Social Enterprise in Humanitarian Response – Good for Me and Good for We

Maria Kasparian (’05) is the Executive Director of Edesia, a non-profit social enterprise founded in RI in 2009. The North Kingstown-based organization has the mission to help treat and prevent malnutrition in the world’s most vulnerable populations. As part of their mission, they manufacture and distribute a range of peanut/dairy/soy-based ready-to-use therapeutic and supplementary foods (RUFs), participate in related research & development, promote relevant advocacy/education, and support production of these foods in developing countries. Their RUFs are used in programs in 50+ countries all over the world in partnership with USAID, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and other NGOs. Maria will discuss how Edesia’s social enterprise model and diverse team help them to leverage both business and non-profit strengths as well as global perspectives. She will also discuss examples of emergency responses and the recent launching of their domestic MeWe range in the United States.

Co-sponsored with the Watson Institute and Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies.