Center for Social Innovation (CSI): Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world.

Design for Change Interviews

Sheela Sethuraman

Host Sheela Sethuraman, a Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent, asks accomplished social entrepreneurs how their organization is designed and managed to create change. As Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent, she conducts interviews with accomplished social entrepreneurs around the world about the innovations that are transforming the way people learn.

Sheela Sethuraman has over 14 years of experience in educational design, multimedia production and technology management. As Founder and Executive Director of Eduweave, Sheela has collaborated with local and international organizations, like UNESCO, in adapting and using the digital storytelling curriculum with youth in diverse settings. Sheela was also Project Director for a recently concluded study by Pearson Education to evaluate technologically innovative assessment items based on Common Core State Standards.

Sheela is an accomplished multimedia producer and has created numerous short form videos for various clients. She is currently working on a startup idea - an internet platform for students to create and curate their learning strategies.

Prior to this, Sheela was Director of Technology at CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), a premier R&D organization focusing on diverse learner needs. She has been a member of various consortiums such as Web Access Initiative (WAI), National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and Open eBook Forum. She is also a seasoned trainer and workshop facilitator.

Sheela has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Government College of Technology (India), a master’s degree in Film and Video Production from Mass Communication Research Center (India) and a master’s degree in Educational Technology from Michigan State University (USA).

Nonprofit Management: The Art of Organizing Volunteers

"Every year, I say 'Never again,' but I do, and I love it." Does this sound familiar to you? Volunteer organizations enhance the quality of life, usually locally. But anyone who has been involved in a volunteer organization understands their fragility. BigTent, a platform for social groups, hosts 20,000 free, online forums with controls specifically for the needs of volunteer groups. Sheela Sethuraman talks with Laney Whitcanack, COO of BigTent.

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Social Enterprise in Chile's Educational System

The area of education is ripe for social enterprise efforts, both within and outside U.S. borders. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman, Executive Director Tomas Recart talks about what Ensena Chile is doing to create educational change in Chile using the Teach For America model. He discusses recruitment, program evaluation, and the expansion of the effort to other Latin American countries.

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International Development Through Youth

[photo - Jeroo Billimoria]

The future of international development may lie in the hands of children. In this audio interview with Sheela Sethuraman, Jeroo Billimoria talks about how her organization, Aflatoun, provides social and financial education to youth ages 6 to 14 in 31 countries. She discusses Aflatoun's work with partners to create and disseminate innovative curricula to mainstream schools, and its vision for continuing to empower young people over the next five years.

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Social Enterprise and Community Development

[photo - Mark Pinsky]

In the social enterprise sector, community development financial institutions have become important vehicles for advancing the well-being of communities through market-based mechanisms. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman, CEO Mark Pinsky talks about what his organization, the Opportunity Finance Network, does to support such institutions in improving people's lives in urban, rural, and reservation-based markets.

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International Development Through Women

[photo - Chetna Gala Sinha]

Microfinance has become a staple of international development. In this audio interview, Chetna Gala-Sinha talks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman about how her micro-enterprise development bank and foundation are economically empowering rural women in India. She describes the various tools and services that allow women to become financially independent, provide more adequately for their families, and drive international development.

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Lighting the Way to Economic Development

Let there be light! That's Sam Goldman's motto, and he's taking it around the world. The founder of d.light design talks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman about how he is bringing affordable, ecologically sustainable electricity and lighting to billions who are now operating in the dark. In this audio interview, he details aspects of the design, function, marketing, and distribution of the organization's products, as well as the kind of impact the social enterprise is having in some of the most remote, poor areas.

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Healthcare for All at Lifespring Hospitals

[photo - Anant Kumar]

India has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. This points to an underlying economic problem: poverty. Most poor women in that country simply cannot afford adequate health care. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman, Anant Kumar talks about how Lifespring Hospital in India provides quality care to women and children, regardless of their level of income. He talks about how the effort was launched, how it is sustained, and future goals.

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Improving Philanthropy Effectiveness

[photo - Photo: Jeff Mason]

How do we know that the nonprofit organizations we support are actually effective? In this audio interview, host Sheela Sethuraman converses with Jeff Mason about his efforts, along with key organizational leaders, to develop an assessment tool that evaluates nonprofit management performances. Their work could become a major contribution to the world of philanthropy.

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Patient Capital in International Development

[photo - Photo: Jacqueline Novogratz]

Neither markets nor philanthropy alone are sufficient to help the world's poorest people. In this audio interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of the Acumen Fund, describes how a combination of patient capital plus management support is making a difference in tackling poverty in Africa and Asia. Novogratz shares experiences and anecdotes from her recently published book, The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World.

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Corporate Citizenship Supporting Education

[photo - Photo: Mohammed Abbad Andaloussi]

Can change the world by engaging in corporate citizenship one hour a week? Al Jisr, and its founder Mohammed Abbad Andaloussi, are convinced that we can. In this audio interview, host Sheela Sethuraman interviews Analoussi about his efforts to improve education in Moroccan schools by involving businesses. So far, more than 100 corporations have "adopted" some 200 schools, providing volunteers, support, and a real world perspective to students.

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The "Condom King" Takes On Public Health

[photo - Photo: Mechai Viravaidya]

When most people think of condoms, they get a little embarrassed and uncomfortable, but not Mechai Viravaidya. Known in Thailand as the "Condom King" Viravaidya began nearly 40 years ago trying to demystify condoms and focus public attention on the public health aspects of contraceptives. Since then, he has become a leader in critical public health issues like poverty, family planning, and HIV/AIDS. In this interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Viravaidya offers pragmatic answers to these problems.

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Health Care for the Homebound

[photo - Photo: Magda Iskander]

Having an elderly parent with failing health and being unable to provide adequate care out of one's home poses a difficult enough challenge in the United States, let alone in Cairo, Egypt, where home services are scarce. In this audio interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Magda Iskander describes how she founded Care With Love to fill the need in Cairo for short- and long-term home health care through well-trained and compassionate home health care providers.

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Advancing Technology to Improve Health

[photo - Photo: Christopher J. Elias]

PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology and Health) is a nonprofit organization designed to ensure that the benefits of innovation in science and technology are available to developing countries and remotely located, low-income groups. In this audio interview, host Sheela Sethuraman speaks with Dr. Christopher Elias, president and CEO of PATH, about PATH's origins, accomplishments, and challenges.

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Keeping Health Care Mobile Saves Lives

[photo - Photo: Andrea Coleman]

Many areas of rural Africa suffer from a lack of health care delivery. In this audio interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Andrea Coleman explains how she and her husband founded Riders for Health to provide life-saving assistance to such regions. She outlines how the organization uses motorcycles, in particular, to transport health care providers and medical goods, and how it has created a sustainable approach.

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Aravind: A Model for Sustainability

[photo - Photo: Thulasiraj Ravilla]

How did a free eye clinic that started in a house in south India in 1976 grow to become Asia's first international training facility for blindness prevention workers? In this audio interview, host Sheela Sethuraman speaks with Thulasiraj Ravilla from the Aravind Eye Care System. Ravilla concentrates on the innovative approaches that Aravind has developed to become a model for high-quality, low-cost health care.

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about this podcast

Presented to you by Kriss Deiglmeier and Eric Nee, Social Innovation Conversations shares the voices of the people at the forefront of creating social and environmental change in the world. This podcast is the labor of love of a dedicated team of talented volunteers.

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