5 FEB 2020 · Café 8 sits at the top of Pier 8 in Central Hong Kong; a light, bright space with one of the best views of any café in the city, and one of the most dedicated staff teams, made up primarily of adults with learning difficulties. Café manager John McInven oversees the training of the team and the day-to-day running of the café, which made its name for its good coffee and food, relaxed vibe and friendly service long before it was widely known to be a social enterprise. Surinder Punjaya, meanwhile, works for the Nesbitt Centre, the umbrella NGO behind Café 8, and oversaw the move by the NGO into social enterprise through the launch in 2013 of the café and its sister project The Nest both of which have provided training and work opportunities for dozens of adults. They have won many awards for their work including, in 2019, the ‘Outstanding Social Caring Organisation Award” from Hong Kong’s Social Welfare Department.

28 JAN 2020 · Dara Huot is a man with a big dream – to raise the cultural profile of an entire nation while providing training and work opportunities for its young people. Born in Cambodia in the aftermath of the civil war, Dara Huot saw first-hand the devastation that had been wrought by the Khmer Rouge and the destruction not just of lives and infrastructures but also of art and culture. Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPSA) was set up in 1994 offering art therapy to traumatised Cambodian refugees and has evolved to comprehensives education programmes and social support. Its social enterprise wing, Phare Cambodian Circus was launched in 2013 to help fund the work of PPSA and to revitalise Cambodian arts. Phare employs young people who have been trained in circus arts through PPSA vocational courses and, with Dara at the helm as CEO, it now channels almost 75% of its profits into PPSA and stages performances 365 nights a year.

21 JAN 2020 · Growing up in a community where few had access to business capital, Jehiel Oliver has long been aware how hard it is for small businesses to grow and thrive without investment. Having gathered considerable knowledge and experienced through a successful career in global finance, Jehiel left his comfortable well-paid job in New York to start up Hello Tractor, a social enterprise that help lifts smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa out of poverty by giving them access to valuable farm equipment. The digital platform at the heart of Hello Tractor provides farmers with an economical way to rent expensive machinery that dramatically reduces their labour time and costs, enabling them to plant 40 times faster at one-third of the cost. Since its launch in 2014, Hello Tractor has worked with 100,000s of farmers and is now looking to expand into Asia.

31 DEC 2019 · Eliza Walters is an entrepreneur making a change. After her initial foray into community organisation at university, Eliza wanted to continue giving back while still pursuing her passion for art and jewellery. Leveraging her training as a goldsmith in London's high end jewellery market and her growing knowledge of developing sustainable, circular supply chains, Eliza started Lylies in 2017. In addition to raising awareness of how e-waste can be re-used, Lylies also promotes recycling existing jewellery to reduce the carbon footprint on our world.

11 DEC 2019 · RefuGeek was born after CEO of BSD Education, Chris Geary, recognised that his for-profit tech education venture could easily adjust and expand to offer similar services to refugees & asylum seekers in Hong Kong. Training and upskilling is an important way for displaced people to stay mentally positive & maintain hope for their future. The RefuGeek program follows a hands on, intensive format with many of its graduate obtaining exceptional working permits due to their additional skills, in a city that does not allow for universal working rights for refugees & asylum seekers. Listen in as Chris shares his journey on how doing good became a priority.

24 NOV 2019 · Ann Davis is redefining tourism, our work styles & how we give back. After surviving cancer and subsequently traveling to more than 40 countries, Ann realised that her most fulfilling travel experiences were those where she stayed in one place long enough to form relationships with locals & give back where needed. Back home, when she saw friends and colleagues struggle between the desire to maintain careers that provide financial security and the desire to have deeper travel experiences, Venture with Impact was born. Today it has programs in four cities and has provided fulfilling social good opportunities for a diverse group of over 110 volunteers, ranging from early 20s to 70s and including software designers, entrepreneurs, non-profit directors, project managers, photographers, artists and writers.