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Experience Ashoka: ArgentinaMay 11, 2008 to May 17, 2008

The ProgramThe Ashoka Travel Experiences are a one-week, intensive travel it inerary offered exclusively to Ashoka´s fr iends and partners. This f irst tr ip to Argentina wil l inaugurate a travel program designed to bring together two powerful sectors—business and social—by way of opportunit ies for dynamic interaction for change. Each tr ip wil l be open to an average of ten part ic ipants.

The Ashoka Travel Experience to Argentina has been planned with the col laboration of those individuals who are making a dif ference in their communit ies: social entrepreneurs who are part of the Ashoka network. Part ic ipants wil l be able to witness social entrepreneurship, learn about Ashoka and Argentina and engage and interact with Ashoka Fel lows, inspir ing social entrepreneurs.

The conversations, meetings and site vis its of the Ashoka Travel Experience to Argentina have been designed to create an environment in which part ic ipants wil l be able to:

• Meet 15 of Argentina´s leading social entrepreneurs; Ashoka Fel lows

• Visit systems-changing, innovative enterprises addressing social chal lenges, understand the dynamics behind each init iat ive and meet its benefic iar ies

• Discuss education, health, social and economic inclusion, sustainable development, responsible consumption and welfare with leaders in the f ield

• Network with business leaders including local Ashoka Support Network members who bel ieve in social entrepreneurship as a change strategy

• Learn about Argentina f irsthand from the country’s most innovative leaders

• Share their experience and expertise with leading social entrepreneurs.

“I am impressed with the deep conviction of the Ashoka Fellows which is a key to overcoming the enormous hurdles that

come in the way of achieving their dreams. Their entrepreneurial skills rival the skills of any entrepreneur that I have seen in

Boston or the Silicon Valley”

—Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, Founder and Chairman Sycamore Networks, Inc.

Argentina Overview

Argentina is the second largest country in Latin America with almost 3.8 million square kilometers of grasslands, savannahs, plateaus and mountains. Argentina’s population is made up of 37 million inhabitants in 24 provinces. Urban areas are the heart of the country, holding 90 percent of the country’s population. Greater Buenos Aires, the capital, is home to approximately 11.6 million people. The second largest cities, Cordoba and Rosario have populations of approximately 1.4 and 1.2 million, respectively.

Argentina is a country of agricultural, mineral and energy wealth and has a growing tourism industry. Most of Argentina’s businesses (70%) are small and

medium enterprises. In 2001, Argentina underwent a serious political-economic crisis, causing immediate and dramatic unemployment and a rise in poverty levels to 57% of the population. Today, Argentina is still challenged by high levels of poverty: 13.6% of the population lives on less than US $2 a day.

After a 30 year military dictatorship, Argentina established a stable, democratic system of government in the 1980s. Similar to many of the countries in Latin America, Argentina faces the challenge of overcoming high levels of poverty, decreasing the role of the state, and trying to meet the demands of a competitive global economy. The role of civil society organizations in general, and of social entrepreneurs in particular, have been fundamental in the process of recovery and growth of the nation. Ashoka social entrepreneurs have ensured the preservation of democratic processes; sought guarantees for human rights; and created innovative models in education, health, and housing. Furthermore, Ashoka Fellows have created self-sustaining programs that have spread beyond the local and national level to impact other regions of Latin America.

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Ashoka in Argentina

Since 1994, Ashoka Argentina has elected 42 Fellows into the Global Fellowship, and currently elects about four per year. These social entrepreneurs and their organizations are implementing innovative and effective solutions to problems in the fields of education, health, environment, job creation, and workforce development. Argentine Fellows benefit from Ashoka’s high visibility in the Argentine social and business sectors, as well as in the media, due to a strong Entrepreneur-to-Entrepreneur business partnership program. The Argentina program is managed from Ashoka’s Southern Cone sub-regional office in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Trip Leader

Guillermina Lazzaro, Southern Cone Regional DirectorGuillermina joined Ashoka in 2005 as coordinator of the Citizen Base Initiative in Ashoka’s Southern Cone office, based in Buenos Aires. Since January 2006, she has also directed the search and selection process for new Ashoka Fellows in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Guillermina came to Ashoka with 10 years of work experience in the Argentinean citizen sector. In 1998, she developed and conducted a pioneering, locally funded, research project on the challenges for and best practices of Citizen Sector Organizations (CSOs) in Argentina, subsequently creating the first webpage in Argentina focusing on CSO management. Guillermina has also led several innovative initiatives in well-known CSOs such as Fundación Compromiso, Fundación Leer, and Fundación Vida Silvestre, her focus ranging from communications to fundraising and volunteer management. She has a degree in politics and has completed post-graduate studies on civil society.

Cities You Wil l Visit

Buenos Aires: Located on the margins of the Rio de La Plata, Buenos Aires is a

cosmopolitan city, known as the Paris of Latin America, for its many parks, broad

avenues, historic monuments, examples of neoclassic, modern architecture and state of

the art urban redevelopment. Buenos Aires has an active cultural life—music, theaters

museums and galleries abound.

Mendoza: Mendoza is the fourth largest city in Argentina. Located at the foot of the

Andes, it is the center of Argentina’s wine, fruit and olive production region. Mendoza

is also a hub for mountain sports, hiking, trekking and rafting.

Bariloche: San Carlos de Bariloche, called simply, Bariloche, is situated in the Rio Negro

province in the Patagonia region of Argentina. It is surrounded by mountains, glacial

lakes and national parks. It is an internationally known ski destination and hosts visitors

from all over the world year round for mountain sports, water sports, hiking and

trekking.

Trip Itinerary

Ashoka Fel low Gustavo Gennuso, Education

Gustavo Gennuso works in the poor neighborhoods of

Bariloche creating employment and educational opportunities

for youth and their families by providing entrepreneurship

training, education and support for new business ventures.

Gustavo’s community-managed schools are a revolutionary

educational model that have been replicated in 10 different

areas of the Rio Negro province and are part of a national

strategy to insure quality education for marginalized populations.

Gustavo´s Gente Nueva Foundation is a organization which

promotes community leadership, employment, business

development, microcredit and sustainable development

strategies and programs.

Day1|BuenosAires

Independent arrival to Buenos Aires and transfer to the Meliá Boutique Hotel. The trip will officially begin in the late afternoon with an inaugural meeting where participants will be briefed on the social, economic and political context of Argentina by leading business and social entrepreneurs. A private dinner at an exclusive and traditional Argentine restaurant, La Cabaña, will follow.

Day2|Bariloche

Private chartered plane to Bariloche. Briefing by Ashoka Fellow Gustavo Gennuso followed by tour of greater Bariloche to observe community-managed schools, citizen sector organizations and innovative enterprises. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss the multifaceted educational strategy proposed by Gennuso and interact and speak to school teachers, community leaders, and students. The afternoon will end with time to explore our hotel, Llao Llao, a world renowned resort with breathtaking views of Nahel Huapi National Park.

Day3|BarilocheBreakfast with Ashoka Fellow Bob Killmeate followed by visit to various small, rural production units as well as the Mercado de La Estepa where producers exhibit and sell their work. Participants will be able to meet and talk to members to understand the geographic challenges that small producers in Patagonia face and the human development principle behind the Mercado de La Estepa. Bob Killmeate will lead discussions regarding rural economies and facilitate dialogue. Afterwards, dinner will be held at a local restaurant.

Ashoka Fel low Bob Kil lmeate,Economic Development

Bob Killmeate´s Mercado de la Estepa in Patagonia is a

communal market place where small, rural producers can

display and sell their goods. Through participatory practices,

cooperative organization and dissemination of knowledge,

Mercado de la Estepa provides the infrastructure for this

poor and geographically dispersed group to sell their

products. The Mercado is also a network through which

producers have gained access to credit and social security

benefits and integrate their economic activity in national

and international small farmer and crafts networks. Bob is

replicating this model in several rural areas in Argentina.Day4|Mendoza

Travel on private chartered plane to Mendoza and transfer to Park Hyatt Mendoza. Ashoka Fellow Pablo Ordoñez will guide participants around greater Mendoza to demonstrate the relationship between his work and Mendoza´s sustainable development strategy. Participants will visit the School of Entrepreneurship and Arca community center. They will have the opportunity to observe an active day at this produce distribution hub and small business headquarters. The site visit will end at a gourmet tomato sauce factory, a social-business venture between Pablo´s organization and a restaurant entrepreneur, who will host a tasting of his secret recipe and a special dinner later that evening.

Ashoka Fel low Pablo Ordoñez, Economic Development

Pablo Ordoñez is promoting the concept of “prodconsumer” as an economic empowerment strategy for communities surrounding

Mendoza. Pablo works at both ends of the system: developing the capacities of the producer—identifying appropriate goods

and services, increasing capacities and know-how, organizing production processes—and identifying and educating consumers

to value the goods and services as well as the communities that produce them. Pablo works with youth through his School

of Entrepreneurship which trains youth to develop sustainable productive initiatives, and through Arca, that connects these

initiatives and other initiatives of a network of small producers to the market. Arca works with local business leaders, exploring

the possibilities of business ventures with small producers and identifying socially curious or aware consumers to whom to sell

products and services.

Day5|Mendoza

Breakfast meeting followed by visit to Ashoka Fellow Abel Albino´s malnutrition treatment and prevention center. Abel and staff will contextualize the problem of malnutrition in Argentina and lead participants on a tour of the facility. Participants will be able to speak with staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

Lunch at a local restaurant followed by a private tour of local winery guided by local business owners. This will be a special opportunity for an inside glimpse of the region’s wine producing region.

Day6|BuenosAires

Travel to Buenos Aires and transfer to Meliá Boutique Hotel. In the afternoon there will be an education workshop by Ashoka Fellows and other experts who will give an overview of education in Argentina, its challenges, models that are succeeding and the role of citizens and the business sector. An evening outing to a tango show is planned for participants.

Day7|BuenosAires

Opportunity to walk and shop around the Recoleta area where the hotel is located. Walk through Recoleta Cemetery, where Eva Perón is buried, and taste delicious coffee and patisserie (“facturas”) at any of the many sidewalk cafés. In the afternoon, building on the

previous day’s education discussion, Ashoka will host a roundtable on economic inclusion and the role of social and business entrepreneurs in increasing employment opportunities.

In the evening, there will be a farewell dinner with Ashoka Fellows and staff in Puerto Madero, the newest residential, commercial and tourism area of the city of Buenos Aires. This area, which used to be a commercial port, is the result of one of the most ambitious contemporary, urban redevelopment programs in Argentina.

Ashoka Fel low Abel Albino, Health

Abel Albino is implementing an innovative child malnutrition

program in Argentina that understands malnutrition as a

multi-faceted problem related to extreme poverty, lack of

citizenship, fragile family structures, illiteracy, unemployment,

marginalization, alcoholism, and violence. Abel has created

a program of low cost “micro-hospitals” where children

can receive the medical attention with the help of families

and volunteers and a malnutrition prevention program that

includes health education, cooking classes, schools for parents,

skills training and job orientation. Abel´s model, which

began in Mendoza, has been replicated in 17 other regions

of Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Paraguay and is in the process

of being spread to Gambia and Zaire. Abel has won many

national and international awards, the most recent of which

was the Illustrious Citizen of Mendoza Award, in November,

2007, offered by the Chamber of Deputies of Mendoza.

Ashoka Fel low Beatriz Pel l izzari , Economic Development

Beatriz Pellizzari is working to create an environment of inclusiveness, appreciation and respect for diversity in Argentine

society by changing the values and attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. Beatriz´s organization, La Usina, has three

programs. The first program is a capacity building program – management, communication, sustainability-- of organizations

nationwide that work with mentally and physically disabled persons. A second program, seeks to sensitize and increase awareness

in society through workshops, cultural and sports events, and campaigns. La Usina establishes partnerships with public and private

schools, university organizations, publicity agencies and businesses. The business program promotes understanding of the issue

of diversity in general and disability in particular, evaluates the businesses´ potential for instituting a more diverse workforce

and promotes a vision of the disabled person as a potential consumer. Beatriz has recently developed a third program—

redACTIVOS—that seeks to refine and commercialize products produced by disabled persons.

Travel Information

• Four and f ive star hotels in each of the cit ies wil l provide travelers with excel lent accommodations and communication services

• A charter air l ine service to Bari loche, Mendoza and back to Buenos Aires wil l insure safe travel and independence from commercial air l ine schedul ing l imitat ions

• Simultaneous translat ion wil l be avai lable during meetings and vis its

• Mult i- l ingual Ashoka staff wi l l provide support to travelers throughout the journey

Sarah BrooksGlobal Ashoka Support Network 1700 North Moore Street Suite 2000Arlington, VA 22209sabrooks@ashoka.orgPhone: 703-600-8338

We hope you will join us for this unique opportunity to experience Argentina from the vantage point of those in the citizen and business sectors working to create positive social change. In order to ensure an intimate experience, there will only be 10 participants. Reserve a spot now as numbers are limited.

For more information please contact your local Ashoka country representative or: