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The Trouble With ‘Women’s Empowerment’ Programs: Perceptions vs. Reality in India
India's government, funders and development initiatives have an increasing focus on including women in different programs. But according to Sudarshan Thakur at PRADAN, these efforts often seem more concerned about what women can do for development than what development can do for women. He argues that social change cannot come only from outside interventions or credit. Instead, global development agencies need to engage with women across different communities and contexts, as women themselves are the best judges of the types of services and programs they need.
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- Finance
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Dragons Scale Naturally; Social Enterprises Don’t: Here Are Four Tips That Make It Faster and Easier for Every Entrepreneur
If you’re a social entrepreneur, here's some bad news for you: You weren’t born to scale. According to Rob Shelton at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, in reviewing 100 enterprises from the past 10 years, the Center found that less than 10% were able to scale successfully. But he also offers some good news: In spite of the odds, you can learn to scale successfully – if you're willing to shift management gears, learn some new things and push beyond your existing model. Shelton shares a straightforward process that can make scaling possible for every entrepreneur.
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- Social Enterprise
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Our Obsession with ‘Systems Change’ Leaves Marginalized Women Vulnerable – Let’s Empower Them to Advocate for Themselves
Last December, while driving through rural Uganda, KadAfrica founder Rebecca Kaduru was gravely injured in a car accident. Taken to the district hospital, she faced a stark reality: There was no doctor, no medications, not even gauze and sutures. The experience highlighted the barriers to women's empowerment in the country, where hospitals like this are often the best option for maternal health emergencies, and care is only available to those who fight for it. Kaduru explores why gender equality requires less focus on changing systems, and more on helping women advocate for themselves.
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- Health Care, Social Enterprise
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Scaling your Social Enterprise – While Handling your Success: A Q&A with Microfinance Pioneer Alex Counts
Few people know more about the opportunities and pitfalls of scaling a social enterprise than Alex Counts. A seminal figure in microfinance, he led Grameen Foundation's growth from a $6,000 start-up to a $20 million powerhouse, while playing a key role in the often turbulent expansion of the broader microfinance sector. NextBillion caught up with Counts to discuss his latest book, “Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind.” The book – and this Q&A – provide essential advice for social impact leaders working to grow their organizations – and dealing with the new tensions scale can bring.
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- Finance, Social Enterprise
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The Front Lines of the Digital Revolution: Reasons for Hope and Caution as India Rides the Fintech Boom
India is now the world's second biggest fintech hub, trailing only the U.S. Its digital payments market is set to grow to US $500 billion by 2020, with its overall digital economy predicted to reach 30% of the country’s GDP by 2025. According to Moin Qazi, this ongoing fintech revolution offers a preview of what global banking may look like a generation from now, delivering vast benefits to both providers and customers. But it isn't free of downsides – for both traditional financial institutions losing their market share to tech-based entrants, and for customers navigating new risks.
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- Finance, Technology
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Big Challenge, Simple Solution: Could Bookkeeping Take India’s Small Businesses from Good to Great?
Small businesses tend to dream big and start small, but somewhere in the middle they do not grow. According to Vikas Kabra at Menterra, in his interactions with small merchants in India, he's noticed a surprisingly simple obstacle to their growth: a lack of bookkeeping. Out of hundreds of micro-merchants he has interacted with, barely any track their day-to-day business performance. Kabra discusses the problem, and calls for new tech-based solutions that could make bookkeeping fast, easy and approachable for small business owners.
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- Finance
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The Hard Reality of Sanitation: Why Public Sector Support is Key to Entrepreneurial Success in Emerging Markets
Roughly 2.3 billion people lack basic sanitation, and over half the global population lack a safely managed service. This spells opportunity for social entrepreneurs – but as Sam Drabble at Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor points out, these businesses face huge systemic challenges and cannot succeed without support. He highlights some solutions that could boost these companies' chances of success.
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- WASH
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Time to Shift Gears: Despite Positive Trends, Off-Grid Solar Needs More Investment to Grow
It's true that 2018 was a fairly positive year for investments in off-grid solar. But according to GOGLA, the global association for the industry, this progress isn’t enough. With more than 150 off-grid solar companies and stakeholders as members, GOGLA closely monitors investment flows in the sector. Based on analysis of its deal database, it has realized that the industry will need a significant increase in funding to reach the target of universal energy by 2030. GOGLA analysts share five trends in off-grid solar funding they've observed in the recent data.