‘Social enterprises can help overcome economic downturn’

By Abeer Numan

AMMAN – Social enterprises present an opportunity for Jordan and other countries to overcome the challenges of the global financial crisis and ensuing economic slump, an expert said Sunday.

At a meeting of NGO representatives and social enterprise experts on ways to tap business opportunities by exploring community needs, cross-community development expert Eddie Kerr explained that business opportunities can be found by mapping communities and exploring market gaps that need to be filled.

The expert said social enterprises, which apply market principles to meet social needs, face fewer constraints than public or private institutions, adding that social business requires a novel approach that focuses on individual people and their needs.

“One needs to work with people, not for people,” said Kerr, the executive director of SEEDS, an initiative that addresses challenges and opportunities of cultural and ethnic diversity in the Northwest of Ireland.

Yesterday’s meeting, held by the British Council in partnership with the Queen Zein Al Sharaf Institute for Development (ZEIND) is part of the council’s Active Citizens Project, British Council programmes director for the Near East and North Africa region Jim Buttery told The Jordan Times.

“The project seeks to bring people together, build trust and strengthen individuals and organisations’ ability to shape their own future,” he said.

At yesterday’s meeting, ZEIND Director Sawsan Majali said the Jordanian community is not yet accustomed to the idea of building businesses based on social needs.

Kerr said there is a growing interest in social business, which he called the third sector of the economy, after the public and private sectors.

Attesting to the success of microfinance, he said the repayment rate of microloans totals 97 per cent.

“Big banks used to write off such loans, regarding them as credit risks, but these creditors proved to be better than some of the big clients, as the repayment rate shows,” Buttery said.

As part of the project, Kerr will conduct this week a training of trainers course, which will bring together participants from Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan and the UK, British Council Acting Marketing and Communications Director Ghaida Hammoudeh told The Jordan Times.

Trainees are expected to convey their training and knowledge on social enterprises to 150 community members and work as catalysts, she said.

Two Jordanian participants from Sahab and Southern Shuneh are taking part in the course, she added.

jordantimes