School. A five day interactive course, initiated by Hand in Hand and consultancy Socient Associates, it is one of very few short courses available on |social%20entrepreneurship%5D%5D Social Entrepreneurship.



Social Entrepreneur at work

History
The Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) grew from the NGO Hand in Hand's desire to share in leading academic research and learn from the experience of other organizations advancing the role of entrepreneurs in development.

The five day interactive course offers field visits and expert Q&A (questions & answers) to explore how social entrepreneurs can empower people to work their way out of poverty, create jobs, enhance livelihoods and drive economic growth.

In 2011, in its inaugural year, the course was hosted in Chennai (India). In 2012 the course was hosted in Kenya

In 2013, its third year, the SEP moved to Rustenburg near Johannesburg, in South Africa.

In 2013, the course was reviewed by ASEN (African Social Entrepreneurs Network) as ‘’a fantastic opportunity to gain in depth academic insight into Social Entrepreneurship, whilst also giving a grassroots perspective on enterprise development and how entrepreneurs are actively involved in addressing pressing social issues.’’

Notable Faculty
Kash Rangan (Professor of Marketing and Co-Chairman of Social Enterprise Initiative, Harvard Business School). He has researched, taught and published articles on non-profit management, marketing and microfinance at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is the founding co-chair of the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative. He is also co-chair of the HBS-ACCION program on Strategic Leadership.

Sohel Karim (Founding Partner and Managing Director, Socient Associates). Socient Associates is a Boston-based consultancy. Managing Partner Sohel Karim has over 20 years of consulting experience and has worked closely with senior management in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Sohel’s background includes doctoral work at Harvard Business School and publications in leading management journals such as the Harvard Business Review.

Course Structure
The formal teaching is complemented by expert Question & Answer sessions with inspiring social entrepreneurs. In previous years, speakers have included:

Erik Hersman, award-winning founder of global crowd-mapping service Ushahidi and iHub Nairobi's innovation hub.

Ben Lyon, co-founder of Kopo Kopo, a Kenyan merchant platform for mobile money services like M-PESA.

Christie Peacock, chairman of Sidai Africa, a smallholder farming social enterprise owned by NGO Farm Africa.

Brian Richardson, founding director of Wizzit, a pioneer in mobile banking providing basic banking services for the poor.

Field visits help to bring to life the role of social entrepreneurs in sustainable development. Previous site visits have included:

Hand in Hand's women entrepreneurs operating in the Indian state of Tamil Nadhu

Jamii_Bora ('Good Families' in Swahili'), Kenya's fastest growing microfinance organisation in Nairobi

SOS Children's Villages' program providing business training to families taking care of orphans.

Course Curriculum
Five fast-paced days combine case studies, presentations, group exercises and field visits to social enterprises. Participants receive a comprehensive overview of the strategic, organizational and leadership issues associated with social enterprise. The curriculum is designed to help participants understand how to grow social enterprises and move them towards sustainability. The program’s modules help to explore:

• What knowledge and tools are needed for successful social entrepreneurship.

• How enterprise creation and microfinance can deliver lasting impact.

• How NGOs can build aspects of social enterprise into their operating models.

• The latest innovations and developments in the field of social entrepreneurship.

• How to create jobs at the bottom of the pyramid.

Alumni
The SEP has attracted people from over 30 countries and a wide range of backgrounds, spanning micro-finance, social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and academia.

They include representatives of donor agencies such as:

FMO (the Dutch development bank)

IFC (International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank group)

Sida (Sweden's foreign aid agency)

UNDP (United Nations Development Program)

Corporate social responsibility executives from businesses including:

CoAL (South African coal developer)

Folksam (Swedish insurance group)

Johnson & Johnson (multinational manufacturer of medical devices, pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods)

K-Rep Development Agency (Kenyan research and development group)

Stora Enso (Finnish forestry products group)

Swedish Co-operative Union (Swedish co-operative retail group)

Unidor (Indian mining and construction conglomerate)

Waitrose (British grocery retailer)

Faculty members of academic institutions such as:

Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand)

Boston University (USA)

Kenyatta University (Kenya)

Middlesex University (UK)

Pan African University (Nigeria)

University of Namibia (Namibia)

Microfinance experts from India, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Social entrepreneurs with initiatives ranging from conservation, smallholder farming, mental and family health, to tourism and information technology.

Other Social Enterprise Courses
While there are few other short courses on social entrepreneurship in development, many MBA programs (listed below) include a strong social entrepreneurship component: