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A social enterprise in Kerala combines sustainability and women’s empowerment
Does it come as a surprise that the six yard wonder, the sari (a version of cloth) is one of the largest polluters of Vembanad lake, along with plastic? Social entrepreneur Sanju Soman, one of the people behind Bhava, a social enterprise that upcycles saris and cloth explains, “Cloth usually escapes attention as a pollutant due to the constant spotlight on plastic. It is as bad, and one of the largest pollutants taking years to disintegrate, ending up as landfill or in water bodies. A cotton bag is not very much better than a plastic bag, it also leaves a footprint in water, like here in the Vembanad lake. Plastic bags came as alternatives to paper bags, for which trees were cut. We started using more of it, less of paper bags and single use plastic became the problem it is today.”
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
- Region
- South Asia
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Perspective: The Trillion-Dollar Opportunity in Supporting Female Entrepreneurs
There is much discussion and debate about how to support female entrepreneurs — and rightly so. Currently, women-led businesses are less likely to survive, despite evidence that their startups are often highly successful. New analysis by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows that if women and men around the world participated equally as entrepreneurs, global GDP could ultimately rise by approximately 3% to 6%, boosting the global economy by $2.5 trillion to $5 trillion. So how do we support female entrepreneurs?
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Citi, OPIC and Ford Foundation Launch Scaling Enterprise, a $100MM Financing Partnership to Support Social Enterprises
Citi Inclusive Finance, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the Ford Foundation today introduced Scaling Enterprise, a $100 million loan guarantee facility, which will enable Citi to provide early-stage financing in local currency to companies that expand access to products and services for low-income communities in emerging markets. The announcement was made at the 2019 SOCAP Conference.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance, Investing
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Sallie Krawcheck’s Ellevest Launches Women-Focused Impact Investment Platform
Krawcheck, who previously served as CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Smith Barney and chief financial officer of banking giant Citigroup, said cutting-edge financial technology tools and the heightened awareness of socially conscious investors make it possible to offer clients choices on such a granular level.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North America
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The Stories That Change Our World: How Narrative Fiction Can Take the Development Sector to Greater Social Impact
Women's empowerment programs can play a critical role in improving lives and building local economies. But their impact will be limited unless there are changes in the social norms that perpetuate traditional gender roles. According to social impact producer Lara Storm, that's where narrative fiction can help. She explores how effective storytelling – from radio programs to soap operas – is being used to raise awareness around social issues and foster lasting change.
- Categories
- Finance
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Press Release: Kiva Deploys $1 Billion in Loans to Female Entrepreneurs Around the World
“The strength of these women who’ve put Kiva loans to work to benefit themselves and their communities is the reason that we exist today,” said Goldie Chow, Director of Impact at Kiva. “We will continue to empower female entrepreneurship, and do all that we can to generate greater financial inclusion for the next generation of female entrepreneurs worldwide.”
- Source
- Press Release
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance
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Meet the Social Enterprise Brand Providing Pepper Spray to At-Risk Women Around the Globe
With every KUROS product sold, pepper spray is distributed to a woman who could not otherwise afford it.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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How To Design A Female-Friendly Toilet
Interviewing 312 girls in three provinces in Pakistan, the researchers found toilets showed "gender-insensitive design," lacked disposal options for menstrual products and were unsafely located.
- Categories
- WASH
- Region
- South Asia
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