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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.

The Asian Development Bank and Non-Governmental Organizations: Working Together

The Microcredit Project in Indonesia, established by the Asian Development Bank and approved in 1994, focuses on microenterprise support, recognizing the potential of microenterprises to create jobs at low capital input costs and raise the income levels of the poor.

The Veolia Foundation helps autistic children attend school

The Veolia Foundation has made a grant to the French NGO, Chrysalide, to purchase IT and audio-visual equipment to assist in the integration of 5 autistic children aged 3 to 12 into a school in Biarritz.

The Veolia Foundation helps to save jobs for people with disabilities

The Veolia Environnement Foundation is sharing in the costs of refurnishing the premises of ESAT (établissement ou Service d’Aide par le Travail) an organisation run by the French NGO, CPRH.

Unilever supports recycling initiatives in Ghana

Unilever Ghana's factory in Tema supports a recycling initiative that reduces waste and provides income for local people.

Ouro Verde is part of the New Ventures initiative at the World Resources Institute

Brazilian entrepreneur Luis Laranja's company, Ouro Verde, is part of the New Ventures initiative at the World Resources Institute. New Ventures works with small and medium enterprises that have positive environmental impacts, and helps grow environmental entrepreneurship in emerging markets.

Private Sector Supply-Chains Incorporating Social Enterprises

Some big businesses are currently active in the social business and enterprise sector using their skills to help entrepreneurs improve their business skills.

Text 100 expands its CSR Partnership with TechnoServe

Text 100, a global public relations agency, is engaged in a pilot employee volunteer programme with TechnoServe, a global NGO, which benefits thousands of entrepreneurial men and women in developing countries each year.

DFID plans to support development in fragile states

The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) has announced plans to support development in a number of fragile and unstable states, including Afghanistan, Somalia and the Congo. These plans support the Millennium Development Goals.

Vaatsalya Hospitals: Affordable Healthcare in Proximity

Vaatsalya is a for-profit chain of hospitals and clinics which aims to provide quality healthcare to semi-urban and rural areas and was started by doctors-turned-entrepreneurs Ashwin Naik and Veerendra Hiremath in 2005.

Pot-in-pot Enterprise: Fridge for the Poor

In 2000, Mohammed Bah Abba was awarded the Rolex Award for Enterprise for his innovative Pot-in-Pot system to provide affordable, electricity free, refrigeration in arid Nigeria.

Vitmark includes the poor in its value chain.

Vitmark, a leading beverages producer in Ukraine, includes the poor at various points of its value chain: as suppliers of locally grown quality produce, as employees, and as low-income consumers through the offering of low-price juices.

Women artisans given business opportunities in Rwanda

Indego Africa is an NGO and a fair-trade online retailer. The organisation partners with small Rwandan "cooperatives", women artisan owned and operated producers of traditional baskets, bags, and other local products, and connects them to the growing global market for African inspired handicrafts,...

HSBC and Bandhan help family to purchase rickshaws

Shukla's husband was a rickshaw puller. He rented a rickshaw for 25 to 30 rupees per day and earned around 2,200 rupees per month. After learning about microfinance loans provided by Bandhan, a microfinance institution, Shukla approached them for a loan of 5,000 rupees which she received.

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.

Tinex Supermarket has successful project employing foster Children

Tinex was founded by Vladimir Todorovich in 1994 in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). It has grown from a single location supermarket with 15 employees and 700m2 to being the country’s second largest chain of supermarkets in terms of revenue.

Tengizchevroil identifies and facilitates loans at no interest to boost small business development in Kazakhstan

In the 20 years since the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, Kazakhstan has experienced economic setbacks and increased poverty. One major hurdle to small business growth is lack of financing for loans. However, the Central Asian nation has attracted investors.

Rural communities in Serbia have IT services provided

Rural communities in Serbia are confronted with less infrastructure and opportunities, and hence higher levels of poverty. Access to IT facilities and computers/internet in particular remain a major challenge. This prevents people from accessing information such as job vacancies, buying machinery,...

Natura beauty productsenefit Colombia's lowest social class and recycle tonnes of waste

Natura is a Brazilian organization operating for 40 years with a portfolio of 800 cosmetics, perfume and personal hygiene products. The company has adopted a direct sale scheme as its unique distribution channel.

Opportunities to improve productivity provided for small farmers within Colombian pepper supply chain

Hugo Restrepo y Cia has over 30 years of experience in the food industry, especially in chili paste, with exports to the US, Europe and the Middle East. In 2000, in partnership with the Carvajal Foundation, the company initiated a project with the objective to continuously improve the productivity...