Zambian Businessman Starts Africa’s First Green Party
After years in the maize exporting business and fifteen years of fighting to protect the rich natural resources, environment and landscape of Zambia, Peter Sinkamba has decided it is time to swap his activist hat for a politician’s. All the same, he will keep his business hat on when trying to persuade corporates to jump […]
Combatting Modern-Day Slavery
How many slaves work for you? Paradoxically – in 2013 – the question is still very relevant, and you might be surprised by the answer. Depending on where you live, what you buy, what your lifestyle is, you have almost certainly been touched by slavery. Almost nobody is clean. Modern-day slavery takes many forms: human […]
We Must Make Farming Profitable
A farmer tells his child, “study well and get a job or you will suffer like me.” This is not an isolated caution from a hapless father, but a reality that plays out time and again across villages in the emerging world. Parents don’t want their children to farm. As governments across the world clamour […]
How to Change the Way the World is Fed?
As we mark World Food Day this week, we are greeted by the news that 842 million people – about one in eight – are still chronically hungry. Although this represents an improvement on the figures from previous years, it is not enough, and it looks like we are at risk of missing the Millennium […]
'Eco' Status Quo? Why We're Growing Our Own Food
Social entrepreneurs are driving a global movement to think, eat, and grow local. UK Venture Manager Julia Koskella shares Ashoka’s key insights for success as part of a series on leading trends in social entrepreneurship and the environment coming out of Europe. The past few years have seen a massive increase in demand for locally-sourced […]
‘Eco’ Status Quo? Why We’re Growing Our Own Food
Social entrepreneurs are driving a global movement to think, eat, and grow local. UK Venture Manager Julia Koskella shares Ashoka’s key insights for success as part of a series on leading trends in social entrepreneurship and the environment coming out of Europe. The past few years have seen a massive increase in demand for locally-sourced […]
Investigating Inclusive Business Models in Africa
Woolworths through its Good Business Journey, has a comprehensive plan to make a difference in six priority areas: sustainable farming, protecting water supplies, reducing energy use, improving the management of waste, making a significant contribution to social development and supporting transformation initiatives As part of the company’s CSR investment, Woolworths was the first and main […]
HOW-TO MANAGE MISSION-RELATED MARTYRDOM
Every social entrepreneur knows there if is a huge difference between burnout and bummed out. Some days, indeed most days, we in the social sector are grieving over deplorable income inequality, the pathology of poverty, grinding gender discrimination and the talent loss of economic inopportunity. As Jessamyn Lau, formerly of the Peery Foundation, notes, “There […]
The Best Social Innovations of 2013
The SAB Foundation has announced the finalists of its 3rd Annual Social Innovation Awards 2013. A total of 26 finalists will vie for the R1-million first place prize, which will be used to grow and commercialise their product or service. The SAB Foundation Social Innovations Awards was first launched in 2011 by its chairperson, Cyril […]
Lessons for the Bangladesh Garment Sector
In the months since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh sparked a drive to address worker health and safety in the garment sector, I’ve been suffering a severe case of déj? vu. Here’s how it has played out: high-profile exposure of human rights abuses, coupled with intense lobbying by civil society, causes international brands […]
Nutrition in Rural China
President of Amway (China) Co. Ltd.; Executive Vice Chairman of Amway Charity Foundation I’ve lived and worked in China most of my life, and have witnessed firsthand the country’s economic rise. The stories one hears outside of China focus on prosperity, massive infrastructure projects, and an increasing middle class and consumer base. But when I […]
7 Trends Shaping Africa’s Youth Employment Challenge
In 2001, Charles Maisel started a social enterprise because he saw potential in the young men who sit on the roadside in South Africa’s townships waiting to be hired for a day’s labor. He then flipped the problem into a solution. Charles understood the barriers: the short-term and unreliable nature of employment in the informal […]
Creating Opportunities for Rural Girls in India
A two-year-old girl named Arshi was one of last people in India to get polio. Her case is remarkable for a number of reasons. First and most obvious, her case – now more than two years old – shows the tremendous strides we’ve made against polio. There has been no case of wild polio in […]
The Business Call to Action Annual Event 2013
The Business Call to Action (BCtA) held this year’s Annual Event on September 19th in New York City, in conjunction with the United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit, and in advance of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Event convened close to 150 people—including representatives from BCtA member and non-member companies, […]
Partnerships: The Best Hope of Transforming the Future
Many companies, like those who attended the recent event in New York (watch the video below) on “A New Global Partnership with Business”, are actively thinking about their role in helping deliver the Post-2015 sustainable development agenda. And that contribution is huge. In his speech to the General Assembly, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, recognized […]
Zambian Businessman Turned Environmental Campaigner Starts Africa's First Green Party
After years in the maize exporting business and fifteen years of fighting to protect the rich natural resources, environment and landscape of Zambia, Peter Sinkamba has decided it is time to swap his activist hat for a politician’s. All the same, he will keep his business hat on when trying to persuade corporates to jump […]
Zambian Businessman Turned Environmental Campaigner Starts Africa’s First Green Party
After years in the maize exporting business and fifteen years of fighting to protect the rich natural resources, environment and landscape of Zambia, Peter Sinkamba has decided it is time to swap his activist hat for a politician’s. All the same, he will keep his business hat on when trying to persuade corporates to jump […]
What a Waste!
When India changes its urban waste management system, it matters. Ashoka Fellow Ravi Agarwal has spent the past two decades moving mountains… of rubbish. He is counting on the youth to give the final push. With global waste measured in millions of tonnes, it is easy to question whether recycling your water bottle or daily […]
The Decade of Design: The Global Urban Solutions Challenge
To architects, it seems self-evident: good design can improve human well-being. But clients and communities are asking for more, including proof of the relationship of design, planning, and public health. In 2012, the American Institute of Architects and partners made a CGI Commitment to Action to establish the Decade of Design: Global Urban Solutions Challenge. […]
New Approaches to Financial Services for the Poor
The vast majority of poor people live and work in the informal economy. In economic terms, they are producers and consumers at the same time – not by choice, but by necessity. As such, they have to lead very active financial lives to create livelihoods for themselves, build assets, smooth expenditures and manage risks. The […]