Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Needs to Start at Home
Here are two deeply troubling facts: Very few countries in the world have achieved true gender equality. None of the remaining countries are on track to achieve it by the 2030 target world leaders agreed upon under the Sustainable Development Goals. “It appears that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely […]
Avon, Diageo and M&S Join Call for an International Treaty to Protect Women at Work
On International Women’s Day, Avon, Diageo and Marks and Spencer published a letter with CARE International UK calling for an international treaty to protect women at work. The letter, set out below, was signed by Amy Greene, VP Investor and Stakeholder Relations, Avon, Mairead Nayager, Chief HR Officer, Diageo, Fiona Sadler, Head of Ethical Trade, […]
Women are Power
What do you dream about today? My dream is that Led by HER, the organization I created will no longer exist. My dream is that events like She Innovates where I’m speaking today as part of UN Women will no longer exist. My dream is that my future daughters will grow up in a world […]
Businesses for impact in the spotlight: 4 insights into transforming access to financial services in Nepal
Amit Agrawal is a Nepali tech entrepreneur and CEO of Janaki Technology Pvt Ltd, an award-winning software company that operates the digital wallet Khalti. Amit recently participated in the SPRING Accelerator programme, which helps growth-oriented businesses in East Africa and South Asia develop innovations that transform the lives of adolescent girls through human-centered design (HCD) – a […]
Highlighting the Plight of Woman Agricultural Workers in Coffee Production #BalanceforBetter International Women’s Day 2019
When Florence Njiraini’s new husband gifted her 1,500 coffee plants on the slopes of Mt. Kenya years ago, she knew almost nothing about farming. Determined to make her plot a success, she set about learning as much as she could, and soon she was employing sustainable growing practices. Njiraini is not only successful as a […]
A Transparent Cuppa – Mapping Our Tea and Coffee Supply Chains
As we enter the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight, it’s a time to celebrate our Fairtrade products and reflect on our hard work building strong relationships with our producers and working on programmes such as empowering women in the supply chain. This year, Fairtrade marks 25 years since it launched in the UK; a pioneering standard, […]
Inside IKEA: A Furniture Store on a Social Mission
The big blue and yellow storefront is unmistakable in more than 50 countries. While distinctly Swedish, IKEA has a long and rich history in Switzerland. Now it is trying to rally other companies in the country around gender equality. Will they listen? Since 1943, IKEA has transformed living rooms and the shopping experience in countries […]
Moving Towards Gender Equality: A New Index Looks at Legal Reforms to Help Women’s Economic Inclusion
Do you think the world is becoming more equal for women at work? The recently published Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform gives us some insight. While achieving gender equality requires a broad range of efforts over time, the study focuses on the law as an important first step to providing an objective […]
How Can We Optimise Business Impact to Solve Complex Challenges? 5 Insights from the Ice Academy
BFP: What is the Ice Academy? In 2017, the Ice Academy programme was created to support people who have refugee status get back into business and remove barriers they face entering the job market. The goal is to provide people with the opportunities and resources needed to start a business, through entrepreneurship training, mentoring and […]
Businesses and Social Change: We’re At The Starting Point, Not The Finish Line
More than three-quarters of people worldwide want CEOs “to take the lead on change” instead of waiting for the government to act, according to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer. Is this a good idea for society? What would this kind of leadership look like, and how could it be achieved? The past can provide answers. […]
Why Purpose Must be at the Heart of Business Strategy
So much for a gentle start to the new year. Early 2019 has been a challenging time for those of us who strive to make organisations a force for good – whether we call it purpose, CSR, sustainability or inclusion. We kicked off the year in the midst of heavy fire from Anand Giridharas, journalist […]
The Tide is Coming in for Indonesia’s Seaweed
Along the coast of the province of South Sulawesi, villagers began farming seaweed to supplement their income from fishing several decades ago. As global demand for seaweed and seaweed products has taken off, prices have increased and many villagers have taken up seaweed farming full-time. Mangambe Daeng Siama, a seaweed farmer from the village of […]
New Ways of Partnering: The CARE and Cargill Partnership
In December of 1958, in lieu of sending out Christmas cards for the holidays, Cargill made a charitable contribution to CARE, in support of their aid packages to families in poverty-stricken countries. It was the beginning of an association that has endured for more than 60 years, and which has latterly evolved from a relatively […]
CARE, Cargill and Communities: An Historic, Mutual Agenda for Change
For charities, even large, well-established ones, working with multinational corporations can often seem to be a process fraught with pitfalls. The corporate world has for decades been seen as entirely separate—and sometimes even antagonistic—to that of civil society organizations and humanitarian assistance. To NGOs, even simple transactional relationships—the giving and receiving of money—can carry risks, […]
Business Integrity Initiative: Changing the Way We Do Business in Africa?
230,000+ UK SMEs need to export to Africa without engaging in corruption. They need clean business partners and intermediaries. Is this a business opportunity for your country? If your country is anything like mine (Nigeria) where corruption is endemic, pervasive and systemic, you will know the business case for spending scarce funds on demonstrating anti-corruption […]
Can Global Partners Collaborate with Local Entrepreneurs and Find Solutions to Urgent Urban Water Challenges in Bangalore?
Water may often be recognized as one of the call out issues linked to the sustainable development agenda globally, but its impacts are always felt locally. The recent water shortage crisis in Cape Town, South Africa, drew international attention and underlined the need for a radical rethink of how to manage urban water. And a […]
How Can an Ecosystem Approach Help MSMEs to Thrive?
Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are the lifeblood of many communities and a critical source of employment and livelihoods. Larger companies rely on their effective operation and success in their value chains as suppliers, distributors, retailers and customers. However, many MSMEs struggle on a daily basis for multiple reasons. They can find it difficult […]
Get Involved: New Challenges on Gender-Based Violence, SME Ecosystems, Transformational Partnerships and Purpose
Everything we do at Business Fights Poverty is driven by a belief in the power of purposeful collaboration – the simple idea that when you bring together the right people around a clear, shared challenge, with a focus on delivering a tangible, valuable output in a clear timeframe, you create the space for generating powerful […]
Welcome to the Business Fights Poverty Magazine Issue One
The ways in which business can and should be addressing social issues are many and complex. This magazine helps you to navigate the challenges and find out about some of the leading edge thinking and topics across the space. Brought to you by a team that share a common belief in business as a force […]
Seven Key Learnings for Corporate Partnership Leads in 2019
At the end of last year, WWF and Tesco announced they would be joining forces in a four year partnership to deliver affordable, healthy, sustainable food with a shared goal to half the environmental impact of the average shopping basket. Working together they will be focusing on three key areas of activity: Helping customers eat […]