By Roberto Wohlgemuth, Director of the Institute for Citizen Journalism and Media Relations Manager of Ashoka’s Changemakers.

As many around the world, I was foremost inspired by the notion of civil society when learning about the evolution of the citizen sector in South Africa. First, a courageous yet imminent response to a restrictive regime rooted in apartheid which stripped society from its most fundamental rights. Now, this social movement is equally needed, though transformed, and responding to different needs in society: health, housing, work, poverty; crucial socio-economic issues.

At the same time, civil society is facing a myriad of challenges. Not only the ones posed by the needs of society but the ones that threaten their own existence – particularly, financial and organizational.

Civil society in South Africa has and needs to continue to look beyond conventional sources of funding and organizational structures. The citizen sector needs to innovate to achieve a greater social impact and reach a level of financial sustainability.

Social innovation is civil society’s ultimate challenge. Social entrepreneurs are shaping the agenda, establishing investment trends as well as gaining financial stability by developing new organizational structures that offer longer-term stability. Social entrepreneurs bring innovative solutions to the most pressing social problems – looking for new and alternative opportunities to tackle issues as well as offering the potential to develop solutions to a wider-scale. Social enterprises tend to use different structures than conventional forms of NGOs; they utilize market mechanisms and business models to deliver social goals.

There are internationally-renowned examples of these social innovators in South Africa. Inspiring stories like Zackie Achmat’s Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) or Mandla Mentoor’s environmental and restoration youth project Soweto Mountain of Hope, are drafting financing parameters for philanthropists and investors. Both have been elected as Ashoka Fellows in recognition for their leadership in social entrepreneurship.

When I moved from Johannesburg to my new home in Vancouver, Canada, I learned about an example of a social enterprise that hasn’t ceased to inspire me. A women’s shelter called ATIRA incorporated a property management company and became its sole owner.  It now looks after more than 2,500 residential and commercial units and its revenue is expected to support the organization’s administration costs of $350,000 annually by 2008.

Civil society in South Africa continues to be an inspiration for citizens, social movements, thought leaders, investors, decision makers and democracy around the world. However, transformation continues – a fact that many NGO Boards need to understand and act upon - a new breed of civil society is needed.

---

Bookmark this article: