NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Does Microfinancing Really Work? A New Book Says No

Politicians from Washington to New Delhi have argued for years that giving tiny loans to poor people to help them start or expand their businesses is a sure-fire way to help millions improve their lot in life, and drastically reduce global poverty, especially among women. The idea has become such a central feature of foreign aid programs (USAID pours millions into such projects) that the microfinance industry has ballooned into a multi-billion-dollar business operating in virtually every coun...

Source

Time (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Intuit Taps Text Messages, Economics To Boost Farmer Incomes In India

"How can technology help the places I grew up in?" That’s Deepa Bachu, describing her personal mission. Bachu was born in Bangalore, India, but spent a decade at Intuit’s Mountain View headquarters developing flagship products like Quicken. She returned home several years ago, for family reasons, and after becoming the director of emerging market innovation at Intuit, set out to build products for many of the neighbors she grew up with. "It’s so motivating," she says. "It...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Exclusive: Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Invests In Mobile Payments Platform BASIX Sub-K

BASIX Sub-K iTransactions Limited , a mobile payments platform promoted by Vijay Mahajan’s BASIX Group , has raised an undisclosed amount of equity investment from Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Sub-K provides residents of rural, urban and semi-urban areas with a mobile technology based transactional platform for access to services like banking, NREGA, utility p...

Source

techcircle.in (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

DLF Foundation and Laurus Edutech Sign An MOU to Setup Over 18 Centres Jointly in First Phase

New Delhi, Delhi, January 5, 2012 / India PRwire / -- In a significant development, Laurus Edutech- A leading skill Development Company signed a MoU with the DLF Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DLF Limited. DLF Foundation has launched a programme called DLF Life where LIFE stands for Learning Initiatives for Employment. As part of the LIFE Program and MoU, DLF Foundation and Laurus Edutec...

Source

IndiaPRwire (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

How Biochar Will Help Kenya Go Green And Save Money

Re:char is a pioneering company that sells kilns to farmers in Kenya that allow them to convert their farm waste into what’s known as biochar, which can then be used for cooking. As an enterprise, Re:char seeks to deliver a "triple bottom line," expanding the uses of sustainable alternatives for energy, providing a cost effective solution for farmers in an effort to combat poverty, and stemming deforestation in Africa by encouraging use of biochar as cooking fuel instead of cutting down t...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

It’s Time for Sustainable Development

Bill Clinton was set to enter the White House, the European Union was born and China had its first taste of a double cheeseburger with fries when McDonalds opened its doors in Beijing. That was 1992. A lot can happen in 20 years. In June 2012, two decades after the groundbreaking Earth summit, which put climate change and biological diversity on the global political agenda, attention will turn once again to Rio de Janeiro for the UN conference on sustainable development, or ...

Source

The Guardian (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Education

Region

Latin America

Africa’s Mobile Pricing Wars

The increasing availability and ownership of mobile phones across much of Africa has brought numerous impressive benefits to ordinary Africans. And with the costs of calls, data-usage and handsets falling rapidly in many African countries, there has been a continuous rise in the number of mobile phone users across the region - in fact, the continent-wide growth rate of 20% makes Africa the fastest growing market for mobile phon...

Source

Think Africa Press (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

The Year of Controversial Giving

By Matthew Bishop and Michael Green What does 2012 have in store for giving, especially the impact-driven approach to it we call "philanthrocapitalism"? Having peered into our philanthrocrystal ball, we see giving becoming more dangerous, more controversial, and more political, among other things, as philanthrocapitalists find themselves at the centre of some of the year’s biggest news stories. Here are our 10 predictions for the coming year: ...

Source

The Huffington Post (link opens in a new window)