October 16, 2015

Inspiring social entrepreneur named Young Alumni of the year

A trip to India changed the way Kimberley Abbott saw the world. And she did something about it. 

In 2012, Ms Abbott spent one month in India as a volunteer with the ‘40K Foundation’. She saw poverty and recognised the hardship of the workers in the quarries at Bangalore. Compelled to help, Ms Abbott developed a unique way to help -- she developed and designed all aspects of a social business, ‘Roka’, which employs women to make jewellery from the waste product of the local granite quarries. 

Roka gives women a means of income and a way to support their families. Additionally, profits from the company have contributed to the building of a $40,000 education centre. 

Roka is far from being the Kiama local’s only contribution to the world so far. Here, Ms Abbott, who graduated from UOW with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in 2012 and works full-time at Thales Australia, shares what it means to be a social entrepreneur, what she learned as a representative at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March 2015, and her next venture, GenBuild. 

Ms Abbott has been awarded the 2015 UOW Young Alumni Award. 

“Social entrepreneur” – what do these words mean to you?  

A social entrepreneur is a person who is solving one of society’s most pressing issues whilst using a ‘business approach’ to ensure the impact is sustainable. To me, a social business is business that profits society. And the clear definition between a social entrepreneur and a normal entrepreneur is that purpose comes before profit. Always. 

Roka is a social business supporting women. How does economic empowerment change lives? 

Economic empowerment is increasingly seen as one of the key catalytic enablers behind most social issues. When I talked to women at the UN, from developed, non-developed, city and rural areas; nearly all had a common belief that one of the key areas that could enable gender equality and reduce inequities against women was economic empowerment. 

By economically empowering women, it reduces family violence (60 per cent of women cite financial reasons as a barrier to leaving abusive relationships), it builds better families and communities (studies show women reinvest 90 per cent of their income into their families, compared to 30 per cent for men) and ultimately better worlds (Increasing women’s participation in business by just 6 per cent will increase Australia’s GDP by $26 billion). 

At Roka, money is not what our women need. What they need is transferrable knowledge and business skills, which they get, and making money is simply a means through which they do this and we as a business can sustain, amplify and expand our impact. Giving a woman a microloan, its not the money that changes her life, as we found in India, it's actually the personal pride, the security to be independent and leave abusive relationships, it’s the development of business and financial knowledge that transforms and empowers. But economic empowerment is the enabler and the first step. 

You recently handed Roka over to the 40K Foundation. Why? 

For me, it’s not about what I do. It’s about why I do it. The whole ethos of a social entrepreneur is that the purpose must always come before the profit and your own personal interests. So the decision to hand over the reins of Roka to the 40K Group was not about doing what was best for me; it was about doing what was best for the women in India we were helping, and what was best for Roka as a business. 

And what was best was to let 40K use their amazing resources and connections to expand Roka so it could have a greater and more sustainable impact. 

You were selected to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March 2015 as Australia’s NGO delegate. What did you take away from this experience? 

Being part of the Australian Government Delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women was one of the most incredible experiences. To be a part of the delegation with some of the most amazing and inspiring female leaders our country was an absolute privilege. And to know that we were helping to shape the future and the global progression towards gender equality was a humbling and overwhelming experience. From the UN I took away the power and responsibility that governments play in shaping global change, but it was always evident the power of a single person. It may take a global movement to change the world, but it takes only one leader to start it. 

I also learnt that to make a difference you don’t have be brilliant, rich or powerful. You just have to care, and you just have to have the courage and commitment to do something. 

I had two young girls from Ecuador approach me after I had just spoken on a panel at the UN. They tied two little orange bracelets around my wrist, gave me a hug, and then walked away. A chaperone with them approached me and told me the girls were each given a bracelet before they came to New York and were told to give it to someone who inspired them and who they believed would make a real difference in the world. They gave their bracelets to me. I don’t generally call myself a leader, but in that moment I realised that I may not have lots of people working for me, but I am in the business of leading people. 

Why is it important for more women to be involved in STEM industries? 

Being an engineer places you in a unique position where you can truly make a difference in shaping the world. However, if engineers play such a critical role in shaping the future, it is thus just as critical that we have women as engineers to ensure the views and thoughts of 50 per cent of the population are considered when designing our future. 

We need girls in engineering not just to balance a status-quo, but to ensure diversity of thought, and ensure that when we are designing and planning for the future we are including the thoughts, input, feedback and leadership of at least 50 per cent of that future; women. 

What is GenBuild and why have you created it? 

GenBuild is based on training up young people to solve social problems through an entrepreneurial lens. Teaching them how to build social businesses that can sustainably solve some of society’s most pressing issues, whilst also economically empowering them. 

It's about showing young people they don’t have to make the choice between ‘making a difference’ or going to uni and getting a corporate job. They can do both. 

Why did you choose to study at UOW? 

For me, UOW was always a university I was interested in going to as it was the closest university to my home in Gerringong. The coastal lifestyle and stunning campus were a draw-card, but ultimately, as an aspiring Mechanical Engineering student, the reputation and capability of UOW as a leading engineering university was what led me to study there. 

What does being recognised by the Alumni Awards mean to you? 

It’s such an honour and privilege. I credit my education at UOW as one of the single key factors to my success. And it wasn’t necessarily the equations or formulas I was taught as an engineer, but rather the way I was taught to think, that has enabled me to achieve what I have. This problem solving way of thinking and approach to challenges has enabled me to utilise my potential in ways I never previously knew. 

One of my favourite experiences at UOW was being able to volunteer in India for one month in my university holidays supported by a grant given to me by UOW. This trip changed my life, and led me to the success I have had today, and the fact I was supported and enabled by my university made it a real part of my learning and growth.