Social Entrepreneur: Conscious Companies | Benefit Corporations | Impact Investing

After experiencing sexual violence in high school, Joy McBrien decided that she wanted to prevent this tragedy from happening to other women. When she read about the high incidence of violence against women in Peru, so she decided to travel there. As an 18 year-old, she decided to start a non-profit. After working with local women, she raised funds and built a women’s shelter. Over the next six years, Joy visited 18 countries, listening closely to the needs of women. Through these conversations, Joy began to deeply understand the relationship between poverty and violence against women. She understood that the best path to empowerment was through economic development. In other words, jobs. Today, Joy is the founder of Fair Anita, a social enterprise that empowers women around the world through dignified jobs and fair trade relationships. Fair Anita currently works with 8,000 women in 16 countries. Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Joy McBrien: “I wanted to create a systems-changing solution that would at