News:

The Changemakers Unidos Online Summit was the highlight event of the Ashoka accelerator initiative for 20 Fellows from its network in Latin America. With thousands of people registered, the virtual and open encounter aimed to raise resources (financial and expertise) from attendees and partners directly for the 20 Ashoka Fellows, as well as spotlight the innovative solutions they have developed in response to the global pandemic. But also, the purpose of the event was to convey that everyone can be a changemaker and take an active role in reimagining Latinamerica after the COVID crisis.

Ashoka founder and CEO, Bill Drayton, shared a message to the audience, “There is very strong evidence that we are approaching the turning point years. And it’s to a much better world. There is no way the problems outrun the solutions when everyone is a changemaker and we know how to work together.” Finally, he concluded: “All around us the walls are cracking and falling down, this is great for entrepreneurs if we allow ourselves to see and act. And everyone here can do that.”

The summit´s closing remarks were held by philosopher, physicist, environmental activist and ecofeminist, Dr. Vandana Shiva, who said: “To be a good changemaker, you have to have humility, to know that there are others”. She was also critical and said: “Redefine economy to say that if people work, something is unproductive. So when you get rid of people, you have productivity and efficiency… I call this the fossilization of our minds and of our hearts, by thinking of substitution; that people should be gotten rid of.”

Changemakers Unidos is the Latinamerican chapter of the Changemakers United initiative, as part of Ashoka’s COVID-19 response. Supported by the BMW Foundation and Boehringer Ingelheim, it seeks to support, connect and scale concrete and systemic solutions to the pandemic, developed by 20 Ashoka Fellows from the region. The initiative supports them by matching them with experts tailored to the Fellows’ needs, as well as raising financial resources for their work.

The entire summit was recorded live and can be found here.