Oxfam is exploring the possibility of using social entrepreneurship as a strategy in making its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program. It originally envisions to form a community-based social enterprise which is grassroots-led. In a meeting conducted on January 30, 2013, SEDPI provided a framework to Oxfam to explore a different approach to the community-based social enterprise. SEDPI explained that grassroots-led community based social enterprises, while noble, have very long gestation periods. This is mainly because the grassroots typically do not have the necessary skills, knowledge, resources, networks and opportunities to become sustainable.
SEDPI introduced the concept of value chain analysis as a means to come up with a social enterprise model to implement WASH. The strategy focuses on identifying functions in the value chain where the grassroots or microenterprises could participate. The subsector approach is also market-based. This will not pre-judge the entity that needs to be created to support the establishment of a social enterprise to implement WASH.
The project has four components: (1) training on social entrepreneurship and subsector approach to Oxfam staff and community leaders; (2) conduct of subsector research; (3) social enterprise ideation workshop; (4) generation of social enterprise models.
At the end of the project, Oxfam hopes to come up with a more sustainable solution to implement the WASH program.