Martin Burt is a Paraguayan
social entrepreneur
Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of o ...
, author, former
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
and former chief of staff to Paraguay's president, known for founding
Fundación Paraguaya
Fundación Paraguaya is a leading edge self-sufficient social enterprise founded in Paraguay in 1985 that seeks to develop innovative solutions to poverty and unemployment, and proactively disseminate them throughout the world.
About
The Foundati ...
in 1985, a leading
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
and
micro-finance
Microfinance is a category of financial services targeting individuals and small businesses who lack access to conventional banking and related services. Microfinance includes microcredit, the provision of small loans to poor clients; savings ...
organization in Paraguay, and creator of the Poverty Spotlight, a poverty measurement tool and coaching methodology.
Early life and education
Burt was born in Asuncion, Paraguay, on May 21, 1957, to Daniel Gordon Burt and Deidamia Artaza. For his primary education, Burt attended the
American School of Asunción and for his high school education attended
Colegio Cristo Rey, before spending a year in compulsory military service as a corporal of the military police. Burt was determined to eliminate poverty in Paraguay from an early age, influenced by his father and grandmother who taught him that those more fortunate were morally obligated to give back to society by helping those less fortunate.
In 1980, Burt received his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in public administration and inter-American studies from the
University of the Pacific in
Stockton, California
Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
, where he served as student body president. He then attended
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
for a
Master's Degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in Science, Technology and Public Policy, and was . He later received a PhD in 2016 from
Tulane University
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
in Development Economics and International Development.
Career
Burt has a long career in public service, non-profit work, and academia, including serving as
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Asuncion and founding
Fundación Paraguaya
Fundación Paraguaya is a leading edge self-sufficient social enterprise founded in Paraguay in 1985 that seeks to develop innovative solutions to poverty and unemployment, and proactively disseminate them throughout the world.
About
The Foundati ...
.
Fundación Paraguaya
Burt founded
Fundación Paraguaya
Fundación Paraguaya is a leading edge self-sufficient social enterprise founded in Paraguay in 1985 that seeks to develop innovative solutions to poverty and unemployment, and proactively disseminate them throughout the world.
About
The Foundati ...
in 1985, while
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
was still under the authoritarian rule of
General Alfredo Stroessner. Fundación Paraguaya has developed several programs designed to solve poverty through entrepreneurship. They pioneered micro-finance in Paraguay, helping small businesses below the scope of traditional banks. In 1995, Fundación Paraguaya established their implementation of the
Junior Achievement Program in Paraguay, which focuses on teaching concepts of entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The foundation was granted the San Francisco Agricultural School in Cerrito by
De La Salle Brothers
french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes
, image = Signum Fidei.jpg
, image_size = 175px
, caption =
, abbreviation = FSC
, nickname = Lasallians
, named_after =
, formation ...
, a Roman Catholic congregation in 2003, turning it into a self-sustaining agricultural high school that serves rural poor youth. The foundation has since worked to replicate their model in 50 schools worldwide. In 2006, Burt co-founded Teach a Man to Fish, a UK charity based in
London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
with Nik Kafka, a former intern with the foundation, in order to spread the student-led school business model. Fundación Paraguaya has been the recipient of several high-profile awards and acknowledgements, including awards from the
Skoll Foundation
The Skoll Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. The foundation makes grants and investments intended to reduce global poverty. Jeffrey Skoll created the foundation in 1999.
The total assets of the foundation (includi ...
,
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and the
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribb ...
.
Poverty Stoplight
Burt has built a platform based on his Poverty Stoplight model of the same name, produced as a project of Fundación Paraguaya. The platform has been adopted by the Paraguayan government and Burt is working with organizations in Mexico, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda to bring the stoplight model to their local efforts. The Poverty Stoplight takes a multi-dimensional approach to poverty, allowing families to self-assess their situation through 50 different indicators on 6 different dimensions. These indicators, such as access to clean water or clothing, are rated at three levels, green, yellow, and red, allowing an easy to read scorecard to be developed. This helps both the family and supporting organizations to develop a plan to meet their needs and help them out of poverty, as well as giving organizations a map to assess programs and needs at a community level.
Public service
Burt served as chief of staff, Cabinet Secretary and close adviser to President
Federico Franco
Luis Federico Franco Gómez (born 24 July 1962) is a Paraguayan politician who was President of Paraguay from June 2012 until August 2013. A member of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), he was elected as Vice President of Paraguay in th ...
from 2012 to 2013, where he helped lead the government's adoption of the
Social Progress Index
The Social Progress Index (SPI) measures the extent to which countries provide for the social and environmental needs of their citizens. Fifty-four indicators in the areas of basic human needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunity to progre ...
, an alternative economic indicator to the
Gross Domestic Product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
. Burt was twice elected as the president of the Paraguayan-American Chamber of Commerce. He also served as Vice Secretary of Commerce from 1991 to 1993. He cofounded Pro-Paraguay, Paraguay's Export and Foreign Investment agency, in 1992.
Mayor of Asuncion
On December 17, 1996, Burt began his five-year term as mayor of
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
, Paraguay's capital and largest city. He came into office leading a political alliance of his party, the
Authentic Radical Liberal Party
The Authentic Radical Liberal Party ( es, Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico or ''PLRA'') is a centrist liberal political party in Paraguay. The party is a full member of Liberal International. The ''liberales'', as they are known, are the leadi ...
, and the
National Encounter Party
The National Encounter Party ( es, Partido Encuentro Nacional, PEN) is a political party in Paraguay.
History
The National Encounter Movement was established on 26 October 1991. Prior to the 1993 elections the National Encounter Party was establ ...
. As mayor, Burt's new policies for the city, including the first deployment of municipal bonds, and securing loans from the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. He used these funds for a number of infrastructure projects, such as acquiring property for the city to build 80 public parks, developing pedestrian shelters, and recovering and developing a number of public spaces. In concert with the Salesian Works and Ministry of Social Action, he helped build collective housing for families displaced from the
Chaco. His administration also restored and expanded a number of public arteries, constructed docks for public transport, renewed city automotive fleets, restored historical houses and sites, installed internet into classrooms in popular neighborhoods, and built urban walking trails, among other contributions to the public.
Academia
Burt is currently a distinguished visiting professor at the
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
and a social entrepreneur in Residence at the
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
''
, mottoeng = "Theory and Practice"
, established =
, former_name = Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science (1865-1886)
, type = Private research university
, endowme ...
. He has also held a number of other academic positions, including adjunct professor at the Universidad Católica de Asunción from 1983 to 1984, visiting professor of social entrepreneurship at the
University of the Pacific from 2006 to 2007, as well as professor of entrepreneurship and management at the
American University of Nigeria
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
from 2011 to 2017, and adjunct assistant professor at
Tulane University
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
.
Other non-profit work
Burt was co-founder of two of Paraguay's leading environmental non-profits. In 1988 he co-founded the
Moises Bertoni Foundation, an environmental NGO that focuses on preserving biodiversity and sustainable development. He also co-founded the Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve Foundation, which established a permanently protected biosphere in the Mbaracayú subtropical rainforest located in the northeastern region of Paraguay near the Brazilian border. The
Mbaracayú Reserve is managed by the Moises Bertoni Foundation. This area of 65,000 hectares is home to Paraguayan and Brazilian cattle ranchers and small holdings, two indigenous groups, and a wide variety of species and ecosystems.
Fundación Paraguaya and Fundación Moisés Bertoni collaborated to replicate the model of the San Francisco Agricultural School in the Mbaracayú Forest Reserve in the form of the all-girls Centro Educativo Mbaracayú school. The school was founded in 2009 with the aim of serving primarily the Ache and other native American communities in the area. The school was the focus of the 2016 documentary Daughters of the Forest by documentary filmmakers Samantha Grant and Carl Byker. Filmed over a course of five years, the film follows the lives of the school's first class through their matriculation. The film has been widely featured internationally since its release.
Burt also co-founded Lican Paraguay SA, a social enterprise that processes formerly contaminating animal blood from slaughterhouses and converts it into hemoglobin and plasma, profits going to save the Mbaracayú Forest Reserve.
Burt has been involved in a number of other organizations as a co-founder, such as the Asociación Paraguaya de la Calidad, Paraguay Educa, Club Universitario de Rugby de Asunción, and Sistema B Paraguay.
Martin serves on the board of directors of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and is also a member of the board of the Global Foodbanking Network. He has served as advisor to the WARC Group Sierra Leone since 2017.
Personal life
During his time in Stockton, Burt met his future wife Dorothy Wolf, who he married in 1982. They have four children and live in Asunción, Paraguay. Burt is also the nephew of well-known Paraguayan artist Michael Burt.
Honors, decorations, awards and distinctions
Burt has been widely recognized for his work as a social entrepreneur. In 2020, Burt was awarded the Wave Maker Award from
HCL Technologies
HCLTech (formerly Hindustan Computers Limited or HCL Technologies) is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company headquartered in Noida.It emerged as an independent company in 1991 when HCL entered into ...
. He received a
Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2005, and won the 2004 Outstanding Social Entrepreneur Award from the
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a Swiss Non-profit, not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 that provides platforms at the country, regional and global levels to promote social entrepreneurship.Schwab Foundation for Social ...
. He was awarded the Microfinance Award for Excellence in Social Responsibility from the
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribb ...
, the
Eisenhower Fellowship Award from the US and Taiwan, the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Orbis Guaraniticus Medal, and the Argentina National Academy of History Domingo Sarmiento Medal. He has also won awards from the Avina Foundation, Synergos, World Innovation Summit for Education, and Nestlé. He was awarded the Albert Bandura Influencer Award in 2014, the 2011 Opportunity Collaboration Achievement Award, the Social Innovator of the Year Award from the Ballard Center for Self-Reliance of Brigham Young University in 2007, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the George Washington University in 2007, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of the Pacific in 2006.
Publications, talks and interviews
In September 2019, Burt released his most recent book, ''Who Owns Poverty?'' In this book, he tells the story of his quest to understand poverty and how the Poverty Stoplight came to being.
In 2016, Burt co-wrote The Poverty Stoplight and its Psychological and Multidimensional Approach with Luis Fernando Sanabira, in Psychological Implications of Poverty (English version published in 2019). In 2013, he wrote a paper on the Poverty Stoplight, published by MIT Journals.
In 1984 Burt co-wrote ''Paraguay: Laws and Economy'' with Guillermo F. Peroni.
Burt regularly attends the Annual Meeting of the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
in
Davos
, neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch
, twintowns =
}
Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alpine resort town and a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos R ...
, as well as the
World Economic Meeting on Latin America and the
Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions held in the
People’s Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
Martin has been a speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival,
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) ( ar, جامعة الملك فهد للبترول و المعادن, – short: ar, جامعة البترول ), after 1975 as the University of Petroleum and Minerals and initially as the ...
,
UNIAPAC
The International Christian Union of Business Executives or UNIAPAC is an ecumenical organization for Christian businesspeople.
History
The predecessors of the organization were national federations of Catholic employers in The Netherlands in 191 ...
,
CAF - Development Bank of Latin America
CAF or caf may refer to:
Armed forces
*Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Forces), the Canadian Air Force, Army, and Navy
*Canadian Air Force, now the Royal Canadian Air Force
*Republic of China Air Force, the air force of the Republic of China (Tai ...
,
World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), Synergos, Eisenhower Fellowships, ICERI 2014, and Development, as well as at TEDxPuraVida and TEDxBYU.
He was also invited as a speaker to a National Consultation on Building Cognitive Capital for Children organized jointly by UNICEF China and the Government of the People’s Republic of China in 2017. He presented the Poverty Stoplight methodology at the 2017 Istanbul Innovation Days Conference organized by UNDP Turkey and
Nesta. He made a presentation on Fundación Paraguaya’s work on poverty elimination to the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion in 2014.
At the end of 2019, Burt presented the Draft Bill Establishing Guidelines for Poverty Elimination in Paraguay, at a public hearing organized by the National Congress. The Draft Bill, based on the Poverty Stoplight methodology, is currently being studied by the Chamber of Senators.
Further reading
*
Fundación Paraguaya
Fundación Paraguaya is a leading edge self-sufficient social enterprise founded in Paraguay in 1985 that seeks to develop innovative solutions to poverty and unemployment, and proactively disseminate them throughout the world.
About
The Foundati ...
References
External links
Fundación Paraguaya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Martin
Social entrepreneurs
21st-century Paraguayan politicians
Mayors of places in Paraguay
Living people
1957 births
20th-century Paraguayan educators
Paraguayan male writers
20th-century male writers
21st-century Paraguayan writers
21st-century male writers
20th-century Paraguayan writers
George Washington University alumni
University of the Pacific (United States) alumni
Tulane University alumni
People from Asunción
Paraguayan expatriates in the United States
Eisenhower Fellows