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ONergy’s Mission to Light 1 Million Lives by 2016
Before ONergy’s founders launched the renewable energy venture, they cycled over a 1,000 miles across India - travelling through the coal belt and meeting with communities directly impacted by mining. Partnered with Barefoot Power, ONergy is working with shop keepers and has developed several energy centers to build a rural solar customer base.
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Targeting the Urban Ultra Poor: Taking The Road Less Travelled
India’s urban population has surged from 78.9 million in 1961 to 286 million in 2001, and could double in another 25 years. To help those urban poor that are left out of microfinance programs, Kriti Social Initiatives decided it was essential for the pilot to include program components addressing livelihoods and healthcare.
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- Health Care
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Mozambikes Pedals to Promote Development Via Low-Cost Bicycles
Lauren Thomas is working hard to get more Mozambicans on two wheels. Thomas, a former investment banker who traded New York for Maputo, is the co-founder of Mozambikes, a fledgling business that aims to provide high-quality bicycles at affordable prices through an innovative business model.
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- Education, Transportation
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SOCAP11: Waste Management that Works
Parag Gupta, founder and CEO of Waste Ventures recently told me that urban India produces a mound of garbage that weighs twice as much as the Empire State Building every week. In that big pile of trash, Gupta and his team identified a glowing opportunity for economic, social, and environmental impact.
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- Environment, Health Care
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Man on Wire: A Social Entrepreneur?s Delicate Balancing Act
Question: What do a 24-year old French performance artist and a 35-year old Indian electrical engineer have in common? Answer: Each has mastered a delicate balancing act, integral to his survival. Social entrepreneurs must purposefully navigate the path to scale keeping in mind three directions: mission, margin and mandate.
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Friday Roundup ? 9/2/11: SOCAP11 and Getting the Poor on the Grid
It’s the calm before the (exciting) storm that is SOCAP11, which begins Tuesday. This week we’ve been highlighting just a few of the many professionals and issues sure to highlight World Cup of Impact Investing. Plus, India’s massive biometric program to bring millions into the formal economy. Should the poor be forced onto the grid?
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ViewChange Video of the Week: From Kenya, the Commercial, Ecological Life of a Flip Flop
As Americans get ready for the Labor Day holiday, many are preparing to don their flip-flops for the last time before tossing them in the trash. In Kenya, much-loved "pata-patas" are repaired, reused, and recycled-but never wasted. The film follows the long life cycle of this colorful footwear, a story full of resourcefulness and enterprise.
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Social,Inclusive Businesses in Brazil, A Progress Report
What is the state of the social/inclusive business field in Brazil? A recent mapping by Plano CDE, and coordinated by AVINA Potencia Ventures and The ANDE Brasil Chapter identified 140 social/inclusive businesses throughout the country and surprising data about the characteristics, progress, and challenges that these businesses still face.
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