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Youth Saving and Spending During COVID-19: Tracking Young People’s Financial Activity in Nigeria
How are young people in Africa saving and spending money during COVID-19, when many of their previous sources of income have disappeared? Mahlet Alemayehu at L-IFT shares the results of a study in which 117 young people living in Nigeria kept a record of their savings and spending over several months. The data can help financial service providers anticipate how young people will need to use their accounts, and determine what other services they may need as they navigate the challenges of the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Tags
- COVID-19, financial inclusion, research, savings, youth
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A New Mission for an Old Model: Unlocking Sustainable Water Through Savings Groups
To achieve universal access to clean water and sanitation by 2030, the world will need to quadruple spending to $150 billion per year. Given this financing gap, every investment in clean water counts. Yet according to Chris Prottas at The Water Trust, an estimated one out of three rural water points are broken across Sub-Saharan Africa, and the traditional community-led maintenance approach isn't working. He explores a promising solution: adapting the savings group model to provide sustainable water access.
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Can Africa Really ‘Build Back Better’? How Financial Inclusion Must Evolve To Enable a COVID-19 Recovery
Sub-Saharan Africa has long been one of the financial inclusion sector’s top success stories. But according to David Ferrand, the former director of FSD Kenya, the overall impact of that newfound financial access has been disappointing. In this Q&A, he discusses the current challenges and future outlook of sub-Saharan Africa’s financial sector – and how financial inclusion players can help the region emerge stronger after COVID-19 subsides.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Optimizing Incremental Building: Why the Answer To Decent, Affordable Housing for All Is Hidden in Plain Sight
The scale of the global housing challenge is enormous, with an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide lacking adequate shelter. As a huge percentage of homebuilders around the world build incrementally, analysts at Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter explore how optimizing the incremental building process could present an effective solution.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance
- Tags
- housing, innovation, manufacturing
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Beyond the ‘Public vs. Private’ Debate in Global Education: Helping the Schools That Serve the World’s Neediest Children Survive COVID-19
COVID-19 is preventing low-fee private schools from serving the estimated 258 million children who lack access to education. And according to Irene D. Pritzker at IDP Foundation, these “mom and pop” schools lack access to the resources that could help them survive the pandemic. She urges the development sector to support them – and in the process, to move past outdated debates about public versus private schools in emerging countries.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Education
- Tags
- COVID-19, governance
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A Guide To Angel Investing During COVID-19: Eight Tips for Investors in East Africa
In East Africa, the COVID-19 crisis is causing far-reaching consequences for small and medium-sized enterprises. And according to analysts at Intellecap and Viktoria Ventures, much of the burden of ensuring these businesses' short-term survival lies with angel investors. They share some practical considerations that can help these investors navigate the many challenges of the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing
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A New Status Quo for Workers: Shaping A Good Jobs Recovery from COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic wiped out 30 million jobs in the U.S. in the first four months, and an estimated 120 million jobs in India. As the U.S. celebrates Labor Day, Bulbul Gupta at Pacific Community Ventures and Sachi Shenoy at Upaya Social Ventures argue that recovery from this crisis will require more than a return to the pre-COVID status quo. It will require impact investors, business leaders, governments and others to create "the kinds of jobs that uplift their communities to a better tomorrow."
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing
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The Network Effect: How Enterprise Support Organizations are Coming Together to Help Youth-Led Businesses Survive COVID-19
The economic fallout of COVID-19 has taken a devastating toll on micro, small and medium enterprises, and youth-led businesses are particularly vulnerable. But as Anita Tiessen at Youth Business International explains, the crisis also presents opportunities for these enterprises. She discusses some key ways to help young entrepreneurs emerge stronger from the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
