I introduced social entrepreneurship to my trainee teachers -- why it'll make them better at their jobs

Teachers can get their pupils thinking about different ways to create sustainable livelihoods through something as simple as a vegetable garden at school. Jasmin Merdan/Getty Images

The daily headlines from South Africa are largely gloomy. The country’s government seems unable to address a years-long electricity crisis that is steadily worsening. Unemployment is high. Food prices are climbing.

But there are pockets of excellence – like stories of social entrepreneurship, an approach that uses business principles to create positive social and environmental impact. It involves identifying social problems using entrepreneurial principles to develop, fund, and implement solutions.