Articles by Catherine Casey

Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mentioned Acumen Fund’s work in her remarks at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. It is thrilling to see Secretary Clinton discussing the importance of investment as a complement to aid. To read the full text of her comments, click here. To see a video of the speech, go to the bottom of this post. (Secretary Clinton’s comments on Acumen begin at the 17:00 minute mark.) Excerpts below:

“This approach highlights the difference between aid and investment. Through aid, we supply what is needed to the people who need it – be it sacks of rice or cartons of medicines. But through investment, we seek to break the cycle of dependence that aid can create by helping countries build their own institutions and their own capacity to deliver essential services. Aid chases need; investment chases opportunity.

Now, that is not to say that the United States is abandoning aid. It is still a vital tool, especially as an emergency response. But through strategic investments, we hope to one day, far from now, to put ourselves out of the aid business except for emergencies.

Our commitment to partnership extends not only to the countries where we work, but to other countries and organizations working there as well. New countries are emerging as important contributors to global development, including China, Brazil, and India – nations with the opportunity to play a key role, and with the responsibility to support sustainable solutions. Long-time leaders like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the U.K., Japan, and others continue to reach billions through their longstanding work in dozens of countries.

Multilateral organizations like the World Bank, the IMF, the UNDP, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria have the reach and resources to do what countries working alone cannot, along with valuable expertise in infrastructure, health, and finance initiatives.

Non-profits like the Gates Foundation, CARE, the Clinton Foundation, Oxfam International, networks of NGOs like InterAction, as well as smaller organizations like ACCION and Transparency International bring their own resources, deep knowledge, and commitment to humanitarian missions that complement our work in critical ways. And some foundations are combining philanthropy and capitalism in a very innovative approach, like the Acumen Fund. Universities are engaging in critical research, both to solve urgent problems like hunger and disease, and to improve the work of development, like the work of the Poverty Action Lab at MIT.

Even private businesses are able to reach large numbers of people in a way that’s economically sustainable, because they bring to bear the power of markets. A company like Starbucks, which has worked to create supply chains from coffee-growing communities in the developing world that promote better environmental practices and better prices for farmers; or Unilever/Hindustan, which has created soap and hygiene products that the very poor – long-overlooked by private business – can afford.”

This post first appeared on the Acumen Fund Fellows blog.

In July 2007, Charity Njuju retired from more than 20 years as a nurse with the Kenyan Ministry of Health. Despite the Kenyan law mandating nurse retirement at the age of 50, Charity felt she had many productive years ahead of her. Just as she finalized her retirement paperwork, Charity heard from former colleagues about an opportunity they’d taken advantage of: to become a Sustainable Healthcare Foundation (SHF) franchisee.

“I could tell from the way they looked and the way they dressed that they were comfortable,” Charity recalls with a laugh. “I also knew that as a trained nurse there was a need of helping people. I can’t stay at home and do nothing when there is a need.”

Charity and her retired colleagues represent one of the less obvious benefits of the SHF model: employing the skills and experience of retired nurses that would otherwise go to waste. After retirement, many nurses provide informal services in their homes, but their skills often are under-utilized. Furthermore, while retired nurses receive a small monthly payment from the government, this income is insufficient to support a family. The opportunity to earn a living while continuing to contribute to community health is a powerful combination that encourages nurses to continue working.

The SHF network is attractive to Charity and her retiree colleagues for a number of reasons:

Dorah’s Senye Clinic in Kibera has a new addition today: A small refrigerator that allows her to add immunizations to her list of services.

“I’ve always had to send customers to immunize their children elsewhere,” Dorah describes. “No smart business-person sends customers away.”

With limited resources, Dorah has to work extra hard to meet customer demands. But she continues to find innovative ways to meet her customers needs. And they respond … Dorah is one of the most successful franchisees in the network.

I arrive to Senye today just in time to see Grace bring her 2 month old son to the clinic. Grace could take Trevor down the road for free immunizations, but chooses to pay the small fee at Senye because: 1) Dorah met her demand and 2) Dorah provides unmatched customer service. Despite 12 hour days and a long commute, Dorah treats her customers with dignity, personal attention, and quality care.

Even in a resource-constrained environment, basic business principles remain true: Meeting customer demand and providing quality service means happier and more loyal customers. Grace & Trevor will be back in a month for their next check up.

(This post first appeared on the Acumen Fund Fellows’ blog, Immersion)

We have a deal!

With those words, Kofi Annan announced recently that Kenya’s leaders had agreed to share power in a coalition government. I was on my way back from Embu when the radio DJ interrupted Rihanna’s “Umbrella” - a favorite here - to announce the news. My taxi driver, Samuel, pulled over and gave me a big hug and we both got choked up. “At last,” he said with a huge grin. After weeks of anxiously watching violence and then negotiations, celebration erupted in the streets and bars of Nairobi and Kisumu.

Spirits are generally high at the moment, though not everyone is celebrating yet. I sent my friend Alex an IM: “Good news?” “I’ll believe it when I see it,” he replied. The 2-page document signed by Kibaki and Odinga is big on symbolism, but not on details of the way forward. It remains to be seen if the two men, who ran on very different platforms, will be able to agree on anything. And as a colleague pointed out: “What makes you think Kibaki will follow through this time?” (Kibaki backed out on a power-sharing agreement with Odinga in 2002.)

I’m spending this year as an Acumen Fund Fellow in Nairobi, Kenya. After spending two months in New York in training with the Acumen team, the fellows - some of the most incredible individuals I have ever met - have spread out around the world to work with AF’s investees.

I am working with SHeF (Sustainable Healthcare Foundation) – a non-profit franchise model of health care which runs 65 rural health clinics owned and managed by local nurses. I begin my work tomorrow. For those of you interested in learning more about them, check out this PBS documentary.

I boarded my flight to Nairobi after a hectic final 72 hours in NY, with Acumen’s annual Investor Gathering and Gala, and last-minute packing and preparations. Five years ago I sat on the exact same flight, headed to East Africa (Uganda) for the first time. I was anxious and couldn’t sit still. Some of it was Lariam, the anti-malarial that makes many - including me - crazy. It was also the circumstances: An attack on the refugee camp where I was working just before my departure, separation from my family and friends for an unfamiliar world, and a desire to change the world without the slightest idea how to do it.