Randall Chong didn’t plan on becoming a social entrepreneur. In fact, he only wanted to do one thing that scared him each year — a personal challenge that led him, in 2017, to trek solo to Everest Base Camp. That hike changed everything. Along the way, he encountered young Nepali children working instead of schooling, and began to ask: What could he do?

Back in Singapore, a short sabbatical turned into Books Beyond Borders, a second-hand bookstore-turned-social enterprise that funds education for underserved communities in Nepal. His bedroom filled with donated books. His grandfather’s spare room became a makeshift storeroom. Today, the initiative runs a storefront in Maxwell and a sister brand called Two Storytellers, selling artisan gifts made by Nepali women.

“I didn’t leave everything behind to run a bookshop,” Mr Chong says. “I wanted to support girls’ education and do it in a way that sustains itself.”

Gen Grit documents the grit younger generation of Singaporeans possess. Passionate, driven and have a heart to call, many of these youths are taking it on their own to empower communities, all while embodying the co-operative values of self-help and mutual help. Here, we profile Randall Chong, social entrepreneur of Books Beyond Border and Two Storytellers.

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