Archive for Partnerships

This story originally appeared in our May 19th, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe.

It’s hard for either the government or the private sector to completely serve poor populations. Oftentimes, the best way is to team up. We look at a private-public partnership providing clean water and sewage services in Pakistan.

Water is an essential ingredient for life, but 1 billion people – or nearly 1 in 6 of the planet’s population  – do not have access to clean water. Many see it as a government imperative to provide its citizens with clean drinking water, but what happens when the government can’t meet that need alone?

In the Union Council 60 area of Lahore, Pakistan, the drinking water was contaminated with sewage causing residents to suffer from cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery and Hepatitis A. More than half of the residents were unhappy with the quality of the water, but only 5% were aware that boiling the water could improve the quality.

The Government of Punjab wasn’t able to meet the need on its own so it called upon Anjuman Samaji Behbood (ASB), an NGO working on integrated models for water and sanitation in Pakistan, to implement their participatory planning model – where communities are involved in the planning – in the area. » Continue reading “Partner for the Greater Good”

Dhaka has a critical water supply problem. According to a study by the Institute of Water Modeling based in Bangladesh’s capital city, its groundwater level is falling by three meters per year. Groundwater has already receded by 50 meters in the past 40 years, bringing the current level to 60 meters below ground. The supply-demand gap is approximately 500m liters per day. The situation is so problematic that in the summer of 2010, the Government of Bangladesh deployed troops to manage water distribution in Dhaka.

Since 1963, the population of Dhaka has grown 13 times. When Bangladesh gained its independence in 1971, Dhaka faced a growing influx of rural-to-urban migration. The city expanded into the low-lying marshlands at its borders. Historically, most of Dhaka’s water supply comes from its two rivers, the Buriganga and the Shitalakkhya. But as population has increased and industry has expanded, river water has become contaminated with industrial waste. Today, groundwater is expected to satisfy over 80% of the city’s water supply. » Continue reading “Rainwater Harvesting in Dhaka”

According to a new report from The Climate Group, India’s share of the US$ 2.2 trillion (INR 10 million crore) global clean energy market could be as much as US$ 135 billion (INR 6 trillion).

The “India’s Clean Revolution” report, released last week, details how India can participate in the global clean energy market. India is making more progress in energy efficiency than the U.S., and the rate of increase of the country’s private investment is expected to be three times that of the U.S. and China—up to 736% in the next 10 years.

This revolution is expected to create up to 10.5 million green jobs in the country. Mark Kenber, the CEO of The Climate Group, said that this is a necessary and important revolution.

“The writing is on the wall—there is no such thing as a secure, high-carbon, low-cost future in India or anywhere else,” he said at the launch event. “Only a clean industrial revolution can guarantee long-term prosperity for any nation, and nowhere is this truer than in India.” » Continue reading “How to Catalyze India’s Clean Revolution”

The Japanese government announced Tuesday that it would sign a free trade agreement with India on Wednesday, February 16, 2011, that would effectively halt duties on 94% of trade between the two countries over the next decade. Today, India accounts for only 1% of Japan’s global trade. “[The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement] will open up new business opportunities and lead to a quantum increase in trade and investment flows between our two countries,” said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in October 2010. » Continue reading “The Green Partnership”

By Deepti Chadda, Senior Associate, Intellecap

At the Villgro Unconvention Awards 2010, Villgro recognized path-breaking organizations, individuals and stakeholders in the sector. The winners were chosen based on their ability to pioneer change through social enterprise by developing and disseminating innovations that benefit society. Beyond Profit had a closer look at the impact created by some of these innovations. » Continue reading “Villgro Awards 2010: Recognizing Innovation”

By Deepti Chadda, Senior Associate, Intellecap

A few decades ago when Joe Madiath started Gram Vikas, he was labeled a “social activist,” a type of rebel. Today, he and other entrepreneurs have become lynchpins in the social enterprise sector. In the ’80s, social entrepreneurship was a concept in the making; now it’s at a pivotal point. Many entrepreneurs presented their visions of the sector’s future at the Villgro Unconvention 2010. » Continue reading “Villgro Unconvention 2010: The Future of Social Entrepreneurship”

Beyond Profit is proud to announce a new partnership with GOOD Magazine to report on social enterprise in South Asia. Below is our first article.

If you know anything at all about social enterprise, you are probably familiar with the fact that many of the case studies cited as successful are Indian in origin. Case in point: Aravind Eyecare, Jaipur Rugs, Barefoot College, d.Light. It makes you wonder: Is India better at producing social entrepreneurs than other countries? Is there something in the water? And if India really has cornered the social enterprise market, how did they do it?

First, let’s look at what we know. India is massive. It’s bursting at the seams with people, and because one out of every six people on the planet is an Indian, we are statistically more likely to stumble upon Indians anywhere—and some of those people are bound to be social entrepreneurs, right? Of course, a big pile of people does not explain why social enterprises often thrive in India, and the policy environment certainly doesn’t help: There are no freebies for social enterprise, no special legal structures (like the L3C in the US or the CiC in the U.K.), and few policies that help enterprises get funding. In fact, some might say that Indian social enterprises have succeeded in spite of policy, not because of it.

What about funding? Most Indian social entrepreneurs would tell you that they have just as much trouble as the next guy. There are only a handful of “social” or “social/commercial” funds in India, and while there is a frenzy of interest in India from foreign investors, many of them ride on the coattails of domestic funds, investing only after a trusted Indian social investor has made the first move.

So, what makes India different? » Continue reading “Is India Really a Hotbed for Social Enterprise?”

Beyond Profit is reporting from the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City this week.

Okay. Cookstoves are not sexy. Talking about cookstoves is not sexy. Writing about them is not sexy. But, maybe, just maybe, it will be now, with the launch of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves at the Clinton Global Initiative on Tuesday by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Yesterday, during the announcement, we were pointedly reminded by Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator, that women all over the world are still cooking in the 21^st century as they did in the 1st. “This,” Jackson said, “is the ultimate environmental justice issue.”

Why is this such a big issue? Try this. Next time you’re making dinner, do it over a stove that produces noxious fumes that make your eyes water and your throat burn. And then do it every day, maybe twice a day for the rest of your days, and see if you think it’s an issue. If that doesn’t convince you, consider the numbers; 2 million people die each year because of exposure to unsafe cook stoves. » Continue reading “All Hail the Clean Cookstove!”

After a trip to Pakistan in May, Beyond Profit has created a multi-part series, The Other Side of Pakistan, about a side of the country you may not have heard about before. We look forward to your comments and questions.

If there is a Guinness World Record for Largest Slum in Asia, Karachi would take home a blue ribbon by a technicality—its Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), a “katchi abadi” or squatter camp, on the outskirts of the city, houses 1.4 million, and thus edges out Mumbai’s Dharavi by a few hundred thousand. But, it’s not entirely correct to call it a slum. Over the past thirty years, through the work of the team that runs the OPP, this settlement has transformed into an area with concrete multi-story housing, electricity, and working sanitation systems, all through a bottom-up participatory approach that empowers the local community.

In the early 80s, Orangi was just a squatter settlement of several hundred thousand. Back then, you could have called it a slum, and you would have been right. But, the development folks that took it upon themselves to tackle Orangi noticed that the people were already getting their hands dirty trying to put things in order. Without the help of the government, or anyone else for that matter, the community members were trying to make their own sewer lines. Can you imagine? » Continue reading “The Other Side of Pakistan: Orangi Pilot Project”

Jerryanne Heath is the CEO and Founder of ConceptLink Consulting , a firm which helps US and international social-mission organizations connect with their stakeholders through various event management and communications strategies.  She is also co-chair of the Africa Social Enterprise Forum.

A few nights ago I attended the Starting Bloc party at the legendary Studio 54 in New York.  I had a blast and it was extremely inspiring to look around the room at my peers – young professionals and social entrepreneurs all eager to make a positive contribution to the world.  The energy in the room was palpable.  I overheard snippets of conversations:  “…moving to India to start an education consultancy…”, “…working on a solar venture in Latin America…”, “just started working at a nonprofit…”

I’m 26.  Several of my peers are guiding their career decisions by their desire to have a meaningful impact.  And many are diving headfirst into risky ventures abroad.  The conversations I overheard at the Bloc Party brought me back to some lessons I’ve learned as a young entrepreneur with sights set abroad.

At age 24, I quit my Wall Street job with the intention of starting a business in South Africa.  After a few trips there as a volunteer and a tourist, I was smitten by the cultural richness I found there and moreover by the economic opportunities.  South Africa was boasting 6-7% GDP growth at the time and getting ready to host the 2010 World Cup in a few years.  Vanity Fair had just released its Africa issue with several luminaries on the cover – Barack Obama, Bono, Brad Pitt, Bill Clinton, Oprah – it seemed the African continent was getting more positive attention than ever.

So after quitting my job and 6 months of what I believed was thorough due diligence, I set up a consulting firm with a local business partner to connect South African businesses and artists to the US market.  We registered the partnership in South Africa, with the ultimate goal of building a global brand and servicing clients on both sides of the Atlantic.  Despite my aspirations, the business in South Africa quickly disintegrated, largely due to my poor selection of a local business partner.

I learned several lessons from this experience, which I believe apply to any entrepreneur, and I’d to offer some advice, particularly for young entrepreneurs looking to make an international impact:

1. Do your homework:  I cannot emphasize this enough.  I unfortunately did not perform sufficient due diligence on my local business partner, which created a rocky relationship and stifled the company.  Take the time to do your homework, not only on the market in which you plan to work, but particularly on your team members.
2. Take care of the legal stuff first:  Get everything in writing and take the time upfront to establish controls.  Basic questions include: Who will have access to the bank account? How many signatures are required for checks?  Blinded by enthusiasm, I did not take the time to establish these controls and was shocked to find a $0 balance on the company’s bank statement after only six months!
3. Follow your heart, but don’t lose your shirt:  When passion drives us, it’s tempting to throw caution to the wind.  However, it’s best to take measured risk, particularly if you are investing your own capital in the venture – don’t go all in right away.  Test out the market, your ideas and your team gradually.  Though it was painful to learn that funds had been misused in the South African company, I was happy to walk away from the venture after having invested only a small amount of startup capital.
4. You’re not in Kansas anymore:  Manage your expectations and acknowledge that local business practices may be completely different from what you are accustomed to at home.  Play by the local rules to the extent permissible by law and your conscience!
5. Be prepared to fail: Look for the silver lining if things don’t turn out as you had hoped.  As keynote speaker Andrew Zolli put it a few weeks ago at the Africa Social Enterprise Forum, be prepared to fail, often.  Learn from it and “change your religion” accordingly.  I now wear my experience in South Africa as a badge of honor.