“Nearly every problem has been solved somewhere … but we can’t seem to replicate [those solutions] anywhere else”
                                                   Bill Clinton

Why? Because it’s difficult to spread and scale social innovation.

Many of the solutions to Ireland’s social problems exist
across the world but they don’t find there way here – this is
true for any country in the world. To solve social problems
in a timely manner, Ireland, and every other country, should systematically seek out and import the most innovative ideas and institutions from around the world, just as we have done so successfully in business.
With the biggest innovation pool in the world, Ashoka is
well placed to demonstrate to Government and Civil Society how to import social innovation. We are piloting in Ireland a programme called the Localizer that aims to attract the world's leading social entrepreneurs to Ireland, importing innovative solutions that will tackle a selection of entrenched social problems.

Currently, the Localizer is supporting ten Ashoka Fellows from around the world in spreading their innovations in Ireland. Our portfolio includes:

Gregor Hackmack
Candidatewatch, Germany
Making politics increasingly
transparent and accessible to
citizens through moderated
online platforms

Johannes Hengstenberg
CO2 Online, Germany
Helping householders to
reduce carbon emissions while
saving money through online
consulting tools

Andres Heinecke
Dialogue in the Dark, Germany
Breaking down prejudices
towards people with
disabilities through an
exhibition in total darkness
that challenges visitors to use
all other senses

Jean-Michel Ricard
SIEL Bleu, France
Providing adapted physical
exercise to elderly citizens
so they remain healthy and
participative citizens for longer

Rose Volz-Schmidt
Wellcome, Germany
Strengthening families
through the provision of
essential support networks
to new mothers during
the challenging months
immediately after child birth

Mary Gordon
Roots of Empathy, Canada
Reducing childhood
aggression by teaching
student’s emotional
literacy and fostering the
development of empathy.

Karl-Henrik Robert
The Natural Step, Sweden
Guiding companies,
governments, citizen
sector organizations, and
municipalities toward
achievement of environmental
sustainability through a
strategic framework of
principles based on scientific
consensus.

Rob Hopkins
Transition Towns, UK
Creating a locally-based
movement for towns, cities,
and municipalities to establish
plans for “energy descent,” selfcreated
strategies for lowing
energy consumption and
battling climate change

Carlo Petrini
Slow Food, Italy
Preserving culinary diversity,
local food sources, and
sparking a renewed personal
relationship with food and
dining, local producers, and an
agricultural rejuvenation

Al Etmanski
P.L.A.N, Canada

Enhancing
the quality of life
and the security of disabled
persons by weaving a safety
net that can withstand both
the death of their care-giving
parents and the unpredictable
changes in governmentfunded
support services.

Thorkil Sonne
Specialisterne, Denmark
Creating employment
opportunities for austistic
people through Specialisterne,
his software-testing company
that turns the qualities
of autism into a market
advantage.

Anders Wilhelmson
Peepoople, Sweden

Solving intractable sanitation
challenges through single-use,
biodegradable toilet bags that
turn waste into fertilizer and
create micro-entrepreneurship
opportunities and alternative
community infrastructure.