I had a pretty tough time choosing someone to shadow. Lots of my personal heroes immediately sprung to mind when I read the objective; Charles Darwin for shaking the status quo to it's core with his pursuit of truth, and for doing so much to end slavery. Carl Sagan for recognizing how important a public understanding and appreciation of science is, and for doing so much to foster these ideas. Then there's Hunter S. Thompson, simply for living his life exactly how he wanted to, something I deeply respect.
There were many more, but none of them are what I'm looking for in this instance: a contemporary social innovator who is making the world a better place. I scouted through a few of the suggestion sites and found Leila Chirayeth Janah.
Of all the innovations I read about, Leila's non-profit, Samasourcing stuck in my mind the most.
Samasourcing's goal is to alleviate poverty throughout the world through digital jobs. Free training and equipment is provided to women, children and refugees throughout the world, who's time is then bought by US companies. This brilliant system not only links people together, but also provides economic benefits at both ends.
For people in extreme poverty, nothing is more empowering than providing work.
I'm going to start following Leila's blog and watching her website. I also found her on Facebook, and plucked up the courage to send her a message, mainly just to share my appreciation of her work.
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