Shanil Samarakoon, a recent graduate of the Australian School of Business (ASB) has been named Social Entrepreneur of the Year for his innovative voluntary work in Malawi.

Shanil received the award from the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) in Sydney last week in recognition of his groundbreaking work in rural villages of Malawi, where he is currently setting up a sustainable development project.

The Malawi project is managed by Shanil’s start-up social enterprise Empower, which he founded in 2008 while completing his Master of Commerce degree. Empower’s mission is to enable entrepreneurs to build self-reliant communities through tailored microfinance, access to sustainable technologies and capacity building. 

“Empower works in partnership with communities to put their ideas into action, removing previous capital and technology constraints. The micro-finance aspect of the project allows people to mobilise their assets and abilities to help themselves,” says Shanil.

“As well as encouraging individuals to innovate, the projects empower communities by giving them sustainable technologies that provide affordable access to energy, water and agriculture.”

Shanil became interested in the use of electricity as a driver of social and economic growth, while volunteering during undergraduate summer breaks for an NGO in Sri Lanka. “Electric lighting is something we take for granted, because we have it at the flick of a switch, but these people have never had electricity in their lives,” says Shanil.

The next pivotal component of the Malawi project is the Vision Workshop that will take place later this month. The workshop will focus on identifying the community’s own vision for change and their proposed plan of action. The project is operating in conjunction with Mzuzu University and will use renewable energy technologies such as solar lanterns, renewable energy stoves and drip irrigation with the hope of large scale replication in the future.

“We hope to scale and replicate our model in the region and are looking to attract investment to finance expansion,” explains Shanil.

To help fund Empower Malawi Shanil is seeking to raise $30,000 by early 2011. Donations can be directed online at www.empowerprojects.org.

Knowledge@Australian School of Business contains further information on Shanil's work, including an indepth interview Social Entrepreneur of the Year's Vision: Empowering African Communities.