Para Laddies Vernaza el coco es su vida. Es el sustento de su familia, es el cultivo que le dio de comer a ella y sus hermanos, incluso era lo que servía de balón con el que jugaba “yermis” cuando pequeña. Laddies nació en Caleta Viento Libre, una vereda ubicada en ACAPA un Consejo Comunitario Afrocolombiano, integrado por 32 comunidades afrocolombianas con más de 1.836 familias ubicado en la zona rural de Tumaco, Nariño. Nariño es uno de los cuatro departamentos ubicados en la región del Pacífico colombiano (junto con el Valle del Cauca, Cauca y Chocó). Según el Departamento Nacional de Estad ..read more

Measuring climate resilience is difficult. For mitigation, estimating greenhouse gas emissions is somewhat straightforward, but for adaptation, impacts are varied and complex. Often the impact thesis is to “build resilience,” where the definition of resilience varies by context, sector, and target population. The post How three investors are measuring their impact on climate resilience appeared first on Acumen ..read more

New CMO joins Acumen to drive forward mission of changing the way the world tackles poverty NEW YORK – Acumen, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to tackling poverty and driving social change, is delighted to announce the appointment of Alexandra Gordon as its new Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.  Prior to joining Acumen, Gordon served as President and Partner at Matter Unlimited, an award-winning social impact consultancy operating at the intersection of culture, capital, and cause. Under Gordon’s leadership, Matter Unlimited achieved notable recognition, including Emm ..read more

The key to unlocking solutions to our most pressing social and economic problems lies hidden in plain sight: investing in African agriculture. Yet, this critical sector is underfunded and overlooked, despite holding the power to lift millions out of poverty and feed a growing global population. By the World Bank’s estimates, boosting agriculture’s output is two to four times more effective in raising incomes among the poorest compared to other sectors. It is one of the most powerful tools to end extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity, and feed a projected 10 billion people by 2050. It just n ..read more

Learn how Acumen Angels early-stage capital awards are scaling solutions to poverty from blueprint to breakthrough This piece was originally published by Acumen Academy on February 23, 2024. Acumen Angels awards early-stage capital to support social innovators within our alumni community as they launch and scale ventures that address issues of poverty around the world. The program supports entrepreneurs whose organizations are at the blueprint and early validation stage, providing the critical funding they need to develop ideas and refine their business models.  Following insights from Ac ..read more

Dave Okech remembers the rich life around Lake Victoria. Born and raised on its shores, he witnessed its flourishing biodiversity and the generations who thrived on its seemingly unlimited supply of fresh fish. But by the mid-90s, overfishing, invasive species, and pollution had cast a shadow. “When my community around Victoria was harvesting fish, life was great,” Okech says via Zoom from the lake’s edge. “But when it was empty with fish, it led to serious poverty and terrible life around the lake.” Aquaculture – the practice of raising aquatic organisms such as fish and shellfish in controll ..read more

Call them boda bodas, piki pikis, or motos. Motorbike taxis are an increasingly popular mode of transportation in East Africa. And for good reason. They are an affordable, convenient, and zippy form of travel in the region’s bustling meccas.  For the last 50 years, the mass of motorized bikes has played a key role in the region’s social and economic life, providing rides to work, emergency services, courier deliveries, and other entrepreneurial activities, leaving their mark as symbols of independence and progress. In Kenya, boda bodas are estimated to create income generating opportuniti ..read more

Acumen has joined the World Economic Forum Humanitarian and Resilience Investing (HRI) Initiative alongside others to collectively advance impact investing in frontier markets, particularly to support the most vulnerable communities. Together there is an opportunity to unleash over $15 billion in commercial and catalytic capital to scale sustainable impact. The post Top Organizations Unlock New Investments to Support the World’s Most Vulnerable appeared first on Acumen ..read more

How to give households in the poorest and toughest-to-reach countries in sub-Saharan Africa access to electricity? How to do that, while also building a sustainable and thriving solar power industry in those markets? The post Building A Solar Power Ecosystem In 16 Sub-Saharan African Countries appeared first on Acumen ..read more

Content Warning: This post contains mention of suicide. If you need support, please seek assistance through available resources.   Social innovators – inclusive of investors like Acumen and the entrepreneurs we fund – walk a fine line. We invest in early-stage companies to address problems of poverty, but to do that our investees must work closely with vulnerable people. Every day we grapple with tough questions as we work to build a world based on dignity: Are we creating bold and innovative solutions to solve problems of poverty? Or are we actually exposing the defenseless to more ..read more