How many of us will really worry about children in poor countries who really long for an education but cannot get one? This is why it is amazing that a young man—not a Catholic, not a priest or religious—was so concerned about them that he did something extraordinary for them. Another thing that came as a big surprise when I read about Adam Braun was his age. It seems incredible that he has attained so much wisdom and achieved so much in such a short time. What made me feel close to this young man is that India has something to do with the organization that he founded. It is a touching experience that he had when he visited India that made him think of naming his organization, ‘Pencils of Promise’ (PoP).
While Braun was a college student, he opted for what is called a ‘Semester at Sea’ (SAS) programme. These students undertake a voyage for nearly hundred days on a ship, select academic courses from various fields of study, attend classes in the ship and visit about a dozen countries to have a firsthand experience of what is unique in their culture. For quite a few students like Braun this has brought truly life-transforming experiences.
Soon after his graduation he visited about fifty countries. Wherever he went, he asked little boys and girls an interesting question: “What is it that you would like to have more than anything else in the world?” When he visited India, he asked a boy he found begging in the streets this question. The boy replied, “A pencil.” He gave him his pencil, but the boy’s reply haunted him day and night, making him realize that there are millions of children around the world, especially in developing countries, who long in vain for an education. He decided he will found a non-profit organization that will build schools in the developing world that will make education accessible to poor children.
But all he had was just $25, with which he started a bank account. He asked his relatives and friends not to give him gifts for his birthday but small donations. He made use of what they call ‘crowdsourcing’ through grassroots events and social media to raise funds. On his 25th birthday, with whatever he had, he founded his dream organization and named it ‘Pencils of Promise.’
In March 2014, he wrote a book titled, The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change, which soon became a bestseller that sold out on Amazon within five days of its release. It was listed on LinkedIn as one of the ‘Five Books Every 20-Something Needs to Read.’ In July 2014 it was recognized as the number one bestselling book in the US by ‘What Corporate America is Reading.’ The book, based on Braun’s experiences, has thirty short chapters, whose titles are what he calls mantras—steps to a life of success and significance.
What has brought him fame is his unique approach that blends nonprofit idealism with for-profit business principles. No company should seek just profit, says Braun. What you work for must address the real needs of the poor. That alone must be your purpose. But for the humanitarian venture to last and continue to offer what the poor desperately need, it should be run like a professional business, he says. This is why the term he coined, “profitable purpose,” has gained traction and is widely discussed.
As of 2016, PoP had founded more than 330 schools in Asia, Africa and South America. PoP has become an organization with the head of a great business and the heart of a humanitarian idealist, he says.
We are ordinary persons, yes. But can we bring in extraordinary change? Adam Braun, the American entrepreneur, author and philanthropist, thinks we can. I haven’t told you how old he is. He is just 33!
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