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Pamela McLean: My name is Pamela McLean.

Social Edge: What is your association that you're working with or volunteering with right now?

PM: That is not an easy question to answer! I currently describe myself as CAWD Net because then I can describe all sorts of different things I'm involved in with the same heading. And basically, CAWD Net is all sorts of different people getting together on different projects, but the same key people (which tends to be me) and some rural development projects in Nigeria.

SE: Can you tell me a bit about why you came to the forum here at Said?

PM: That was through Social Edge and because you'd given me the book by David Bornstein. Also, because Social Edge had introduced me to the idea of being a social entrepreneur and that was beautiful, because that was like coming home. We were saying at breakfast yesterday that finding Social Edge was like finding I wasn't a complete a nut! And I can now point to a page in the book and say, "No, I'm not a nut! Look, there's a whole book about it. Read page so-and-so!" And the other guy there said, "Yeah, you're now in a packet of nuts, aren't you?" And it's true and it's very nice.

SE: What has been your favorite session or most interesting session so far at the forum?

PM: Usually it's the one I'd just been to, and that's true at the moment. I'd been to one that's given me a new understanding of my relationship with money. It's given me new permission to ask for money. It's explained why I feel very uncomfortable about the idea of going and asking for money from people who would describe themselves as donors, why I don't believe that we have to go with a begging bowl like a charity because we're not a charity, because what we bring to the discussion is as strong as what anybody else brings to the discussion. And we're building a new…what we're trying to do is take the best of my culture and the best of the culture of the people I work with to build a better, new way of doing things. And therefore we are equal partners and we are not going with the begging bowl because we take as much to the party as anybody else does.

SE: What will you bring back from this forum to Kenya, when you actually go into the field? In one sentence what would you share with people there about your experience here?

PM: Can I have two sentences?

SE: OK, two sentences. <laugh>

PM: One, I have signed books from David Bornstein with personal messages to people, including one of [our Chiefs]. All our chiefs have the title "Mayegun" and it means "One Who Changes the World." It's the title they've all been given, so it's great to take his book back. We've got it as a set book now, along with Small is Beautiful.

The other thing I'm taking is connection with the people here. We may possibly get research students to work with us, which is tremendous!

SE: Fantastic! You mentioned the Small is Beautiful book just a minute ago. Is that a book you're interested in reading as part of the Social Edge Book Club? One of our community members had suggested it…