Ripples from the Zambezi: Passion, Entrepreneurship, and the Rebirth of Local Economies

by Ernesto Sirolli

Not your average (boring!) book on economic development, this is an inspired account of a revolutionary approach to revitalizing urban and rural economies, one person at a time. Through "Enterprise Facilitation," depressed communities can build lasting hope and prosperity by first helping individuals recognize their talents and their business passion, and then provide the skills necessary to transform their dreams into meaningful and rewarding work.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Africa

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1995

About the author

Italian-born, Dr. Ernesto Sirolli received a Laurea di Dottore in Political Science from Rome University in 1976 and a Ph.D. from Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia in 2004. He has worked in Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom in the field of economic development.

In 1985, he pioneered in Esperance, a small rural community in Western Australia, a unique economic development approach based on harnessing the passion, determination, intelligence, and resourcefulness of the local people.

The striking results of “The Esperance Experience” have prompted more than 250 communities around the world to adopt responsive, person-centered approaches to local economic development similar to the Enterprise Facilitation® model pioneered in Esperance.

Enterprise Facilitation has been documented in Dr. Sirolli’s book: “ Ripples from the Zambezi —Passion, Entrepreneurship and the Rebirth of the Local Economy." Adopted as a textbook in an increasing number of academic courses in Community and Economic Development, the book has helped to introduce Enterprise Facilitation to a new generation of economic development practitioners and civic leaders interested in growing their communities from within, one passionate person at the time.

Dr. Sirolli is a noted authority in the field of sustainable economic development, and is in demand as a speaker worldwide.

Dr. Ernesto Sirolli is the Founder of the Sirolli Institute, an international nonprofit organization that teaches community leaders how to establish and maintain Enterprise Facilitation projects in their community.

Reviews

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, although it's not one I would normally have picked up. Ernesto Sirolli's passion for his subject really shines through. He wants to help would-be entrepreneurs: not with money or training, but simply by giving them the chance to explore their ideas and helping them to connect with other people who might be able to offer their expertise.

Sirolli's anecdotes about the way that international development initiatives in Africa often fail are eye-opening, and his linking of work on person-centric therapies and self-actualisation with theories of community development are well explained. Personally I'm not a huge fan of the phrase 'enterprise facilitator', which screams 'management jargon' at me, but if you can get past that issue, there's a lot in this book that will be relevant to economic development in local communities of all types. I would say that Sirolli's ideas also dovetail neatly with current thinking about small-scale agriculture and local self-sufficiency.

There are lessons here for educators, too. I found the story about the man who wanted to study three different university modules, not to get a degree, but to help with his business particularly telling. He was laughed down by the administrators of the university. Things have moved on somewhat on that front in the 12 years since this book was published, but possibly not enough.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every community needs someone to represent and promote their ideas.

Sirolli strongly makes the case that most economic problems in communities can be solved by their community members given the proper support ( business expertise, marketing and financing).

His book makes a great case for having what he calls facilators to be hired by local governments to go out and listen and find community members who have dreams of starting their own businesses.

This is a great book about how to rebuild our local economies and strengthen our commnity bonds between different sectors of society.

A must read for anyone concerned or interested in local economic development.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you a "lover" or a "tourist"? A inspiring book that delves in to the concept of enterprise facilitation - a social mechanism in it's simplest form is helping people start up businesses to do what they love, but Sirolli convincingly shows that the sum of several small businesses starting up is greater than it's parts.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book some time after watching autor's excellent TEDx Talk ("If you want to help someone - shut up and listen" - watch it if you haven't done it yet). And I'll say that unless you are particularly interested in enterprise facilitation and Mr. Sirolli's work, the talk is sufficient source of inspiration and information.

As for the book - it is divided into 2 parts - one about work done by Mr. Sirolli and enterprise facilitators trained by him. And - to be honest - you can just take a quick look, read a psssage here and there and skip to part two.

Part two speaks about ideas and ideals of facilitation as such and this was an excellent read (that part alone I'd rate 4 stars here). This is very interesting for people interested in economical development or (like me) personal development, training, and coaching.

In general - if you were to buy this book - make sure you are indeed interested in the topic to the level of spending money on it. But if you come across the book in a library or at friend's place - borrow it and start straight away with part two. Later on, check how this idea worked for Mr. Sirolli by getting back to part one.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book while doing an internship with an NGO in Mozambique. I was teaching a business class to a group of people who were interested in starting or improving their small business. Some students were motivated and had many ideas and wanted to learn; others seemed to just be looking for handouts and ideas. It was a great experience to read this book while participating in this class. I was impressed by the stories and the approach Mr. Sirolli shares in this book for helping a community experience true economic development. I find myself agreeing with many of his methodologies, principally the importance of being a facilitator for those trying to start business, not a teacher or motivator.

My mind often returns to his examples and approach when discussing international and economic development with friends. I have highly recommended this to several people and would recommend it to anyone who has pondered the questions of how to effectively help people and communities develop economically.

[Caro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the whole model of enterprise facilitation and appreciate Ernesto’s candid approach to laying it out. There were some helpful examples and he frames them well, however I would have liked a bit more specificity towards the end when he is discussing how to explore this for yourself. I’m surprised this isn’t more widely used or known as an approach, I can see it having so many applications. Love your work, Ernesto.

[Damiez Chavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book.. my cousin, Meg, recommended it to me and I haven't stopped talking about it since! Sirolli's approach is inspiring.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book, for anyone looking to do business different way its excellent, I actually met Ernesto a few years back, hes italian and talks with his hands, was well impressed

[Miriam Axel-lute · Rating 3 out of 5]

I published a review at the time, here: http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/107/....

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice case study on grassroots economic development that worked.

[Alyssa Petzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So relevant to the things social projects are looking to accomplish today. Sustainability standards and innovation within social impact and education. Critical for individuals hoping to enter into or start something in the social impact/non-profit realms. This book iterates clear and applicable foundations for healthy social impact.
This book has influenced my career path.

[Bre F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not have picked this book for myself, had it not been for a class I'm taking, however I REALLY enjoyed this read. A fascinating perspective on community development using more of a Rogerian approach. I would highly recommend some of his Ted Talks as well.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I transition from player to coach, I’m reading more on teaching entrepreneurship and leadership coaching. This book was written for facilitators of economic development in predominantly remote, rural locales. It’s not surprising to see that the best practices for high growth, tech entrepreneurship extends to small business startups. Sirolli says success is to do beautifully whatever it is that you love. He believes a good facilitator is attentive, caring, and confidential — and passive “like a coiled spring”. He has a brief tirade against formal education towards the end and makes a plea for a civic humanism balancing individualism with community.