-
Unity During the Pandemic: How the Social Enterprise Community is Coming Together to Survive COVID-19
The economic fallout from COVID-19 could increase global poverty by as much as half a billion people. And as Pamela Roussos at Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship points out, the pandemic is also delivering a heavy blow to the social enterprises that fight poverty around the world. She explores some new and innovative ways these enterprises, and the broader sector, are responding to the crisis.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship
-
Press Release: Bangladesh-Based Clean Energy Firm SOLshare Successfully Closes US$1.1M Financing Round With Support From IIX Impact Partners
IIX Impact Partners – the world’s most successful debt and equity crowdfunding platform for impact investing – has supported Bangladesh-based off-grid solar energy firm SOLshare in closing a US$1.1 million financing round. Investors include innogy New Ventures LLC – the venture capital investment arm of the German utility firm innogy SE— the investment arm of Portuguese utility firm EDP Ventures, as well as new angel investors from around the world. Funding will be used to bring smart solar microgrids to off-grid, underserved communities in Bangladesh, putting SOLshare on track to positively impact 2.5 million people by 2023.
- Categories
- Energy, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Championing Refugees Financial Inclusion in Rwanda
The UNHCR Rwanda counts around 150,000 refugees hosted by Rwanda in camps. The Mahama camp which is the largest in the country is home to over 61,000 refugees from Burundi. For many Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs), a stay in refuge could last longer than 15 years. Yet, despite a steadfast and significant participation in the socio-economic activities of their host communities through education, small scale businesses, and casual labours, access to formal financial services for refugees in Rwanda was almost inexistent until recently.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Press Release: DFC Announces New “IQ” Development Impact Measurement Tool
“IQ is a state-of-the-art tool that allows DFC to measure our progress in fulfilling our development mandate,” said DFC Chief Executive Officer Adam Boehler. "I am extremely proud of the DFC team for its hard work in developing IQ. I also want to thank the many stakeholders that provided input along the way. I look forward to working with our stakeholders to continue refining and improving IQ.”
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
-
Viewpoint: The Day After COVID-19 and Saving Emerging Markets
The world is facing a simultaneous health and economic crisis that has spared no one. There won’t be winners in this pandemic and the related halt in economic activity, but some countries will suffer more than others. Emerging markets will lose more than the rest.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Keeping Food on the Table During COVID-19: How Refugee Entrepreneurs Have Stayed Afloat – and Thrown a Lifeline to Others
The COVID-19 crisis has hit the food sector particularly hard, with far-reaching implications for both enterprises and the people they supply with food during the lockdown. Amy Gillett at the William Davidson Institute and Johanna Mendelson Forman at the Stimson Center discuss three key developments that are allowing food sector entrepreneurs to pivot to new business models that can help them weather these challenges.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship
-
Four Stories of Financial Exclusion: How Identity Barriers are Blocking Financial Access for Refugees and Other Vulnerable Groups
Venezuela's emigration crisis has reached epic proportions. And according to Anjali Ramachandran at Storythings, among the millions who have fled the country, countless people lack financial access because they struggle to prove their identity. She highlights the stories of refugees and others whose lives could be improved by alternatives to traditional ID requirements.
- Categories
- Finance
-
Press Release: VisionFund International Brings Financial Inclusion to Refugees in West Nile Settlements
VisionFund is the first microfinance organisation to serve refugee groups at scale with group loans in Palorinya settlement.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Parent Organization
