Demonstrating a business case for agroecology
In April 2019, Practical Action announced the start of a partnership with the IKEA Foundation designed to demonstrate that a business-led approach to agroecology is possible. Agroecology is a form of regenerative agriculture that is based on the principle of WORKING WITH rather than WORKING AGAINST nature. In practice, this means harnessing the synergy between […]
How Africa is using medical drone delivery to combat COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced extraordinary challenges for health systems and communities around the globe. Countries are faced with surging demand on hospitals, keeping vulnerable populations safely at home, and effectively managing scarce resources like test kits, personal protective equipment, and, someday hopefully soon, a vaccine. As policymakers search for solutions in real-time, many are […]
How solar-powered tablets are educating rural communities about COVID-19
“We use solar-powered tablets to conduct community education campaigns on financial education, contraception and HIV, health, vaccinations, civic education, and now to inform communities about measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” says Dayn Amade, founder of the Tablet Comunitário/Community Tablet. In the wake of the outbreak of the novel corona virus and realizing the need to […]
How impact investing can boost rural economies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
About two-thirds of the 600 million people living in extreme poverty around the world live in rural areas, and the COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating every challenge they face. Rural communities often lack access to proper infrastructure, health care, markets, education and finance. As the world goes digital in the face of the pandemic, people without […]
Business Fights Poverty Fortnightly Round-Up
I am writing this from the UK, where the clocks have just gone back and we are heading with no small amount of trepidation into winter. However, at Business Fights Poverty the mood is one of new beginnings, as we publish two Action Toolkits, launch a new Challenge with a Virtual Summit on Health, and […]
Building back with better jobs: A new action toolkit to mainstream business models for decent work
A Business Fights Poverty and ILO The Lab collaboration COVID-19 is continuing to devastate livelihoods around the world and as governments work to contain the virus, restrictive measures are impacting jobs, markets and supply chains. The ILO predicts that 1.6 billion informal economy workers could suffer “massive damage” to their livelihoods due to the pandemic, […]
Rebuild Better Toolkit: A Guide To Effective Planning
2020 has compelled us to respond to societal challenges like never before. But knowing how to respond in the most effective way can be difficult and daunting, especially when the challenge ahead is seemingly unparalleled. We asked British Army Major, and expert in military contingency planning, Nick Barton to share his thoughts and learnings, on […]
Is impact investment our most effective tool for a sustainable recovery?
As one of the world’s first impact investors and a prominent UK champion of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, CDC began this year looking confidently towards 2030. In September, six months after COVID-19 arrived, Amit Bouri, CEO and Co-Founder of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) joined leaders at CDC to talk about the power […]
Pakistani start-up repurposes to help healthcare system cope with pandemic
Nabeel Siddiqui is the CEO and co-founder of a Pakistani start-up that has restructured its manufacturing line in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Siddiqui says, “The biggest issue confronting us right now in Pakistan is not the fatality rate of the disease, but the collapse of the healthcare system under pressure of circumstances that no […]
Disruptive, digital, and local: the new reality for Latin American MSMEs
The economic impact caused by the lack of access to physical markets during the COVID-19 crisis -also known as “The Big Confinement” – is unique and it is the last consequence of a big chain of structural commercial breakdowns; such as the contraction of global demand and a reduction in global trade. In Latin America, […]
Why businesses must act now to tackle hidden labour in global supply chains
The global COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how much economies and societies rely on hidden labour: labour which is unseen, unrecognised and unpaid. This hidden labour is disproportionately borne by women and is one of the most entrenched barriers to gender equality. The pandemic presents an opportunity to redress existing inequalities by “building back better”, however […]
Global Supply Chains & Covid-19 Pandemic Impact on Child Labor
A recent report from UNICEF & ILO warns that the current pandemic may push millions more children into child labor. A grim reality that is a wake up call for all of us but most importantly for the CEOs of major companies that had turned a blind eye (even prior to the pandemic) by talking […]
Aligning Business Reporting on Nutrition
According to the 2020 Global Nutrition Report , “one in every nine people in the world is hungry, and one in every three is overweight or obese.” [1] With the private sector being the provider or the producer of our food, it seems therefore logical and critical to have strong business accountability to support better practices of business for […]
Building a commercial buffalo dairy in Laos: five minutes with entrepreneur Susie Martin
Q 1. What is your inclusive business model? Laos Buffalo Dairy is a commercial buffalo dairy in the heart of Laos. Our production facility makes yogurt, cheese and ice cream for sale on local and overseas markets. Locally, we distribute to highend hotels and restaurants and have a shopfront for tourists looking to visit and […]
Thank You – and Introducing one-day Business Fights Poverty Virtual Summits
We’d like to say a big thank you to all of you who took part in Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020 . Below is a video we’ve put together… We have been humbled to receive the survey feedback: 99% said they learnt something valuable for their work; 99% said they would recommend the event […]
Investing in inclusion delivers green and fair outcomes
Far from the COVID-19 global headlines, a movement is underway in Peru. An alliance of local green enterprises is leading the charge to Buy Local – and it is proving key for supporting small businesses through and beyond the pandemic. With close to 90% of employment in the country in small businesses, the role that […]
Day 5 Summary: Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020
Today at Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020 we discussed how to shape system-level partnerships. A fireside chat between Yvette Torres-Rahman, our Co-Founder, and Ester Baiget, CEO of Novozymes , gave insights into the value of systemic approaches to her company’s sustainability strategy, day-to-day operations, and multi-stakeholder initiatives. Ester also talked about the connections between sustainable business models and […]
Lessons Learned from COVID-19: How the Private Sector can support disaster prevention, response, and recovery
There were myriad situations where COVID-19 was an additional layer on pre-existing crises, ranging from natural hazards such as earthquakes and hurricanes to manmade crises such as the refugee crisis or conflict. How does such a “confluence of crises” affect businesses, communities, and entire economies? In the experience of the Connecting Business initiative (CBi) – […]
VIDEO: How can we develop public-private partnerships?
Neil Britto is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service of NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Neil is the Co-Founder of The Intersector Project, a non-profit organization that supports practitioners in cross-sector collaboration. Neil has advised companies, governments, and foundations on public-private partnerships. He is a Fellow at the Institute for Business […]
VIDEO: How can companies best engage in partnerships to drive transformational change?
Seth Green is the founding director of the Baumhart Center, an interdisciplinary center at Loyola University Chicago that prepares leaders to tackle society’s most pressing challenges. Seth is also an executive lecturer in the Management Department of Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business, where he teaches courses on nonprofit leadership, social entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility. […]