"If you really believe in something you'll find a way"

Imagine having a baby daughter and being told by those around you to put her in a home and have another baby just because she was born with disabilities – because she was 'different'. This is what happened to Shona McDonald.

Instead of heeding the advice she was given, Shona decided to challenge these defeated and discriminatory opinions by setting up Shonaquip – a social enterprise which provides specialised, cost efficient equipment for individuals with physical disabilities.

The profits of the company are then used to raise awareness about social exclusion, lobby government and conduct research into how the model could expand and help individuals in low income countries around the world.

At the Opporunity Collaboration retreat Pioneers Post editor Tim West caught up with Shona – also an Ashoka fellow – in Mexico's sizzling heat to discuss her social mission, the challenges of scaling up and her advice to other social entrepreneurs embarking on a project to make a difference the world.