Women’s Leadership for Social Innovation and Systemic Change

Why this is important

Pauline AcholaApril 2, 2013 - Toronto, ON

Presentation Outline

Women Leaders Effecting Systemic Changes: Coady Institute Case Studies

Fostering Social Innovation for Systemic Change

Women’s Leadership and System Changing Social Innovation: A Compelling Correlation

Case Study: Dr. Zilda Arns NeumannHumanizing Brazil’s Healthcare System

Brazilian Pediatrician; died in 2010 Haiti earthquake Created Pastoral da Criança, Child and Maternal

Health & Nutrition organization

Nominated 3 times for Nobel Peace Prize; Winner of $1 million Opus Prize

Late 2011, PdC network: >128,500 community leaders; ~ 250,000 volunteers serving >1.5 million children and families in > 40,400 communities

Case Study: Dr. Zilda Arns NeumannHumanizing Brazil’s Healthcare System

UNICEF estimate 2001: Volunteer services from 150,000 worth >$70 million. Today >$150 million

Impacts clearly demonstrated: Communities experienced on avg nearly fivefold decrease in IMR – from 51/1000 to 11/1000 between 1991-2008. Avg IMR in Brazil in 2008 was 22.5/1000

Influenced Brazilian national health policy; local, state and national health councils; local volunteer leaders in municipal health councils.

PdC now implemented in 15 countries in Latin America and Caribbean, Africa and Asia

Case Study: Dr. Bogaletch GebreCultural Revolution in Southern Ethiopia

Founder of Kembatti Mentti Gezzima-Tope (Kembatta women standing together)

In 1997 all young girls in Southern Ethiopia subjected to FGM: 87% of wives - bride abduction

15 years after Dr. Boge’s work (2008), UNICEF survey found 97% of pop. opposed to FGM; tens of thousands of girls uncut; 20,000 in clubs that work to protect women and girls from FGM and other harmful traditional practices (e.g. bride abduction)

Fostering Social Innovation for Systemic Change

“A novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable, or just than existing solutions and for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals.” Phills, Deiglmeier and Miller (2008) Stanford Social Innovation Review

Fostering Social Innovation for Systemic Change

• Process: How to produce more and better innovations and how to design contexts that support innovation.

• Outcome/Product/Consequences: How to predict which innovations will succeed (EWB - Identifying game changing ideas)

• Phills, Deiglmeier and Miller (2008), Stanford Social Innovation Review

Process: Critical Enabling Factors/Core Levers for Catalytic Change

Coady Study /Enabling Factors Opportune timing/context Ability to broker and maintain

strategic partnerships across sectors and levels

Top-down and bottom-up approaches Engaging women - impacts on design

and diffusion/adoption Influential male champions Vision to address a (persistent) social

problem Knowledge and understanding of

context

ICRW/Core Levers Capitalize on

opportune timing/ context

Broad based, strategic partnerships

Synergize top-down, bottom-up approaches

Engaging women in design and diffusion

Cultivate champions, esp influential males

Process: Fostering Social Innovation for Systemic Change

Factors that can prevent innovation:

Status Quo

Persistent gender gaps

Women’s rights/Gender equality

Outcome/Product/Consequences: Women’s Leadership and Systemic Changes: Correlation

Lower corruption Increased per capita growth/economies Women’s collaborative approaches (good

for innovation) Women’s unique perspective to decision

making Women as caregivers – concerns / action /

changes on persistent social issues Innovations support human rights/equality

Thank You!Questions/Discussion