Archive for May, 2010

The Lancet has once again proved its worth as the world’s leading medical journal. On the tails of its pathbreaking study, Maternal Mortality for 181 Countries, 1980-2008: A Systematic Analysis of Progress Towards Millennium Development Goal 5, where its new estimates suggested dramatic reductions in global maternal mortality, it has just published Neonatal, Post-Neonatal, Childhood, and Under-5 Mortality for 187 Countries, 1970—2010: A Systematic Analysis of Progress Towards Millennium Development Goal 4.

And what do they find? Approximately 7.7 million children under the age of five will die in 2010, down from 11.9 million in 1990. In fact, this is 800,000 fewer deaths that UNICEF estimated in 2009.

Why the notable discrepancy in these numbers? Larger data collection – including data from vital registration systems, summary birth histories in censuses and surveys, and complete birth histories – and better statistical analysis. » Continue reading “Saving the World’s Children”

In the title of this blog post, I ask “How rich are you?”

Now there are many ways to interpret and to answer this question. Am I looking for an answer in monetary terms? Or in terms of quality of life? Or richness of relationships?

Monetarily speaking, if you are reading this blog post, you are probably richer than you think. I would venture to bet that you are probably richer than more than 5 billion people on this planet, give or take a few million. Probably in the top 15% richest people in the world.

But how will you know for sure? The Global Rich List can help. The concept is simple. Enter your annual income and see how you rank against everyone else on earth. » Continue reading “How Rich Are You?”

Whatever you may say about Americans, you can’t deny that they exercise a distinct, ahem, creativity over the English language. Well, now add to the colorful list of portmanteaux-a-la-Americana the following: Trashanol.

Courtesy of Fiberight, a Maryland-based clean energy tech firm, Trashanol is the product of organic waste (i.e. trash) processed in a converted ethanol factory and, this week, Fiberight became one of the first companies in the United States to transform organic waste (paper fiber) into fuel-grade ethanol. It’s a considerable development for the clean-tech industry and may represent a way for the American ethanol industry to escape the “food vs. fuel” debate and to move forward. » Continue reading “Trash + Ethanol Plant = Trashanol”

This is simply awesome – a pavement slab that generates energy whenever someone walks across it.

How does it work? The pavegen slab moves approximately 5 millimeters from each footstep. Then it converts the kinetic energy from its movement to electricity, which is then stored within the slab. Even better, it glows when you or I walk over it, indicating that we have actually generated energy.

When you or I step on one of the paving stones, 5% of the energy we create is used to light up its central LED light. The rest is stored in a battery (for up to three days) and can be used for any low-power application, such as powering pedestrian lighting, information displays, and other applications.

I think inventing the actual technology of the pavegen was the easy part. Yes, I agree with Lucy Siegle, who, writing for The Guardian, believes that the pavegen is about to shift our perceptions of renewable energy. » Continue reading “Footfall Power”

Mobile information services aimed at small farmers are sprouting up all over the developing world and have received a lot of attention for their high potential to revolutionize farming in poor nations around the globe.

There are several social enterprises active in this space in India, such as Skymet, which provides agriculture-focused weather information straight to farmers’ phones, and Zoraly Solutions, which sends tech-enabled agricultural information representatives to farmers’ doors. In sub-Saharan Africa, the Grameen Foundation is working on a similar version of this model through its Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) pilot initiative. The Foundation’s Report about the pilot project findings, which was released May 18, offers some interesting information on what works—and what needs to be adjusted. » Continue reading “Lessons Learned in Agro-IT”

We all know what a splash of color can do. It can heighten your mood. Make you smile. Give you a positive high.

Two community-driven art projects, Favela Painting, an initiative in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, and the Mumbai Wall Project, half-way around the globe from each other, are doing their part to brighten the lives of their citizens, and giving their citizens a voice in the process.

In the urban jungles of the developing world, the feeling is often grim and grimy. Based on the premise that a work of art can make a colorful difference in the lives of individuals, communities, and cities, these projects believe that grey, ugly spaces deserve beautification. » Continue reading “A Splash of Color”

As the saying goes, imitation is the highest form of flattery. And I have to say, I do believe this. Whether it’s people using my resume format or buying the same scarf, it brings a smile to my face.

But not all people think this way. In a recent GOOD blog post titled, “Mimicry, For Better or For Worse?”, Scott Belsky recounts his conversation with the Executive Director of an undisclosed and highly innovative nonprofit organization.

He describes it as a truly path-breaking organization known for its “evolutionary use of design, breakthrough social-media campaigns, and wildly effective catch phrases for branding.” The Executive Director, Belsky writes, conveyed a strong sense of frustration by saying: “People keep ripping us off.” » Continue reading “Is Replication The New Scale?”

The buzz word in social enterprise is “scale.” Investors, incubators, competitors, and networks all want to know, “Will it scale”? Social entrepreneur Daniela Ruby Papi is tired of the endless search for scale and thinks that what we should look for is quality.

The social venture movement grew out of a rebellion against big business and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We shook our sticks at self-indulgent big businesses and turned up our noses at the waste and inefficiencies in the traditional non-profit world believing we had a better way to do things. We claim to be the outliers, looking to make an impact on the people and problems the traditional sectors have left in their wake, but have we really chosen a different path? » Continue reading “Much Ado about Scale”

The Japanese are coming to India to build a series of what are known as “eco-towns.”

Over the years, Japan has deepened its involvement in India’s infrastructure development. Now, with the help of Japanese juggernauts like Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Toshiba, the Indian government has embraced the eco-towns concept.

The eco-friendly towns will be coming up in the new Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) between Mumbai and Delhi, and they will be modeled on Japan’s own Kitakyushu Eco-Town. The towns will be designed with integrated transport systems and for low energy-usage, minimizing pollution and maximizing recycling. Each pilot scheme is expected to cost an estimated US$10 billion. » Continue reading “A Piece of Japan in India”

Monday, May 17, 2010 – Friday, May 21, 2010

While round-the-clock news coverage from Haiti has certainly ceased, the tiny island nation is still very much feeling the effects of the massive earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince, its sprawling capital, earlier this year. Besides the chilling death toll—estimated to be as high as 300,000—the earthquake leveled the city and crippled government and infrastructure. In the wake of the disaster, in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, social enterprise will play an ever more important role as the government struggles (more so than usual) to meet the needs of its people. As a reminder of the challenges the country faces every day, last week we brought you five social enterprises that are helping to change the social and economic landscape of Haiti.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Social Enterprise of the Day – Fonkoze

Haiti; Non-Profit

Fonkoze, Haiti’s largest microfinance institution (MFI), describes itself as the country’s “alternative bank for the organized poor.” Far beyond just microfinance, Fonkoze offers savings facilities, SME business development aid, social impact monitoring, microinsurance and literacy training to women via its 34 branches spread around Haiti. Its microfinance program targets women and uses a graded loan program, with four levels beginning with Chemen Lavi Miyó, which reaches out to the destitute, and Business Development, which offers loans starting at $1,300. Other services offered include remittance payments and preferential currency exchange rates and Fonkoze is in the process of spinning its suite of financial services into a full-fledged bank. » Continue reading “Twitter “Social Enterprise of the Day” Roundup”