Babson College's Lewis Institute to Honor Social Entrepreneurs From Partners in Health and Channels of Hope

WELLESLEY, Mass., April 7, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Lewis Institute at Babson College will honor five global social entrepreneurs with the 2015 Social Innovator Awards during a Wellesley campus event on April 8, 2015. The two teams from Partners in Health and Channels of Hope are being acknowledged and celebrated for their tireless efforts in creating extraordinary social ripples that change lives, transform communities, and, in many cases, impact an entire country.

"Their stories and achievements are incredible examples of the power of social innovation and how entrepreneurial leaders can improve the lives of thousands of people around the world," said Babson President Kerry Healey.

The annual Lewis Institute's Social Innovator Awards recognize recipients for their inspired and innovative commitment to helping solve important social challenges. Visit http://bit.ly/1CcH8xo.

"At the Lewis Institute, social innovation is not about breakthrough innovations, but rather, breakthrough interactions," said Cheryl Kiser, Executive Director of The Lewis Institute and the Babson Social Innovation Lab. "The cultivation of both usual and unusual relationships, and the curation of interactions that connect dots in new ways, address societal dilemmas more effectively and more sustainably."

Recipients from Partners in Health, a nonprofit healthcare organization dedicated to providing healthcare access to the world's poorest and most vulnerable communities, include:

• Dr. Paul Farmer, physician and anthropologist, is the Chief Strategist and Co-founder of Partners in Health. He is also a Professor at Kolokotrones University, the Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Dr. Farmer serves as the U.N. Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Community-based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti, and has written extensively on health, human rights, and the consequences of social inequality.
• Ophelia Dahl, a longstanding advocate for the health and rights of underserved populations, is the Executive Director and Chair of the Board for Partners in Health. In 1983, she volunteered at the small Eye Care Haiti clinic in Haiti's impoverished Central Plateau where she met Dr. Paul Farmer, and they have since been working together to deliver high-quality healthcare to those in need. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, a recipient of the Union Medal by Union Theological Seminary, and also Chairman of Dahl & Dahl LLP, managing the literary estate of her late father, the writer Roald Dahl.

The recipients from Channels of Hope, an innovative social model adopted by World Vision that engages community and faith leaders to respond to some of the most difficult issues affecting their communities, include:

• Christo Greyling is the Director of Faith Partnerships for Development at Channels of Hope, and the originator of the Channels of Hope methodology. Today, Greyling manages the scale-up and integration of all Channels of Hope models across the World Vision partnership. He serves as Co-chair on the Joint Learning Initiative's learning hub on HIV and Maternal New Born and Child Health (MNCH), and is a member of the Capacity Building Hub at the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI F&LC). Greyling holds a post graduate degree in Theology from the University of Stellenbosch and a Master's Degree in Public Heath from the Medical University of Southern Africa.
• Logy Murray, who currently serves on the Management Board of the Christian AIDS Bureau for South Africa (CABSA) and as a consultant to World Vision, is a social worker, writer and development practitioner with years of experience in mobilizing Christian communities towards compassionate care and support. Participating in the founding of multiple South African organizations, including CABSA with Christo Greyling, Murray developed and implemented Churches, Channels of Hope in response to HIV.
• Maclean Ndabezinhle Dlodlo is a Senior Advisor of Faith and Gender in Development for World Vision. His principal responsibility has been the development of faith partnership initiatives that contribute to community development outcomes. Dlodlo's efforts have led to the convergence of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe to form a historic alliance for advocacy on national issues of social concern. He holds a Bachelor in Theology degree and has served in various capacities in the church and civic society.

About The Lewis Institute
The Lewis Institute at Babson College illuminates pathways for students, faculty, social entrepreneurs, foundations and corporate partners seeking social innovation solutions. By drawing upon Babson's core methodology of Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(r), the Institute activates unexpected yet fruitful collaborations and integrative designs for action. The result is business prosperity and societal improvement.

About Babson College
Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(r). The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society--while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(r) as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. Visit www.babson.edu

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Contact: Michael Chmura, 781-239-4549, [email protected]

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