By building a business around the concept of fair trade, cultural preservation, and community empowerment, Chivalry Silk is a true social business. Chivalry sources their silk material from rural weavers who are otherwise not connected to the global market. Chivalry’s fair trade sales model is leveraged through its e-commerce portal at www.chivalrysilk.com, as well as through other online bidding sites such as eBay.com. What differentiates Chivalry from other silk producers is that the money earned through sales is channeled back to the weavers themselves as opposed to traditional factory-based weavers that rarely see any significant fruits for their labors. Read more >>>
Elevyn’s online platform connects craftsmen with global markets in order to empower marginalized communities, enabling rural entrepreneurs to set up online shops and sell their crafts to a global market, while simultaneously channeling a portion of the sales to local non-government organizations. Read more >>>
Kaarvan Crafts is a “one-stop” shop for business development and fair trade marketing services serving women entrepreneurs in low-income communities. By focusing on strengthening the skills and business capacities of low-income women entrepreneurs, Kaarvan Crafts has contributed to the broadening of economic opportunities for female entrepreneurs so they can participate more effectively in markets and improve their economic realities. Read more >>>
Krishak Mitra is a tool that will alleviate information and knowledge disadvantages for the 65 million+ small and marginal farmers living in India. Krishak Mitra utilizes IT in order to improve the capacities of Indian farmers to make economically optimal and environment-friendly decisions. By providing structured, critical agriculture information through their decision-making software, Krishak Mitra will improve the livelihoods of small and marginal Indian farmers. Read more >>>
Let IT Help trains and employs Filipino graduates from poor communities and connects them with internal and external career advancement opportunities in the ICT field. LetIThelp.org provides low cost web development services to clients, while training and employing fresh IT graduates with initially incomplete skill sets. Read more >>>
Microfinancejobs.com is an online portal that connects employers and job-seekers in the microfinance sector. The organization helps create awareness about career opportunities in the microfinance sector through a unique combination of online and offline recruitment services. Read more >>>
OpenDream provides low cost web services and applications development to non-governmental and non-profit organizations, in order to support their communications. OpenDream is able to provide such services at below market rates by maintaining a portfolio of regular for profit companies that pay the regular fees. Read more >>>
Philippines Mobile Telecenters
MTC provides itinerant ICT training to students in Manila using mobile telecenters, which are trikes equipped with mobile phones, laptops and printers. The enterprise sustains itself by selling ICT services from that same unit. MTC seeks to cultivate creative, independent, competent and productive young citizens through their ICT training. After the initial training period, the MTC staff will help connect youth with scholarships, and post-graduation, entry level IT jobs. This will help bolster the labor market and contribute to the sustainability of the industry. Read more >>>
Rural Light seeks to lift non-electrified communities in the Philippines out of poverty by providing them with power from renewable resources. Communities that lack access to electricity are at a serious financial disadvantage because work and study becomes very limited after sunset. By focusing on renewable energy, Rural Light seeks to combat poverty in an environmentally and financially sustainable way. Read more >>>
Youth Engagement Services (YES) Network Pakistan
The Youth Engagement Services (YES) Network incubates and funds social micro-enterprises led by disadvantaged Pakistani youth, integrating alienated dependents into social entrepreneurs. This helps to motivate this large portion of society into leading lives as active citizens that have a vested interest in generating positive development for their communities. Read more >>>
