Ian Lobo: From good to great – how to scale up successful programmes
One of the challenges in the international development sector relates to what is sometimes described as “pilot paralysis”. If that’s an unfair description of the fact that many successful development programmes seem to get stuck at a relatively small scale, then perhaps we can agree it’s a cause for concern that not enough impactful programmes […]
Linzi Moore: The ‘HOW’ behind Cross-Sector Partnerships
Richard Bostock, IMA International The challenge I have been a big believer in the power of cross-sector partnerships to positively impact development for a while now. However, the more research I did on the subject, the more complex the whole thing became. I wanted to find out the practicalities of HOW to make partnerships work… […]
The ‘HOW’ behind Cross Sector Partnerships
Richard Bostock, IMA International The challenge I have been a big believer in the power of cross-sector partnerships to positively impact development for a while now. However, the more research I did on the subject, the more complex the whole thing became. I wanted to find out the practicalities of HOW to make partnerships work… […]
Your Volunteer Program Won’t Survive on Twigs and Berries
Most companies recognize that investing in employee engagement and development are vital to remaining competitive in a constantly evolving business world. When companies spend time and money improving the skills of their employees, they send a message to workers that they want to invest in their future. And in return, companies expect to see increases […]
Go BIG with Your Social Impact Career
Next week, I am speaking at Emory University in Atlanta (and grabbing a hot dog at The Varsity). Each year, I teach at the UC Berkeley Blum Center for Developing Economies. Without fail, students ask me how and where to apply their talents, knowledge and passion to build a world of social and economic justice. […]
Dan Pallotta: Business Can’t Solve the World’s Problems — But Capitalism Can
Business and capitalism get conflated — in our media, our language and in our thinking. They are not the same thing. One is a sector, the other a methodology. By inextricably linking the two, we confine the practice of real, turbo-charged capitalism to business, and we dangerously limit the capacity of non-business organizations to innovate, […]
Harnessing the Herd – Could Social Intrapreneurs represent a “Trojan Horse” strategy for charities
World Water Day: Cooperation is Key
By Stuart Orr, Freshwater Manager, WWF; Franz-Josef Batz, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH; and Andy Wales, SVP of Sustainable Development, SABMiller The theme of this year’s world water day is ‘cooperation’. At first glance, cooperation might appear a somewhat passive sentiment; but, in the context of the global water challenge, meaningful change and […]
Toilet Teachings: 2 Toilet Ventures Illustrate Strategies For Success In Inclusive Business
I’ve leant more than I ever expected about toilets the past 6 months. But understanding toilet ventures has taught me a lot about how inclusive business works. In fact, the challenges and innovations that we can see in two sanitation projects in slums of Kenya and India illustrate typical issues for businesses that are solving […]
Priceless: Volunteers Bring Financial Literacy to the Masses
To help combat this critical social gap, corporate philanthropy initiatives of all shapes and sizes have been created. Leading companies are working to empower people across the country (and world, in some instances) by putting their core financial literacy competencies to work. For example, PwC is mobilizing its most important asset — its 35,000 people […]
Good Intentions Don’t Always Guarantee Good Results
Last year, Corporate Citizenship published a report on Inclusive Business, The Next Frontier for Corporate Responsibility, which praised companies like Unilever, SABMiller, Nestlé and Diageo for their work in developing countries. These companies, we said, were “spreading opportunities to poor and disadvantaged people through job creation, regular income generation, connection to markets, access to education […]
Investing in Growth
This morning, the London Stock Exchange hosted the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development. The Secretary of State gave a speech focusing on how DFID’s investments can drive growth in new and emerging markets, and how this work can support businesses operating in these markets and enhance trade. Below is […]
From Micro-Leasing to Micro-Futures – In Search for New Financial Solutions for Smallholders
More than 500 million smallholders provide home and livelihood to more than 2 billion people. Many of them remain in dire poverty. One reason is the lack of access to financial services that would allow these farmers to manage their cash flow, get credit to invest in productivity increases, or manage risks through insurance. Providing […]
Arafa- the Tanzanian solar engineer leading the way for other women in her village
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to highlight the challenges faced by women in some of the poorest communities in the world and to recognise the impact economic empowerment and increased participation in public life can have on their lives. Arafa, a mother of four from a rural community in Southern Tanzania, was chosen by […]
Private Sector and Women’s Empowerment- Weaving Together Two Strands of Development’s “Golden Thread”
VSO How can businesses factor gender equality into their development partnerships with NGOs? As we approach International Women’s Day on 8th March, a series of articles from VSO and our partners, published every day this week on Business Fights Poverty, looks at how the private sector and NGOs can play a part in supporting women’s […]
Management skills – the missing link in Africa’s development
Africa has reached a turning point. No longer viewed as the hopeless continent, it has an abundance of natural wealth, its economies are growing, investment is on the rise and its population is young, large and increasingly affluent. Yet, a key ingredient is missing. Africa lacks effective and competent managers – across the private, public […]
Candace Dixon: The VSO-Accenture volunteer helping Nigerian female farmers improve their livelihoods
“My role will, I believe, lead to greater efficiency and fewer challenges for those working in agriculture in Nigeria’ s Nassarawa State, Plateau State and Kaduna State. As a Knowledge Share Manager for VSO Nigeria, my job is part of the VSO secure livelihoods program, Making Markets Work for the Poor. This program aims to […]
Cocoa Life- the project empowering women in Ghana’s cocoa growing communities
Cocoa has been grown in Ghana for over one hundred years and it is the second export crop for my country after gold. However we found that the supply of cocoa was dwindling because of many challenges. Young people were not getting involved in cocoa farming leaving such labour-intensive farming like cocoa farming in the […]
Barbara Crowther: Making international supply chains work for smallholder farmers
Fairtrade Foundation In the wake of recent food scandals, the need to increase focus on building more transparent and accountable food supply chains has once again been in the spotlight. Seeking greater transparency between trading partners, from consumer to retailer to small farmer organisations will also be one of the themes under discussion at a […]
Kristie Wang: Nutrients for All – Thriving Ecosystems for Productive, Resilient Food Systems
Natural ecosystems ensure that vital nutrients flow from soils to food to people. Thriving ecosystems are the bedrock of healthy nutrient chains, the basis of all life on the planet. So what’s the issue? Degraded by human activity like unsustainable agricultural practices, ecosystems around the world and their capacity to regenerate are threatened. This escalating […]