Bill Drayton - Ashoka - Rodrigo Baggio

Rodrigo Baggio was elected an Ashoka Fellow when he was still in his 20s. Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka, remembers him as being "very tall and very thin," but also remembers that he spent a lot of time in the favellas of Rio de Janeiro, where he noticed the reality of the digital divide (before the phrase was even invented).

He also realized that the children and the community were perfectly capable of building schools themselves. Rodrigo Baggio launched the Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI), a model now replicated in 15 countries around the world.

Bill Drayton remembers the second time they met. "His English was still very spotty," but he did manage to get free computers, to have them shipped for free to Brazil, where they went seamlessly through customs. Every stage of this process is quite implausible, except for the fact that Rodrigo Baggio is a true entrepreneur.

"He was able to convince all these parties not through words --the transaction took place at a much deeper level" explains Bill Drayton. It's all about trust and ethical fiber.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• socialedge
• globalx
• socialentrepreneur
• skoll
• BillDrayton
• Ashoka
• digitaldivide
• technology
• Brazil
• RodrigoBaggio
• CDI