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Airtime to the Rescue: Why India Should Mobilize Telcos for Disaster Relief
Last April, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook Nepal, telcos offered free mobile airtime for 48 hours to their customers based in India, so they could connect with their family members and friends in Nepal. This example illustrates the potential of utilizing the payments infrastructure to respond to natural disasters. I believe this potential could be more fully realized by channeling relief and rehabilitation funds to disaster victims using airtime as currency – and India is the ideal proving ground for the concept.
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The Universal Clinic: A New Paradigm for Rural Health Care?
The Institute for Transformative Technologies is building Universal Clinics, a cohesive platform of integrated technologies to operationalize clinics in resource-constrained settings with high-quality primary and maternal health care in a cost-effective and scalable manner.
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- Health Care
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Pro-Women, Anti-Cash: How Cashless Economies Can Boost Women’s Empowerment
We are still a long way from a world where cash is obsolete – in fact, 85 percent of consumer transactions are still conducted in cash, and for many people, hard currency clearly remains a useful commodity. But the landscape is changing rapidly, and for the world’s poorest and most excluded communities – and for women in particular – the drive towards cashless economies offers an exciting window of opportunity.
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An Underutilized Weapon Against Climate Change Risks: Maximizing the Potential of Micro-insurance
Over the past few decades, changes in climate activity have led to extreme weather events that have posed substantial threats to security and financial well-being – particularly at the bottom of the economic pyramid. As these natural disasters may become the new norm, new strategies are needed to address their impact, both during and after the events. One approach to building this resilience is through asset-based micro-insurance.
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- Environment
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Weekly Roundup: The (Possible) Impact of President Trump or Sanders on Emerging Economies
We avoid politics on NextBillion, but in ways that truly matter to our readers, this U.S. presidential campaign has invaded our territory. Many observers in recent weeks are taking a hard look at what a Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders presidency would mean for emerging economies. In this post, we examine some of the possible repercussions of two key policies advocated by the candidates.
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The Most Powerful Weapon for Changing the World: How Microfinance Institutions Can Increase Access to Education
Nelson Mandela described education as the “most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” But how can we increase access to quality education for children and adults? The author maintains that governments and the philanthropic sector can play a role, but there's also a practical need for private financial resources to support education access.
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- Education
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Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of BRAC: Poverty’s About Deprivation, and It’s Fixable (Video)
“Oppressed people have got their own way of thinking about life,” said Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder of BRAC, “and if you can somehow mobilize them, make them critically aware of their own condition, and get them to act on their own behalf, make them an actor in their own history, then things become much easier.” Watch our in-depth interview.
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- Social Enterprise
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Nine Reasons Social Enterprises Should Put Locals in Executive Positions
As an American social entrepreneur living in Uganda, the author says it's easier and often cheaper – because of roots and networks – to hire other Americans. But if you want to navigate a company through foreign culture, customs and policies, he says, make sure you put locals in executive positions.
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- Social Enterprise
