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

High Performance Takes Investment

Changes in social-capital markets needed to boost nonprofit capacity. Allen Grossman (excerpt) Philanthropy’s influence on performance is far from neutral; it actually discourages management from pursuing performance as a primary objective. The conversation must begin with an analysis of how and why the philanthropic capital markets, for the most part, fail to encourage high performance in nonprofit organizations. Ironically, nonprofit executive directors consistently ...

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philanthropy journal (link opens in a new window)

Online Loans Help the World’s Poor

The internet is revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries, be they a farmer in Kenya who wants to invest in new cows or a seamstress in India who wants to open her own shop. Global Giving just enables small-scale grassroots projects to match up with relatively small donors all around the world, who want to help them make a difference, said Mr Whittle. The website is kind of like a combinati...

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BBC News Technology Edition (link opens in a new window)

Base of the Pyramid: Sustainable Business from the Bottom up

Martin Fisher and Upendra Bhatt are two of the most important people you’ve never heard of. And that’s fine by them. They would rather be popular among poor Kenyans and Indians than featured in the Western press. What do they do that’s so important? They are social entrepreneurs: Fisher’s KickStart and Bhatt’s Aavishkaar harness the poor’s ingenuity and entrepreneurship to build profitable businesses serving basic needs; from efficient irrigation and kerosene stoves to I...

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GreenBiz.com (link opens in a new window)

Region

North Africa & Near East

British Firms Launch Regional Computerization Plan for African Schools

(from http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/706/2006/02/28/167@55882.htm) The Barclays Bank and a British- based computer firm, Digital Link Monday unveiled plans to boost the ongoing New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) electronic learning in secondary schools in East Africa. The new initiative launched in Nairobi, will spearhead the rollout of computer laboratories in school...

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crienglish.com (link opens in a new window)

How mobile telecommunications in the MENA region are creating jobs and improving everyday life

The mobile phone industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs inside and outside the industry, boosting economic growth and fostering social harmony and security, according to a new report released today. MTC, the fastest growing mobile operator in the region, published the results of a first-of-its-kind detailed survey of the industry, ?Mobility for One Language, Diverse Cultures? at the 3GSM World Congress at Barcelona. ...

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Mobile Africa (link opens in a new window)

Macedonia’s Wi-fi Dream

(editor’s note: In 2005, Macedonia was ranked 107th by GDP-per-capita, according to the CIA World Factbook ) ?The Internet is like the sea?it?s the only way for Macedonia to work with the rest of the world,? says Mr. Cemerikic, who envisions a new economy built on information services, software, and Internet-based companies. Landlocked Mace...

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Red Herring (link opens in a new window)

Low-tech garment holds promise in preventing maternal death related to childbirth

A simple, low-tech garment has the potential to prevent a major cause of death among women who give birth in many Third World countries, according to a new study by maternal health researchers. Study findings show the use of a neoprene suit can save the lives of women suffering from obstetrical hemorrhaging due to childbirth. Hemorrhaging accounts for about 30 percent of the mor...

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EurekAlert (link opens in a new window)

The tin-can antenna: A boon for third world

A physics research institute here is using a low-cost but effective tool to bolster communications in developing countries: the tin-can antenna. Made from a can (the best are those used for seed oil, their creators say), a screw-on connector and a short brass wire, the cantenna is promoted by researchers as a cheap and efficient tool to amplify access to information and communication technologies in some of the world’s poorest and often most remote areas. Canten...

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International Herald Tribune (link opens in a new window)