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‘By making it available to people, you are almost by definition doing good’: Grameen Foundation CEO Alex Counts, on microfinance’s past and future
Microfinance has careened from hero to villain status over the years, before settling into its current persona as a useful but not transformative anti-poverty tool. Alex Counts has had a front-row seat in the sector’s turbulent development, as founder and long-time president/CEO of Grameen Foundation. He shares his frank perspectives on microfinance’s past and future in this video Q&A.
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- Impact Assessment
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Ikea Launches Range Made by Worker Co-operatives
IKEA has launched a new range of products created by women’s co-operatives in rural India.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Now It’s Easier Than Ever to Invest in Stocks for Social Good
With a new online brokerage aimed at millennials, you can pick a theme—like "Improve Education" or "No Glass Ceiling"—and invest. The catch is you'll still be supporting big, conventional conglomerates.
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- Impact Assessment
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The Avoidance Factor: Research in Indonesia reveals unique behavioral obstacles to microinsurance take-up
The nature of insurance is that it protects against unexpected, unpleasant events that people prefer not to think about. But human nature leads people to prioritize their expenses based on the needs that are top of mind. A recent survey in Indonesia revealed that this dynamic can be a factor in the low take-up of insurance. Nick Thornton discusses the research, and offers some solutions.
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- Education
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M-PESA Foundation Opens New Academy
The M-PESA Foundation has announced that it is constructing a state of the art, mixed boarding high school that will seek to provide a first class, unique education to gifted but economically disadvantaged children from all counties of Kenya.
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- Education, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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MIT Scaling Development Ventures: Bridging Innovation and Impact
This marks the third year that international development, entrepreneurship, and public service programs at MIT have come together to organize the MIT Scaling Development Ventures conference. Each year, the conference brings together perspectives from the international development and business communities to examine the best ways to bring poverty-alleviating solutions to market at scale. This year’s conference takes place at MIT on Saturday, April 11. Registration is free for members of the MIT community.
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- Impact Assessment
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World Bank President Outlines Strategy to End Poverty, Welcomes New Development Partners
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim today announced a broad strategy to end extreme poverty by 2030, and he welcomed emerging players such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank, established by the BRICS countries, as potentially strong allies in the economic development of poor countries and emerging markets.
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- Energy
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10 Impact Investors in India That You Should Know
Out of the total 1.3 billion population in India, around 80 per cent are living in poverty. There are some companies in India — both in the tech and no-tech segments — helping this large segment to address various problems related to irrigation, lending, travel, education, etc., by providing cost-effective solutions. These impact ventures are getting financial assistance in the form of grants or funds from various investment firms, called Impact investors.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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