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IBUILD Paves Way for Housing Development in Kenya
Kenya’s problems with real estate are well known: with a supply shortage of over two million houses and over 90% of the construction workforce not formally registered with the government, development is often erratic and informal. In the spring of 2015 a tech-enabled solution was set up by affordable housing and urban renewal organization Builders of Hope (BOH), with an aim of allowing people to build for themselves and to help the workforce find job opportunities.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- employment, housing
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West Africa to target human and animal health together to fight Ebola and Zika
West African leaders have agreed a new approach to infectious diseases in an attempt to avert any repetition of the disastrous Ebola outbreak. Human, animal and environmental health will all be considered together, and countries in the region will work collaboratively to catch outbreaks of diseases including avian flu, Zika and Ebola in their early stages.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Cold Hub introduces solar-powered storage facility to empower Nigerian entrepreneurs
To ensure a greater part of the country’s farm yield does not get wasted due to challenges emanating from either erratic power supply or storage facilities reliant on power, Nigerian Cold Hub company has developed a solar-powered food storage design, Cold Hub, to empower small, medium and large scale farmers.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- renewable energy, solar
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Reinventing Water For Millennials: Soma’s Michael Del Ponte
In 2013, Michael Del Ponte, 34, launched Soma, a San Francisco-based company that produces a water filter designed to compete with Brita. Soma’s signature product is a glass container shaped like a wine carafe, with a filter that tucks into the top half of the vessel. Del Ponte set up the company as a social enterprise. He donates 1% of his revenue to an international clean water non-profit, charity: water, and in 2014 he incorporated as a B Corporation, which means he goes through a rigorous monitoring process that holds him to commitments like treating employees well, opening up corporate governance, relying on manufacturers with high labor standards, and minimizing Soma’s impact on the environment. He says that his millennial customers embrace Soma’s values and he has persuaded investors, including angels and venture capitalists, to invest $9.5 million in the business. Soma pitchers range in price from $29 to $49 and sell at Target; Bed, Bath & Beyond; Bloomingdales; Nordstrom; as well as in small specialty retailers and on Soma’s site. Estimated revenue for 2016: $10 million. In this interview, which has been edited and condensed, he explains how a commitment to giving back has helped build the brand.
- Categories
- Health Care
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Self-Injection of Contraception is Feasible, Acceptable in Uganda
Self-injection of the contraceptive Sayana® Press is both feasible and highly acceptable among women participating in the first such research study conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, according to results published online by the journal Contraception.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Impact investing in India could touch $6-8 billion by 2025: McKinsey
McKinsey & Co. says impact investing in India has the potential to grow from $1 billion worth of investments in 2015 to $6-8 billion by 2025. According to McKinsey, the Indian impact investment space has seen $4.1 billion worth of cumulative investments in the past six years. The pace of investment is growing at 15% annually, it said.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Bill Gates keen to partner India on e-health, e-payment through his Foundation
Bill Gates, co-founder of American technology giant Microsoft is keen to partner with the Indian government for technology driven social projects such as e-health, e-agriculture and e-payment. Gates, who met union minister for communications and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad in the capital on Thursday has also also evinced interest in partnering with start-ups that can provide these services to the bottom of the pyramid.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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The Business of Malaria
Despite recent progress, the Democratic Republic of Congo remains the second most malaria-affected country in the world, with upwards of 10 million cases reported each year. Population Services International (PSI) and its partner network member Association de Santé Familiale (ASF) want to ensure that all Congolese have access to better diagnostics and care by creating a thriving business for treating malaria.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public health
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