Assessment of the role BoP ventures can play in alleviating poverty on children age eight years and younger. This article aggregates impact findings across the six ventures including businesses that sell a product to the BoP, businesses that sell a service to the BoP, and businesses that source from the BoP. The ventures analyzed, work across a range of sectors including housing, renewable energy, sanitation, health care, as well as export-based and locally-based agribusinesses. It compares and contrasts the types of impact experienced by children across different stakeholders, both within the venture and across the six ventures.
WDI worked with Sidai Africa Ltd., a livestock franchise social enterprise in Kenya, identifying potential impacts across key stakeholders, providing recommendations for business model enhancement, and developing a process Sidai can use to quantify these impacts.
The project “Focusing on the Next Generation: An Exploration of Enterprise Poverty Impacts on Children” consisted of qualitatively assessing the impacts of six inclusive businesses across sectors (sanitation, healthcare, agribusiness, renewable energy, housing) and geographies (Latin America and East Africa) on children ages 0-8 years. Funded by the Bernard Van Leer Foundation (BvLF), WDI conducted semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with approximately 170 persons from the Base of the Pyramid (BoP). The project team reviewed data regularly to identify emerging patterns. A variety of key and local stakeholders were interviewed to allow for triangulation of impacts. The data collected was coded and analyzed to make cross-stakeholder comparisons within the business on three areas of well-being: Economic, capability and relationship. WDI also analyzed the data to make cross-business comparisons by area of well-being and by stakeholder (customer, distributor, employee and persons in the broader community that do not engage with the venture). The team developed detailed research case studies on six BoP business models from different sectors and geographies including CEMEX’s Patrimonio Hoy, Sanergy, Honey Care Africa, Solar Aid’s SunnyMoney, Villa Andina and Penda Health. These case studies will be used by BvLF for three main purposes: (1) as part of the BvLF’s efforts to mobilize resources and support a Young Child Venture Fund; (2) to identify social investment opportunities for BvLF; and (3) to influence leaders in the field of social impact investing to include metrics related to young children in their measurement systems. The Honey Care Africa research case study was also developed into a teaching case now available through WDI Publishing. WDI also generated an article that summarizes the findings across the ventures. A version of this summary article was selected as a finalist for the Social Issues in Management Division’s Best Paper Award at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Additionally findings from research with Sanergy was published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
View report at https://wdi.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/Child-Impact-Summary-Article-v3.pdf.
View summary article at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.12345/abstract.
The goal of this project was to increase soil fertility and agricultural productivity through a holistic approach of sourcing urban waste, composing and selling high quality organic fertilizers through a growing network of agro-dealers. WDI conducted a qualitative assessment of potential impacts on farmers through literature reviews and interviews with key stakeholders. The qualitative research informed the quantitative research design and the development of a quantitative survey to capture the changes in potential impacts on farmers. The team then completed a field visit to conduct qualitative interviews with project stakeholders including farmers, staff, partners and members of the community to identify additional potential impacts on farmers. The findings from baseline data collection were used to develop a report of impacts found on farmers. After the field visit, WDI updated the evaluation strategy and develop a baseline survey for farmers and comparison group.
Over the past seven years, Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) has been the backbone of HIV/AIDS programs worldwide, distributing over USD $1 billion worth of essential medicines (e.g., antiretrovirals) and other health commodities to various countries around the world. In fourteen African countries, SCMS has contracted local vendors to supply commodities valued over USD $100 million. The WDI helped document the impact of the SCMS program on local business and economies in four countries — Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia — and developed a white paper on lessons learned and accomplishments achieved thus far.
WDI is implementing research in Kenya and Benin to identify the structural and operational costs associated with the distribution of key products used in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of malaria including long lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs), rapid diagnostics tests (RDTs), and artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs). Analysis of in-country costs will be used to develop an extrapolative model. The model may be used by countries to more accurately estimate and budget for the costs of using the public sector health system to procure, deliver, and monitor the quality of key malaria products.
Madison Ayer, who leads two social ventures in Africa, is featured in two recent WDI videos. In the first, Ayer discusses the latest with Honey Care Africa. In the second, he talks about a new venture called Farm Shop.
In both videos, Ayer is interviewed by WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London.
Honey Care Africa partners with smallholder farmers across East Africa to strengthen incomes and grow Africa’s “family honey company” through sustainable beekeeping. To watch Ayer and London talk about Honey Care Africa, click here.
Farm Shop is a social enterprise based in Kenya with the mission of increasing smallholder productivity by providing farmers high quality products, services, and information.To watch Ayer and London discuss Farm Shop, click here.