A footprint of poverty in Kenyan fresh produce: Oxfam’s new report with IPL
At Oxfam we firmly believe no business should gain a competitive advantage by undercutting competitors on social and environmental standards. With the right policies and practices, global food companies can be part of a ‘race to the top’, as our Behind the Brands campaign highlights. But they can also get it badly wrong and inflict […]
The Battle against Snail Fever: The Business Sector’s Perspective
It is safe to say that most people aren’t familiar with schistosomiasis, or for that matter, many of the maladies the World Health Organization collectively refers to as neglected tropical diseases. The second most prevalent parasitic infection after malaria, schistosomiasis affects more than 200 million people – approximately half of whom are children – who […]
Mining for Development: Shift emphasis from CSR budgets to local procurement to have greater impact on poverty reduction
The development opportunity offered by mining lies in the potential for an increase in local procurement. Local spending is how companies can maximize benefits to local communities. Increased local spending helps small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) create and sustain jobs, invest in their businesses, and establish performance records that make them more competitive and […]
Camfed and Pearson launch partnership for girls' education
We are delighted to announce a pioneering new partnership between Camfed and Pearson to transform educational opportunities for girls in Zimbabwe and Tanzania.The Camfed-Pearson partnership has been awarded a grant under the prestigious Girls’ Education Challenge, launched by the UK’s Department for International Development to give one million of the world’s poorest girls the chance […]
Camfed and Pearson launch partnership for girls’ education
We are delighted to announce a pioneering new partnership between Camfed and Pearson to transform educational opportunities for girls in Zimbabwe and Tanzania.The Camfed-Pearson partnership has been awarded a grant under the prestigious Girls’ Education Challenge, launched by the UK’s Department for International Development to give one million of the world’s poorest girls the chance […]
My Experience as a Mentee in the Mentoring Women in Business Programme (Part 3)
Dumpling Dreams was previously just an “idea”, but over the past year became an implementable and actionable plan. After I returned from the UK, my mentor and I firstly needed to brainstorm about how to raise the start-up capital necessary to put this dream into motion. December 2012: Lenovo group launched their “For Those Who […]
First Step Economic Opportunity Zone: Challenges of Running a Juice Factory
“I can sell you 14 235 pineapples”, that’s what a farmer said to Claudio Scotto, CEO of Africa Felix Juice. 14 235 pineapples – quite an impressive figure at first glance. If you put it into the context of Claudio Scotto, you will end up with a different interpretation: A lot of small scale farmers […]
Commercial Food Processing Entrepreneurs Sierra Leone
I am lucky enough to just arrive at the right time of the year: The month of Independence Day. The Independence Day is a huge event for all Sierra Leoneans and a lot of activities, street celebrations and cultural events are coming with it. This gives me the opportunity to dive into the commercial world […]
My Experience as a Mentee in the Women in Business Programme (Part 2)
At the same time I met my mentor, I came across a potential study abroad opportunity in the UK, the “China-UK Arts Management Professional Development Programme” run by the British Council. The programme fit perfectly with the type of work I was doing. Until then, I had never been abroad. If selected, I would be […]
Business Booster Project Sierra Leone
Wednesday, 17th April 2013, 18:00 local time: Arrival at the airport in Freetown. Add to it 5 more hours for taxi, waiting, the slowest ferry ride I have seen in my life and another taxi, that’s the time I arrived in downtown Freetown, Sierra Leone. But even though transport and a whole lot of other […]
My Experience as a Mentee in the Mentoring Women in Business Programme (Part 1)
I work at Hua Dan in Beijing and Sichuan Province which is a non-profit organization dedicated to using theatre to bring out the full potential in people, to encourage them to lead their own lives and their communities with courage, confidence and creativity. I prioritize working with and for migrant women as well as children, […]
What is the Business Booster?
The Business Booster pilot project is a joint program of the Youth Employment Network (YEN), UNIDO and Endeva. The project seeks to pilot a holistic multi-stakeholder approach to increasing the earnings of youth-led cooperatives in Sierra Leone, by enabling them to access premium markets such as the US and/or the high value domestic market where […]
Sowing the Seeds for Growth in Colombia
Laura Patiño, the visionary behind Picados San Juan, with modest rural roots in La Unión, Colombia is helping generate growth and stable employment in a region once overrun by contraband trade. Laura returned to La Unión following a scholarship-funded degree in Agricultural Sciences and Production with a clear aim; “to generate development, create employment” and […]
An Industrial Concept for the BoP: Affordable Fire and Earthquake Resistant Houses
The recent earthquakes show that not earthquakes are killing most people but the insufficient built houses. Glass reinforced pipes are very popular in the gas, oil and water industry as they are heat resistant, lightweight and almost indestructible. They consist of sand (50%) polyester resin (30%) and glass fiber (20%). With diameters up to 4 […]
Why Charity Alone isn't the Answer to End Poverty
Over the last two decades “social entrepreneurship” has emerged as a widespread phenomenon in development work. This term is not a mere buzz word or development jargon. It has recently become a strategic and a conscious shift away from the image of the poor as passive individuals waiting for handouts, towards a perception of the […]
Why Charity Alone isn’t the Answer to End Poverty
Over the last two decades “social entrepreneurship” has emerged as a widespread phenomenon in development work. This term is not a mere buzz word or development jargon. It has recently become a strategic and a conscious shift away from the image of the poor as passive individuals waiting for handouts, towards a perception of the […]
Getting into International Development
The International Development sector is notoriously hard to get into, especially for those like myself who are mid-career and have no experience outside the commercial world. If you are interested in getting into the sector, but not sure how to go about it, here’s how I did it. Where it all started Like many people, […]
Join Diamonds for Good
The diamond and jewelry industry is engaging in innovative strategies to increase consumer awareness of its efforts to fight poverty and to promote sustainable economic development in nations where diamonds are mined and extracted. Local, regional and international businesses continued to affirm the strategic importance of demonstrating a commitment to corporate social responsibility. Seven years […]
The League of Intrapreneurs: Meet the Winners
April 9 was a day for the unsung heroes driving change within large corporations – either by shifting development challenges up their CEO’s agendas or bringing the expertise (and/or budget) of a multi-national to bear on identifying and solving a specific social problem. These are the Social Intrapreneurs, and at an awards ceremony in London, […]
Recycling Computers and Electronics Sustainably on Earth Day
As evolving technologies keep us hooked to new and updated gadgets, and Americans now own (according to the Environmental Protection Agency) an estimated three billion electronic products, one inconvenient question lurks constantly in the shadows: What are we supposed to do with all of our old gizmos? While responsible businesses and consumers want to recycle […]