NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Indian Villagers’ Lives Transformed by New Energy Delivery System

It’s late December and an icy fog cloaks the northeastern state of Uttar Pradesh. Here, far from the cities, smoke rises in dense, choking spirals from meagre wood fires and scantily-clad children shiver against the cold. These are largely farming families, and their mud huts fortified by the occasional brick wall are for the most part devoid of light, heat or clean water. But it is here in Uttar Pradesh, one of ...

Source

The Guardian (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Howard Weinstein Named Social Entrepreneur of the Year

NEW YORK, Oct. 27 /CSRwire/ - Solar Ear founder and CEO Howard Weinstein was selected as social entrepreneur of the year by World Technology Network. The announcement was made at the awards banquet held at the close of the World Technology Summit and Awards in New York City Wednesday night. Weinstein’s award was accepted by Nick Laperle, CEO of Solar Ear’s technology partner Sonomax. Solar Ear designs and manufactures a solar-powered, battery rechargeable, inexpensive hearing ai...

Source

CSRwire (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

Mobile Money to Deliver Cash Aid: Believe the Hype?

Vodafone has launched its new phone ’Vodafone 150’ which is being called the cheapest phone in the world with a price tag of just $15. The phone is mainly aiming the customers in the developing countries. The phone will be launched in India, Turkey and African countri

Source

Stanford Social Innovation Review (link opens in a new window)

Africa Not Fit For Print; The ’Light’ Side Of The ’Dark’ Continent

A Chinese, Latin American, and North American student are sitting in a classroom. The teacher pulls out a map of Africa, and asks ’tell me what you see". The Chinese student speaks of opportunity and business; South African steel, Congolese minerals, and Angolan oil to power his country’s growth, and an endless list of future contracts for Chinese-built roads, bridges, and infrastructure to link the continent. The American reflects on Darfur, the Rwandan Genocide, thatched-roof villag...

Source

The Huffington Post (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Investing in Impact: Making the Case for Patient Capital

Case study highlights challenges facing the nascent social investing sector and explores ways to face them. ANN ARBOR, Mich.-Social investing. Impact Investing. Patient capital. That the idea itself has more than one name underscores the challenges facing an industry that seeks to invest in and grow companies that measure wealth both by profit and the ability to solve social problems. This relatively new sector in the venture capital world is trying to redefine the ...

Source

Michigan Ross School of Business (link opens in a new window)

Haiti Embarks on Economic Recovery Plan with Help from Private Sector

Much of the media coverage of Haiti ’s post-earthquake rehabilitation has focused on the role played by the international community and aid donors . But on the second anniversary of the ...

Source

The Guardian (link opens in a new window)

Note From the Horn of Africa: Leveraging Mobile Technology to Link Somali Youth with Jobs

Read the news, and initial reports about the Horn of Africa 1 are grim with famine and conflict dominating the headlines. But despite a food crisis and flare-ups of violence, key areas of the economy are growing steadily. Even ...

Source

KDID (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Rebuilding Afghanistan’s Villages, Rug by Rug

When Connie Duckworth flew into Kabul for the first time in 2003, the city below "looked like Berlin after World War II," she says. Since that visit with the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council -a non-partisan initiative tasked with supporting Afghan women-Duckworth has devoted her life and career to rebuilding Afghanistan, carpet by carpet. Duckworth founded ARZU , a nonprofit, ...

Source

GOOD (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia