Lenovo supports aspiring social entrepreneurs

Lenovo’s partnership with Ashoka is intended to provide equal opportunity for social entrepreneurs across multiple countries, writes JASON BANNIER.

Lenovo has contributed $100,000 to Ashoka to assist with its entrepreneurial support in numerous countries, including Mexico, Argentina, Philippines, and South Africa. 

Ashoka is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to identify and support the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, learn from the patterns in their innovations, and mobilise a global community that embraces these new frameworks to build an “everyone a changemaker world”. A social entrepreneur is someone who establishes an enterprise with the aim of solving social problems, or effecting social change.

“Lenovo is not just about profit, but how we can give back to our community, and support local infrastructure and youth ” said Lenovo Southern Africa country manager Yugen Naidoo at a recent event in Johannesburg.

He was joined by founder and CEO of Social Coding Thembiso Magajana, founder and CEO of Reel Gardening Claire Reid Blanckenberg, and co-director of Ashoka Southern Africa Dadisai Taderera. Taderera led the panel discussion, and introduced Magajana and Blanckenberg as Ashoka fellows, a title awarded to social entrepreneurs who are driving meaningful change.

Magajana is  a forward-thinking leader committed to advancing education and promoting digital inclusion. She harnesses the power of technological advancements to bridge the digital gap and empower underprivileged communities. Magajana says that digital literacy serves as a pivotal tool in broadening socio-economic opportunities, especially for young individuals residing in peri-urban and rural regions.

Blanckenberg is a creative architect and visionary entrepreneur renowned for her ground-breaking contributions in the realm of green spaces and food security. Remarkably, at the age of 16, she conceptualised and secured a patent for an innovative method of planting seeds, now recognised as Reel Gardening. This pioneering approach has transformed the entire food production cycle within household and school gardens.

“We are honoured to partner with Ashoka and recognise Social Coding SA, amongst others, as impactful organisations,” says Jane Govindsamy, CSI champion at Lenovo South Africa. “These organisations share our commitment of driving socioeconomic inclusion and creating smarter technology and Kinder Cities for all.”

Stéphanie Schmidt, partnership durector at Ashoka Africa, said: “With its inception in 1980, Ashoka has stood as a guiding light, uplifting over 4,000 remarkable system leaders. Additionally, it has nurtured and supported over 100 young changemakers, who serve as extraordinary ambassadors of the everyone-a-changemaker vision.”