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‘Fintech can transform Asia’s women entrepreneurs’
The ESCAP initiative, launched on 29 September on a side meeting during the 2018 UN General Assembly, viewed women’s entrepreneurship as key to economic growth and inclusion.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Strict parents and social stigma limit mobile use for girls in poor countries
Strict parenting and social disapproval are among factors that make teenage girls in developing countries significantly less likely than boys to own a mobile phone, researchers have found.
- Categories
- Technology
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Cracking the Nut: How a Cashew Enterprise Empowers Women in Rural Bali
Each day, East Bali Cashews (EBC) processes about 800 pounds of raw cashews, preparing them for snack production. The Indonesian company was launched about five years ago after a health care volunteer saw the impoverished conditions many agricultural workers face, and it now employs 400. But the statistic that most impresses Nadia Putri, an MBA candidate at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, is that more than 80 percent are women. After interning there this summer, Putri details how EBC works to advance women by providing training in everything from English to Excel.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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How Do We Define ‘Farmer’?: Why Outdated Perceptions are Complicating Data-Driven Agriculture
Who qualifies as a ‘farmer’? This sounds like a simple question for any agricultural intervention, but it is fraught with complexity. Sometimes farm owners live in the city, hiring caretakers to farm their land. Other times, women do most of the actual farming, but their husbands collect the income. Even the definition of ‘smallholder’ is often ambiguous. As efforts to digitize farming data gather momentum, Bobbi Gray at Grameen Foundation explores some ways to clarify this picture – and the challenges this will involve.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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IDB Invest and OPIC launch first gender lens investment fund for Latin America and the Caribbean
“With Fund Mujer, we are not only investing in women-owned and led enterprises. We are also investing in enterprises that provide quality employment and access to products and services that address critical barriers so that we may enhance women’s economic participation and success. With Fund Mujer we are moving beyond merely counting women; we are also valuing women,” added OPIC Managing Director for Global Women’s Issues Kathryn Kaufman.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Latin America
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Girls Empowerment Programs Are Working: Now What?
In spite of the work of countless organizations, progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals for women and girls “remains unacceptably slow,” according to the U.N. Yet a growing body of evidence clearly shows the impact of girls empowerment programs – particularly those that bundle life skills and livelihood training with financial support. The question now is: How can these successful approaches be improved and scaled, while serving the unique needs of different cultures? Sarah Allen at BRAC USA explores some answers.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Press release: Grameen America Hits $1 Billion Milestone in Microloans to Low-Income Women
"This record $1 billion achievement is proof that the model can scale successfully, and we are excited to see where the next decade takes us," said Yunus. "Many had doubts that microfinance would be effective as a poverty alleviation tool in the United States, but we have clearly proved them wrong."
- Region
- North America
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India: Satya MicroCapital raises $5.5m from two impact investment funds
Satya MicroCapital provides loans to small entrepreneurs in both rural and urban areas. Its limited liability group (LLG) model, mainly focuses on women, with their husbands acting as co-borrowers, through a credit product that allows them to start a new business or build their existing business.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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