JAIMS Trustee M. R. Diskul Named 2009 Outstanding Social Entrepreneur in East Asia/Southeast Asia

HONOLULU — JAIMS trustee Mom Rajawongse Disnadda Diskul of Thailand was chosen as one of the outstanding Social Entrepreneurs in East Asia/Southeast Asia for the year 2009 by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.  Annually, 18 outstanding Social Entrepreneurs from around the world are selected.  To date, 160 Social Entrepreneurs have been honored.

Diskul was elected to the JAIMS Board of Trustees in June 2009.  “We congratulate Trustee Diskul on this well-deserved honor,” said JAIMS President Dr. Ikujiro Nonaka.  “We are grateful for his service on the JAIMS Board as his insight, knowledge, and expertise is valuable for strengthening JAIMS’ reputation and programs in the Asia Pacific.”

At the JAIMS Knowledge Café in June, he gave a presentation entitled, Social Entrepreneurship: Doi Tung Development Project.  Diskul currently serves as the Secretary General of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and was also named Director General of the Doi Tung Development Project in 1988.  The Doi Tung Development project was established to rejuvenate the area of Doi Tung in the Thailand province of Chiang Rai, which was previously filled with poverty, illness, and opium poppy cultivation.  Diskul and his team used an integrated approach to tackle the region’s three largest problem areas—healthcare, livelihood, and education.  The Doi Tung area is now sustained by the self-sufficiency of the residents. 

The Schwab Foundation selects projects based on “innovation, sustainability, reach and social impact.” (www.schwabfound.org)  The Foundation concluded that the Doi Tung Development project’s sustainable alternative livelihood development, which stresses the holistic approach in human development, is considered one of the most successful models for development.