Business Models in Bali

Thursday night Matt and I went to a friend's house. She was hosting an artist who sells some of her work, and others' work. The profits get donated to an organization that helps a community in Bali. The woman told the story of how she got involved, and how all the ladies wanted was a cow. Now they have 50 cows, and their farm is growing. The art pieces and jewelry were really beautiful. I got a rat for my cousin Judy. Obviously.

The story was compelling, but the model of sustainable entrepreneurship interested me.

Afterwards we headed (with Tamara and Jason) to Ashira's. She (her family really) hosted a sort of dinner party where she basically invited all the young Jews in Singapore. It was so damn nice. The people were outstanding, the food was superb, and we had a great time. I think half the people were INSEAD (okay, 1/3), and some of them I hadn't met before. It was really really nice of them.

Today (after getting stood up for a lunch meeting/date that took me 45 minutes each way to get to...), I heard a woman, Somaly Mam, speak about her experiences with sex trafficking in Cambodia. She was a sex worker (though she doesn't like that term), and now she helps women get out. Though she did not share her personal story with us, it was a moving evening. I am definitely inspired to do something. I will definitely read her book - and maybe I can take a couple of weeks and volunteer at her shelter to learn more and figure out what ELSE I could do. Anyone want to do it with me?