One of the major characteristics of the present financial crisis is that a huge redistribution of wealth takes place.

Not from the well-to-do to less privileged, but from poor to rich. Poor and marginalised communities worldwide are suffering from an economic decline that is not of their own making. The late South African economist Margaret Legum once wrote: ‘I am outraged by the effects of the current economic system’. Her last book carries the title: ‘It does not have to be like this!’

Arun Maira, currently a member of the Planning Commission of the Government of India and earlier working for one of the biggest corporate firms in India (Tata) argues forcefully that there is an urgent need to transform capitalism and ‘improve the world for everyone’.

One of the big advantages of the present financial crisis is indeed that interest in social economy and social business is increasing rapidly. More and more people, organisations and institutions acknowledge that the present neo-liberal development is not sustainable.

Context, international cooperation was founded almost one and a half decades ago. We are social entrepreneurs that have the ambition to be part of such a worldwide movement. We provide business development support to social entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia and Europe. We concentrate on those businesses that contribute to access to productive assets, employment and income; promote inclusion; enhance capacities. We provide a whole range of services from hands-on support to training, documentation and dissemination. It is an interesting and challenging role that we perform.

More information about what we actually do can be found in our recent publication: Fons van der Velden (ed), New approaches to international development cooperation, Utrecht (Context), 2011 which contains a few theoretical chapters about social business; case descriptions; implications for organisations. The book is actually a tribute to Meindert Witvliet who made a very significant contribution to the development of the concept of social business in low- and medium-income countries.

Fons van der Velden is the founder and director of Context, international cooperation, Utrecht, the Netherlands