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New Legal Structures for ’Social Entrepreneurs’
You may have noticed the emerging class of "social entrepreneurs" who are creating companies that seek profit but also are devoted to a social purpose, to create long term, sustainable value. But, until recently, social entrepreneurs would find themselves in the position of choosing whether to organize either as a for-profit company or a nonprofit organization. The problem was that sometimes a company would be too much of a business to be a nonprofit. Yet, it also might be too mission-d...
- Categories
- Agriculture
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From the Field: Strengthening Food Processors in Malawi
Henry Gaga is a Food Technology Specialist with TechnoServe in Malawi where he works with the African Alliance for Improved Food Processing. SME processors of foods like cereals, cassava, potatoes and soy represent 4.5% of Malawi’s GDP. In this Q&A, Gaga explains the barriers and opportunities for food processors to improve nutrition and incomes.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Samasource, Inveneo Included in Google $40M Grants
In its biggest single-day contribution ever, Google ( GOOG ) on Wednesday announced it has handed out $40 million to battle slavery, promote education and make technology more accessible worldwide, with nearly a fourth of the money going to Bay Area organizations. "The causes we are supporting are issues we’ve been committed...
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- Agriculture
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Wise Ethical Investment Seeks Profit
Like motherhood and apple pie, socially responsible investment warms most people’s hearts. But during a two-year cycle trip across Africa, Swiss investment banker Klaus Tischhauser realized the SRI industry was failing in a key challenge-fighting poverty. Ten years on, the grassroots style of social investing he helped pioneer is wooing many wealthy investors The rich are different, and not just because they have more money. Wealthy individuals often have a wider sense of responsibi...
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- Agriculture
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Should Philanthropies Operate Like Businesses?
It’s your money, and you’re willing to give some of it away to a worthy cause. But you want to see results. Measurable progress toward agreed-upon goals. Regular proof that your investment is achieving maximum impact. That’s the way businesses operate, and charities should be no different. That’s one way to look at it, anyway. Others argue that things work differently in the world of nonprofits and social change. Tackling some of society’s biggest problems is u...
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- Agriculture
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NexThought Monday: Africa’s Entrepreneurial Hot-Spot
Nigeria is blessed with major oil reserves, and a petrochemical industry drives the economy. Still, more than 50 percent of Nigerians live below the international poverty line of $2 a day. In rural areas, it’s closer to 70 or 80 percent. Despite this environment (and indeed, in part because of it), Lagos is an entrepreneurial hotspot.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Weekly Round-up 11-20-11: HealthPoint’s Push to Meet, Exceed Expectations
In a little more than two years, HealthPoint has created a network of medical clinics and clean water access points, providing 22,000 medical consultations, filling 28,000 prescriptions, and assisting more than 50,000 people a day with drinking water. This growth propelled the initial clinics to positive cash flow in the first quarter of 2011.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care
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Farming to Invest in the Future
Recently, we surveyed more than 150 farmers in our cotton program to better understand the impact that TechnoServe’s work has on their lives and livelihoods. I wanted numbers - and I got them - but what stuck with me were not the facts and figures, but the deeply personal stories that those facts and figures told.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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