M4D: Addressing The Infrastructure Access Gap
Women fetching water near Tambacounda, Eastern Senegal The GSMA and DFID announced on the 20th of October that an additional £6 million in funding has been provided by DFID to extend the GSMA’s work to improve energy, water and sanitation, as part of its newly branded Mobile for Development Utilities programme. The programme builds on […]
Taking Risks to Break New Ground in Botswana
I was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. It all began when I started plaiting the hair of women in my community as a girl, including teachers at my school for a small fee. I would take the income home to help my family. I grew up in Botswana, in a small old town with my […]
Cambodia: Growing Momentum for Sanitation
By KC Koch, iDE WASH Communications Manager On a Sunday morning, rural villagers gather in the village meetinghouse. A respected member of the local commune committee calls for the group’s attention. She leads them in games and stimulates lively conversations about proper sanitation. People wave fans in the air decorated with colorful photographs and consult […]
Dignity 2014 – Celebrating Impact in India
Contribute to the Fight Against Ebola with Bitcoin
In times of global crisis, we often find that humanity demonstrates compassion, offering support in cash, time and expertise. Those on the frontlines fighting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa are our modern-day heroes, selflessly exposing themselves to potential danger in the throes of the fight. These heroes need financial support, and more importantly, they […]
Children’s Rights and Business Principles
You could be forgiven for thinking that the masses descending on the ExCel Centre in East London last Wednesday were there to remember the ill-fated Gunpowder plot and Guy Fawkes’ subsequent demise. The 5th of November, however, also marks World Responsible Tourism Day, with industry leaders meeting to celebrate progress on key sustainability challenges facing […]
Two Types of Inclusive Business
How does one break down and analyse an inclusive business portfolio as large and diverse as Business Call to Action’s? The 94 BCtA member companies that have set up inclusive business initiatives range from global corporate conglomerates set up many decades ago, to early-stage social enterprises operating in just one area. So when it came […]
Working Toward Sustainability in the Sugar Sector
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Bonsucro, originally known as the Better Sugarcane Initiative, is taking place in Manila this week. I remember the first AGM in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2008. It was a small group then, about 25 people. I participated in the review of the first draft Production Standard, visited the São […]
Global Development Award: Could you be the next winner?
With the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) culminating at the end of 2015, the race is now on to achieve the targets with demonstrable impact. At Business in the Community, through the Unilever Global Development Award supported by Business Fights Poverty, we recognise businesses that can demonstrate positive impact against one or more of the United […]
Scaling Corporate Social Enterprise in Latin America
Support for social entrepreneurship has grown rapidly in the last decade, and individuals seeking to launch new social enterprises now have a variety of options for networking, support for converting an idea into a tangible venture, and raising funds. But, despite these advances, social enterprises rarely have the opportunity to scale operations and, thus, impact. […]
This is What Development Looks Like
This week the Daily Mail created a stir by reporting that t-shirts produced for the Fawcett Society by Whistles, and modelled by British political leaders, had been made in ‘Sweatshop conditions’ in Mauritius. The pictures which accompany the article show what looks like a well equipped, purpose built factory. The workflow is organised, the garments […]
Vegetable Seeds – Growth in Nutrition and the Economy
At the wholesale market in Arusha, Tanzania, it’s all about tomatoes. Everywhere you look, there are stacks of wooden crates piled high with the crimson orbs, ready to be packed onto trucks and driven off to the capital, Dar es Salaam, for distribution throughout the region. The thriving tomato trade is among the most visible […]
Challenging Assumptions Start-ups Can’t Reach Scale
Can start-ups scale? Can social enterprises reach sufficient millions of people to really crack problems of poverty? This question has been around for many years. Now first answers are emerging. A crop of ‘breakthrough’ social enterprises are emerging. They are growing fast, securing investment and partners, and reaching millions of people. Of course they do […]
Modern Slavery Bill: The Power of Collaboration
We can celebrate the UK Government’s recent announcement that it will include a reporting requirement for businesses in the Modern Slavery Bill. This has the potential to make a significant difference. Following the establishment of the Joint Committee led by Frank Field in January 2013, the draft Bill was published in December 2013. The Government […]
How a New Breed of Multinationals Can Root Out Poverty
The number of people now living on $2 a day or less is greater than the world’s total population in 1950, when the global fight against poverty began. Only business can marshal the resources (human and financial) and the incentives (profits and wages) to address this tragic reality at scale, and sustain the effort for […]
Ebola Perception Risks May Hurt Africa’s Economies
Nearly six months after the first reported case of Ebola was diagnosed in West Africa, the outbreak continues to dominate daily news headlines globally. The economic impacts of the virus, which continues to spread rapidly in the three worst affected countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, have already lopped several percentage points off of […]
Diamond Development Initiative on the Ebola Crisis
It is with grave concern that I share our perspective on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Thankfully, none of our partners on the ground have been infected. However, their communities and their livelihoods are under siege. The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) is currently engaged in projects in Sierra Leone, which are helping to reform […]
Why is Intrapreneurship Worth the Effort?
The last in our series of short insights from The Intrapreneur Lab, is Damian Payiatakis, Director of Strategic Development at Barclays Wealth, Lab participant in the 2013 Lab and invited back as faculty 1 year later. We interviewed Damian back in October 2013. The Intrapreneur Lab: What challenges lie ahead for you and your project? […]
Rising Inequality: Bad for Business & Reducing Poverty
Today Oxfam launches a major new report Even it Up: Time to End Extreme Inequality. It is the opening salvo in a new campaign to highlight the harm caused by runaway inequality and the barriers this is putting in the way of Oxfam’s mission to overcome poverty and suffering. For the third year running, the […]
Rising Inequality: Bad for Business & Reducing Poverty
Today Oxfam launches a major new report Even it Up: Time to End Extreme Inequality. It is the opening salvo in a new campaign to highlight the harm caused by runaway inequality and the barriers this is putting in the way of Oxfam’s mission to overcome poverty and suffering. For the third year running, the […]