Early-stage Impact Investing: A Call For Action
(www.seedinit.org) The exponential growth of small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in Africa, Asia and Latin America has contributed significantly to the burgeoning green economy. Every year more and more small and green entrepreneurs are creating innovative ways to produce sustainable products and services that are having wide-reaching social and economic impacts on the world’s […]
Take a Breather with a Quartet of Social Intrapreneurs
It all started with four hands on a piano. I met Melody McLaren, an Associate at the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility in London, during a duet we improvised based on Charlie Parker’s “Now’s the Time”. OK, I doubt we would have rocked the charts with our recording, but our interests in jazz sparked off […]
Is The Global Digital Divide Still Widening?
Three billion unique mobile subscribers? Yes, it is a huge number. To learn that another mobile SIM is activated every passing second around the world is overwhelming. And today mobile technology is the easiest entry point to the internet too. Looking at thisICT uptakewe tend to believe that the digital divide – the gap in […]
Employee Volunteerism Ignites Social Innovation At GSK
Photo: Lisa Kenyon, PULSE Volunteer at AMREF- Kenya By Ahsiya Posner Mencin, Ph.D. Director, PULSE Volunteer Partnership How do you capture the fresh insights and ideas that about 100 high-performing GSK employees develop each year as a result of their PULSE assignments? This is a question that the PULSE Team and I have asked ourselves […]
Improving Healthcare Access in Developing Nations
Outside Kenya’s capital Nairobi lies the small farming town of Embu, which is filled with roadside stalls where farmers sell their mango, potato and rice crops. This remote region, nestled near the hills of Mount Kenya, is the setting for the second phase of the Familia Nawiri (Healthy Family) initiative, one example of a Novartis […]
Seven Reasons To Be Optimistic About Africa
This piece originally appeared on the World Economic Forum’s blog. When I meet young Africans who have graduated from overseas universities, I am struck by their excitement for Africa. They have a vision for their countries of origin, and a passion to return to, and invest in, their homelands. This new desire for engagement is […]
No Smoke Without Fire!
What happens when an engineer meets a climate change expert ? This is the story of One Earth Designs, a social enterprise that develops sustainable solutions responding to the need of the rural communities in the Himalayas. The Global Alliance for Clean Stoves states that “exposure to smoke from traditional stoves and open fires – […]
From 'Poor' To Customer
Today, communities in rural India are still viewed as “poor” and not as customers. Ajaita Shah, founder of Frontier Markets, has decided to transform that vision. With Frontier Markets, she offers sustainable and clean energy products to the Bottom of the Pyramid. After working in micro-finance, Ajaita Shah started questioning the traditional approach to servicing […]
From ‘Poor’ To Customer
Today, communities in rural India are still viewed as “poor” and not as customers. Ajaita Shah, founder of Frontier Markets, has decided to transform that vision. With Frontier Markets, she offers sustainable and clean energy products to the Bottom of the Pyramid. After working in micro-finance, Ajaita Shah started questioning the traditional approach to servicing […]
Bridging The Skills Gap
Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education is also the strongest tool to lift people out of poverty. The founders of Avanti, a social venture based out of India, are working to bridge the skills gap and empower millions of children to transform […]
VSO: Transforming Our People For Over A Decade
This year we’re celebrating the tenth anniversary of seconding our corporate employees to VSO projects around the world. It’s a proud moment in our partnership. What makes it even more special is that our relationship has not only made a difference to VSO, it’s made a difference to our people. If other businesses are considering […]
Making Health Care Possible in the Most Impossible Place
Possible Health is a non-profit tackling the issue of health care in a very challenging environment. Based in a rural area of Nepal, Possible Health’s mission is to prove that it is possible to deliver high quality health care services at a very low cost. Mark Arnoldy, 27, founder of Possible Health, is a serial […]
You are the Author of your Own Story!
The Holstee Manifesto is an inspiration to everyone in need of stimulation and change in their life. Michael Radparvar, co-founder of Holstee, shares his journey as a young social entrepreneur. Holstee is a life style brand that promotes sustainable living by offering responsible consumer choices. Based on the triple bottom line People, Planet, Profit, Holstee […]
Making health care possible in the world's most impossible place
Possible Health is a non-profit tackling the issue of health care in a very challenging environment. Based in a rural area of Nepal, Possible Health’s mission is to prove that it is possible to deliver high quality health care services at a very low cost. Mark Arnoldy, 27, founder of Possible Health, is a serial […]
Making health care possible in the world’s most impossible place
Possible Health is a non-profit tackling the issue of health care in a very challenging environment. Based in a rural area of Nepal, Possible Health’s mission is to prove that it is possible to deliver high quality health care services at a very low cost. Mark Arnoldy, 27, founder of Possible Health, is a serial […]
Abandoned Houses Prove Golden Opportunity
Miriam, 43, lives in Cañadas del Florido, a low-income neighborhood in Tijuana, Baja California, the northernmost state of Mexico. Three years ago, on any given day, Miriam and her three children would watch criminals, drug addicts, and vagrants frequent the empty house next-door. Their streets were littered with garbage and dead animals. This is not […]
BoP World Convention and Expo
Benefits of Stakeholder Engagement
In 2006, the Indorama Corporation acquired the Eleme Petrochemicals Company (IEPL) from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, as part of a government-led privatisation programme. Indorama is an Indonesian-based manufacturer of petrochemicals and associated downstream products that operates in 19 countries. Located just outside Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta, IEPL is a 360 hectare site, […]
Why We Should See Farming as a Business
In 2050 food production almost needs to have doubled to feed the future population of then 10 billion people. As agriculture forms the backbone of Kenya’s economy, contributing 50% to the country’s GDP and employing 70% of the labor force, it holds great potential to increase production levels. Investments in agriculture are critical to let […]
Prosper – The Next Stage of SABMiller's SD Journey
Over the past decade, leading multinational companies have recognized that to effectively manage environmental, social and governance issues, they have to integrate them into their core business practices. This moves sustainability beyond compliance and community social investment, although these are still important elements of the whole. SABMiller has been one of the pioneers in this […]