During my summer at Ashoka, I primarily worked with the Ayni Local Innovators Program (LIP), an initiative co-led by Ashoka, the Local Innovation Network (Argentina), the Social Innovation CoLab (Chile) and Via Educacion (Mexico). The LIP convenes and accompanies teams of social entrepreneurs and local government leaders on the design of systems-change strategies in their cities. I accompanied 20 teams of social entrepreneurs from various African countries, Yemen, and India. I focused on three main streams of work. First, I worked closely with Ayni's facilitators to support teams of social entrepreneurs and local government leaders from Africa on the development of their systems change strategies (including conducting research on best practices, data gathering, designing surveys, etc.). Second, I worked with the Ayni programmatic team on refining the collaborative systems-change methodology that teams use throughout the program. Finally, I developed best practice cases based on the work of social entrepreneurs and local government leaders who participated in LIP.

The courses I took during the first year of my study for my master of public administration in development practice equipped me with the knowledge and skills for my summer internship. Firstly, one course Sustainable Development Policy and Practice has given me insights into pressing development challenges worldwide, which I hadn't previously had the opportunity to immerse myself in during my academic and professional experiences. Issues such as poverty, inequality, gender dynamics in development, urbanization, and nature-based solutions have allowed me to better comprehend the complex challenges facing African cities. For instance, while collaborating with a social entrepreneur in Malawi who was exploring the reasons behind girls'exclusion from education, I was able to guide them in considering a range of factors beyond just cultural and gender-related issues. Often, the underlying causes of a problem can stem from various interconnected factors. Limited access to education for girls, for example, may not solely result from cultural and gender biases, but could also be influenced by economic disparities and power dynamics within households. Moreover, additional factors like regional disparities and age-related concerns might further impact girls'educational opportunities.

On the other hand, universal food security has enabled me to grasp the basic foundations of food systems and food security, empowering me to assist social entrepreneurs in tackling malnutrition and food waste in their communities. For instance, I introduced the distinction between food loss and food waste across supply chains to an entrepreneur, helping them pinpoint the specific aspects of the challenges where they potentially hold the most potential for solutions.

One challenge I've encountered revolves around motivating social entrepreneurs and encouraging them to sustain their efforts. Since Ashoka doesn't provide funding to the participating social entrepreneurs in our program, their motivation tends to wane when other priorities compete for their attention. This often leads to missed meetings and reduced engagement in workshops. In some cases, communication dwindles, making it challenging to gauge their current progress. To address this challenge, my team and I have adopted a strategy of cultivating deeper relationships and connections with these entrepreneurs. This approach aims to foster a sense of community and encourages them to openly share their concerns and challenges. During regular check-in meetings with the social entrepreneurs, I initiate the discussions with ice breakers or personal check-in questions. This allows me to understand the entrepreneurs and their team members on a more personal level. Common check-in questions like \"How was your weekend?\" or \"How is your family?\" help build a genuine rapport. Using unconventional questions also builds up energy and humor in the interactions prior to the formal discussions. For instance, questions like \"If you had the ability, would you travel to the deep ocean or outer space?\" or \"What color reflects your mood today?\" serve to ground participants and create a more personal connection. As this rapport strengthens, it builds trust and enhances their willingness to collaborate throughout the facilitation process.

It has been an incredible journey for me to work with Ashoka on its Ayni LIP program. I had the honor to work side-by-side with 20 groups of social entrepreneurs and local government leaders from different African countries, enabling me to be exposed to the sustainable development challenges they are facing, and providing me the opportunity to apply my learning to support entrepreneurs on scaling up their ventures. Meanwhile, my internship provided me with opportunities to learn and apply systems-change methodology, allowing me to have a clearer understanding of the pathways for scaling up among social entrepreneurs across various industries. Additionally, the cross-cultural and team-based working experience also adds tremendous value to my professional development, as I could grow my network in an international setting, and learn from experienced colleagues who have decades of experience in social entrepreneurship ecosystems. Most importantly, I learned about interesting and vibrant cultures of African countries, including Swahili phrases, amazing pop culture (check out this amazing singer from Tanzania: Zuchu), and mouthwatering recipes of fufu, pilaf, and ugali!