Bunker Roy graduated from one of India's most elite universities. After an eye-opening trip to one of the poorest rural communities in India, he left his comfort zone and founded Barefoot College in the deserts of Rajasthan in India in 1972.
Barefoot College is a unique and innovative program for uplifting, empowering and educating the rural poor. The campus is fully solar electrified, and built and managed by the rural poor.
Over the years, Barefoot College has trained "drop-outs, cop-outs and wash-outs" (many of them illiterate) to become solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors in their own villages. The decentralized community-based "Barefoot approach" has trained more than 3 million people and has been implemented in many of the world's least developed countries.
Bunker Roy is a Clinton Global Initiative 2013 Awardee and one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2010.
The AFCSR is Asia's flagship conference for CSR thought leadership and best practice, and is co-convened by the Asian Institute of Management and Asia Inc Forum. More than 500 delegates from more than 25 countries are expected to attend.
His Excellency M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, is this year's Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker at the AFCSR 2015 Awards Gala Dinner.
This year's AFCSR theme is "Unleashing Social Entrepreneurship: New Partnerships for a Better World". The focus is on tapping social entrepreneurship values and creating smart partnerships between business, government and the social sector to address major challenges facing Asian societies, and create a ripple effect of new knowledge and best practice being applied across Asia to build better communities.
Other world-class speakers who have confirmed their participation at AFCSR 2015 include Durreen Shahnaz, Founder, Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX) and Shujog; Tri Mumpuni, Founder of IBEKA Indonesia; Heinrich Jessen, Chairman, Jebsen & Jessen (SEA), Singapore; Mark Ruiz, Co-Founder, MicroVentures Philippines; David Grayson, Director of Doughty Centre for CSR, Cranfield University, United Kingdom and Bradley Googins, Executive Director Emeritus of Boston College Centre for Corporate Citizenship, USA.
To register or find out more about the AFCSR, visit www.asianforumcsr.com, email delegates.afcsr@aim.edu or call +63 2 752 1208.
About Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR)
The AFCSR is the premier platform for showcasing CSR thought leadership and best practice in Asia. It was founded in the Philippines by the RVR Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). The AFCSR is the largest and longest-running CSR conference in Asia, with more than 500 delegates from 30 countries in attendance. It convenes annually in a different Asian location each year. The AFCSR features prestigious CSR Awards: the Asian CSR Awards and the Intel-AIM Corporate Responsibility Award for outstanding initiatives in four key areas - education, environment, health and poverty alleviation. It is co-convened by the AIM RVR Center for CSR and Asia Inc Forum. For more information, please visit www.asianforumcsr.com.
About AIM-RVR Center for Corporate Social Responsibility
The AIM RVR Center is a research and program center within the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). The main thrust of the AIM RVR Center is to undertake CSR-focused research relative to the competitiveness of corporations and their impact on society. The AIM RVR Center is one of the first research centers in the region to concentrate on CSR issues. The Center also provides consultancy and training services on CSR issues to organizations throughout Asia. The AIM is the Asian pioneer in international management education. For more information, please visit http://rvr.aim.edu.
About Asia Inc Forum
Asia Inc Forum (AIF) is a leading facilitator of business and public policy dialogue in ASEAN and the Asia Pacific region. AIF is the convener of the influential ASEAN 100 Leadership Forum and the co-convener of the Asian Forum for Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR). The company has a proud history of partnership with the APEC CEO Summit - the foremost meeting of business and government in the Asia Pacific region. For more information, please visit http://asiaincforum.com.
Contact:
Ms. Khristine Dizon
AFCSR Marketing Manager
AIM RVR Center for Corporate Social Responsibility
Asian Institute of Management
T: +63 2 750 1010 Ext. 2154
E: mdizon@aim.edu
U: www.aim.edu
Reporter: prwire
Editor: PR Wire
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
