Activity Description: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) was established by the SMEDAN Act of 2003 to promote the development of the MSME sector of the Nigerian Economy.

The Agency positions itself as a "One Stop Shop" for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development. Micro Enterprises are included in the clientele of the Agency since they form the bedrock for SME’s.

Activity Description:

China has set up a special fund to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to China's Ministry of Finance (MOF).

The funds, which come from the central government's budget, will offer China's SMEs free financial aid and loan repayment subsidies of up to 2 million yuan (250,000 U.S. dollars) per project, according to a policy document issued by the MOF and the National Development and Reform Commission.

Activity Description: KENYA NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE (KNLS) operates mobile library trucks and two  Camel mobile libraries in Wajir and Garissa in North Eastern Kenya for primarily pastoralist people, who have no access to schools or static libraries.  In the Northeastern Province, the illiteracy rate is 85.3%, compared to 31% nationally.  

Better-suited than a car to the terrain, the camel transports books to the nomadic communities from Mondays to Thursdays. From Fridays to Sundays, the camels are released to go and feed, recuperate and vetted for any signs of disease and treatment.

Activity Description: Dimagi offers customized, low-cost services in health informatics and software development through its team of specialists in medicine, public health and engineering, to bridge the gap between clinical needs and engineering constraints.

Dimagi's systems are built upon power efficient and practical, robust hardware platforms that range from mobile phones to mini-PCs. The engineering team has experience developing and deploying systems for rural India, South Africa and Zambia.

Activity Description:

This seven-year project is being implemented in the recently reclaimed desert lands between the Suez Canal and the Nile Delta that are irrigated by the Al Salam Canal. The main objective is to support the settlement and agricultural production of about 26,000 families. Project initiatives include: building tertiary irrigation and drainage systems; providing safe drinking water to needy communities; supporting credit banks in extending their operations to the area; and establishing community organizations that can participate in management of the irrigation system.

Activity Description: Micronutrient deficiencies threaten the health, development, and productivity of millions of people worldwide. One approach to alleviating malnutrition is fortifying food with micronutrients. On a large scale, food fortification can be cost-effective and sustainable, and it allows people to get more nutritional value from the food they already eat.

To bring fortification to vulnerable rice-consuming communities, PATH developed a manufactured “Ultra Rice"--which can be mixed with rice and mimics the look, feel, and taste of rice--to provide nutrients the local diet may lack. In Colombia, two versions have been developed. One carries vitamin A; the other carries thiamin, folic acid, and zinc. An iron-bearing formula is expected to hit the commercial market later this year.

Activity Description: In 1992 the Solar Aid Workshop was started in collaboration with the Botswana Technology Centre to manufacture solar rechargeable hearing aids specifically tailored for the needs of Africans and other people in the developing world. Its objective is to develop practical low-cost technologies and to provide employment and training opportunities for hearing disabled people.

Godisa makes three low-cost hearing aids, including one that is solar powered and uses a rechargeable battery. The battery itself can be charged up to 300 times over its 2-year lifespan and sells for under US$1.50.

Activity Description: In peri-urban areas of Hyderabad, India, drinking water is delivered in trucks that arrive irregularly and infrequently. This forces women and children to travel to neighboring towns or wait on line for water instead of working or attending school; it also means that families store water for weeks, increasing chances for recontamination.

Heritage Livelihood Services Provider is a project to deliver water sustainably to Hyderabad. An initial investment from the Acumen Fund in infrastructure development will 1) engage local community organizations to 2) educate community members about the value of improved water delivery, and 3) collect user fees from each resident.

Activity Description: BroadReach Healthcare is an international company dedicated to expanding access to life-saving healthcare across the globe. BroadReach focuses particularly on addressing HIV/AIDS, which infects 14,000 new people every day.

BroadReach works across sectors to: 1) advise governments on strategies for developing and implementing national treatment programs; 2) help design private-sector approaches to HIV/AIDS in their workplace; 3) assist funders, NGOs, governments, and multi-lateral assistance funds in identifying investments and managing projects to ensure a return on their investments.

Activity Description: NutriStar is a low-cost powdered drink mix containing all the vital micronutrients (including iron, iodine, and vitamin A, nutrients that are essential to human development) , is stable, easily digestible, and tastes good. Because the packets are sold in single-usage form, they are portable, affordable (US$.30) and easy to store long-term.

After a few unsuccesful marketing attempts in the Phillippines and Venezuela, P&G is now fully-functional and succesful in Nicaragua. By using a partnership/licensing model with a local manufacturer, P&G has ensured cheap manufacture and wide distribution of the product to at-need sectors. This partnership additionally benefitted the local community, as the production and sales of NutriStar required the creation of more sustainable livelihoods.

Activity Description: Procter and Gamble has developed a cheap water-filtration system to serve poor communities with no access to clean water. Because the filters are easy-to-use and sold in single-usage form, they are affordable (US$.10) and easy to store and distribute. One packet is enough for 10 gallons, or about two days for a family.

While this filter is largely donated to communities and in bulk for emergency relief, P&G is testing distribution via a sustainable business model in Guatemala, the Philippines, Morocco and Pakistan.

Activity Description: The Kisan Credit Card Scheme extends short term credit to farmers for their cultivation needs.

This scheme allows for the purchase of inputs in a flexible, cost effective manner with very little paperwork. Farmers are also able to draw funds from any bank, not just from the one that issued them credit.

In October of 2004, the Indian Bank transitioned its Kisan Card into a Smart Card, with which farmers can purchase farm inputs and equipments, seeds, fertilisers, tractors, in additions to availing loans. Chip-based smart cards contain embedded information pertaining to land records, limit sanctioned, and amount withdrawn against bank account.

Activity Description:

A pilot project in low-income housing by Mexican entrepreneurs Real Paraiso, the community of Real del Sol in Tecamac boasts 1,800 newly-built homes, ready equipped with high-speed Internet, a Mexican Texa PC, and wireless connectivity service tagged at $18 per month. In a city that until recently had no phone line service, features of the wirless internet service include a neighborhood portal allowing online purchases from local stores and internal communication amongst neighbors; a security system; an e-mail account, and more.

Activity Description: The World Bank and the People's Republic of Bangladesh, along with various microfinance organizations, partnered in 2002 to bring electricity to the rural population, which accounts for almost 63 million people in Bangladesh. Low cost solar panels were developed to assist in installing 50,000 Solar Home Systems in order to increase people's access to a reliable electricity supply. Similarly, the goal of the project was to enable economic development while preventing atmospheric carbon emissions, which is a standard byproduct of electricity.

Activity Description: With the support of USAID’s Last Mile Initiative, Macedonia has become the first all broadband wireless country in the world. In a country almost completely covered by mountains and where 42% of the population lives in rural areas, all of the schools have been connected to the Internet. As a direct result of the project, access to the Internet will decline from $125 USD per month to $15-20 USD per month.