Archive for Twitter

Last week’s “flotilla incident” off the coast of Israel brought renewed focus to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the state of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This week we look at five social enterprises based in Palestine.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Social Enterprise of the Day – Canaan Fair Trade

Palestine; Non-Profit

Agriculture, once a mainstay of the Palestinian economy, has seen production decline sharply in recent years as a result of intensifying conflict and lack of access to foreign markets. Canaan Fair Trade is one organization working to spread Palestinian farming products—like the area’s famed olive oil, olives, and dates—to international markets. Canaan buys from the 1,700 or so small farmers represented under the Palestine Fair Trade Association and sells both bulk produce and finished products to distributors in North America, Europe and the Middle East. The company buys the produce at “sustainable prices,” or a slight premium, to ensure fair labor costs. As a result their products target relatively wealthy markets. But Canaan offers other ways to support Palestinian agriculture, like its “Trees for Life” program, in which donations of $20 are used to buy three olive trees for selected farmers. Moreover, Canaan works with farmers on ways to increase land productivity, reduce pesticide use and scale up farming operations.

Monday, November 16, 2009 – Friday, November 20, 2009

Women in many parts of the world do not have access to basic information and care during childbirth, leading to 500,000 maternal deaths a year worldwide. This week, in conjunction with our Twitter Social Enterprise of the Day feature, we have  highlighted five organizations across the world,  that are making prenatal and maternity care affordable and accessible to women at the Bottom of the Pyramid.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – NDLOVU Care Group

Operating in rural  South Africa since 1994, the NDLOVU Care Group focuses on Community Healthcare and Community Development Programs.  Apart from providing affordable 24-hour antenatal services with a staff of two midwives and four enrolled nurses and an ambulance facility, NDLOVU is also making pioneering steps in preventing mother to child transmission of HIV during childbirth. Their extensive prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) program aims to reduce the HIV transmission from mother to child to less than 1%.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Family Care International

For over 20 years Family Care International has worked towards improving maternity health in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization’s programming includes educating girls and women on how to prevent unintended pregnancies; awareness sessions on sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people and other underserved groups; and outreach to educate about the spread of HIV.  FCI works with governments, non-governmental organizations, professional groups, and international agencies to make pregnancy and childbirth safer around the world.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Life Spring Hospitals

Quality maternity care is most often inaccessible and unaffordable to women of lower income groups in India, leading to ill health of mother and child. While public hospital services are free, they often compromise quality, transparency, efficiency, and attitude towards the customers. Life Spring Hospitals aims to bridge this gap by providing high quality private maternity care to women of lower income groups through their innovative solutions for women and babies. The Life Spring model is a market based one of small hospitals.  By utilizing a cross-subsidy model of tiered pricing,  Life Spring can charge low prices for the general ward, which makes up 70% of each hospital.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Donna Gibb Maternity Clinic

Providing maternity care in Atasomanso, a suburb of Komasi, Ghana, the Donna Gibb Maternity Clinic is proud to serve everyone who enters. Aimed at providing affordable care to the poorest of poor expectant mothers, the Donna Gibb Clinic provides free treatment to those who simply can’t afford it. The clinic is currently quite small, with only five beds; nevertheless, they are providing an invaluable service to the community’s women.  They plan to have a new hospital up and running soon.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Maternova

An innovative portal connecting maternal health workers across the globe, Maternova is tracking innovations in the space that will help save lives that are lost during pregnancy and childbearing in the developing world. Catering to the need for knowledge sharing, Maternova is a place where cross-fertilization of ideas, contacts and practical knowledge on age-old problems occurs at 21st century levels of efficiency and speed. From news and event updates to innovations like motorbike ambulances and hand-carried ultrasound machines , Maternova is a comprehensive knowledge sharing platform that will help save millions of lives.

Monday, November 09, 2009 – Friday, November 13, 2009

Having a roof over one’s head is a basic of human life. This week we are focusing on five organizations that are working towards providing affordable superior quality housing solutions to the underserved.

Monday, November 09, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Monitor Inclusive Markets

Recognizing that current models were not working for the low income households, Monitor Inclusive Markets has conducted extensive research to develop innovative solutions and business models to tackle this problem. As part of this initiative, Monitor is in the process of facilitating eight to ten pilots across the country.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Design Indaba

Known for its 10X10 low cost housing project, Design Indaba aims to stimulate affordable  solutions to  housing.  By challenging ten teams to come up with affordable, innovative and attractive designs, Design Indaba has come up with innovative solutions for housing the urban poor. The first qualifying solution came from Luyanda Mpahlwa of MMA Architects. MMA’s design for a single-family home worked within the extremely tight budget by borrowing elements from indigenous mud-and-wattle building techniques.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Moladi

“Challenging the tradition bound construction industry since 1986,” proclaims the website of Moladi, a company that supplies technology and supports the transfer of knowledge to empower individuals at the “bottom of the pyramid.”  Moladi has made its mark in the affordable construction industry in South Africa by supplying low cost housing formwork technology.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Tata Housing – “New Haven”

Making a grand entrance into the affordable housing market, the Tata Housing Development Company has launched its “New Haven” Project in Mumbai. Conceptualized as a national brand, New Haven will have 1300 apartments spread over 35 acres.  The Project will endeavor to meet home-buyers’ full spectrum of lifestyle needs at an affordable price.  Followed by the Mumbai launch, New Haven will set up a pan-India presence across Tier I and II cities.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – International Housing Solutions

International Housing Solutions is a private equity firm that provides equity finance to residential projects that cater to the bottom of the pyramid. Currently operating in South Africa, the firm has plans to expand to other African nations and the world. Bringing not only capital, but also research, risk assessment and technical advice to local partners, IHS is helping to achieve the goal of affordable housing for all.

Monday, November 02, 2009 – Friday, November 06, 2009

2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to proper sanitation which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year. Sanitation is one of the most important factors to healthy living, and possibly one of the most neglected. This week, we are recognizing this need and have focused on five organizations that are working towards developing low cost sanitation solutions.

Monday, November 19, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – WaterAid

WaterAid’s aim is to overcome poverty by enabling the world’s poorest to gain access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene education. Realizing that  2.5 billion people worldwide  live without this essential service and that the resulting diarrheal diseases kill almost 5,000 children a day, WaterAid conducts pioneering research in the area of sanitation.

Tuesday, November 20, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – ASKNet

ASKNet or the African Sanitation Knowledge Network aims to contribute to the mainstreaming and up-scaling of sustainable sanitation in Africa, to the benefit of livelihoods, health, and the environment.  Through conferences and networking events organized across the world, ASKNet is paving the way for sustainable sanitation solutions.

Wednesday, November 21, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Sulabh International

Sulabh International is one of India’s leading NGOs working towards providing affordable sanitation facilities to the masses. During the past 30 years, Sulabh has succeeded in liberating a large number of scavengers from the demeaning practice of physically cleaning and carrying human waste.  In addition, Sulabh has set up about 1.3 million pour-flush toilets with bathing facilities.

Thursday, November 22, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Saraplast

Sara Plastics is a company based in Pune, India that manufactures portable toilets, among other plastic products.  The toilet cubicles and urinals are easy to clean and dispose waste and are towable by hand with wheels for easy mobility.

Friday, November 23, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Ecotact

Developer of the Ikotoilet, Ecotact is an organization inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s words “Sanitation is more important than Independence.” The Ikotoilet project is based on the ecological sanitation concept that ensures optimizing utility and design values of urban sanitation. The Ikotoilet model has adapted a “toilet mall concept” in order to strengthen sanitation sustainability. This includes the introduction of micro enterprises that are compatible with sanitation and that add to the convenience of the “toilet mall as destination,” e.g. electronic money transfer {M-pesa}, shoe shine services, barber shop and quick snacks outlets, newspaper vendor and sweepstake services.  Offering these services breaks the cultural barriers associated with use of toilets.

Monday, October 26, 2009 – Friday, October 30, 2009

Education is a sector that is probably the topmost priority of any nation’s development agenda. Providing low cost quality education in the private sector has primarily been limited to the non profit sector (charitable bodies), but is now seeing an emergence as a viable business proposition. This week, we have listed 5 initiatives in the affordable, quality private education space and hope to spread the word about such efforts that will enrich the lives of millions of children worldwide.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Rumi Schools of Excellence

Founded in 2008, Rumi Education aims to make quality private education affordable to almost every family of India. With their first 27 schools located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, Rumi plans to expand its network to other states of the country as well. Drawing learnings from Indian and international companies and as well as international research into low cost private schooling, Rumi Schools are a concept to take notice of!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Gyan Shala

Gyan Shala was formed out of a realization that children in rural India and children of the urban poor are unable to receive  the quality of basic education to the children from poor rural and urban families on par with what is available to high income or elite social groups. As a result of increasing costs of education as well as poor quality of teaching, these children drop out of school after Grade 5. Gyan Shala aims to focus on reducing the cost per child to one-fourth of that incurred by the government, thus making the model applicable on a large scale. Its three-pronged approach to achieve their goal is first, to evolve a system of education that ensures high quality on a mass scale, at a moderate cost, affordable in India. Secondly, to develop an institutional model and capability to run a large number of classes for poor rural and urban slum children, and third, to promote large scale adoption of its approach through partnership with the governments and other stake holders.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Omega Schools

Helping improve the quality of and extend access to education for the poor in Ghana, Omega Private Schools are bringing private sector investment to the hundreds of low-cost private schools, dramatically enhancing their financial and educational performance. Building a strong aspirational national brand, positioned within the value systems of the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ market, Omega Schools offers parents a quality guarantee and entrepreneurs immediate value. Apart from investing in the development of an innovative curriculum, our project provides access to third party finance, Standardized proprietary ‘soft technology’ for school management, culture building, infrastructure development and other school business development tools.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Rosebella Prepatory Centre

In the slum community of Dandora, Nairobi, where electricity is hard to afford, the inhabitants rely upon kerosene lamps, which produce smoke that is both hazardous to human health and harmful to the environment. Responding to this problem, schoolventures began the sale of affordable solar lamps in the community,  proceeds of hich went towards the development of Rosabella Prepatory School. The Rosebella pilot initiative shows the powerful potential of introducing social business to young people in school.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Indian School Finance Company

A non-banking Finance Company with a difference, the Indian School Finance Company (ISFC) extends medium term loans at market rates to private schools which fall in the monthly average student fee range of INR 250-600 (US$5-12). Borrowers with a strong business plan and with management skills needed to use and repay borrowed loan capital are disbursed loans, the average size being INR12 Lakh (US$24,000). As on September 30, 2009 ISFC has financed 119 schools and impacted the lives of 90, 882 children, thus building a successful school financing business and transforming communities in the process.

Monday, October 19, 2009 – Friday, October 23, 2009

Water is the cause of the birth and death of every civilization. Till today, water remains the prime mover of rural livelihoods and has immense scope to reduce costs and increase efficiency of its use. This week, for the ‘ Social Enterprise of the Day’, we are focused on low cost irrigation as a concept and lsted organizations that are enabling farmers through simple, affordable and sustainable solutions.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – KickStart

As the name suggests, KickStart is an organization that helps local entrepreneurs identify viable businesses, access technologies and launch new enterprises. KickStart’s technologies, expertise, and methods are widely applied throughout Africa to support programs in agriculture, shelter, water, sanitation, health, and relief. One of KickStart’s key innovations is the Moneymaker Pump, that allow farmers to easily pull water from a river, pond or shallow well (as deep as 25 feet deep), pressurize it through a hose pipe (even up a hill) and irrigate up to two acres of land. Priced at US$35-UD$95, the pumps allow farmers to direct water where needed, thus resulting in efficient use of the scarce resource. Also, Moneymaker Irrigation Pumps facilitate growth of higher value yielding crops and growth of crops throughout the year.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Practica Foundation

Practica Foundation aims to facilitate research, development and commercial application of technology in the field of water and energy in developing countries. Playing the role of a catalyst that engages the local private sector to look at poverty alleviation a viable business opportunity, Practica describes its role as that of a “clearing house, advocate and source of practical knowledge on promising new affordable technologies and services in the water and energy sector.” Practica has helped popularize low cost innovations and technologies from around the world and ensured their appropriate use. Practica considers a product appropriate if it can be produced and repaired locally, is affordable for the target group and can be made available through the local private sector.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – International Water Management Institute

Headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is one of 15 international research centers known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The Non profit research organization has an agenda that encompasses four priority themes; Water Availability and Access, Productive Water Use, Water Quality, Health and Environment,  and Water and Society. IWMI’S mission is to be a world class knowledge center on water, food and environment.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – International Development Enterprises, India

International Development Enterprises, India (IDEI),is committed to the  development of small scale irrigation and rural mass marketing of simple, affordable appropriate and environmentally sustainable technologies to small and marginal farm families through private marketing channels. From the manually operated “Treadle Pump” (a pedal pump) in areas with a shallow water table to low cost drip irrigation technologies in semi arid regions, IDEI tries to achieve a win-win situation for both the poor farmers, as well as manufacturers of technology.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Social Enterprise of the Day – Driptech

What began as a project that three Stanford graduates called “Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability”, is today a mission to alleviate poverty by creating extremely affordable, water efficient irrigation solutions for small-plot farmers in developing nations. Driptech is an affordable, easy to use, and field-ready drip irrigation system, providing a cost-effective means for even the poorest farmers to increase their water efficiency and grow crops year-round. For as little as US$ 5, a family can purchase a Driptech system that will produce enough vegetables to drastically improve their diet.