<1>Foreword
Thank you for your continual support for ARUN.
ARUN is a Limited Liability Company with 98 investors (private and incorporated).
We aim to support social enterprises in developing countries through investments, while building a social investment platform originating in Japan.
In the beginning of this month, in Cambodia, I had an opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The large event hall in the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center was filled with Cambodian youth who are interested in “the social business.” I was honored to take part in the discussion with distinguished social entrepreneurs in Cambodia including Mr. Sebastien Marot, the founder of the Friends International, a social enterprise that saves lives and provides training to the marginalized children & youth, and Mr. Chay Lo, co-founder of 1001 Fontaines, a social enterprise that purifies and sells drinking water in the rural area. I must admit that restaurants run by the Friends International as part of their vocational training program, is one of my favorites in Cambodia.
Some of Mr. Yunus’s messages were particularly encouraging: “Don’t get scared if you don’t know something”, “Don’t feel scared about challenging things” and “Reverse the question” When he started the Grameen Bank, everyone told him that it was crazy to lend money to the poor, and that it was impossible to lend money without collateral. Professor Yunus believed that a new system was needed and did the opposit way. “Conventional bank go to the rich, we go to the poor, conventional bank go to men, we go to women. Since we do not have collateral we do not need lawyers!” The messages were so clear.
ARUN is also creating a new system of social investment one step at a time. Unlike traditional investment or charity, we have strived to gain both social and financial returns with methods that enable investments without a complicated financial licence. We obtained the money lending licence last year and are able to perform lending now, but on the other hand, the regulations that we must follow as a registered business have also increased. As we step up, we must face more challenges against conventional way of doing things. From the conversations with Professor Yunus, I was reminded of ARUN’s mission and encouraged to go forward with fellow entrepreneurs.
Please join us in creating a new social investment platform!
Satoko Kono
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