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Inconvenient Truths: How a microscope lens for phones might improve health and hygiene in developing countries
College student Thomas Larson invented stick-on microscope lenses for mobile phones that might have some interesting applications in global development, such as assessing just what is in the water.
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- Agriculture, Health Care, Technology
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The 10 (Mostly Still-to-be Invented) Jobs That Can Power Africa’s Future: From ‘nutrient banker’ to ‘rat trainer’ – these jobs might help employ the next generation
Where will Africa’s next generation of jobs come from? One source will be social entrepreneurs who are creating new opportunities as they transform their chosen fields. Ashoka’s Simon Stumpf presents his list of future jobs (some still uninvented) that could employ young people in Africa over the course of the next decade.
- Categories
- Education
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Problems and Potential in Tanzania’s Mobile Money Ecosystem: Highlights from Helix’s Agent Network Accelerator survey
Tanzania has crafted an impressively successful ecosystem for mobile money, with a unique agent network system that can be used as a model for the rest of the world. But this network is also struggling with fraud, liquidity management issues and other challenges. The recent country report from the Helix Institute of Digital Finance provides insights into what’s working, and what isn’t.
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- Uncategorized
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NexThought Monday – A Brazil Without Favelas is Possible
In spite of the R$ 134 billion allocated by Brazil´s government to Minha Casa, Minha Vida, there is very little conclusive data that enables us to examine the real social impact of the housing projects under its umbrella. Although it might appear to be unrealistic, Brazil desperately needs an ambitious vision to confront its housing disparity crisis.
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- Uncategorized
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Weekly Roundup – 5/3/14: An Arab Spring for global health?
Amartya Sen once said that famines don’t occur in democracies. His statement still largely holds true. Unfortunately, democracy is under siege in many parts of the world.
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- Education, Health Care, Impact Assessment, Technology
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Good Ideas, Multiplied: How NGO, research collaboration is boosting social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurs are celebrated for bringing new ideas to the table. But is a great idea enough to have the intended impact? While entrepreneurship celebrates the new, what role should existing research networks and NGOs, who bring deep sector expertise and trusting relationships with target communities, play in supporting social entrepreneurship?
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- Education, Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
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Mondato Summit Africa: The high-level mobile money gathering will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 17-18th
Mobile money is reshaping financial services in the developing world, and Africa has become the epicenter of the movement. That’s why NextBillion is pleased to announce that we’ll be a media partner with Mondato Summit Africa, an mCommerce, mobile money and innovations conference taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 17-18th.
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- Uncategorized
- Tags
- digital payments
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When For-profit Is the Right Answer for a Social Enterprise: Nuru International’s Transformation Toward Profitability, Without Losing Its Social Values
Late last year nonprofit Nuru International made a major transition from a donor-focused operating model toward a profit driven one. Nisha Chakravarty, who joined as the first President and Founder of Nuru Social Enterprises, describes the process and the quest for a “perfect” model of sustainability.
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- Uncategorized
