Archive for January, 2008

« Older Entries

Sharing in successes

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

I’ve just returned from almost three weeks in India, where I met potential investees for our energy portfolio. There is so much happening in India, and it really seems like we have a few good opportunities in front of us. 

One thing I found fascinating is the fact that almost everyone I met wanted to talk about the Reliance Power IPO and Tata Nano $1000 car, both of which hit the news while I was there. These two events have really captured the imagination of an entire subcontinent. People of every economic class were proud and felt like these were their own successes, even though for most Indians, the economic connection to both was quite distant. It was a reminder that the desire in all of us to find successes that we can relate to and share in is extremely powerful. It is a core tenet of Acumen Fund’s philosophy and a central part of our work in helping form new companies & institutions

Posted in Acumen News | No Comments

CSR in the Economist

Monday, January 28th, 2008

The January 19 edition of The Economist contains a special report on corporate social responsibility. Several long and interesting articles, some with conflicting perspectives, but a few points emerge. First, CSR is moving slowly but inexorably to the mainstream corporate agenda. There are many arguments about what it should be called (corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, building a sustainable business) but CSR is increasingly seen as just good business. That said, there is still a significant cadre of doubters whose core argument is that corporate executives should not be spending other people’s money on CSR—their job is to be making money for the shareholders. Period.

In one article, Nike’s VP of corporate responsibility, Hannah Jones, talks about CSR as a source of innovation for companies. Instead of spending her time at CSR conferences full of other corporate folks, she prefers to focus on interacting with the social entrepreneurs and in helping to reap both social and financial returns.

“Do it right,” the last article in the section, really resonates with us here at Acumen. It asks the question that, assuming this trend corporate “goodness” continues, where will it evolve? Some believe it is the social entrepreneur who has “cracked the code” with an approach which is for-profit and self-sustaining. The approach “brings financial rigour as well as an appreciation for risk…and can teach the big companies a thing or two about how to measure the success of social investments.”

Posted in Acumen News | 1 Comment

The road to the tractor barber shop.

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Posted in Acumen News | 1 Comment

Walkabout

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Yesterday, we ran an eye camp in Mangzunuru, a village of about 5,000 people.  It wasn’t a great day – The Sarpanch (village president) hadn’t shown up to endorse it.  Business started off slow and got slower around 11 AM.  I asked Rama Devi, one of the Vision Entrepreneurs, if she wanted to take a walk around to see if we couldn’t find some more prospective customers (35-55 year-olds).  She is by far the top performing salesperson in the district – She outsells by a factor of 3:1.  After spending a few minutes listening to her, you can tell why. 

Rama Devi grabbed a stack of flyers and a pair of reading glasses for show, and we set out.  It was hot.  Going from door to door, she ambles up to small groups and gave her pitch.  The approach varied, but she was consistently personable and authoritative.  Unlike the flyer-hander-outers of New York, she invested minutes in every person she talked to, carefully explaining the details of the service.  While target customers are relatively easy to spot by age, they certainly weren’t eager to accept what she had to say.  The degree of skepticism was alarming.  I was facinated by the variety of suspicions and misconceptions launched at her:

“You aren’t doctors – how are you qualified to check people’s eyes?”
“You are working for a government program and are trying to charge for glasses that should be free.”
“Do you represent a Christian organization?  Why are you trying to change our village?”
“Reading glasses caused these dark circles under my eyes.”
“Wearing glasses makes your eyes roll back into your head.”

I stood there stymied, while Rama Devi handled these grenades with mental judo.  She’s heard them all before.  “This is for everyone.  You can come get screened for free,” she said.  “No obligation so why not come check?  We’re not affiliated with any political party or religious organization.  These are high quality glasses and will not damage your eyes.  We bring them right to your doorstep; otherwise you would have to travel far away and spend more money.  They are just for reading so you don’t need a prescription.  We have been trained to screen your eyes for this simple problem – for more complex problems we can refer you to a hospital.”

Along the way, I asked, “How do you decide who to give one of your flyers to?”

“I can just tell by the way they act when I start talking to them.”  Soft skills like Rama Devi’s are hard to find.

Tags: ,
Posted in Acumen News | 1 Comment

Jamii Bora and the environment in Kenya

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Kenya - Kibera situation.jpg(Photo: Gabriel Kadidi)
It has been several weeks since both Pakistan and Kenya began to experience political and social unrest. As Jacqueline initially reported (here and here), Acumen Fund’s communities on the ground remain safe, but the environment in both countries has taken a decided turn for the worse.

The past weeks in Kenya have been heartbreaking. Tremendous excitement about an election year has turned to frustration over the process and its impact on the country’s stability.  Kenya was on the rise as an economic model for East Africa. Acumen Fund investee Jamii Bora had overcome legal obstacles to begin to realize the dream of Nairobi’s poorest to build a new town for its members. By December, nearly 500 homes were under construction…Dedan — JB’s bicycle messenger who had lost a leg as a young boy — had qualified to compete in the Beijing Paralympics. There was a sense of forward progress and real opportunity. But the view held by many involved in Jamii Bora’s work has now been turned upside down.

First, there is an unexpected stop-work order on the construction of Kaputiei town. Just before Christmas, an opposition group threatens to dismantle JB’s proud new homes. Then, the presidential election. What initially appear to be containable pockets of rioting in the urban slums yields to myriad disruptions throughout the country, opening up historical political grievances and tribal tensions in the worst cases. Particularly in the slums, there are accounts of looting, people being killed and maimed, homes and businesses being destroyed. By year’s end, Ingrid Munro, Jamii Bora’s trustee, writes: “Hell has broken out. President being sworn in at this moment. Pray for us.” 

We reach out to our friends and colleagues at Jamii Bora. Ingrid, Consolata, Kennedy, Elijah, Richard … they all respond. Joseph – no reply, Gabriel – no reply. Both Joseph and Gabriel are Kikuyus living in the heart of the Kibera slum.  (more…)

Posted in Acumen News, On the Ground, Our World | 8 Comments

« Older Entries