Development means more than knowledge transfer At the learning center in the rural surroundings of Coimbatore the tribal women of the villages around join in large groups. Today there is a workshop on hygiene. I noticed it already some months ago. There is a huge interest in education. The interest in getting to know, in…
Category: Social business
Social entrepreneurs, where are You going to? One man or woman shows are not enough!
The trend is obvious: social entrepreneurship is ‘hip’. The number of social business conferences, socent challenges, courses offered at universities and numbers of articles published in all kind of magazines is growing obviously. Not just in USA, U.K. and a few more countries, but all over the world. In tapped and untapped markets, countries…
Street life in India
One of the most impressive, most colorful, most interesting and creative things to observe in India is the daily street life. But behind all the fascinating and sometimes even funny moments you will discover also a lot of poverty. I am always impressed how things can work without any shop, without a lorry, without…
The light bag – simple idea, huge impact
Light is essential. And has a huge impact also on education and how poor children can study. The light backpack offers the opportunity to study when the daylight has gone. But just have a look: Video: If you can’t get access, please click here: https://vimeo.com/118578556 Related material Backpack Doubles As Reading Light So Children In…
To end poverty micro-loans are never enough
Micro-loans – the bestseller among development tools is under fire “Microfinance, not a quick escape from poverty, studies show” – When I came across this article published recently in various media talking about the limited effect of micro-loans, I got angry – and at the same time I was more than surprised that we really need…
Poor people as change drivers: What if we became partners instead of empowering dependencies
Have you ever thought if poor people can have innovative ideas for your business or become a real partner for development not in their poor villages, but in large and wealthy industries? It is true: many poor people often have no opportunity to get a good school or professional education. Many of them can not…
7weeks in India- Mandawa: Hawelis, kites and clever sales
Before leaving for Mumbai I spend one day in Mandawa, a small town in Rajasthan, ca 260 km away from Delhi and completely different from the South of India. The landscape is rigid, a lot of dust and sand. People look different here, other plants, other customs. There are a lot of children playing with…
The beauty of old tribal women
The beauty of old tribal women – and their role as change agents Isn’t it amazing? In many big cities, with the ongoing globalization and higher education, huge changes of family structures are taking place – also in India. Young families need to go for work in other areas and personal independence gets higher rated…
Maringa tree – How to help poor people who suffer from malnutrition
Did you know that the tiny leaves of maringa tree (moringa) could save so many lives? That it grows mostly all over Africa, South America, India and other South East Asian countries? That it has 7 times the vitamin C of an orange? 4 times the vitamin A of carrots? 4 times the calcium of…
7 weeks in India – From woman to woman, part 3
Teatime Here, in India, the faces and colors are fascinating, maybe because of the diversity, maybe because of the cultural differences or just because behind every face, there is another life. Have you ever thought if it? How many different, unique lives are there? So, taking photos of people, of their expressions and movements is…
Go India, go future! 