AVPN and a new venture called OutcomesX has today launched an initiative called the Social Outcomes Platform across Asia. Initial financing comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, google.org and the Sorenson Impact Foundation.  Inspired in part by initiatives such as social impact bonds and the carbon off-setting market, the social outputs marketplace is designed to make it easier for funders to clearly see project outputs, and for impact organisations to verify social outcomes …

At the recent Global Inclusive Growth summit hosted by the Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth, we heard how gender inequality is bad for growth and leaves ‘trillions on the table instead of catapulting gross domestic product (GDP) growth.’ This was further evidenced with data from the African Development Bank which noted that bridging the $42 billon spending gap for female entrepreneurs in Africa would unlock $300 billion of extra GDP.   These are mind-boggling amounts of …

In developing Healing Solidarity in 2018, I was trying to reignite conversations about re-imagining ‘development’ which had been happening for decades. At the time, I was amazed by the 1500 e-responses and took it as (further) evidence that many of us who work in and around the sector knew that substantive change in how we work was needed. In time, and against a backdrop of the murder of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter and Covid, …

A gender finance gap for women entrepreneurs remains systemic in the Philippines, according to a report published by Japan-based Sasakawa Peace Foundation.  Women own the majority of micro, small and medium companies in the Philippines. Microfinance has become increasingly common for women borrowers, but they face barriers towards accessing finance beyond that.  Women entrepreneurs rely heavily on personal savings and borrowing from friends and family, or sales to finance their business in the early years …