Rebel entrepreneur

“Bernard, you have to accept being the standard-bearer, you have no choice!” The message addressed to Bernard Kervyn more than thirty years ago has been heard. In Vietnam and Cambodia today, the tireless humanitarian worker proudly carries the banner of the poorest, mostly women, who don’t even have one euro a day to live on. In this book—an interview with journalist François Blaise—Bernard Kervyn recounts a lifetime dedicated to giving hope for the future to all those who haven’t had the chance to catch the train of economic growth, now underway in Southeast Asia. And there are still far too many of them! With his colleagues from Anh Dương and Thiện Chí in Vietnam, CAO in Cambodia, and his friends and supporters of Mekong Plus around the world, Bernard Kervyn helps create businesses that empower tens of thousands of the poorest people. Sustainable agriculture, primary healthcare, garment making and fair trade, support for children’s education… The projects funded by donations and microloans number in the dozens thanks to the close collaboration of the teams on the ground. The results are impressive, as you will discover here. Why this life choice, made more than fifty years ago? What doubts and obstacles did he encounter? What changes did he make and for what purpose? What inspiring successes did he achieve? What lessons has he passed on to those who will one day take up the mantle? This rebellious entrepreneur shares the questions that have accompanied him throughout his life and the answers he has found. At the end of his adolescence, a time of major questions, Bernard Kervyn vowed to leave a mark on his life that he could be proud of. This book is his testament to that. “I absolutely loved Bernard Kervyn’s book! After two filming trips to his home in Vietnam and a few shows together at the RTBF studios, I thought I knew him pretty well, but... I still learned so much about him and his community/participatory development work. It’s full of inspiring examples, beautiful photos, some truly insightful one-liners, and a wonderful sense of humanity. It’s a smooth read, not preachy, but with a healthy dose of humor and self-deprecation. I highly recommend reading this book, ‘Rebel Entrepreneur’...” Adrien Joveneau (RTBF)