Social Enterprises, Band-Aids and Refugee Camps: Uncomfortable Similarities, Meaningful Differences
In 2008, disputes after a federal election led to substantive political violence in Kenya. Three years later, after 600,000 people were displaced by the violence, 200,000 of those victims – … Continue reading
Who The Shoe Fits, Make Them Wear It: Why Would Free Shoes for the Needy Be a Bad Thing?
Since the mid to late 1900s, Clarks have been a popular brand of shoes in Jamaica. By no means is this brand indigenous – it originated from the United Kingdom. … Continue reading
What Enterprises Need to Do for the World’s “New” Billion Poor Individuals
Two decades ago, 93% of the world’s poorest people lived in low-income countries (LICs). Today, according to the Center for Global Development, 72% of the world’s poorest people live in … Continue reading
Enterprises Acting As Businesses are the Most Powerful Force for Social Impact
This post is part of a three part series on which enterprise model is best placed to successfully improve livelihoods in the developing world. For a catch-up, please read the … Continue reading
Wrong Approach and Wrong Model: Social Enterprises and the Delivery of Goods and Services to Low-Income Consumers
Last week in a visit to low-income farmers in rural Kenya , one farmer recounted that he was only able to yield a limited amount of maize for sale because … Continue reading
From Invisible to Visible: Empowering Female Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa
What if you found yourself guilty of a foible so evident in the actions of others? What if in trying to enable others to achieve growth, you find that it … Continue reading
Unsustainable and Un-scalable: Why Some Social Enterprises are Unlikely to Meaningfully Change Lives
In 2006, I worked with a Malawaian microfinance institution (MFI). The MFI had trouble encouraging employee attendance and performance. “Armed” with 8-months in business school (!), I provided what I … Continue reading
Story-Telling and Reality: When Gaps Shouldn’t Exist
In many professional circles, story-telling is a potent tool with immeasurable value. In this sense, story-telling is using anecdotes as a foundation for influencing individuals, organizations, conveying ideas and broadly … Continue reading
Invisible Farmers: Kenyan Women in Agriculture
In Fantastic Four, a comic and movie about a superhero team, Sue Storm has the power of invisibility. While initially difficult to control, she later learns to be invisible at … Continue reading
Marketing or Misleading: the Promotion of Development Oriented Organizations
I remember, as a teenager, looking at myself in the mirror. After nights of wearing a durag, I only had a canyon-like crease on the crown of my head. Sadly, … Continue reading
Shane Heywood 