Stories from Ashoka Fellows and Entrepreneurs

Jane Goodall shares her story on how she developed a passion for nature, and how this passion eventually led her to becoming an instrumental contributor to both the science and wildlife conservation activist communities.

As a serial social entrepreneur in poverty alleviation and mindset shift, Runa is constantly pioneering new ways of learning, working, and living together. Runa's journey starts with her upbringing and the influential role of her parents in cultivating a lifelong philosophy for social transformation...

Achraf Aouadi, a leading social entrepreneur fighting against corruption, has been guided by a constant commitment to experimentation, failure, and inclusion. His journey to changemaking began when he was in his teens, discovering innovative ways to change his school culture for the better.

Through finding her own power to create change at a young age, Nazma is redefining success for women across Bangladesh.

Durukan’s journey to discovering how people live in balance with nature through regenerative agriculture began in his teens when he began to mobilize his peers to build an eco-community. These early experiences while young were prescient to Durukan’s career as a leading social entrepreneur.

Starting in grade school, Ioana found her voice for standing up and speaking out for girls and women to live lives with dignity, choice, and power.

The story of how Ali Khan took an unexpecting job that led him on a journey to transforming the way children and young people grow up with a changemaking mindset across Pakistan.

Ashoka turned to Ashoka Fellows Gonzalo Muñoz and Ximena Abogabir to understand what it takes to raise a family of changemakers.

Sixto Cancel is redesigning foster care by putting young people's voices and choices at the center.

At the age of 17, Gino Tubaro received a letter from a desperate mother. “Please make my boy, Felipe, a hand,” it said. “We cannot afford a prosthetic.” Gino had been inventing things since the age of 13. His own mother had taken him to science fairs and invention workshops, pushing him to follow...

A social entrepreneur known for building huge, global coalitions, Jeroo first started in Mumbai, working with street children.

If anyone understands the profound transformation of society that is now upon us, it is Robin Chase. (See her admired book, Peers Inc. ) She not only sees it clearly; but she also, in one entrepreneurial coup after another, is putting its new architecture in place. She co-founded Zipcar and was its...

Anshul Tewari was dismayed that cultural taboos are producing “a culture of silence that is pushing an entire generation away from changemaking.”

Starting at the age of 6, Eli Beer has been on a life-long journey to unite the people of Israel and deliver lifesaving treatment.

When Dario Riccobono was 13, his little-known hometown of Capaci in Sicily, Italy was suddenly thrust onto the world stage. A massive explosion orchestrated by the mafia took down a portion of the nearby highway and with it the renowned anti-mafia prosecutor, Judge Giovanni Falcone, who was driving...

Corruption long was a taboo subject. Bribes in some countries were tax-deductible. That mindset changed when Peter, having seen the untold damage it was doing, especially in his earlier work in development, founded and built up Transparency International . Transparency built chapters in almost every...

“The thing about changing something is that it’s long, hard, sustained work.”

Kevin spent his adolescence in an institution. Upon graduation, he realized that his experience could be useful to others. Together with his peers at Guía Egreso, a group of youth which arose from Doncel NGO, Kevin is transforming the lives of 15,000 young people from Argentina who, just like him...

As a new graduate from veterinary school, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka invented her first job

Forming global communities to protect the environment.