Creating opportunity at the bottom of the pyramid with special emphasis on gender equality is the dream of social entrepreneurs. Including women in the social development sector has worked wonders in countries like Bangladesh where Grameen Bank mostly disburses loans to women and the rate of return is very high - not to forget the general social uplift the microcredit scheme is providing.

Manuel Bueno recently wrote a piece on World Changing, in which he has discussed at lengtht the pros of foucsing on women if we want sustainable development in the poor regions of this world.

What has the BoP business community done so far to improve the status of women in emerging countries so far? Unfortunately, not much. Many microfinance organizations loan exclusively to women (either individually or in groups) both as a way of reducing the risk of default (since women are more reliable debtors) and as a way of generating that social wealth that belongs to their mission. Outside the financial services sector, it seems that the BoP business community still has to wake up to the formidable opportunity that empowering women represent.

You can read the full post here.

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The North Western Fronteir region of Pakistan is marred by violence, illiteracy and extremism. Talibans have gained control of some parts of this region and are enforcing their agenda on the innocent and poverty stricken people. There are some good souls, however, who are trying to impart education and provide health facilities in these territories. UM Healthcare Trust is one of them.

The trust basically caters to the poor citizens of Mardan district but is also expanding its outreach. UM Healthcare Trust is currently working on the following projects at its Mardan facility. The trust currently provides following services.

OPD services: Operating primary outpatient (OPD) healthcare center. The center will be expanded in Phase II to also provide investigative and in-patient services to the needy and sick.

Ambulance service: The trust is providing free of cost ambulance services for patients of the surrounding areas.

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Social Bridges presents the weekly rundown of the best posts on corporate social responsibility, sustainability and greener options.

1-An optimistic forecast for renewable energy

Sarah Kuck presents a workable and optimistic forecast for the renewable energy sector.

2- Social media holds the key to green revolution

It certainly can be an agent for change. Here are the details.

3-Global investors getting tough on climate change

Or is it the big shots? Anywayz they have taken a nice stance

4- ‘Green IT’ label on PCs

Fujitsu Seimens has opted for putting a ‘Green IT’ label on its products. The move is good but it can create a controversy.

5- Unified approach on climate change

Quinn McKew urges green groups to get their act together on climate change.

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Lori Williams elaborates the perspectives of Advance Market Commitments -contractual agreements that guarantee a market for a specific product that might not otherwise be developed.

Millions of residents of developing nations die every year from preventable or treatable diseases because the drugs to help them don’t yet exist. Pharmaceutical companies are hesitant to develop and produce new drugs when they’re unsure they’ll be able to recover their investment through sales. As a result, most of the health product R&D is directed at products for developed countries, and within developed countries most products address chronic, not infectious, diseases.

An innovative legal agreement, scheduled to be signed this month, may be the answer to how to spur pharmaceutical R&D for the diseases of the world’s poor. I heard the latest update on the new strategy, called Advance Market Commitments (AMCs), from Michael Kremer, Harvard Economics professor and Macarthur Fellow at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in San Diego.

AMCs are contractual agreements that guarantee a market for a specific product that might not otherwise be developed. In February, 2007, the countries of Canada, Italy, Norway, Russia and the United Kingdom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation committed US $1.5 billion to create the world’s first AMC. The target product is a vaccine against pneumococcal disease, which kills 1.6 million people a year. Many of its victims are children under age five, most of whom live in developing countries.

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Companies indulge in socially responsible investment for two reasons; they want to give back to the community or they think its an easy way of advertisements. While the corporate sector in the developed world is trying to brush aside this popular notion and has got some success; corporate players in the developing world have no such plans.

Let me give you some examples. Pakistan Tobbaco Co. is one of the oldest industrial establishments in the country and is quite profitable. Though in recent years, the company has launched some campaigns to create awareness about sale of cigarettes to under age (a big issue in Pakistan) but has failed to implement a workable solution. It has also not done enough to curtail emissions. It’s ironic, however, that the company is involved in a significant afforestation campaign since the mid 80’s. Now I would not discourage the company to stop the tree plantation campaign, which is commendable, but - I will also keep an account of the emissions from the company’s production units.

Another example is of ICI Pakistan. The company has done some projects in the social and environmental sector but is not-so-responsible when it comes to pollution.

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Pakistan is in the midst of a severe economic crisis; We are almost on the verge of bankruptcy. The financial downturn has started to make inroads in the Pakistani corporate sector which, till recent past, was quite immune to the ‘crunch’ phenomenon.

As I have discussed many times on this blog that the global economic crisis will seep through the thin membrane that separates the annual financial statements and socially responsible investments. But, we don’t see any significant changes in global CSR spending despite this gloom. Experts have varied opinions on this issue but most of them are agreed that companies will continue with their social investments. They opine that corporate entities have to take care of environmental and social aspects of their businesss if they want to ‘remain in the business’. The equation is simple; consumers in developed countries are now so much educated that they might stop endorsing a company if it’s not socially responsible.

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Social Bridges continues enlightening its readers with the recent trends and innovations in the green sector. This time we have focused on only a few but really promising green innovations.

• Light up your PET

A London-based studio has turned the damaged and trashed PET bottles and their ‘caps’ into spectacular lights. Click here to know more.

• Pedal powered bus

This bus plus cycle can carry 15 persons and gets all its power from the legs of the passengers onboard. This vehicle, however, is more of a leisure ride than a regular transport.

• Soap-free cloths washing

This eco-efficient machine can wash your dirty lenin in less than a minute and that too without using any soap.

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Social Bridges presents the weekly rundown of the best posts on corporate social responsibility, sustainability and greener options.

1- An open letter to Obama

U.S elections proved to be an international craze. Audrey Henderson wrote an open letter to Obama congratulating him on victory and discussing clean energy.

2- Get the ball rolling for green living

World Changing Team also wants the U.S president-elect to bring the long-awaited change.

3- Resilience of Cleantech investors in testing times

The global economic slump has not affected the Cleantech investors, as such. Mindy Lubbar elaborates.

4- Water, Sun and Dung

A post about the energy challenges faced by Tibetans and some solutions.

5- Alliances for green

Plans for clean energy and green jobs are discussed with a little ‘twist’ in this article. Do give a reading.

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ECOFACT has released its monthly report on companies who are constantly under fire for their dubious CSR and environmental practices.

The top ten most controversial companies and their Reputational Risk Index (RRI) are:

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The earthquake that struck parts of Baluchistan in the last week of October was a major tragedy in the making if relief efforts had not been started immediately. More than 70,000 people have been affected while more than 300 lost their lives. The government is doing its bit in the relief and rehabilitation efforts and now the corporate sector has also joined hands.

Telenor was the first Pakistani company that extended a helping hand in the earthquake relief drive. The company has an excellent corporate responsibility unit and in-house emergency response volunteers known as ‘Go Teams‘. In a news release, the company said that it arranged for a quick supply of food and relief items for the earthquake victims. The Go teams distributed the supplies to around 160 affected families in Wam (a town totally flattened by the quake). This will be followed by a supply of medical items, clothing, blankets and tents. They are also planning to start a rehabilitation program once the relief efforts are over.

Being a telecom company, Telenor also provided the communication services kept its cellular network running the region.

The relief efforts of Telenor are commendable as the corporate sector needs to share the burden of government in these testing times. The concept of corporate volunteerism is relatively new in Pakistan but we are expecting that more and more companies will engage in these drives. They are a perfect way of showing how much socially responsible a corporate entity actually is.

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