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Doing business with the poor

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New fund launched in Vietnam for business projects that benefit the poor

The Vietnam Challenge Fund (VNCF) Project is supported and financed by the Ford Foundation and is managed by the Enterprise Development Foundation (Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry). VNCF provides non-refundable grants to enterprises to finance parts of their innovative projects in order to...

Vortex Engineering and Wizzit Bank announce new banking services for the rural poor

Two companies have announced that they will be providing banking services to more than 30 million low-income people in India and South Africa by 2015 through their commitments to the Business Call to Action (BCtA), a global initiative that encourages private sector efforts to fight poverty.

Women on the West Bank fight poverty with enterprise

A few short years after the war in Gaza, women in the West Bank are overcoming poverty by running their own co-operatives. With training, marketing assistance, and funding from several aid agencies, the women have been able to set up their own small businesses.

Dutch development bank FMO funds E+Co clean energy development

FMO, the entrepreneurial development bank of the Netherlands, has created a clean energy investment facility to be managed by E+Co.

Sam's Club introduces new fair trade certified coffee from Brazil

Warehouse retailer Sam’s Club converted its ground coffee to be Fair Trade Certified ™. The first nationally available, private-label Fair Trade Certified ground coffee developed to appeal to mainstream customers, Member’s Mark Premium Ground is expected to become a leader in national sales of Fair...

Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment to ethical sourcing

The Fairtrade Foundation UK and Fairtrade Mark Ireland are members of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) which joins Conservation International (CI) and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) as partners in the Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment to ethical sourcing.

Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk goes global as Canada, Australia and New Zealand take Fairtrade further into mainstream

Cadbury extended its commitment to Fairtrade by confirming that three more markets had recieved Fairtrade certification for the flagship Cadbury Dairy Milk brand in 2010. This move in Canada, Australia and New Zealand brought the independent Fairtrade Mark into millions more homes in five of...

UK first as Cadbury Dairy Milk takes Fairtrade further into mainstream

Cadbury Dairy Milk launched its new Fairtrade-certified chocolate bars, becoming the first mass market chocolate to gain certification from the Fairtrade Foundation.

ADAPT provides good quality green homes in Egypt

As a result of neglecting construction codes in informal areas more than half of Egypt’s housing stock has been built without monitoring or assistance. Un-planned housing and public spaces have left a mark on the country’s architecture, infrastructure and environmental sustainability, creating a...

Piloting innovative social assessment in a Colombian oil field

In 2005, Occidental Andina, LLC, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy) collaborated with Ecopetrol S.A., a Colombian state oil company, and International Alert, a London-based conflict resolution and peace building NGO, to develop a socially responsible enhanced oil recovery...

The Centre for Self-Help Development: A Nepalese Microfinance Success Story

Microfinance programs are helping reduce both urban and rural poverty across Nepal in what amounts to a micro-finance revolution.

Tojiksodirotbonk, Tajikistan's third-largest bank lends a hand to cotton farmers

The agricultural sector in Tajikistan – the cotton sector in particular – is the largest employer and a critical part of the country’s economy. However, its development has been hindered by outdated agribusiness management skills, poor sector organization, and limited access to financial services.

Microcredit : a success-story from Nepal

Mahila Sahayogi Sahakari Sanstha (MSSS), a micro-credit provider in Nepal help the women in the country earn money by providing micro credit loans. The employees of the micro-finance institution come to their doorsteps to provide them credit and the borrowers do not have to offer their property as...

A Micro Credit success story in Tunisia

Faced with the constant flow of new job seekers, the Tunisian government created, in late 1997, the Tunisian Solidarity Bank (BTS). BTS is a microfinance institution established by Tunisian President Ben to finance private micro-projects in Tunisia.

World of Good Inc sells brand to eBay, wholesale division acquired by GreaterGood/Charity USA

World of Good Inc., a social venture founded in 2005 that connects artisans from developing communities with mainstream retail markets, announced in March 2010 that eBay acquired its brand and related assets. World of Good Inc. also announced that GreaterGood/Charity USA acquired its wholesale...

Using Microcredit Loans to Help to Lift the Poor Out of Poverty

Many institutions around the world are turning to microfinance both as a strategy to help lift the poor out of the poverty trap and to make a decent return on investment.

Project to Promote Fair Trade in India

Fair Trade Forum - India (FTF-I) in partnership with HIVOS, IRFT & Shop for Change has launched Pro-Sustain, a project to promote Fair Trade & Sustainable Consumption in India.

Guayaki Introduces First-Ever Fair Trade Certified Yerba Mate

In March 2009, Guayaki, a leading creator of organic yerba mate beverages, announced that it was the first company in the world to offer fair trade certified yerba mate through the Institute for Marketecology's (IMO) Fair for Life certification program.

SKS Microfinance Case Study - Lakshmi's Story

SKS Microfinance Limited (SKS) is a non-banking finance company regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and currently operating in 19 of India's 28 states. SKS' mission is to eradicate poverty by providing financial services to the poor.

TEDCOR fosters urban renewal in the local community

Tedcor is an innovative and enterprising waste management company based in South Africa that offers integrated solutions for the collection, recovery and disposal of waste. Tedcor has been in the market for 12 years, working in close partnership with local communities to promote a clean healthy...