I know that most everybody is tired of reality television by now. But a new documentary from Kenya that touts itself as "Apprentice meets Big Brother" is definitely worth watching.

Out of 5,000 applicants, the documentary follows six young Kenyans creating business plans in order to win prize money needed to launch their ideas.

Who competed? A young woman who wants to begin a translation service catering to visiting Chinese business people. An outspoken and confident young man, Oscar, wants to start an IT business.

What's most interesting about this film is that the filmmaker returns to these peoples' lives to discover that many of their entrepreneurial aspirations haven't gone anywhere because of the recent post-election violence. Who needs translation services when all international conferences have been canceled? Who needs hotel rooms or safaris when tourism has dropped by 90 percent? Even the plans of the young man who wanted to start a dairy co-op have been halted.

These are the stories that demonstrate that violent conflict has wider effects than claiming lives and destroying homes-- it has the potential to limit the entrepreneurial dreams of Kenya's best and brightest.

Here is a very encouraging story from Newsweek about social entrepreneurship and the kind of change that is possible when thinking outside of the box. The story highlights the innovative work of José Roberto Fonseca that is revitalizing the agricultural sector in one of the poorest districts in Brazil. Using a combination of solar energy and a process known as hydroponics, José has been able to create sustainable solutions for agricultural problems that inundate this arid region of Brazil.

But where others saw privation, Fonseca saw opportunity. "Poor people in the sertão have been farming beans, manioc and corn the same way they have since Brazil was discovered, and poverty is as bad as ever," he says, waving at the monotonous expanse of balding scrub and cactus. "It's time they tried something different."

Photo: Shirine Bakhat/Mercy Corps

Today's Christian Science Monitor has a hopeful piece on female entrepreneurs in Afghanistan.

The success of Sediqi and a handful of other Afghan businesswomen come amid difficult circumstances, despite steady growth in the overall economy. In the face of a resurgent Taliban, stagnant reconstruction, and the high-profile kidnappings of foreign aid workers, these women push forward, propelled by entrepreneurial grit and desire to support their families. While no official figures track their numbers, they can be found in pockets of Afghanistan, launching consultancies, furniture factories, and printing houses. Many of them say better business conditions, rather than more talk of their plight, are critical.

We've all heard globalization linked to the growth of multi-national corporations. However, an article from yesterday's Business Week takes a look at how globalization is driving the growth of small entrepreneurs.

"These young entrepreneurs are trying to make their marks independent of what their fathers and grandfathers have done. These young people and their companies are growing fast and becoming relevant on the global scale," he says. While previous generations were often constricted by government red tape and low customer expectations, younger entrepreneurs who take their cue from the international business models they see online are more open to new ideas and are setting higher standards for their companies.