-
Press Release: DFC and Shell Foundation Launch New Collaboration to Accelerate Access to Renewable Energy and Gender Inclusion in Low-Income Communities in Africa and Asia
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Shell Foundation (the UK-registered charity) today announced a new collaboration to bring affordable renewable energy to more than 5 million people in low-income areas of Africa and Asia by 2025.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
-
Recovery 2021: Introducing NextBillion’s New COVID-19 Series
For over a year, COVID-19 and its economic fallout have been inescapable facts of life, taking a particularly heavy toll on vulnerable communities – and the businesses that serve them. Now, with a vaccine promising to gradually bring an end to this historic crisis, we anticipate that the conversation around the pandemic will evolve, as impact-focused businesses and development organizations move to a longer-term effort to “build back better.” To highlight these discussions, NextBillion is expanding upon our COVID-19 coverage through a new special series called “Recovery 2021.”
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Social Enterprise
-
Too Risky Not to Invest: Why Funding Latin America’s Healthcare Sector Should Be a Key Impact Investing Priority
Healthcare enterprises across Latin America are demonstrating both their impact in improving health outcomes, and their value as high-return investments. But as Andrea Bare at ThinkWell and Anna De La Cruz at ADLC Consulting point out, impact investors tend to view these organizations as too risky to finance. They explain why remaining on the sidelines represents another kind of risk: the risk of missing out on a sector full of profitable, impactful investment opportunities – particularly in women’s health.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise
-
When ‘Hibernation’ Is Not an Option: How a Small Business in India Fought to Stay Alive During the Pandemic
Soon after the COVID-19 lockdown started, Lal10 – a social enterprise that connects India’s indigenous artisans to formal markets – faced cratering demand for its standard products, like saris and other textiles. As Sachi Shenoy at Upaya Social Ventures explains, in order to survive, the company essentially had to start over. She explores how Lal10 managed to quickly pivot to meet the intense demand for personal protective equipment, while continuing to connect its artisans to dignified work – and building a more efficient company in the process.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Social Enterprise
-
Pearl Recycling’s Simple but Creative Approach Towards Tackling Climate Change in Nigeria
Earth’s temperature is currently at 0.99 °C, and nineteen of the 20 warmest years we have witnessed occurred around 2001. It doesn’t help that according to a NASA Climate Change report, some of the devastating effects of climate change on our environment are heat waves, heavy downpour, erosion, rising sea-levels, drought, increased temperature, wildfires and many more.
- Categories
- Environment, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Surveying the Landscape for Social Investments in Africa: A Major New Study Assesses the Current State of Play on the Continent
The social investment sector in Africa is dynamic and growing – but it’s struggling to close the enormous Sustainable Development Goals financing gap. The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) explored the opportunities and obstacles facing social investors on the continent in an ambitious new study, “The Landscape for Social Investments in Africa.” NextBillion interviewed AVPA’s CEO, Frank Aswani, to discuss the study’s findings, and what they say about the current state of social investment in Africa.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise
-
CropIn Raises US $20 Million in Series C Funding Round to Advance the Reach of Its Farm Management and Predictive Analytics Solutions in Asia
CropIn, a leading global artificial intelligence and data-led agri-tech organisation empowering stakeholders to reimagine agriculture with data, has raised US$ 20 million in a Series C funding round led by ABC World Asia, an Asia-focused private equity fund dedicated to evidence-based impact investing.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Analysis: What We Can Learn From Aveda’s Blockchain Vanilla Traceability Project
Improving traceability remains one of the thorniest challenges for many sustainability teams, even as consumers’ calls for more transparency into the makeup of products
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Technology