Date of talk or publication:
May, 2008

Speaker Name / Title:
Allen Hammond

Organization:
World Resources Institute

Description:
A PowerPoint presentation by WRI Vice President Allen Hammond summarizes lessons learned from a pilot project to provide WiFi access to three areas of rural Vietnam.

Speaker Name / Title:
Kathleen Robbins, Director of Clean Energy

Organization:
GreenMicrofinance Group

Description:
The paper, by Kathleen Robbins of the GreenMicrofinance Group tells the story of a small Haitian NGO, that is piloting an environmentally sound and economically sustainable approach to biofuels. The key element is a jatropha nursery that is incubating young plants and teaching a group of Haitian farmers how to grow them.

Date of talk or publication:
March 2008

Organization:
World Resources Institute

Description:

In Ghana, easily preventable or curable infectious illnesses, such as malaria and diarrheal diseases, are leading causes of death and exacerbate the financial hardships of many families. An inadequate public healthcare infrastructure is unable to cope with the magnitude of Ghana's infectious disease prevalence, leading many patients to seek health advice and treatment from the private sector. Licensed chemical sellers (LCS), authorized by the Ghana Pharmacy Council to dispense over-the-counter drugs, are present across Ghana and are often the first point-of-call for many Ghanaians, yet LCS themselves often do not have access to local suppliers of high quality medicines.

Description:

An Overview of the Mobile Phone Banking Industry" is a 12 page examination of mobile phone banking business models: key drivers, common critiques and future challenges. It was published by Next Billion staff writer Manuel Bueno in February 2008 as an Instituto de Empresa Teaching Note, under the supervision of Professor Juan Luis Martinez.

Date of talk or publication:
March 2008

Speaker Name / Title:
Loretta Michaels

Organization:
World Resources Institute

Description:
This report identifies a confluence of technology trends leading to viable solutions that can enable very widespread access to financial services. It also discusses the obstacles blocking the growth of this market among BoP consumers, such as mobile phone banking security. The report focuses on biometric technology approaches that could help providers overcome this security issue—in particular, a sophisticated, but low-cost, fingerprint sensor.

Date of talk or publication:
November 2007

Organization:
World Resources Institute and the International Finance Corporation

Description:

The Next Four Billion - Executive Summary, Spanish translation.

(Los Siguientes Cuatro Billones - Resumen Ejecutivo, en español.)

Date of talk or publication:
June 2007

Organization:
World Resources Institute

Description:
Mi Farmacita Nacional is a fully for-profit, Mexican owned pharmacy franchise with a social imperative. The company’s mission statement is "to bring medicines and special services to the regions of most necessity in the Mexican Republic and to provide health, well-being, communication and accessible prices to the majority of homes."

In Mexico, low-income communities often have no convenient access to quality, affordable medicines for such common afflictions as the flu, allergies, and arthritis, due to Mexico's loose pharmaceutical regulations and poor distribution channels for generic medicines. The low-income may also face long wait times of several weeks or longer for doctor visits due to Mexico’s overburdened healthcare system.

Description:
Profile of Ouro Verde.

Date of talk or publication:
June 2007

Organization:
World Resources Institute

Description:

Scojo Foundation’s network of entrepreneurs selling reading glasses in India demonstrates how market-based development models can provide much-needed services to the poor while stimulating economic growth.

The work of Scojo India Foundation tackles presbyopia, or blurry up-close vision, while providing employment to hundreds of microfranchisees.

Scojo Foundation has established a network of “Vision Entrepreneurs,” low-income men and women who sell reading glasses directly to rural villagers throughout India. Scojo Vision Entrepreneurs earn significant supplementary income and enjoy a better standard of living, as well as increased self-respect and influence in their communities. Their customers benefit from ready and convenient access to inexpensive reading glasses, which translate into restored eyesight and improved livelihoods. For weavers, mechanics, goldsmiths, and others whose livelihoods depend on near vision, a lack of access to reading glasses can impede productivity and significantly decrease their income and ability to feed their families.

Since 2003, Scojo India Foundation has employed more than 400 entrepreneurs and sold more than 50,000 pairs of glasses.

Description:
Rising Ventures profile on EcoMantra, written by the New Ventures staff,

Description:
With plastic cutlery sales growing by 20 to 30 percent every year, the founder of BK Environmental Innovations recognized both a serious environmental challenge in the for of unnecessary waste, and a market opportunity to create a viable substitute: edible cutlery.  In addition to the benefits of creating sustainable spoons and chopsticks, BK's products are helping to revitalize the declining Jowar crop industry and offering a nutritious snack as the Jowar utensils are an important source of folic acid and fiber.  Read the full profile to learn more about how the founders of BK are rethinking the way people eat.

Description:
A profile of Suminter India Organics, written by the New Ventures team.

Description:
Conserve HRP caters to the "fashion with a conscience" crowd by marketing chic hand-made accessories crafted from recycled materials. Conserve employs 300 under-served laborers, mostly women, who acquire the disposed materials and create bags and belts that are sold in stores internationally. Read the full profile to learn more about how this remarkable Indian enterprise is making sust

Description:
New Ventures staff interviews fuel cell technology leader, Electrocell of Brazil.

Description:
New Ventures interviews Yeung Hau Man, the founder of Envirovision.  The firm is creating new methods of sustainability reporting that ensure accountability and verifiability for green companies.