Social Missions

12/15/2015

To succeed after Paris, where the real hard work begins -- we need to do many things. [This article] will focus on the need to develop innovative climate financing and more private-sector involvement, better market conditions and better sharing of solutions and best practices.

We need to develop innovative climate financing. To meet the target of 100 billion USD a year for climate finance, we have to rely more on the private sector to make investments in developing countries. Governments cannot and should not provide all the necessary finance. To speed up private-sector investment in climate-friendly solutions, we must develop new financing mechanisms that combine public and private funds. We must use public funds in a smarter way, so they help reduce the risks that prevent investors form entering developing markets.

klou.tt/1adfj9x3idc6s

12/13/2015

"When one thinks about the stereotypical coder, one usually thinks about the young man with a computer science degree, a MacBook and a coffee in hand, a T-Shirt with some kind of HTML joke, and ready to go for a 14-hour session in front of a computer. In Peru, there is a social enterprise challenging that stereotype. Its name is Laboratoria.

Laboratoria was born with the purpose to address three troubling statistics: 20% of Latin American youth are “ninis” (Spanish term for not working nor studying); 88% of youth from poor households have no access to higher education; and 7% of web developers in Peru are women. What do these statistics tell us? There is a great, untapped potential not only for web development and the digital economy; but also, for coding to become a tool for personal, economic and social growth."

Read more here! http://bit.ly/1lk6sB0

By Santiago Martínez When one thinks about the stereotypical coder, one usually thinks about the young man with a computer science degree,

12/08/2015

"It's estimated that about 2.5 billion people still lack access to adequate sanitation facilities, and instead of having a safe and clean environment for taking care of their bodily wastes, are forced to rely on the most primitive of toilets, such as a hole in the ground, or poorly designed and maintained latrines. These conditions are complicit in the deaths of some 4,000 children each and every day from preventable water- and sanitation-related diseases, and that's not accounting for the mental and emotional stress that comes from having to resort to open defecation, nor the huge impact that lack of toilets has on education, especially for girls and women.

One organization that is working to make a difference when it comes to sanitation is a startup out of Georgia, called Wish for WASH, led by founder Jasmine Burton and her team of 'visioneers,' who have developed a unique toilet appliance that could be a cornerstone of community-led solutions to water- and hygiene-related disease in the developing world.

Burton and her partners took top honors for their "SafiChoo" toilet at Georgia Tech's 2014 InVenture competition, and thanks to that prize money, were able to run a pilot program with their innovation at Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp, where their findings enabled the team to further improve the product based on real-world application. And now they're looking to the crowd to help further their goal of establishing a beta pilot program in Lusaka, Zambia with an Indiegogo campaign intended to underwrite the costs of traveling to Zambia as well as the manufacture and shipping of at least two units to be installed there (more units will be sent depending on how much financial backing the campaign receives)."

Read more here! http://bit.ly/1Qbz648

Jasmine Burton's SafiChoo toilet could make a huge impact on sanitation, health, and education in the developing world, thanks to empathic design.

12/06/2015

7 entrepreneurs whose business ideas will blow your mind: From bags and bricks made from recycled materials, to a mobile legal office and a gangster museum, you’ll be inspired by the simplicity and ingenuity of these social entrepreneurs’ ideas.

Read more here! klou.tt/1s3t2nsfqovys

12/03/2015

"Water is how we experience the planet’s climate; droughts and floods will overwhelmingly define our experience of climate change. Meeting a growing need for water while the climate is changing will be even harder. Even the richest in the world are susceptible. The drought in the western United States has threatened California’s way of life, while the East Coast was recently hit by devastating floods that made places like South Carolina look like Bangladesh.

But it is our world’s most vulnerable — those living on less than U.S. $5 a day — that should come first in our concerns. The upcoming climate negotiations present us with an opportunity to not only address global emissions, but also test our ability to truly solve interconnected environmental issues like climate and water as a necessary means to avoid social instability worldwide. By scaling innovative financing options, expanding use of available technology and investing in nature-based solutions, we can make water available and affordable to the world’s poor, freeing-up household income that drives economies and improving health conditions around the world."

Read more here! klou.tt/e83lcz8y4jpm

COP21 is an opportunity to integrate water, climate and human development, write Giulio Boccaletti and Gary White.

12/01/2015

" is a 24-hour online campaign that began in 2012 dedicated to encouraging people to make donations to charities, volunteer and generally support philanthropic efforts. Good deeds and inspiration for giving are spread through the hashtag on Twitter, and curated on the organization's website.

"There are so many ways to get involved in — in addition to making monetary donations, give blood, give a coat, give your time. There is even a campaign this year to encourage organ donation," Henry Timms, founder of the movement and executive director of 92nd Street Y in New York City. The movement has grown into a worldwide effort.

Last year, raised an estimated $45 million, with more than 15,000 non-profit organizations getting involved around the U.S., according the Case Foundation. This year, more than 30,000 organizations have signed up. It's also gotten some very high-profile supporters."

Read more here! http://usat.ly/1OsTv3l

After money spending on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's a day devoted to charity and philanthropic efforts.

11/29/2015

Social and digital has changed everything for companies ranging from non-profits to traditional MNCs to startups, from the way that these organizations manage their CSR to the projects with which they make a global impact. Mashable has examined a few of the companies that are leading the charge in the betterment of our global community and making strides in the arena of social entrepreneurship.

http://klou.tt/5fx5oo65cl5a

The organizations and companies around the world that support social entrepreneurship.

11/25/2015

A group of German tech entrepreneurs wants to help refugees in their country by providing them with an enriching way to receive meals and make connections to their new communities.

Five members of Berlin-based startup Memorado created "Refoodgee," an app that helps pair newly arrived refugees with the city's locals based on food preferences and shared languages.

The Memorado team built the app during HackWeek15, a hackathon hosted by the startup that ran from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 in Werbellinsee, Germany. The conference was focused on creating apps to help refugees entering the country with aspects of their daily lives, and "Refoodgee" was one of the products that came out of the event.

Read more here! http://klou.tt/4pc96p9vewuh

11/22/2015

"Recent years have witnessed an increase in the importance accorded to Corporate Social Responsibility around the world, as we get more and more preoccupied by climate change and sustainability issues.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the fact that companies are responsible for the impact of their activities on society and the environment, so they decide to benefit society in different ways by acting upon social issues.

How is Switzerland promoting CSR?

On 1 April 2015, the Swiss Federal Council adopted a position paper and an action plan on CSR. Considering its necessity, the Confederation decided to play a role in the development of a framework and standards surrounding CSR. By adopting a responsible behavior itself, informing and heightening awareness in Switzerland and abroad, providing support to Swiss companies and promoting transparency, the Confederation is looking to coordinate the implementation of its action plan between 2015 and 2019. Helping enterprises implement CSR by setting an example makes Switzerland a country where the government itself is socially and environmentally responsible."

Read more here! bit.ly/1Hao5gA