GSK and Save The Children Healthcare Innovation Award
The GSK and Save the Children Healthcare Innovation Award is back, do you know of an innovative solution that’s helping to save the lives of young children in developing countries? Then GSK and Save the Children want to hear about it. A year ago in Malawi, a tiny baby was born prematurely at seven months, […]
Inspiring a New Generation of Intrapreneurs
Photo Credit*: Tim Maynard/VSO July 7th 2014: Public debate on the role of the private sector in poverty alleviation is longstanding, but there is no doubt that the lines between the private, public and non-profit sectors are becoming more blurred. Recently, Gib Bulloch, Executive Director of Accenture Development Partnerships, blogged on the Huffington Post about […]
Profit Needn’t be a Dirty Word in Impact Investing
Interview with Edward Hanrahan, Director of Climate Care, on the barriers to scaling-up impact investment. Interview conducted by Duncan Jefferies is Assistant Editor, Green Futures. What are the barriers to scaling up impact investment on sustainability issues from ClimateCare’s point of view? We believe that it is absolutely essential for a truly sustainable business to […]
UPS Humanitarian Relief Programme
UPS’ Humanitarian Relief Programme uses pre-approved funds, Logistics Emergency Teams and their own expertise and supply chains to assist disaster relief efforts around the world. Social impacts UPS made $7.5 million in humanitarian relief funding, technical support and in-kind services in 2013. 250 humanitarian shipments across 46 countries were made in 2013 and 16 weeks […]
GSK – 20% Reinvestment
Unilever International Award, supported by Business Fights Poverty 2014 – Big Tick, Shortlisted GSK has committed to reinvest 20 per cent of profits made in least developed countries (LDCs) back into those countries to develop health infrastructure through training frontline health workers. Social impacts 41 programmes in 34 LDCs across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Haiti. […]
Credit Suisse – Microfinance Capacity Building Initiative
Credit Suisse, through the Microfinance Capacity Building Initiative (MCBI), enable microfinance institutions to develop the people, products and processes which are needed to serve the financially excluded. Social impacts MCBI projects have trained over 13,000 microfinance industry staff and improved financial services for over 2.3 million individuals, resulting in improved livelihoods, access to health, nutrition […]
Danone – Ecosystem Fund
Danone created the Ecosystem Fund to create social and economic value for the partners who make up Danone’s ecosystem: farmers, suppliers and subcontractors, transport and logistics operators, distributors, territories and local authorities . Social impacts Danone’s Milk collection communities project in Egypt allow a real ownership of centers by the local farming community, taking in […]
Improving Economic Conditions For Smallholder Farmers
Xylem’s Saajhi Stepping Pump was created to significantly enhance the daily operations of rural smallholder farmers across the globe. The Saajhi pump features self-priming diaphragm technology, small overall dimensions, a tilt and transport design, and simplified maintenance to ensure efficient use for all farmers. The design not only makes Saajhi easy to use but also […]
Business Solutions to Empower Smallholder Farmers
Most smallholder farmers do not grow enough food to last the year. Once their food runs out, many farm families experience what is referred to as a “hunger season” – typically a six-month period of time of meal skipping and meal substitution. This plays a major role in child deaths: one in 10 children die […]
How Do You Sell KnowledgeTo Smallholder Farmers?
iDE has over 30 years of experience working with smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America. As a result we know two things: If smallholders are to transition from subsistence farming to the production of high-value fruits and vegetables for the market they need access to low cost agricultural technologies, such as a drip […]
Private Schools are Bridging Crucial Gaps for the Poor
When Mohammed Khan, a local businessman in the Indian city of Hyderabad, read in his newspaper that there was an entire neighbourhood of professional beggars with no access to school, he resolved to build one. Not only that, he managed to persuade the parents that classes for their children were worth paying for. Charging as […]
Three Ways to Bridge the Employability Gap
What are the skills needed for employability in the 21st century economy? And what innovative models are needed to deliver these skills to students? In early 2012, Results for Development Institute (R4D) embarked on a research study that examined the skills needed for employment in Africa and Asia. This two year project, funded by the […]
Profit Follows Purpose
“There is considerable potential for business and social impact goals to align.” That sentiment was heard repeatedly at the 2nd TA Initiative Summit, held May 5-7 in Nairobi, Kenya. Organized by Acumen, the 3-day event brought together intrapreneurs from global corporations and social entrepreneurs from throughout East and West Africa to explore the potential for […]
Banking on Africa: Social and Economic Impact
All eyes are on Africa. Over the past decade, the continent has consistently grown faster than the world as a whole. And unlike previous resource-driven booms, this time Africa’s success is built on foundations that should be sustainable for the long term. A new and confident African middle class is emerging, and trade is expanding […]
Everything You Wanted to Know About Inclusive Business
The eLab provides an introduction to managers who are tasked and set to create business with low-income communities. It is designed in a way that fits every managers schedule, while providing the most important insights every IB manager should be aware of. Let’s review these two propositions! Insights The eLab consists of 6 modules. Each […]
A Networked Approach to International Development
The ever increasing – and much delayed – focus on impact measurement in international development is leading to some hard questions about how best the industry needs to be shaped. We all know that international development needs to become more responsive to local needs, less dependent on large head offices and in short, more effective. […]
My First 100 Days as an Intrapreneur
As an intrapreneur, I’m developing a new concept that I hope will enable Barclays to support our communities and contribute to growth by funding social enterprises. I like to think it harkens back to the original role that banks have always played in local communities. It could ultimately transform the “impact investing” market and build […]
Innovation: Africa’s Great Leap Forward
In terms of innovation, Africa’s outlook is more positive than ever and the continent is leapfrogging its global counterparts in various sectors. The amplification of GDP growth in some parts of the continent (such as Nigeria) and the overall stability of African economies during the worrying economic downturn of recent years speak volumes for Africans’ […]
Are Intrapreneurs the New Rock-Stars?
The past few years has seen the emergence of the ‘cult of the entrepreneur’ with growing visibility of entrepreneurs in the media; ‘celebrity’ entrepreneurs such as Sir Richard Branson and stars from shows such as Dragon’s Den in the UK (Shark Tank in the US) are receiving recognition which, in the past, may have been […]
Big Business, Bigger Impact
“Let us bring the invisible heart of markets to those the invisible hand of markets has left behind,” said Sir Ronald Cohen during the Skoll World Forum opening plenary on Wednesday night, stressing that business and social good go hand-in-hand. Of particular interest to me within that paradigm was a session called “Big Business, Bigger […]