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Impact Investing Lessons for NGOs: Mercy Corps’ Scott Onder Discusses its Social Venture Fund
We don’t typically associate NGOs, particularly humanitarian organizations like Mercy Corps, with impact investing. But since 2015, Mercy Corps has run the Social Venture Fund, which invests in and accelerates the growth of innovative, scalable ventures that can positively impact millions in the developing world. NextBillion interviewed Scott Onder, managing director of the fund, about Mercy Corps' experiences as an investor, the rationale behind this ground-breaking approach – and lessons for other NGOs that may be considering a similar move.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
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Mercy Corps and Mastercard Foundation take Fintech to Farmers
Humanitarian agency Mercy Corps is partnering with Mastercard Foundation to push for adoption of technology to benefit millions of small-scale Kenyan farmers for better food production and ending perennial shortages.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Liberia’s big school experiment
Liberia, which elected a new president last week, has among the highest percentage of out-of-school primary children in the world.
In a bid to improve the availability and quality of schools, the West African country has been carrying out a controversial experiment.- Categories
- Education
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- NGOs, public policy
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A Milestone in Innovative Finance: Exploring the First-Ever Outcome-Based DIB for Poverty Alleviation in Africa
The graduation approach to poverty alleviation has been effective in helping raise incomes and savings over the long term. But traditional funding models don't provide enough flexibility or performance incentives to boost this impact, since funding is typically tied to activities rather than outcomes. To address this challenge, Village Enterprise and Instiglio have partnered with USAID and DFID to launch the first-ever outcome-based development impact bond for poverty alleviation in Africa.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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Up and Away from Colonial Welfare: Social Entrepreneur “Mou” Khan’s 21st Century Micro NGO
FCAB was founded by the late Abdul Majid Khan, a Bangladeshi-American engineer who left his homeland in 1976 to pursue graduate studies at the University of Michigan School of Engineering. A father of four who co-founded Ann Arbor’s first mosque, Mr. Khan died in an automobile accident shortly after filing FCAB’s legal paperwork for a tax-exempt non-profit status with the United States Internal Revenue Service and with plans to incorporate as an aid organization in Bangladesh.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- global development, NGOs
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How small loans can be made cheaper
“Our mothers and sisters who live in villages, whether they are educated or not, have taken a pledge. Twelve lakh people have taken a pledge that they will transact their self-help group-related business cashlessly; they will go with digital transaction, with RuPay cards,” Modi said.
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- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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A social entrepreneur at 15 and ardent campaigner for universal education
A campaigner for providing equal opportunities for her counterparts to learn, build a career and live a life with basic necessities, Nikhiya believes that the national recognition would help her reach out to a wider audience.
- Categories
- Education
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- NGOs
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Reimagining Slums: Innovative Solutions to Bangladesh’s Urban Housing Dilemma
Bangladesh's housing deficit has quadrupled in the last decade and, in the absence of adequate measures, it is projected to increase to 8.5 million units by 2021. Due to extreme demand and lack of rent control in slums, housing prices are sky-high. BRAC's Asif Saleh and Mahira Khan say these challenges highlight an opportunity for testing out models for urban development that leverage government, private business and the development sector.
- Categories
- Investing, Uncategorized
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