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New Solutions to an Old Problem: How the Internet of Things, Water Kiosks and Sensor Data are Improving Access to WASH in Kenya
When well water systems break down due to a lack of monitoring or maintenance, people can go days or even weeks without access to water for themselves and their livestock. The Kenya RAPID program seeks to solve this problem by applying innovative technology and data to improve water management and distribution. Paul Wiedmaier at Catholic Relief Services explores how the program is already making a significant impact on water access in Kenya.
- Categories
- Technology, WASH
- Tags
- sanitation, social impact, technology, WASH, water
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Five Ways the Private Sector Can Align with the Sustainable Development Goals
How can the private sector advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and what’s the best way to measure the success of these efforts? Those questions were among the topics explored at the recent Sustainability and Development Conference at the University of Michigan. Yaquta Kanchwala Fatehi and Dana Gorodetsky at the William Davidson Institute attended the event, and they share some essential insights on the private sector’s role in supporting the SDGs.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Impact Assessment
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My High-Profile Social Enterprise Shut Down, but It Wasn’t a Total Failure
Inspired by Broad Street Ministry‘s work on behalf of our fellow Philadelphians who are the most vulnerable, our local comfort food chain, Federal Donuts, set out to shine a light on the idea that hospitality is a fundamental human need.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
- Region
- North America
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Creating Jobs While Fighting Poverty: An Innovative Social Micro-Franchise Model Gains Traction in Haiti
All too many global development efforts fail to appreciate the value of a steady paycheck – or the role of small businesses as job creators in poor communities, says Marc Blumenthal at Social Ventures Foundation (SVF). This has stagnated poverty reduction campaigns, leaving vulnerable populations in need after government and NGO funds dry up. He shares SVF's efforts to reverse this dynamic, through social micro-franchise business models that address poverty-related issues, while also creating sustainable jobs in low-income communities.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Investing
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Press Release: Turn.io Launches Behaviour Change Chat Platform for Social Impact
Turn.io is a startup incubated by Praekelt.org, an early partner in the WhatsApp Business API pilot programme. Developed to connect social impact organisations with audiences using chat messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Google's Android Messages, Turn.io is underpinned by the crucial role of chat as the growing platform of choice for the majority world.
- Categories
- Technology
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Unite Behind the Science: When it Comes to Cooking, it’s Time for ‘Clean’ to Mean Something
Nearly 3 billion people still live in homes where someone burns sticks, charcoal or dung to cook, devastating their health, their local environments and the climate. Yet thousands of projects have failed to deliver truly clean cooking to the masses, doing a disservice to customers and damaging the sector's credibility with funders. Eric Reynolds, CEO of the cookstove company Inyenyeri, argues that there's only one way to turn this around: "deliver dramatically improved outcomes, and be able to prove it." He outlines a straightforward way the industry can make that happen.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Health Care
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AI for All: How India Can Become an Artificial Intelligence Superpower
From asking questions to Siri, to watching a movie served up by Netflix’s algorithms, it's now common to interact with products powered by artificial intelligence. As Brinda Sapra at Vera Solutions explains, AI is predicted to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy – and $957 billion to India’s economy – in the near future. She explores why – and how – India should harness the disruptive potential of AI, rather than fearing its impact on employment.
- Categories
- Technology
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Barclays Launches Impact Banking Unit as Investors Demand More Than Market-Beating Returns
Banks from UBS to Citigroup have been boosting their so-called impact funds, in response to customer demand for investments that seek profit and social good.
- Categories
- Investing
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