Checking out from the unconference and heading back home for three days before I embark upon Phase II of my autumnal sojourn with stops in: Managua, Kansas City, Portland Oregon, San Francisco, London, Valladolid Spain, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia (Not Jimmy’s but Sakaashvili’s), Azerbaijan and then home for Thanksgiving.
Among the fun/cool/intense people I met here at the Opportunity Collaboration:
Reconnected with Martin Burt, Director of “Teach a Man to Fish”, undoubtedly one of the most creative social entrepreneurs in South America, who has figured out a way to finance schools in developing countries by having the kids build and manage social enterprises that earn money to fill the holes in the education budgets
April Rinne of Water.org, who helps finance and install clean water systems in communities in developing countries and has cracked the code on how to make them self financing.
Jason Spindler, of I-Dev International, who has a cadre of ex Peace Corps MBAs who ditched Wall St to find and fund social enterprises all over the world in the Small and Medium enterprise space.
Timothy Dykman of Ocean Revolution who has mapped all the enivronmental “hot spots” that could crash the global eco system and which are populated by indigenous communities. He’s working with them to turn them into custodians of our environment by teaching them how to preserve their natural resources vs. destroy them in their efforts to survive and preserve their cultures.
Chloe Chick, who, with her half sister Zander, runs Peaks Foundation which organizes mountain-climbing expeditions for women professionals in mid career.
I could go on, but I have to check out. Hasta la vista, Baby!
Rupert