NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Indian Companies’ Embrace of Shared Value Project Will Boost Inclusivity

India is a country of stark contrasts. In recent decades, the sub-continent has experienced a rapid rate of economic growth, and has risen to become a key player in the G20. However, this stands in stark contrast to the fact that India still ranks 119 out of 169 countries on the Human Development Index. Widespread poverty, ill health and malnutrition are but a few of the critical issues that still plague hundreds of millions of India’s citizens. Inclusive growth, ie ensuring that In...

Source

Guardian.co.uk (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

GBF Welcomes Bob Webster as New Chief Operating Officer

The Grassroots Business Fund is pleased to inform you that Bob Webster will join GBF’s staff as Chief Operating Officer (COO) beginning this November. He has more than 25 years of experience in international development, including investing, technical assistance and non-profit management. Prior to joining GBF, Bob was the Executive Vice President at CDC Development Solutions (CDS), a non-profit organization that supports small business growth for economic oppo...

Source

Grassroots Business Fund (link opens in a new window)

Bill Gates and the Chinese Government Want to Take On World Hunger

The world’s largest charitable foundation and one of the world’s more totalitarian governments might seem like odd bedfellows, but both, it turns out, have similar goals. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that they are launching a far-reaching partnership with the Chinese government for international aid work on Wednesday. Over the coming months and years, the Gates Foundation and the Chinese Ministry of Scie...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Region

Asia Pacific

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): An Interview with CEO Luther Ragin, Jr.

Recently, I interviewed Luther Ragin, Jr., CEO of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)-the leading non-profit organization dedicated to the development of a successful impact investing industry. Impact investments aim to address social or environmental challenges while generating financial returns. Prior to joining the GIIN in September as the organization’s first chief executive, Mr. Ragin served as the Vice President of Investm...

Source

Forbes (link opens in a new window)

Mobiles Can Save India?s Poor Women

India ranks 122 out of 138 nations in the United Nations Development Programme’s gender equality index-and for good reason. Only 65% of Indian women are literate, compared with nearly 83% men. A third of the married Indian women are underweight. Maternal mortality rate is high (450 per 100,000 live births) in part due to inadequate antenatal care coverage. Women now account for 39% of HIV infections, and awareness of prevention and treatment still lags. Can any technological or comm...

Source

livemint.com (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Women Lead the Way in the Struggle Against Swaziland’s HIV Crisis

Siphiwe Hlophe’s shrewd, enterprising spirit is apparent within moments of meeting her. "You work for Comic Relief?" she says. "Brilliant! I might walk away from this meeting with some money." Hlophe, a Swazi woman living with HIV, wants the money for the charity she directs, Swaziland for Positive Living (Swapol), which supports rural communities affected by HIV. Her resourcefulness is striking in a country where women are denied the right to re...

Source

Guardian.co.uk (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Big Pharma Giving Away Drug Patents to Help Cure Tropical Disease

Intellectual property is crucial for pharmaceutical companies to survive; without it, their pricey blockbuster drugs can be replaced with cheap generics. And yet, big companies like AstraZeneca, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Merck are willingly putting some of their intellectual property information in a public database . The pharmaceutical industry hasn’t gone crazy--it’s just participating in an in...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

In Famine, Vouchers Can Be Tickets to Survival

The town of Dhobley, Somalia, sits at the gateway of hell. Just west of Dhobley is the border with Kenya, and the road to Dadaab, which hosts a giant complex of refugee camps; Dhobley has become the last stop in Somalia for a growing stream of desperate, starving people in flight from famine. In Dhobley, as well, drought has ruined crops and felled cows. There is no government to help. The town is a battleground; control of Dhobley has teetered between the Shabaa...

Source

The New York Times (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa