Since smaller actors are responsible for a disproportionate amount of social innovation, development organizations will benefit by collaborating with them as they try to solve development challenges. So concluded panelists last Thursday at a DAI-cosponsored seminar at Georgetown University.

"Social Entrepreneurship: Putting Powerful Ideas to Work," a seminar that attracted more than 300 people to the Lohrfink Auditorium at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business, was highlighted by presentations from three social innovators:

Kamal Mouzawak of Lebanon, a "culinary activist" whose motto is "make food, not war," created the organization Souk el Tayeb to celebrate food traditions that support small-scale farmers and producers in a context of sustainable agriculture.

Ezzet Naem Guindy of Egypt, from the trash collectors/recyclers community known as the zabaleen in the section of Cairo known as Garbage City, is pursuing recognition to leverage his community's expertise in waste management and build bridges to the formal sector.

Mohammed K.T. Zaid al-Kilany of Palestine, who is connecting young graduates with prospective employers via SMS messaging, in a labor market where most young people struggle to get information about local jobs.

In addressing economic opportunity, environmental degradation, climate change, hunger, and other issues in the Middle East, participants pondered how to turn good ideas into sustainable business models that create lasting change. An increasing number of smaller actors are now collaborating with governments and donors to amplify the impact of their ideas, participants agreed.

Featured speakers included Sonal Shah, director of the White House Office of Social Innovation; Ehaab Abdou, advisor for the Middle East Youth Initiative at the Brookings Institution; George Khalaf, director of the Arab World Social Innovators Program at the Synergos Institute; and Ann Aarnes of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), senior deputy assistant administrator of the Middle East Bureau. DAI CEO James Boomgard delivered the closing remarks.

The event was organized by the USAID's Global Development Alliance and the Global Development Commons, which is implemented by DAI, and cosponsored by Georgetown's Mortara Center for International Studies, the McDonough School, USAID, and the Society for International Development.