SOCIAL ENTERPRISE NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Preliminary results from a study by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health show that micronutrient-fortified yogurt has a positive impact on children’s growth rate in terms of height and their ability to concentrate and learn. The yogurt for the experiment was provided by social business Grameen Danone [...]

Unitus Seed Fund is a new program that invests in Indian startups that have the potential for large-scale impact on poverty and significantly help those living under $2 a day.  Launched by international non-profit organization Unitus Labs, Unitus Seed Fund announced its first three startup investments: Bodhicrew Services, Hippocampus Learning Centres, and Milaap Social Ventures. [...]

Since 2001, Digital Divide Data (DDD) has been creating jobs for talented youth in developing countries by harnessing the Internet and delivering business process outsourcing services to clients around the world.  On February 4, DDD will celebrate its 10-year anniversary with a gala event for 600 staff, customers, alumni, funders, and friends in Phnom Penh, [...]

Since outlining some criticisms of microfinance, there has been work done in different parts of the globe to better protect customers of microlending. SKS Microfinance announced on February 1 that it has appointed Verghese Jacob as ombudsman, making it the only Indian microfinance institution to have such a system in place for customer protection and [...]

On February 4, the Acumen Fund Pakistan community is holding a community gathering at a local hotel. The gathering will feature the works of social enterprises in Pakistan.  It will bring together a community of investees, partners, and supporters. The Acumen team will cover products and services from the newest social enterprises and other plans [...]

On January 23, The Microcredit Summit Campaign and Freedom from Hunger announced they have entered a strategic alliance to reach more than 700,000 microfinance clients with health education and services over the next five years. A common reason that the best microfinance programs are undermined is illness.  Poor families end up taking loans for medical fees [...]

“Practice makes perfect” is an old expression that doing an activity over and over again is a method of improving and mastering it.  For a country like Bangladesh who face decades of trying to overcome their problems in poverty, natural disaster, malnutrition, and illiteracy, they have convincing experience to become the leaders of the world [...]

SKS Mircofinance hopes to bounce back from a third straight quarterly loss in FY12 to turn to profit by April-June, resting on greater reach beyond Andhra Pradesh state.  The company is the only public microfinance institution in India and made its debut on the Bombay Stock Exchange in 2010. The microfinance industry in India came [...]

In 2010, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust approved a donation of $249 million to support the Jockey Club Innovation Tower project and set up the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (JCDISI), which will be housed at the Tower along with Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Design. Details of the projects [...]

India remains a large part of Acumen Fund’s investment portfolio.  In November 2011, they announced an investment in microfinance firm GUARDIAN who performs microlending specifically for those that lack access to individual water and sanitation facilities.  The $1 million loan would help the business transition from a partially grant-funded NGO to a firm that is fully [...]