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In: Stories

SELCO makes solar-lighting accessible to poor families in India

SELCO India is a Bangalore‐based social enterprise that makes solar lighting technology accessible to economically impoverished people in India.

In: Resources

Business-NGO Relationships for Environmental Conservation in Hong Kong: Capacity Building for NGOs and the Roles of Government and Business-Related Organisations

This is an article published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Public Administration, vol 29, no 2, in December 2007. Drawing on stakeholders' views collected from 31 in-depth face-to-face interviewees, the article investigates business-NGO relationships for environmental conservation in Hong...

In: Stories

Mobilink Turns Billboards to Bags

The Mobilink Foundation, the non-profit arm of Mobilink, Pakistan’s leading cellular and Blackberry service providers, is turning plastic billboard skins into school bags for underprivileged children. The bags are distributed free of charge.

In: Stories

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.

In: Stories

Paper Recycling enterprise in Albania focuses on including smaller businesses and improving the environment

Edipack is a leading paper recycling and packaging material enterprise, located in one of the environmentally most hazardous places in Albania. With the aim of including poor and vulnerable people in its supply chain and generating income opportunities, Edipack cooperates with three NGOs, which...

In: Stories

Working with the community to grow coconut tree business in Indonesia

Due to the abundance and ubiquity of coconut trees and plantations in Indonesia, there are potentially enormous social and commercial benefits that can be gained from integrating local communities in the production of high value coconut-based products. Indonesia has about 3.7 million hectare of...

In: Stories

Parternships in Belarus providing affordable Health Care to the Poor

Cardiovascular diseases are common among the population of Belarus. Belarus lacks quick cardiac diagnostic and treatment services in many remote areas outside of major cities. Telemedicine offers a solution to this problem by connecting a doctor in a local hospital with a cardiac specialist in a...

In: Stories

Partnerships allow Maison Energy to provide energy to rural communities in Morocco

About two million people live without access to electricity in Morocco, mostly in remote rural areas where scattered and unevenly distributed homes make their connection to the national power grid difficult. As a solution, the National Office of Electricity (ONE) opted for a decentralized system of...

In: Stories

Ecotact: Affordable Sanitation Services in Pleasant Surroundings in Kenya

Under the Ikotoilet project, Ecotact builds and operates high-quality, public, pay-per-use toilet and shower facilities on public land in urban centers with particular emphasis in the most disadvantaged areas such as urban slums.

In: Stories

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...

In: Stories

Oro Verde program partners to promote responsible mining of precious metals in Colombia

The Oro Verde program, located in Colombia’s poorest and conflict-affected region (Chocó), promotes responsible mining of precious metals through traditional extraction methods and technology transfer, with a view to commercialize the metals in specialized fair trade markets.

In: Stories

Votorantim Celulose e Papel (VCP) in Brazil: Planting eucalyptus in partnership with the rural poor

Brazil suffers from high income inequality and widespread poverty, especially in rural areas. Despite recent policies to support rural settlements through land reform, a mismatch remains between the rural population’s social demands and the state’s capacity to respond.

In: Stories

Amanco: Providing Irrigation Systems to the Rural Poor

For decades, small farmers in Latin America have faced a grim outlook: low productivity and inefficiency. That was the background for the decision of Amanco, a subsidiary of the conglomerate GrupoNueva, to develop a hybrid value chain model for serving low-income markets. As part of that plan, the...

In: Stories

Integrated Tamale Fruit Company: Organic Mangoes Improving Livelihoods for the Poor in Ghana

The Integrated Tamale Fruit Company—operating in the Savelugu-Nanton District in Ghana’s Northern Region, an area of widespread poverty—cultivates certified organic mangos for local and export markets. To boost its power in the export market with higher production volumes, the company established a...

In: Resources

Supply Chain Sustainability - A Practical Guide for Continuous Improvement for Small and Medium Enterprises

This two-page guide offers baseline definitions and practical steps that SMEs can take toward effective management of the social, environmental and economic impacts of supply chains. More information can be found on the website of the United Nations Global Impact Office. The organisation offers...

In: Stories

Diageo publishes sustainable packaging guidelines

Diageo has published its first "Sustainable Packaging Guidelines". The Guidelines represent the company's global policy on ensuring that packaging is increasingly sustainable and reflect Diageo’s commitment to a holistic approach to reducing the company's overall impact on the environment across...

In: Resources

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in an Era of Global Uncertainty

This Report outlines the status of achievement of MDGs in the Asia-Pacific region and identifies some of the key challenges. It was published in 2010 by The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in conjunction with the ADB and UNDP.

In: Resources

Assessing Progress in Africa towards the Millennium Development Goals Report 2011

This is the latest edition of the widely read UNDP reports analyzing the progress (or lack thereof) on the African continent towards achieving the MDGs.

In: Resources

Beyond the Midpoint: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

This paper is UNDP’s forward-looking review of the factors that shape MDG progress, along with the constraints and bottlenecks that have hampered MDG achievement in many countries. The findings build on MDG assessments in 30 countries that were undertaken for this review.

In: Resources

Corporate Social Responsibility: Overview and Case Studies

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an integral part of business especially for larger corporations. Their programs address issues of poverty, unfair labour practices and the environment alongside government programs and civil society activities. This article will showcase some...