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Tuesday, February 07, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Microfinance Services in Ghana Greeted With Hope, Concern

Source: Voice of America
Microfinance, providing financial services to low-income clients, has gained popularity in Ghana in the past 20 years and has played an important role in helping the poor - especially women - improve their lives.
TAGS:financial inclusion, Microfinance, poverty alleviation
Tuesday, February 07, 2012 — Latin America

Empowering the Haitian People

Source: UVU Review
Sustain Haiti is a non-denominational, independent group of Haitians, development specialists, students, social entrepreneurs, and concerned citizens based in Provo, UT. It was created and began sending volunteers and aid to the country of Haiti after a 7.0 earthquake rocked the country in January of 2010.
TAGS:entrepreneurship, social enterprise, social impact, sustainability
Tuesday, February 07, 2012 — No Region Specified

Avoiding the “Hope Bubble”

Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review
We must invest in the financial literacy of social entrepreneurs and in the social literacy of investors.
TAGS:financial inclusion, impact investing, social entrepreneur
Monday, February 06, 2012 — South Asia

Unitus Seed Fund Launches with Three Social Enterprise Investments in India

Source: Press Release
New Unitus Labs Initiative Seeks to Accelerate Development of Innovative Startups Which Have the Potential to Significantly Benefit Families Living on Less Than $2 Per Day
TAGS:Microfinance, poverty alleviation, venture capital
Monday, February 06, 2012 — South Asia

IDA to Help Improve Irrigation System in Pakistan

Source: devex
The World Bank’s concessional lending arm is providing $250 million to help improve water and agricultural productivity in the Pakistani province of Punjab.
TAGS:agribusiness, social impact, water
Monday, February 06, 2012 — No Region Specified

McGraw-Hill Research Foundation Policy Paper Shows How Social Entrepreneurship Provides Innovative Solutions to Global Education

Source: PR Newswire
In the last decade, social entrepreneurship has been touted as one of the most promising ways to solve some of the world's problematic issues. How Social Entrepreneurship is Helping to Improve Education Worldwide, a McGraw-Hill Research Foundation policy paper, outlines specific ways in which social enterprise is improving education in the U.S. and in developing countries.
TAGS:research, social enterprise
Friday, February 03, 2012 — No Region Specified

Business coalition re-established in run-up to Rio+20

Source: The Guardian
The temporary coalition of the Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD) has been re-established to coordinate the participation of the private sector to Rio+20 and enhance its contribution to sustainable and inclusive markets. Business is willing to step up its efforts to raise more awareness about its existing commitments and achievements already made. At the same time, industry will continue to broaden and deepen its thinking towards Rio+20 on key themes of the conference.
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, February 03, 2012 — No Region Specified

A winning model of health insurance for the poor

Source: Economic Times
Access to healthcare in India has certainly improved over the past few decades. All indices point in this direction. However, India still languishes amongst the worst providers of healthcare. Out-of-pocket expenses are the primary cause of indebtedness for the poor. The key issue is how to reach out to the population at the bottom of the pyramid. Is there a model that is socially desirable, politically acceptable, technologically feasible and financially sustainable?
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, February 02, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Is the Social Enterprise Bubble About to Burst?

Source: GOOD
Over the past two months, GOOD has profiled organizations in Africa using market solutions to solve water and sanitation challenges, improve agriculture, and promote public health. Social enterprises like these are transforming development work, and social entrepreneurs are being hailed as rock stars. But social enterprise isn’t the first trend to hit the development sector. From women’s empowerment to “sustainability” to microfinance, the aid community has moved through its stash of silver bullets. What makes social enterprise any different?
TAGS:entrepreneurship, social enterprise
Thursday, February 02, 2012 — No Region Specified

The Real Architects of Social Change: Live from Davos

Source: CSRwire
Everybody seemed to agree that the world is now facing some serious problems: Climate change, persistent poverty and inequality, the failure of financial systems, environmental degradation, the impeding exhaustion of cheap minerals and oil and so on. And everybody seemed determine to provide solutions to these problems. Prominent among these proposed solutions: Social entrepreneurship.
TAGS:Base of the Pyramid, scale, social enterprise
Thursday, February 02, 2012 — South Asia

BRAC puts Entrepreneurs to Work Providing Clean Toilets for Millions

Source: PRWeb
In Bangladesh, the development organization's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene program gives millions of the rural poor a fresh start with latrines at prices fair to buyers and sellers alike.
TAGS:NGO, rural development, sanitation, water
Wednesday, February 01, 2012 — No Region Specified

The Trouble With Impact Investing – Part 1

Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review
On its face, impact investing seems like a great deal—organizations get cheap money (er, “patient capital”) and investors get real impact. It’s great when it works that way, but the case for impact is often dubious, and there is a lot of confusion about when impact investing works and when it doesn’t.
TAGS:impact investing
Wednesday, February 01, 2012 — No Region Specified

GSK's Andrew Witty on the Future of Pharma Collaboration to Help Poor Countries

Source: The Guardian
Just before the all-singing, all-dancing launch of the big initiative to control or eliminate 10 neglected diseases – starring 13 CEOs from Big Pharma, the WHO's director general, Margaret Chan, and Bill Gates – I grabbed a few words with Sir Andrew Witty, head of GlaxoSmithKline, who co-chaired the negotiations over the past year with Gates.
TAGS:Base of the Pyramid, health care, pharmaceutical industry
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 — South Asia

The New Rules of BoP Marketing

Source: Forbes India
About three years ago, PepsiCo drew up a new blueprint for long-term growth in India. It spoke of the need for significantly widening reach, aiming for the new consuming class across urban and rural India — and more importantly, creating a whole new set of locally developed products for the masses.
TAGS:Base of the Pyramid, multinational corporation, pricing
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 — No Region Specified

Microfinance Will Eliminate Severe Poverty – John Hatch

Source: Microfinance Focus
In an exclusive interview with Microfinance Focus, John Hatch, founder of FINCA and creator of Village banking, discusses the future of microfinance industry and FINCA’s efforts to stay committed to its social mission.
TAGS:Base of the Pyramid, financial inclusion, Microfinance
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Can The iPad Revolutionize Rural Agriculture?

Source: FastCo.Exist
The iPad’s fairly steep price has kept it firmly entrenched in the developed world. That’s starting to change, however, as evidenced by efforts from Exprima Media and coffee importer Sustainable Harvest to bring the iPad to coffee co-ops and farmers in East Africa, Mexico, and South America.
TAGS:agribusiness, farmers, supply chains, technology
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

East Africa: Boost for Agriculture

Source: allAfrica
The fight to secure food and income for millions of small holder farmers in eastern Africa, a region that experiences severe food shortages from time to time, is poised to get additional ammunition with the construction of a science research block by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
TAGS:agribusiness, smallholder farmers
Monday, January 30, 2012 — South Asia

Wall Street Journal: Look Beyond India’s ‘Poor Man’s’ Market

Source: Wall Street Journal
PwC defines the “Next 4 Billion” as countries that have an average annual per capita income that ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, and that, together, are home to four billion people – or more than half of the current global population of 7 billion. Apart from India and China, this group includes Indonesia and countries in Latin America and Africa.
TAGS:Base of the Pyramid
Monday, January 16, 2012 — South Asia

India To Launch $1B Innovation Fund By June-July

Source: VCCircle
India plans to launch a $1 billion fund by June-July, with an initial capital of Rs 5 billion, to invest in innovations that can generate services and products to uplift the poor, a top government official told reporters on Monday. "We need to provide money to those who have ideas but no seed capital," Sam Pitroda, adviser to prime minister on public information, infrastructure and innovation, said on the sidelines of an industry event. The fund, named India Inclusive Innovation F...
TAGS:No Tags
Monday, January 16, 2012 — South Asia

Indian Villagers' Lives Transformed by New Energy Delivery System

Source: The Guardian
It's late December and an icy fog cloaks the northeastern state of Uttar Pradesh. Here, far from the cities, smoke rises in dense, choking spirals from meagre wood fires and scantily-clad children shiver against the cold. These are largely farming families, and their mud huts fortified by the occasional brick wall are for the most part devoid of light, heat or clean water. But it is here in Uttar Pradesh, one of ...
TAGS:No Tags
Monday, January 16, 2012 — Latin America

Howard Weinstein Named Social Entrepreneur of the Year

Source: CSRwire
NEW YORK, Oct. 27 /CSRwire/ - Solar Ear founder and CEO Howard Weinstein was selected as social entrepreneur of the year by World Technology Network. The announcement was made at the awards banquet held at the close of the World Technology Summit and Awards in New York City Wednesday night. Weinstein's award was accepted by Nick Laperle, CEO of Solar Ear's technology partner Sonomax. Solar Ear designs and manufactures a solar-powered, battery rechargeable, inexpensive hearing ai...
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, January 13, 2012 — No Region Specified

Mobile Money to Deliver Cash Aid: Believe the Hype?

Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review
Vodafone has launched its new phone 'Vodafone 150' which is being called the cheapest phone in the world with a price tag of just $15. The phone is mainly aiming the customers in the developing countries. The phone will be launched in India, Turkey and African countri
TAGS:urban
Friday, January 13, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa Not Fit For Print; The 'Light' Side Of The 'Dark' Continent

Source: The Huffington Post
A Chinese, Latin American, and North American student are sitting in a classroom. The teacher pulls out a map of Africa, and asks 'tell me what you see". The Chinese student speaks of opportunity and business; South African steel, Congolese minerals, and Angolan oil to power his country's growth, and an endless list of future contracts for Chinese-built roads, bridges, and infrastructure to link the continent. The American reflects on Darfur, the Rwandan Genocide, thatched-roof villag...
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, January 13, 2012 — No Region Specified

Investing in Impact: Making the Case for Patient Capital

Source: Michigan Ross School of Business
Case study highlights challenges facing the nascent social investing sector and explores ways to face them. ANN ARBOR, Mich.-Social investing. Impact Investing. Patient capital. That the idea itself has more than one name underscores the challenges facing an industry that seeks to invest in and grow companies that measure wealth both by profit and the ability to solve social problems. This relatively new sector in the venture capital world is trying to redefine the ...
TAGS:corporate engagement
Thursday, January 12, 2012 — No Region Specified

Haiti Embarks on Economic Recovery Plan with Help from Private Sector

Source: The Guardian
Much of the media coverage of Haiti 's post-earthquake rehabilitation has focused on the role played by the international community and aid donors . But on the second anniversary of the ...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, January 12, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Note From the Horn of Africa: Leveraging Mobile Technology to Link Somali Youth with Jobs

Source: KDID
Read the news, and initial reports about the Horn of Africa 1 are grim with famine and conflict dominating the headlines. But despite a food crisis and flare-ups of violence, key areas of the economy are growing steadily. Even ...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, January 12, 2012 — South Asia

Rebuilding Afghanistan's Villages, Rug by Rug

Source: GOOD
When Connie Duckworth flew into Kabul for the first time in 2003, the city below "looked like Berlin after World War II," she says. Since that visit with the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council -a non-partisan initiative tasked with supporting Afghan women-Duckworth has devoted her life and career to rebuilding Afghanistan, carpet by carpet. Duckworth founded ARZU , a nonprofit, ...
TAGS:No Tags
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Training and Mentoring Give Boost to Uganda Clean Cookstoves Producers

Source: GVEP International
A five-year programme rewards entrepreneurship across East Africa by supporting micro-businesses to establish energy services and create employment opportunities in rural areas. Willy Bamwenyena, 25, stands out as a young resourceful entrepreneur, who has been able to identify the energy gap in his community, in rural Uganda, and turned the need into a business opportunity. The GVEP-led Devel...
TAGS:consumer products
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 — South Asia

Waste Ventures Gives India's Waste Pickers Access to Carbon Markets

Source: Wired
Urban India generates 40 million tons of rubbish each year, a figure that is growing by more than two million tons ever year. Just 25 percent of that rubbish is collected by government contractors and there is little recycling; the rest is dumped and left to rot, producing methane, which is 23 times more harmful to us than carbon dioxide. Waste Ventures is a social enterprise aims to build a model in waste management that empowers the was...
TAGS:No Tags
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 — No Region Specified

Help (Businessweek) Find America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek
We're kicking off our search for businesses to profile in our fourth annual roundup of America's most promising social entrepreneurs. The idea is to find and report on business ventures that advance a social or environmental mission and aim to turn a profit. We're asking readers to suggest candidates using the form at the bottom of this post. Interest in social enterprise has grown in recent years. The movement has given rise to a slew of investors, incubators, networking gr...
TAGS:No Tags
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 — No Region Specified

What is Social Innovation? [Video]

Source: 30 Second MBA
30 Second MBA featuring Yasmina Zaidman, Director of Communications, Acumen Fund. ...
TAGS:No Tags
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 — No Region Specified

Social Entrepreneurship: 1 Approach to Higher Ed Bubble Bust

Source: ASU News
Economists are not alone in their worry of an impending higher education bubble bust. Given the drastic increase in cost and decrease in relevance of a college degree over the past decades, Ashoka U Exchange participants - faculty and students across disciplines, administrators and social entrepreneurs - are united in their conviction that cosmetic changes to their institutions are not enough. Co-hosted by Ashoka, the world's largest...
TAGS:consumer products
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya Has Mobile Health App Fever

Source: Technology Review
Mobile health platforms are fast emerging in Kenya, where one startup's newly launched mobile health platform is attracting nearly 1,000 downloads daily, and the dominant telecom, Safaricom, has forged a partnership that will give its 18 million subscribers access to doctors. A World Bank official sees significant promise from such efforts, pointing to the fact that 50 percent of all Kenyan banking is already done on mobile phones-suggesting that the population is ready to go mobile...
TAGS:consumer products
Monday, January 09, 2012 — South Asia

Selling Organs to Pay Off Debt: Microfinance Needs Reforms

Source: The Christian Science Monitor
When Muhammad Yunus won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work on microfinance with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh , he would have been mortified...
TAGS:No Tags
Monday, January 09, 2012 — South Asia

Create Scope for Women to Flourish in Business: Analysts

Source: The Daily Star
Women entrepreneurs in South Asia are failing to flourish due to shortage of funds, difficulty in marketing, social constraints and non-participation in decision-making, analysts said yesterday amid calls for governments and private sectors to change the scenario. Women are treated as second-class citizens in the region while their contribution to the economy is totally overlooked, they said. The comments came at a discussion on "Women Leadership" on the second and concluding day ...
TAGS:No Tags
Monday, January 09, 2012 — South Asia

Coming Up, Job Plan Scheme for Urban Poor

Source: Hindustan Times
The UPA government, which launched schemes providing employment opportunities for the rural poor during its two term in power, is now targeting the urban poor, majority of whom are slum dwellers. With an eye on the 2014 Parliamentary election, the Centre plans to launch the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM), which will create job opportunities for the urban poor, during the 12th Plan. The housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry, which has p...
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, January 06, 2012 — South Asia

Micro-loans Helping Solar Power Take Hold in India

Source: Public Radio International
In Chemangala, in southern India, silk farmer H.B. Manjunath walks into a back room of a dark thatched roof cabin, flips on a light switch and watches as the cool light illuminates hundreds of milky white silkworms crawling in a wooden box full of mulberry leaves. The worms need the crispy leaves to survive and spin their silk cocoons, but they'll only do it when there's continuous light. Manjunath said that used to be very hard to come by. "We had four or five hours of un...
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, January 06, 2012 — No Region Specified

Do Designers Actually Exploit The Poor While Trying To Do Good? Jan Chipchase Responds

Source: Fast Company
Recently, at the PopTech Conference in Camden, Maine, Jan Chipchase, Frog's all-star field researcher, was giving a presentation on his travels in search of novel design solutions when a person in the audience lobbed a pointed question: "What is your motivation? Why do you do this?" When Chipchase began to respond, the audience member interrupted and asked again, "No, what is your motivation?" The follow-up hanging in the air was, "How do you sleep at night?" As the back and forth c...
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, January 06, 2012 — South Asia

Does Microfinancing Really Work? A New Book Says No

Source: Time
Politicians from Washington to New Delhi have argued for years that giving tiny loans to poor people to help them start or expand their businesses is a sure-fire way to help millions improve their lot in life, and drastically reduce global poverty, especially among women. The idea has become such a central feature of foreign aid programs (USAID pours millions into such projects) that the microfinance industry has ballooned into a multi-billion-dollar business operating in virtually every coun...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, January 05, 2012 — South Asia

Intuit Taps Text Messages, Economics To Boost Farmer Incomes In India

Source: Fast Company
"How can technology help the places I grew up in?" That's Deepa Bachu, describing her personal mission. Bachu was born in Bangalore, India, but spent a decade at Intuit's Mountain View headquarters developing flagship products like Quicken. She returned home several years ago, for family reasons, and after becoming the director of emerging market innovation at Intuit, set out to build products for many of the neighbors she grew up with. "It's so motivating," she says. "It...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, January 05, 2012 — South Asia

Exclusive: Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Invests In Mobile Payments Platform BASIX Sub-K

Source: techcircle.in
BASIX Sub-K iTransactions Limited , a mobile payments platform promoted by Vijay Mahajan's BASIX Group , has raised an undisclosed amount of equity investment from Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Sub-K provides residents of rural, urban and semi-urban areas with a mobile technology based transactional platform for access to services like banking, NREGA, utility p...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, January 05, 2012 — South Asia

DLF Foundation and Laurus Edutech Sign An MOU to Setup Over 18 Centres Jointly in First Phase

Source: IndiaPRwire
New Delhi, Delhi, January 5, 2012 / India PRwire / -- In a significant development, Laurus Edutech- A leading skill Development Company signed a MoU with the DLF Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DLF Limited. DLF Foundation has launched a programme called DLF Life where LIFE stands for Learning Initiatives for Employment. As part of the LIFE Program and MoU, DLF Foundation and Laurus Edutec...
TAGS:No Tags
Wednesday, January 04, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

How Biochar Will Help Kenya Go Green And Save Money

Source: Fast Company
Re:char is a pioneering company that sells kilns to farmers in Kenya that allow them to convert their farm waste into what's known as biochar, which can then be used for cooking. As an enterprise, Re:char seeks to deliver a "triple bottom line," expanding the uses of sustainable alternatives for energy, providing a cost effective solution for farmers in an effort to combat poverty, and stemming deforestation in Africa by encouraging use of biochar as cooking fuel instead of cutting down t...
TAGS:World Resources Institute
Wednesday, January 04, 2012 — Latin America

It's Time for Sustainable Development

Source: The Guardian
Bill Clinton was set to enter the White House, the European Union was born and China had its first taste of a double cheeseburger with fries when McDonalds opened its doors in Beijing. That was 1992. A lot can happen in 20 years. In June 2012, two decades after the groundbreaking Earth summit, which put climate change and biological diversity on the global political agenda, attention will turn once again to Rio de Janeiro for the UN conference on sustainable development, or ...
TAGS:business case
Wednesday, January 04, 2012 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa's Mobile Pricing Wars

Source: Think Africa Press
The increasing availability and ownership of mobile phones across much of Africa has brought numerous impressive benefits to ordinary Africans. And with the costs of calls, data-usage and handsets falling rapidly in many African countries, there has been a continuous rise in the number of mobile phone users across the region - in fact, the continent-wide growth rate of 20% makes Africa the fastest growing market for mobile phon...
TAGS:No Tags
Tuesday, January 03, 2012 — No Region Specified

The Year of Controversial Giving

Source: The Huffington Post
By Matthew Bishop and Michael Green What does 2012 have in store for giving, especially the impact-driven approach to it we call "philanthrocapitalism"? Having peered into our philanthrocrystal ball, we see giving becoming more dangerous, more controversial, and more political, among other things, as philanthrocapitalists find themselves at the centre of some of the year's biggest news stories. Here are our 10 predictions for the coming year: ...
TAGS:No Tags
Tuesday, January 03, 2012 — No Region Specified

BOI/UNDP: Nigeria?s household energy market worth $5.1b

Source: The Nation (Nigeria)
The Bank of Industry (BOI)and United Nations Development Programme (BOI/UNDP) partnership has identified the potential in investing in household energy through supplies of energy-efficient equipment and bulbs adding that the market is worths $5.1 billion. The Project Manager, UNDP/BOI Access to Renewable Energy Project, Segun Adaju in his paper titled 'Investing in clean energy for the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) in Nigeria' presented at a forum in Lagos, said the BOP is the ...
TAGS:No Tags
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 — No Region Specified

More Corporate Companies Should Adopt Social Enterprise Ethos

Source: The Guardian
Recent political and financial events have seen businesses retrench, dig in and attempt to ride out the storm. To many, this suggests that the corporate world is being indifferent to its social responsibility. Community projects are being curtailed and cash donations to charities drying up. The impact can only be detrimental. As austerity measures deepen, are big businesses unwittingly contributing to social injustice? If so, who will fill the gap they are leaving? In the UK, soci...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, December 22, 2011 — No Region Specified

Case studies: investing in bottom of pyramid

Source: Financial Times
Dfid's role models for its new private sector approach in India include the US-based Acumen Fund, part of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, the US Rockefeller Foundation and Mumbai-based Aavishkaar Investment. Samridhi Dfid has chosen the Small Industries Development Bank for India to channel investments to small enterprises, in its first private sector development programme in India. ...
TAGS:jobs
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Ethiopia Invests in Farmers to Achieve Country's Middle-income Ambitions

Source: The Guardian
Fields of red sorghum in terraced fields that stretch into the distance are a common sight in the scenic mountains of eastern Ethiopia , giving a misleading impression of bountiful harvests despite this year's drought in the east Africa . Farmers tie five or more tall sorghum stalks...
TAGS:No Tags
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 — No Region Specified

Social Business: A More Sustainable Way to Help in Haiti?

Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Children dressed in school uniforms sit in rows listening to one of their classmates sing a song while snacks are passed around. Two years ago, before a devastating earthquake struck the island, they were in a different location in a building that has since been demolished on a nearby plot of land here in Léogâne, Haiti. Now these youngsters and their families are getting another chance with the help of an innovative antipoverty effort that combines business tactics with so...
TAGS:agribusiness
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

ICT Vital in War Against Poverty

Source: allAfrica.com
THE application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in gathering, analysing and disseminating market information to businesses and agricultural producers has been cited as a significant strategy in poverty reduction. The Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing, Dr Shaban Mwinjaka, made the remark in Dar es Salaam over the weekend while opening a stakeholders' meeting on Management Information Systems (MIS) Strategy, operational Framework...
TAGS:No Tags
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

The Sticky Challenge Facing Africa

Source: The Guardian
As the food crisis in the Horn of Africa continues, so do the campaigns asking for support and donations. Some of the money raised goes on the purchase of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs), small packets of a sticky, peanut butter-like paste, fortified with minerals and vitamins, that can reverse severe malnutrition within six weeks. Products such as Pl...
TAGS:No Tags
Monday, December 19, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Microfinance Banks to Construct 500 Houses

Source: Vanguard
Microfinance Banks in Lagos, under the auspices of the National Association of Microfinance Banks, Lagos State Chapter, NAMBLAG, have pledged to undertake a micro-housing project that will see them catering for the housing needs of a vast majority of the low income earners in the society. Chairman of the Association, Mr. Olufemi Babajide, in his address to members in the report for the 2010 financial year, said the association plans to build 500 houses for the active poor with flexible ...
TAGS:Acumen Fund
Monday, December 19, 2011 — South Asia

Majority of Indian MFIs May Have to Shut Shop

Source: livemint.com
Mumbai: At least 80% of microfinance institutions (MFIs) may have to shut down in the next two-three years because of tough new regulatory requirements laid down by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and a shortage of funds, industry executives warn. For MFIs categorized as non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), which are run as for-profit organizations, the threat comes from RBI regulations pertaining to minimum funds, loan provisions and capital adequacy. The reluctance of commercial b...
TAGS:No Tags
Monday, December 19, 2011 — South Asia

?More Poor People Own Mobile Phones, But Productive Use Still a Far Cry'

Source: Business Line
NEW DELHI, DEC. 19: Hamid owns a grocery shack in a village. He travels about 80 km once in 15 days to get stuff to stock up his store. Every year his village gets flooded during the rains, leaving him with no earnings during that time. But, one, small device has changed his life. After he got a mobile phone, Hamid does not need to travel 80 km and lug stuff for his store. He simply calls, places the order and gets stuff delivered. It costs him a bit for the cartage, but the...
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, December 16, 2011 — No Region Specified

Google Joins Seattle Angels to Bankroll Vittana

Source: GeekWire
Vittana , the Seattle non-profit that's facilitating micro-loans to students in developing countries, has received a $250,000 grant from Google. Others backing the organization include entrepreneurs Hadi and Ali Partovi; former Microsoft VP Mike Murray; Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman; BuddyTV co-founder Andy Liu; Founder's Co-op's Chris DeVore; TeachStreet CEO Dave Schappell and others. Vittana founder Kushal Chakrabarti - a f...
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, December 16, 2011 — No Region Specified

Social Entrepreneurs: Gary Hattem and Asad Mahmood

Source: The Deal Magazine
When Gary Hattem and Asad Mahmood of Deutsche Bank AG closed the $15 million Eye Fund I in 2010, they completed what had become a more than five-year endeavor. "When it started, the problems were conceptual. People were not ready for it," says Mahmood, a managing director who oversees $500 million in loans and investments. "The common perception was that bringing debt into hospitals that are serving the poo...
TAGS:No Tags
Friday, December 16, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Mobile Banking to Transform Nigeria's Economy, says GT Bank Boss

Source: This Day Live
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank), Mr. Segun Agbaje said Wednesday that the introduction of the mobile money- a mobile payment and remittance services, into the country would bring about positive transformation of payment system in the economy. Agbaje said this at the official launch of the bank's mobile money product, in partnership with MTN. He explained that the innovation was as a prompt step towards financial...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, December 15, 2011 — No Region Specified

Why a New 'Avatar' of Innovation is Necessary in Emerging Economies

Source: Forbes
In the past stripped down versions of products designed for developed economies were positioned as a low cost and cheap alternative in the emerging markets. This will no longer be a successful strategy. This bitter truth has been realized by many global vendors servicing the developing economies. I can vouch for this fact as I live in an emerging market (India) and understand the nuances of these developing countries. Today's mantra is to carry out focused R&D efforts targeted a...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, December 15, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Ending Africa's Hungry Season: How Family Farms Are Driving Development

Source: GOOD
In rural sub-Saharan Africa, most people are farmers, and for part of the year, they go hungry. It's called the hungry season. I encountered it when I lived in a farming community in Malawi for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer. Families in my village subsisted off of the maize and beans that they harvested, but there was only one growing season, and making stocks last an entire year was difficult. Imagine growing all of your family's food for an entire year using just a hoe,...
TAGS:No Tags
Thursday, December 15, 2011 — No Region Specified

New Legal Structures for 'Social Entrepreneurs'

Source: The Wall Street Journal
You may have noticed the emerging class of "social entrepreneurs" who are creating companies that seek profit but also are devoted to a social purpose, to create long term, sustainable value. But, until recently, social entrepreneurs would find themselves in the position of choosing whether to organize either as a for-profit company or a nonprofit organization. The problem was that sometimes a company would be too much of a business to be a nonprofit. Yet, it also might be too mission-d...
TAGS:agribusiness, consumer products
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 — No Region Specified

Samasource, Inveneo Included in Google $40M Grants

Source: MercuryNews.com
In its biggest single-day contribution ever, Google ( GOOG ) on Wednesday announced it has handed out $40 million to battle slavery, promote education and make technology more accessible worldwide, with nearly a fourth of the money going to Bay Area organizations. "The causes we are supporting are issues we've been committed...
TAGS:agribusiness
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 — South Asia

Could Thinking Small Be The Next Big Thing in Agricultural Development?

Source: The Guardian
In India, every street corner has small shops displaying colourful strips of 1 rupee (about 1p) shampoo sachets, or stacks of mini soap bars. Creative marketing has even brought these sachets to isolated villages, draped on the back of camels. Hindustan Unilever was behind this "adapting to the poor" approach. Realising their soaps and shampoos were too expensive for poor people, they repackaged them into small, affordable sachets. These were initially sold door-to-door by "shakti ladie...
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Wednesday, December 14, 2011 — South Asia

A New Beginning for Microfinance in India?

Source: The Wall Street Journal
A new report on India's microfinance industry says that the troubles in Andhra Pradesh have been "one of the best things that could have happened to the sector." Really? Looking back at a year of microfinance in India, words like "crisis," "collapse" and "catastrophe" seem more fitting - and it all started in Andhra Pradesh, a state that used to be India's microfinance hub. The decision by the local government to clamp down on collection practices last year spiraled into a crisi...
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011 — South Asia

Waterlife Gets $4.2 Million Investment from Matrix Partners India

Source: Business Line
Waterlife India Private Ltd (Waterlife) has announced that it has received Rs 22 crore investment from Matrix Partners India. The company provides quality potable water solutions. The Hyderabad-based company has installed safe water systems in more than 1,500 villages and urban areas covering more than a million people in a sustainable manner, a release said. Intellecap was the sole advisor for this transaction. The capital infusion would help Waterlife to expand. Having sta...
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

How to Make It in Africa? Unilever Listens to the Consumer

Source: How We Made It In Africa
"There is a growing realisation that the future of Africa is based around a consumer rather than mining. This is a consumer that has been under-served and over-charged," said Frank Braeken, Unilever executive vice-president for Africa at the High Growth Markets Summit at the end of September 2011. But Braeken pointed out that consumers in Ghana spend just one fifth ...
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011 — South Asia

IFC Works with Intellecash

Source: IIFL
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is partnering with IntelleCash to help start-up microfinance institutions in low-income states of India respond better to the needs of their customers, promoting responsible microfinance while providing better client protection. IntelleCash is the first initiative in India to apply the principles of business franchising to the microfinance sector. Through the IntelleCash Network Program, it helps microfinance institutions get started and...
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Monday, December 12, 2011 — No Region Specified

McKinsey Announces Winners in Social Innovation Video Contest

Source: McKinsey & Company
Embrace A one minute video about Embrace, a social enterprise that aims to help millions of vulnerable babies through a low cost infant warmer. Unlike traditional incubators that cost up to $20,000, the Embrace Infant Warmer costs less than 1% of this price. The device can work with or without electricity, has no moving parts, is portable and is safe and intuitive to use. You can fin...
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Monday, December 12, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa Beckons as the Next Pot of Gold for the Cellphone Telecoms Industry

Source: Taipei Times
Africa's lag in land-based telecoms infrastructure has propelled the continent directly into the mobile age, opening up unparalleled short-term growth prospects. Sector players have seen growth especially in mobile Internet and banking services, as people use cellphone technology for lack of landlines or cable Internet. "Africa is the last market to emerge. China's emerged, India's emerged. So where else outside Africa needs emerging? The growth opportunity is right he...
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Monday, December 12, 2011 — No Region Specified

Wise Ethical Investment Seeks Profit

Source: The Wall Street Journal
Like motherhood and apple pie, socially responsible investment warms most people's hearts. But during a two-year cycle trip across Africa, Swiss investment banker Klaus Tischhauser realized the SRI industry was failing in a key challenge-fighting poverty. Ten years on, the grassroots style of social investing he helped pioneer is wooing many wealthy investors The rich are different, and not just because they have more money. Wealthy individuals often have a wider sense of responsibi...
TAGS:agribusiness
Friday, December 09, 2011 — No Region Specified

Eyes Down for a More Revealing Insight into Economic Development

Source: Guardian.co.uk
A group of people had just disrupted a baseball game by running naked across the field. After the disturbance, legendary player Yogi Berra was asked whether they were men or women. He replied: "I don't know. They had bags over their heads." That story illustrates what is perhaps the biggest issue in development economics today: the inability of many researchers to look in the right place when searching for answers. I have just returned from east Africa, where change is stimulating t...
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Friday, December 09, 2011 — Europe & Eurasia

Global Microcredit Summit 2011 Report

Source: Microfinance Focus
Monday, November 14th 2011 saw the culmination of several years of delicate preparation in a packed conference centre in Valladolid, Spain. The fifth Global Microcredit Summit (held every few years - with regional conferences in between) kicked off in the magnificent Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes, with an opening ceremony full of music, pomp, and a great deal of gratitude - in the particular direction of Sam Daley-Harris, the outgoing Director of the Microcredit Summit Campaign. Queen ...
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Friday, December 09, 2011 — Asia Pacific

IFC Stakes 18.9% Equity in ACCION

Source: Vanguard
ACCION International, parent company of Accion Nigeria and a pioneer in global microfinance, has signed an agreement with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group focused exclusively on the private sector, in which IFC will invest approximately $1 million in ACCION's Chinese affiliate, ACCION Microfinance China (AMC). The investment will enable ACCION to strengthen the operations of AMC, which it launched in December 2009 in Chifeng Prefecture, Inner Mongolia, to deliver financial serv...
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Thursday, December 08, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Chutes, Ladders, and Safety Nets: How Microinsurance Helps African Development

Source: GOOD
James Abuh-Prah had owned a used electronics shop in a small market in Accra for 17 years before a flood took everything. It was late one night in October, and the torrential rains hadn't stopped for hours. "By 5 a.m. the water was up to my chest," he says. He had taken out a $2,400 loan from his bank, Opportunity International, to use as capital to buy used televisions, stereos, and other electronics. Now, everything was destroyed. It's like a game of Chutes and Ladders,"...
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Thursday, December 08, 2011 — Latin America

Ecuador Expanding Access to Microcredit for Low-Income Women

Source: Hispanically Speaking News
Ecuador will expand access to microcredit, particularly among low-income women, through a $50 million loan approved by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) aimed at increasing employment opportunities and reducing poverty. The National Program for Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Solidarity (PNFPEES) will be the executing agency for the program, which will contribute to its strategy for fostering economic inclusion with particular emphasis on financing for women entrepreneur...
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Thursday, December 08, 2011 — South Asia

Microfinance Industry Going All Out to Regain Lost Glory with Women Power

Source: The Economic Times
HYDERABAD/MUMBAI: Beleaguered microfinance industry is turning to women power to lift it out of the depths. The fairer sex is increasingly occupying the rank and file of recovery agents of lenders to the poor as the industry attempts to restore its past glory after charges of molestation and browbeating made it an unwanted child. "We will push the MFIs to have more women on rolls once the industry, currently in fire...
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Wednesday, December 07, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa Rising

Source: The Economist
THE shops are stacked six feet high with goods, the streets outside are jammed with customers and salespeople are sweating profusely under the onslaught. But this is not a high street during the Christmas-shopping season in the rich world. It is the Onitsha market in southern Nigeria, every day of the year. Many call it the world's biggest. Up to 3m people go there daily to buy rice and soap, computers and construction equipment. It is a hub for traders from the Gulf of Guinea, a region b...
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Wednesday, December 07, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Frequent Flier Miles at the Base of the Pyramid

Source: The Huffington Post
OK, so you are a cell-phone user in rural Nigeria or Zimbabwe, and your provider is Econet Wireless. You've been a customer for a while, so you've accumulated loyalty rewards, just like airline frequent flier points. You live in a small hut in a village with no electricity, so you can't use your phone as much as you would like, because you can only charge it on market day at the district headquarters. But now you can get a big discount on a solar lantern, or if you hav...
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Wednesday, December 07, 2011 — Latin America

Mining Proves a Test of Mettle for Peru's Ambitions of Economic Development

Source: Guardian.co.uk
The resignation of Peru 's deputy environment minister amid violent protests against the country's largest ever mining project has highlighted how weak institutions, unable to ensure decisions are made on the basis of robust information, undermine green policymaking in Latin America. José de Echave quit in late November, calling environmental impact studies on the $4.8bn (£3.1...
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Tuesday, December 06, 2011 — South Asia

Citi Micro Entrepreneur Awards 2011 Honors Individual Enterprise

Source: Microfinance Focus
The Citi Micro Entrepreneur Awards 2011 recognized nine micro entrepreneurs and a community owned enterprise at a ceremony presided over by Dr. K. C. Chakrabarty, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India. The Citi Micro Entrepreneur Awards 2011 received over 800 applications from 77 nominating organizations. There were 74 % women nominations and four new categories introduced - youth, green, innovative and community owned enterprise. The 2011 awards took into account geographical, socio-e...
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Tuesday, December 06, 2011 — South Asia

Prince of Poverty Leaves Behind Questionable Legacy

Source: Business Standard
Vikram Akula was the golden boy of microfinance when he launched his company SKS. How did things go so horribly wrong?. The story of Vikram Akula is almost like a classic Greek tragedy with epic peaks, troughs and betrayals that could easily make up a Hollywood movie. Akula remains a controversial character, whose very name incites admiration and criticism in equal measure. Some say that he gave birth to the microfinance industry as we know it in India. Others say that his model of lend...
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Tuesday, December 06, 2011 — Europe & Eurasia

Endeavor Takes Center Stage at Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Istanbul

Source: Business Wire
ISTANBUL--( BUSINESS WIRE )--This week, more than 120 Endeavor network members have gathered in Istanbul to participate in the 2 nd ...
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Monday, December 05, 2011 — No Region Specified

Should Philanthropies Operate Like Businesses?

Source: The Wall Street Journal
It's your money, and you're willing to give some of it away to a worthy cause. But you want to see results. Measurable progress toward agreed-upon goals. Regular proof that your investment is achieving maximum impact. That's the way businesses operate, and charities should be no different. That's one way to look at it, anyway. Others argue that things work differently in the world of nonprofits and social change. Tackling some of society's biggest problems is u...
TAGS:agribusiness
Monday, December 05, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa Can Make Significant Progress Towards the MDGs

Source: Guardian.co.uk
Most African countries may not achieve all the MDG targets by 2015. What matters more is that they all make significant progress in all areas of the MDGs and sustain, or even accelerate, this progress in accordance with their national conditions. Arguably, the political and economic conditions in Africa in 2011 are a lot better than they were...
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Monday, December 05, 2011 — South Asia

Diary of a Social Entrepreneur

Source: livemint.com
Asister organization of the World Economic Forum, the Schwab Foundation has been awarding social entrepreneurs in South-East Asia for five years. It chose Neelam Chhiber of Industree Crafts Foundation as the India Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 in partnership with the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation (the foundation is the social wing of the Jubilant Bhartia Group, whose promoters are closely related to those of ...
TAGS:consumer products
Friday, December 02, 2011 — No Region Specified

Dr. Yunus Inspires Students to Create Social Businesses

Source: Global Atlanta
Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus brought to Georgia his vision for students to create businesses that would help alleviate some of the state's most intractable social problems. And the visit has prompted the University System of Georgia to establish a fund to help finance student-inspired projects inspired by Dr. Yunus' social business model. The fund was launched as a result of an economic development conference includin...
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Thursday, December 01, 2011 — South Asia

Can Venture Capital Save The World?

Source: Forbes
Bahawalpur in eastern Pakistan is known for magnificent palaces built during the British Raj, but in the dusty part of town where most of the 400,000 residents actually live, four dozen farmers have gathered in the decidedly unpalatial concrete building that houses the local branch of the National Rural Support Programme Bank. Their darkened, sun-creased faces testify to the toll of tilling soil in one of the hotter places on Earth (at 11 a.m. in mid-June it's ­alread...
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Thursday, December 01, 2011 — No Region Specified

Four Companies Announce New Ventures to Promote Clean Energy

Source: Business Call to Action
New York, Durban, 28 November 2011 -More than 12 million low-income people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America will gain access to clean energy following four companies' commitments made today to the Business Call to Action , a global leadership initiative that promotes sustainable economic and social development. The companies also expect to create approximately 42,000 environmentally sustai...
TAGS:business case
Thursday, December 01, 2011 — No Region Specified

Grads Do 'Good' for a Profit

Source: The Wall Street Journal
At first blush, it looks as though M.B.A.s aren't doing much "good" upon graduation. Despite the fact that students sign up en masse for social-entrepreneurship classes, intern at nonprofits and participate in charitable extracurricular activities, fewer than 5% of graduates from many top business schools take jobs in nonprofit organizations right out of school, with some institutions placing just 1% or 2% in the field. Even the Yale School of Management, which has built a reputatio...
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011 — Asia Pacific

China Raises Poverty Line: Is it Setting an Example for Poverty Alleviation?

Source: International Business Times
China announced a new standard for defining poverty on Tuesday as it seeks to bridge the gap between the country's wealthier and poorer classes. The central authorities have decided to raise the poverty threshold to 2,300 yuan ($362), in terms of a farmer's annual net income, which marks an 80 percent rise from the 1,274 yuan standard in 2010. The 2010 figure was itself the result of marked revision; the standard was 206 yu...
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011 — South Asia

Social Enterprises See Funding Dip, but Investors Still Upbeat

Source: livemint.com
The value of investments in India's social enterprises has fallen by around 7% this year as investors struggle to identify companies that not only cater to the bottom of the pyramid by offering products and services at the right price points, but also provide sustainable returns for investors. Excluding microfinance institutions (MFIs), the investor-backed six social enterprises have put in $21.6 million (around Rs.112.5 crore) this year so far, compared with eight such investments ...
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011 — South Asia

Tata PE Buys 10% in Ginger Hotels

Source: The Times of India
MUMBAI: Tata Capital's private equity fund has acquired a 10% stake in Roots Corporation, which runs budget hotel chain Ginger. The stake-purchase in Ginger was completed by the $550 million Tata Opportunities Fund and it marks the one-year-old fund's debut investment, said sources familiar with the matter. Tata Opportunities Fund, spearheaded by Mukund Rajan, is a third party private equity fu...
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 — South Asia

Caterpillar Foundation Partners With Water.org to Expand WaterCredit in India, Indonesia

Source: PR Newswire
PEORIA, Ill., Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT ) today announced that the Caterpillar Foundation and Water.org announced a $3 million partnership to reach more than 218,000 people with clean water and sanitation over the next three years. The program will support a significant expansion of Water.org's WaterCredit activities in India, and also fund a mark...
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 — South Asia

How a Classic Model of Social Commerce Can Teach the World How to Save

Source: Guardian.co.uk
In a dusty hallway in Mumbai's Dharavi slum, two women barter used clothes for pots and pans. The going rate today is ten pieces of used clothing for one new tin pot. This is the informal economy, growing as the world's population continues to urbanise in mega-cities like Mumbai and São Paulo. In Mumbai, where 60% of residents live in slums, activity in the informal economy, from bartering to neighborhood savings groups to co-ops, rivals the scale of the formal economy of...
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 — Europe & Eurasia

HSBC Invests ?4m in Big Issue Invest Social Enterprise Fund

Source: Civil Society
Big Issue Invest has edged closer to its £10m target for its Social Enterprise Investment Fund, with HSBC Bank investing £4m, bringing the total committed capital to £8m. Big Issue Invest (BII) is now seeking to raise a further £2m to complete its £10m target by the March 2012. The Social Enterprise Investment fund aims to provide creatively structured, medium-term growth capital to social enterprises that have the potential to have a significant social imp...
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Monday, November 28, 2011 — Asia Pacific

Bringing Online Education to Mongolia, in Wireless Backpacks

Source: Fast Company
As a turbulent snowstorm whips across the vast, desolate Mongolian grasslands, a group of schoolchildren huddle over laptops, their eyes transfixed as the sagacious Sal Khan works through Newtonian physics. But Khan is only reaching these kids because of a bold initiative from another creative edupreneur: Neil Dsouza , age 27, cofounder of TeachAClass.org , ...
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Monday, November 28, 2011 — Latin America

Rural Peru Gets Connected

Source: Guardian.co.uk
The connection was not of crisp video quality, but the chorus of schoolchildren from San José de Huamaní, near Ica in the south, could be heard loud and clear: "Good morning," they chanted. Hundreds of kilometres away, they were greeted with applause, through video link, by a brightly lit conference room full of Peruvian and European Union officials. They were meeting in Lima to announce the completion of an ...
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Monday, November 28, 2011 — South Asia

Vodafone Increases Banking Options in Rural India with Mobile Service

Source: The Next Web
Vodafone India and HDFC Bank have announced plans to launch a mobile banking service across the country next year after a successful trial period, according to an Economic Times article . The service, which is called 'M-Paisa' (named after its monetary unit, the p...
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011 — South Asia

Selling Water, Health Care in the Developing World

Source: NPR
In rural India, deep in Punjab - about 90 minutes from the Pakistani border - getting clean drinking water is a challenge. Well water often has high levels of dangerous chemicals. Surface water is contaminated with pesticides and agricultural waste. Getting adequate health care is equally challenging. Government hospitals are often far away, and lines are long. Here, in places like a dusty rural town called Rajiana, a 2-year-old company called Healthpoint Services is trying to fig...
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011 — South Asia

How Vineet Rai Has Made Microfinance Advisory Intellecap into a Rs 30 Crore Venture

Source: The Economic Times
Age at starting business: 30 years Company name: Intellecap Headquarters: Hyderabad Seed capital: Rs 1 lakh Source of money: Parents-in-law, personal savings Turnover after first year: Rs 12 lakh Turnover in 2010-11: Rs 30 crore In a country where advice is abundant and free, making a career out of it may seem like a risky proposition. Fortunately for me, the gamble paid of...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — No Region Specified

The 4 Ways Big Corporations Flirt with Socially Responsible Business

Source: Fast Company
The last decade has given rise to many experiments by companies to incubate socially responsible business models. Large financial institutions have become hosts to microfinance divisions (Citi, Morgan Stanley). Energy companies have experimented with base-of-the-pyramid business models for emerging markets, aligning social utility (access to energy) with business strategy (long term growth). And social enterprises like The Body Shop and Ben & Jerry's have been acquired by major multin...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — Europe & Eurasia

A Decade of Microfinance and Improved Child Well-being in Kosovo

Source: AlertNet
Ten years after microfinance institution (MFI) KosInvest began work in Kosovo, its clients, staff and partners are celebrating improved child well-being thanks to loans for poor rural families and the peacebuilding work of World Vision in Kosovo. Since its inception, KosInvest has impacted the lives of 40,000 children through 12,000 loans totaling US$24 million and 16,000 jobs, which have been created or sustained through microfinance. KosInvest was established in 20...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — Latin America

Uruguayan Farmers Tackles Climate Change

Source: Microfinance Focus
The World Bank approved a US$49 million loan to support Uruguayan farmers tackle climate change. In their efforts, farmers are adopting environmentally sustainable practices to improve the resilience of their production systems in response to the effects of climate variability. The program is called the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and Climate Change. This will benefit 16,000 Uruguayan farmers through co-financing of land projects to improve their production systems, the ...
TAGS:business case
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — Asia Pacific

Indonesia?s Green Prosperity

Source: Brookings
On November 19, 2011, in Bali, Indonesia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a new partnership agreement with the Government of Indonesia providing more than $600 million of U.S. aid through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). More than half of these investments are dedicated to "green prosperity"-the sound idea that sustainable natural resource management and clean energy technologies accelerate economic growth and poverty alleviation. What does this mean in practical te...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — South Asia

More Optimism Here Than in Developed World

Source: livemint.com
New Delhi: David Calhoun, chief executive officer of leading global information and measurement company Nielsen Holdings NV, believes overseas clients could learn from the innovations of Indian marketers for bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers. The former vice-chairman of General Electric Co. (GE), who surprised many when he moved to Nielsen in 2006, was in India to attend a consumer summit organized by the research firm. Nielsen, owned by a group of private equity firms, including ...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — Europe & Eurasia

Microfinance Works - For the Rich

Source: International.to
VALLADOLID, Spain, Nov 18 (IPS) - Jesús Guerra, a volunteer at this week's Fifth Global Microcredit Summit in this Spanish town, was nonplussed by the expensive gold watch sported by a banker from a developing country. "When I volunteered to help at the Summit I thought this was different," Guerra told IPS. "I believed that everybody who worked in microfinance wanted to end social injustices, but here I am listening to a lot of people saying that the goal i...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — No Region Specified

Billionaire Salinas Seeks U.S. Entry to Target ?Unbanked?

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek
Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Ricardo Salinas, the Mexican billionaire whose banking and retail empire spans eight countries, is looking to bring his microlending business to the U.S. to capitalize on the opportunity with low-income customers. Grupo Elektra SA seeks clients at the "bottom of the pyramid" in terms of income and assets, and U.S. households with less than $25,000 in annual income fit that profile, Salinas said today in an interview at Bloomberg's headquarters in New York. He ...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

The South African 'Wonderbag' Soon to be UNFCCC Accredited

Source: HEDON
A South African project that initially attempted to tackle poverty has shown potential to mitigate the effects of climate change and is expanding beyond the country's borders. By Kemantha Govender, BuaNews The Wonderbag project - a recyclable, insulated 'cooker' - focuses on developing countries and communities with high poverty, shortage of fuel supplies, high i...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 — No Region Specified

19-Year-Old Vows To Disrupt Solar Industry

Source: Forbes
Canada's Eden Full is just 19 years-old. But she's known since she was three years-old that she's wanted to be a scientist - of some sort. It wasn't until she entered into a science competition at nine years-old and built her first solar car that she realized the potential for solar, particularly in areas around the world that remain without electricity. Just 10 years later, in 2010, Full succeeded in providing electricity, for the first time, to two villages in Kenya through ...
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Monday, November 21, 2011 — South Asia

Invest in Women

Source: MarketWatch
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) - In the developing world, women have a critical stake in survival. And it turns out that investing in women is a good bet for a number of reasons. "We know that women are critical to economic growth and community stability," the organization Business for Social Responsibility says in a report, Investing in Women's Economic Empowerment. "Research has also shown that women earning an income are more likely than men to invest in the education, nutrit...
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Monday, November 21, 2011 — No Region Specified

Omidyar Network Empowers Underbanked With Investment in Financial Services Innovator Mango

Source: The Sacramento Bee
Omidyar Network today announced it has invested in Mango Financial, a leader in providing innovative financial solutions to underbanked individuals in the United States. The investment in Mango is part of the impact investing firm's focus on supporting innovative financial services solutions that empower underserved U.S. consumers. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. Mango offers a s...
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Monday, November 21, 2011 — South Asia

Adidas to Launch $1 Shoe in India

Source: The Economic Times
BERLIN: Adidas, the German sportswear and equipment maker, is to launch a shoe costing one dollar a pair in India, boss Herbert Hainer said, despite the failure of a similar venture in Bangladesh. He told the Sunday newspaper Die Welt am Sonntag that unlike in Bangladesh mass production would be possible to supply the growing Indian market. "The shoe will be sold in villages through a dis...
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Monday, November 21, 2011 — No Region Specified

Dalberg's Call for Survey Participants

Source: Dalberg Global Development Advisors
Dalberg Global Development Advisors is working with Harvard Business School's new "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" course to survey leaders of innovative social enterprises on their recipes for success and views about the sector. The survey's results will help the next generation of social entrepreneurs and bring urgent issues to the attention of policymakers. Leaders who would like to receive the survey should contact Daniel Altman, Dalberg's director of thought leadership...
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Friday, November 18, 2011 — Asia Pacific

China Reports Dramatic Drop in Rural Poverty

Source: CNN
China has reported a dramatic decrease in rural poverty over the last decade. The number of rural citizens living below the national rural poverty line fell from 94.2 million people (10.2% of the rural population) in 2000, to 26.88 million (2.8%) last year, according to figures released Wednesday by China's State Council. The sharp drop occurred despite the fact the national rural poverty benc...
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Friday, November 18, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

The Spectacular Mobile Phone Revolution in Africa

Source: International Business Times
Mobile phone service is gaining by leaps and bounds in Africa. Indeed, so many Africans have subscribed to wireless service that the continent is now the second-largest market in the world - having supplanted Latin America -- and behind only Asia, the top market. The expansion of mobile phones is likely to revolutionize Africa, a land plagued by poverty, disease, war...
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Friday, November 18, 2011 — South Asia

HBL to Launch Branchless Banking

Source: Pakistan Observer
Islamabad-HBL has inked a Technology Support agreement with Sybase 365, the global leader in mobile messaging and mobile commerce services, and Abacus Consulting, a leading management and technology consultancy firm for the deployment of branchless banking services. Mr. Faiq Sadiq, Head-Payment Services and Mr. Mudassir Khan, Chief Information Officer from HBL, Mr. Mathew Talbot, Senior Vice President, mCommerce and Tarik Husain, Business Development Director, mCommerce from Sybase 365 and Mr...
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Thursday, November 17, 2011 — No Region Specified

More Health for the Money

Source: Devex
Aid from wealthy countries to fight disease and poverty in the developing world has saved countless lives over the past decade. Despite intensified financial efforts toward global health goals, progress seems to be impeded and slow as the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals draws near. A recent study by the OECD Development Assistance Committee ...
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Thursday, November 17, 2011 — South Asia

Accel Partners Raises $155M for New India Venture Fund

Source: VCCircle
Accel Partners, which has backed global Internet majors like Facebook and Groupon, has raised a new $155 million venture capital fund that will invest in seed and early-stage investments in India. Accel India III is nearly two-and-a-half times its predecessor, Accel India Venture Fund II, which raised $60 million three years ago. With the inception of the new fund, the assets under management of Accel India will reach $235 million across its three early-stage funds. "The fund has ...
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Thursday, November 17, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Microcredit - Women Demand More Than Incomes

Source: IPS
VALLADOLID, Spain, Nov 16, 2011 (IPS) - Microcredit can help a woman to have an income. It can, for better or worse, also transform gender equations in the public and private spheres. Making microfinance more meaningful for women in terms of real empowerment occupies much of the deliberations at the Fifth Global Microcredit Summit underway in this Spanish city. Apparently, not all microcredit institutions (MFIs) are aware of the importance of contribu...
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011 — Europe & Eurasia

?Challenges and Solutions? on Day Two of the Global Microcredit Summit

Source: Microfinance Focus
"What's the one thing you know for sure about clients of microfinance?" This was the question with which the lead author of a new paper, Anton Simanowitz, began the plenary session on day two of the Global Microcredit Summit 2011. "The answer", he said, "is that at some point, they will suffer a shock beyond what they can cope with; and which is greater than their incomes". How MFIs understanding this fact, face up to it, plan for it, determines whether microfinance has ...
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011 — South Asia

PepsiCo Counters Inflation with Small Packs, Low Cost Items

Source: The Economic Times
NEW DELHI: With high inflation making consumers think twice before spending, food and beverages major PepsiCo is turning to measures like reducing pack sizes and introducing very low priced items in order to keep sales volume counter ticking in India. Despite hiking prices, the company is confident that steps like launching products specifically for bottom of pyramid consumers as well as for the premium-end segment will help it strike a balance between volumes and value. ...
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

A Netflix for Batteries to Get Africa on the Grid

Source: Fast Company
Around the world nearly 2 billion people don't have reliable access to electricity. We've covered some of the inspiring plans and products aiming to compensate for that by making solar power cheap enough for off-grid homes in the developing world. But in Tanzania, where just 14 percent of peopl...
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011 — Latin America

ANDE Releases Report on Social and Inclusive Businesses in Brazil

Source: Press Release
Data from new research coordinated by the Brazil Chapter of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), the AVINA Foundation, and Potencia Ventures demonstrates significant growth for social and inclusive businesses in Brazil. The purpose of the study was to identify which regions and groups are fueling the most economic and social change. The report, released this week in English in time for Global Entrepreneurship Week, reveals a changing lands...
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Rural Women Banking by Mobile Phone

Source: IPS
PLUMTREE, Zimbabwe, Nov 14, 2011 (IPS) - Collecting the monthly subscriptions for her co-operative has always been a headache for Thelma Nare, 41. This is because Nare lives in Tshitshi, Plumtree in rural Zimbabwe, about 60 kilometres away from the humdrum of the nearest town centre where banks are located. "We meet after a long time as here in the rural areas our homesteads can be very far from each other. So members of our club do not meet or contribute regularly...
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011 — Europe & Eurasia

Proposed Seal of Excellence Dominates Day One of Global Microcredit Summit

Source: Microfinance Focus
There are summits virtually every week nowadays. Networks, funds, and commercial banks - everyone seems to be inviting everyone along to come and discuss the future of the industry. For the most part, these conferences can be little more than distractions at best. At worst, they can be junkets: opportunities for a trip to a new place while the poor MFI, which is struggling anyway, foots the bill. The Global Microcredit Summit, one must admit, is different. For one thing, it happens ever...
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011 — No Region Specified

IDB, Partners Establish New Competition for Hispanic Entrepreneurs in the US

Source: Inter-American Development Bank
Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), today announced the establishment of a new competition to help Hispanic entrepreneurs implement creative new social and business ideas addressing issues of economic growth, food, security, water, and climate change in the region. The announcement was made at Unleashing IdEA, an event launching Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011, which highlighted initiatives to encourage Hispanic diaspora entrepreneurs and inves...
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Monday, November 14, 2011 — Asia Pacific

People from India, China Potential Customers for Future: President Barack Obama

Source: The Economic Times
WASHINGTON: Appreciative of achievements made in a short span of time by India and China in areas like poverty alleviation, US President Barack Obama has told top CEOs from the Asia-Pacific region that people of the two Asian giants are "potential customers" for the future. "Whether it's China, whether it's India, these emerging countries, what they're accomplishing in a few short decades -- a...
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Monday, November 14, 2011 — No Region Specified

Global Entrepreneurship Week: Give Entrepreneurs the Tools They Need

Source: The Washington Post
Rupert Scofield is the President and CEO of FINCA International and the author of the new book The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook: How to Start, Build, and Run a Business That Improves the World . It seems that we have lost sight of a simple truth in the midst of today's global economic and social turmoil: Giving people the tools they need to become ...
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Monday, November 14, 2011 — No Region Specified

Ennovent Makes Debut Investment, Backs Barefoot Power

Source: VCCircle
Ennovent, a bottom of the pyramid focused investment firm, has made its debut deal by investing an undisclosed amount in Australia-based Barefoot Power. The investment was done by Ennovent's Sustainable Enterprise Fund along with Insitor (a social venture capital fund), Netherlands' Oikocredit (a DFI focusing on MFIs) and The Grace Foundation (a charitable foundation). Ennovent is an early stage fund which looks to invest in low-cost innovations in energy, food, water, health an...
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Friday, November 11, 2011 — No Region Specified

Microfinance, Plus Business Training, Equals Empowerment for the Developing World

Source: The Washington Times
VIENNA , VA, November 11, 2011-Step into the shoes of Priscilla, a 52-year-old woman in the new Republic of South Sudan who recently learned to write her name. As a girl, she never had a chance to attend school, and so Priscilla struggled through much of her life seeking sense of purpose and dignity. Twenty-five years of civil war - and countless other factors - had locked her out of a world of opportunity. Priscilla had almost given up hope. But thanks...
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Friday, November 11, 2011 — No Region Specified

Startups for Good: The New Breed of Social Impact Incubators

Source: Fast Company
It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes an ecosystem to scale a business that will transform the world. For many industries, support networks already exist in the form of business incubators, accelerators, venture capital, and other tools that will help grow an organization. For businesses designed with social and environmental impact in mind, there are far fewer resources to nurture them to world-class status. That's the niche Mi...
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Friday, November 11, 2011 — Europe & Eurasia

Social Business is About Future of Humanity

Source: The Daily Star
The third Global Social Business Summit began in Vienna yesterday to discuss the progress of global movement of the new business concept to find ways to tackle the most pressing needs of the world. Chancellor of Austria Werner Faymann inaugurated the summit at the Congress Centre of the Austrian capital. Dr Michael Haupl, mayor of Vienna, greeted more than 500 delegates from 56 countries. With the motto of "Pioneering for Results," the 2011 summit has brought together indivi...
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Friday, November 11, 2011 — No Region Specified

The Best Countries to Invest in are the Worst

Source: MarketWatch
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) - The United Nations Development Program recently completed its annual Human Development Report, listing the well-being of nations based on their economic prosperity, education levels and life expectancy. Considering that this column is devoted to investing with an impact, elevating social welfare by investing in, say, Norway, the highest ranked on the HDI, isn't as easy to do as it might be by investing in, say, the Democratic Republic of the Cong...
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Thursday, November 10, 2011 — Sub-Saharan Africa

Embrace ICT for Development, Minister Urges SMEs

Source: The Nation
Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SME) operators have been urged to leverage the power of the Internet in transforming their businesses. Speaking at the Google Business Summit in Lagos, the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said research supports the concept of putting businesses online. "Today, Nigeria has an estimated 33 million Internet users and we have targets to double this number in the next three to four years. Getting your business o...
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Thursday, November 10, 2011 — South Asia

Ujjivan?s Social Development Program Helps Underprivileged Children in Kolkata

Source: Microfinance Focus
Ujjivan Financial Services, Bangalore-based Microfinance Institution (MFI), set up a concrete water reservoir at Vidhya Bhanvan Primary School at Kasba, Kolkata. Also Ujjivan presented two water purifiers to the underprivileged students at "Children of Topsia" school, as part of its national Social Development Program. The 400 students of the primary school till now had been suffering without proper access to drinking water. The 'Children of Topsia' school is run by a Span...
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Thursday, November 10, 2011 — South Asia

SKS Microfinance Should Present Themselves as a Business, Not as Do-gooders: Vinod Khosla

Source: The Economic Times
In one of the toughest environments to raise money, Vinod Khosla recently closed a $1.05-billion fund and promised to use most of this cash to back startups that he believes will change the way the world consumes energy. Since 2004, when he started Khosla Ventures, the Sun Microsystems co-founder has displayed almost messianic zeal in his quest to find alternative energy companies that can disp...
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