The 2011 AdR Fellowship: 25 new social entrepreneurs

7/29/2011 - Social Entrepreneurship

The 25 social entrepreneurs selected for this year’s Ariane de Rothschild (AdR) Fellowship Program completed an intensive training course at Cambridge University last July. They received a diploma for their brilliant performance from Ariane de Rothschild at the program’s closing dinner, and are now members of the transatlantic AdR Fellows Network. Active in France, the UK and the US, the network has already recruited 75 social entrepreneurs since its creation three years ago.

This one-of-a-kind training program offers workshops on marketing, strategy and finance, as well as academic insight from the field of social sciences into the complex relationship between Muslim and Jewish communities.

Each Fellow participates in a competition to develop the best business plan, won this year by Esu Anahata (US) for the development of a ceramic water filter production business for clean drinking water in Burkina Faso, Matthew Fieldman (US) for the recovery of surplus medicines and medical supplies from American hospitals for redistribution in developing countries, and Yohann Sévère (France) for the creation of Gamelles Pleines (“Full Food Bowls”), a charity that distributes food to homeless people’s pets.

The AdR Fellowship aims to enhance cooperation among members from different cultural, geographical and religious backgrounds and help them maximize their social impact. The program is a unique model for the development of practical intercultural dialogue based on academic learning – in history and geopolitics, for example – and on the application of hands-on skills in social entrepreneurship.

The Edmond de Rothschild Foundations created the AdR Fellowship in 2009 and warmly congratulate this year’s graduates.