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

UNHCR Assists Microcredit Projects for Sex Workers in Ecuador

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR is providing support to a microcredit project in Ecuador to help the country’s ’vulnerable’ refugees break out of poverty and exploitation. Over the last year, the agency has been working with several organizations to set up self-reliance programmes for Colombian refugees and their hosts in Ecuador, which is home to the largest number of refugees in Latin America. Of the 53,342 recognized refugees, 73 per cent are wome...

Source

Microfinance Focus (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

TxtEagle Raises $8.5 Million To Give 2.1 Billion A Voice

Never mind tablets, smartphones, and mobile-social-location-photo-sharing apps. Heck, never mind computers . The single most important technology of the last half-century, the one that has most drastically changed the day-to-day existence of very nearly everyone on Earth, remains the plain old GSM phone: unloved and half-forgotten in NYC and Silicon Valley - but still used by the billion in the rest of the world. That’s why Boston-based ...

Source

TechCrunch (link opens in a new window)

World Bank Seeks New Focus on Capacity Building, Jobs Creation

The international community should refocus its development efforts toward strengthening national institutions and improving governance in ways that promote citizen security, provide justice and create jobs, particularly in fragile states, the World Bank’s latest World Development Report suggests. The World Development Report 2011

Source

Devex News (link opens in a new window)

Danone Looks at Measured Expansion In Country

French dairy firm Danone is chalking out a measured expansion plan in India. The corporation, which reported $20 billion in global revenues for 2010, has been in India for a little over a year and has introduced yogurt, dahi (curd) and smoothie product range in Pune and Mumbai. It is now focusing on Hyderabad. Danone Dairy India Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sudip Dasgupta told Business Standard they were expanding in a measured way as they wanted to get the backend cold-chain distribut...

Source

Business Standard (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Western Union: Building a Societal Brand Through Shared Value

By Robert Reiss Founded in 1851, Western Union began in the telegram business, and in 1871, added its money transfer service. With a history rich in innovation spanning stock tickers to satellites, the company has evolved into the single largest player in the $440 billion remittance market. Based in Englewood, Colo., Western Union has more than 7,000 employees worldwide and completes approximately 214 million transactions a year, generating $5.2 billion in total revenue in 2...

Source

Forbes (link opens in a new window)

’Financial Inclusion a Must for Poverty Alleviation’

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India has said concerns on the front of income distribution and poverty alleviation cannot be met without full-scale expansion of banking and other financial services. RBI deputy governor KC Chakrabarty said while the Indian growth story was impressive, there were concerns on issues like income distribution and poverty alleviation , where lot remained to be done. Mr Chakrabarty pointed out that India ranks 119th among 169 countries on the 2010 Human D...

Source

The Economic Times (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Serving the Bottom of the Pyramid

Business is brisk for Dheeraj Singh, a small kirana shop owner in Delhi’s Govindpuri area. He stocks a host of brands offered by the Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies in categories such as hair oil, shampoo, biscuit, fairness cream and tea, among many others. But he offers most of these products in their smallest pack sizes costing between Rs1 and Rs10. This just works fine for Savitri, a regular customer at the store employed as domestic staff in a flat nearby. She...

Source

livemint.com (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Tags

poverty alleviation

USAID to Invest $30m in Nepal

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) on Tuesday (March 29) launched its Nepal Economic, Agriculture and Trade (NEAT) project for improving business competitiveness, food security and microfinance to foster economic growth of the country. The two-and-a-half-year project will help the private sector in improving the country’s foundations for rapid, sustained and inclusive private sector-led economic growth, the USAID said organising an interaction here. NEAT ...

Source

Asia News Network (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia