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Beyond Four Walls
A house is more than a roof overhead - it gives a sense of security, empowerment, and hope. This is a core belief that drives Ashoka’s Housing for All (HFA) program - along with the principle that the affordable housing market is ripe for market-based solutions. I learned this at the start of my summer internship with HFA’s India team this year.
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The Pyramid Within the Pyramid: Segmenting the BoP Affordable Housing Market
A new arrival to a slum and a rickshaw driver living in a slum both are defined as BoP. But the differences between them are as vast as night and day. How can they all be treated the same when it comes to delivering products and services? Since Ashoka launched the Housing for All initiative in 2008, it’s clear the BoP market is far more complex.
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Aakash: Game Changer or Another Brick in the Wall?
"Aakash," touted to be the world’s cheapest tablet, was launched by the Indian government last week and distributed via pilot program to 500, rual primary school students across India. With the considerable buzz surrounding the $35 device, will the BoP market truly have something to cheer for?
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- Technology
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Friday Roundup – 10/07/11 The Next Steve Jobs …
As the plane landed upon my return from the ANDE Conference, I fired up my iPhone to read a news alert: ?Apple Announces Steve Jobs Has Died.? I flashed back to my old Apple IIe. Who would be the next iconic innovator to bring the power once held up on high to the people? Would their cause be bringing affordable technology to the poor?
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Making the Market VS Making It In the Market, What One Laptop Per Child Can Teach Us
Since its much publicized launch in 2005, Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child program has been both lauded and criticized. In a recent conversation hosted by NYU’s Reynolds Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs, he was steadfast in defending against criticisms about the efficacy of OLPC, but signaled new directions for educating poor children.
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With Video: From Strawberries to Solar Lamps, Why Profit is the Only Way to Scale
In a wide-ranging discussion with The Economist Columnist Matthew Bishop at the ANDE Annual Conference 2011, Paul Polak, serial entrepreneur and BoP thought leader, said SMEs need to think BIG. Polak used to say don’t bother if you don’t plan to reach one million customers. Today, he thinks in terms of 100 million. Watch the full video discussion.
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- Investing
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Reinventing the Mobile Market in Mexico
Without a credit card, bank account, or official employment history, mobile providers are unwilling to take the gamble on providing a post-paid monthly plan option to Mexico’s poor. It sounds a lot like what many poor people encounter when attempting to obtain a loan. It’s in this environment where the founders of Finestrella saw an opportunity.
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Microfinance at a Crossroads: BRAC USA’s Davis on Microcredit, Then and Now
At a time of over-indebted clients, and fear in the face of microfinance exploiters and "loan sharks," Susan Davis, founding CEO of BRAC USA and industry veteran, is adamant: "If your mission is only to offer consumer finance, I wouldn’t call it microfinance. If your core mission is to try and defeat poverty ... then we’re talking."
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