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Press Release: U.S. Small Business Administration’s Impact Investment Fund Grows Threefold in Last 12 Months
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that the Impact Investment Fund of the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program has tripled in the last 12 months.
- Categories
- Education, Energy, Technology
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Making Change on a Mobile Handset: Four IPA studies explore how to make digital financial services more effective and affordable
There are 203 million registered mobile money accounts worldwide and 256 mobile money services in operation. But only 30 percent of registered accounts are used regularly. More rigorous research is needed to maximize the sector’s impact on the poor. To this end, Innovations for Poverty Action is implementing several studies on digital financial services, four of which are discussed in this post.
- Categories
- Education
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Weekly Roundup – Is Microcredit Lost in ‘Transformation’?
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and Innovations for Poverty Action have published six randomized evaluations of microcredit across six different countries. They conclude that “short-term loans generally do not lead to increased income, investments in children’s schooling, or substantial gains in women’s empowerment for poor borrowers.” We discuss what this might mean for microcredit going forward.
- Categories
- Education
- Tags
- research
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Tampax, Toilets and Shark Tanks
Inspired by the ABC reality TV show Shark Tank, PSI’s corporate partnerships team recently conducted its own version of the contest. Teams of PSI staffers presented five ideas to three judges, Sumathi Balasubramanian, senior manager, initiatives for girls and women, PSI; Marcie Cook, senior regional director, Asia and Eastern Europe, PSI; and Adeeb Mahmud, director, FSG. The winner was the Tampax for Toilets campaign, submitted by Dan Lawner and Genevieve Kelly of PSI’s East Africa department and Malaria and Child Survival department, respectively. Watch their winning presentation above or read below for more on their idea:
- Categories
- Education, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Islamic Development Bank Approves Close to US $190 Million in New Development Financings
The 302nd meeting of the Board of Executive Directors of the Islamic Development Bank ( IDB ) which started on Sunday, 18 January, 2015, concluded on Tuesday in Jeddah, KSA. Chaired by IDB President Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, the Board reviewed a number of important items amongst them the draft agenda for the upcoming 40th Annual Meeting of the IDB Board of Governors slated for 10-11 June 2015 in Maputo, Mozambique, which is to be attended by Ministers of Finance and Economy of the 56 member countries. The members of the Board also approved US $ 189.4 million worth of new financings for a number of development projects covering important sectors in several member countries as well as a number of Muslim communities in non-member countries.
- Categories
- Education
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Many Universities ‘Failing to Address Public Health Needs of World’s Poor’
Most of the top-funded universities for medical science are not doing enough to address the needs of the world’s poorest people in terms of public health research, according to a new ranking.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
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A Delicate Balance for Ruby Cup: Improving public health, keeping girls in school through menstrual hygiene management
The Ruby Cup represents a low-cost, sustainable solution to the problem of menstrual hygiene management in the developing world. But the company that makes the cups found profitability only after shifting focus and changing its target market from the BoP to high-end customers and a buy-one/give-one business model.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care
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Villgro Launches Rs 20-Crore Incubation Fund
Impact investment firm Villgro has announced a Rs 20-crore fund targeted at incubating education startups.
- Categories
- Education
- Region
- South Asia
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