Lisbeth Stausholm Zacho

These sustainable enterprises are the key to both our long-term success and broadening our reach and impact.

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Empowering Women and Girls in the Digital Age: Digital Woman Uganda (DWU) 🌟 We are proud to introduce Digital Woman Uganda (DWU), a non-profit organization founded in 2019, committed to promoting digital literacy and empowering women and girls across Uganda. Co-founded by Pinno Ivan and Goretti Amuriat, our mission is to bridge the digital gender gap, ensuring that every woman and girl has the skills and opportunities to thrive in the digital world. Our Vision: A future where every woman and girl in Uganda is empowered with digital literacy skills and has equal access to opportunities in the digital world. Our Mission: To empower women and girls through digital literacy training, advocacy, and support programs, providing them with the knowledge and resources to confidently navigate the digital landscape and contribute meaningfully to their communities. Key Objectives: Promote Digital Literacy: Providing essential digital skills training, including computer literacy, internet usage, and digital safety. Advocate for Gender Equality: Raising awareness of the digital gender gap and advocating for policies promoting gender equality in the digital sphere. Support Women-led Digital Initiatives: Helping women entrepreneurs and leaders launch and scale digital projects that address local challenges and drive economic empowerment. Foster a Supportive Community: Creating a network where women and girls can share experiences, exchange ideas, and support each other on their digital journeys. Our Impact: Since 2019, DWU has trained thousands of women and girls in digital literacy skills across Uganda. We have collaborated with government agencies, NGOs, and private sector partners to advocate for policies and programs that promote gender equality and digital inclusion. We invite individuals, organizations, and stakeholders who share our vision to join us in our mission to empower women and girls through digital literacy. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable digital society. Join us and make a difference! 🌍💻 Digital Woman Uganda #DigitalWomanUganda #Empowerment #DigitalInclusion #WomenInTech #GenderEquality #DigitalLiteracy #Uganda #TechForGood #Innovation

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Four graduates of IKiwa project, are now equipped with salon essentials to kickstart their businesses and pass on their skills to fellow girls. thank you Embassy of Finland Tanzania for the support. Child Dignity and Equality Foundation Action Against Hunger UK ADD International EDC (Education Development Center) Educate Girls #Empowerment #Entrepreneurship #SkillsSharing"

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Evli Emerging Frontier Fund monthly update – April 2024 In April, we concluded our special month-long research journey through Sub-Saharan Africa, the region we haven’t explored in depth until now. We met with cheap, growing, high-quality companies in eight diverse countries: Angola, Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. We also met stock exchange leadership in each country. We believe the best companies in these markets will represent an ever-growing investment opportunity in the future, owing to solid demographics, improving institutions, and use of technology. We were particularly impressed with Namibia – one of the most developed and least corrupt countries in Africa. Namibia has recently found oil, which will greatly benefit its economy and stock market. A local $500m bank trading at 7x LTM P/E and growing earnings by over 20% which we met is at the forefront of the upcoming economic boom. We also made a trip to southern Europe for due diligence on five cruise ports of our $300m portfolio company from Turkey, the world’s largest cruise port operator running 33 ports across the globe including the world’s 4th-busiest cruise port in Nassau, Bahamas, and Europe’s largest (and 5th-busiest in the world) cruise port in Barcelona. The cruise industry keeps smashing passenger records, and the managers of all ports we visited were highly upbeat about this and next year’s prospects. Link to the monthly update on our website: https://lnkd.in/dhVWzXv8

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⏰ Time is running out! 🚀 Submit your session proposal for the #2024APNAssembly before July 30th! Here are some key questions to guide your session content: 🔍 (a) How do power dynamics impact African communities, and what initiatives have been undertaken to navigate and address these challenges? 🔍 (b) In the face of increasing social injustices, how are (civil) society actors championing policy changes for social justice, and what strategies are proving most effective? 🔍 (c) What innovative solutions can uplift and empower communities most impacted by social injustices, leveraging technology, policy advocacy, and community resources mobilization? 🔍 (d) Are current policies effectively addressing systemic social injustices in Africa, with a focus on national policies and continental frameworks? 💫 Visit https://lnkd.in/deHk8Zvb to submit your session! #2024APNAssembly #SessionProposals East Africa Philanthropy Network-EAPN The Youth Cafe Southern Africa Trust Hlanganisa Community Fund for Social & Gender Justice Kenya Community Development Foundation STAR-Ghana Foundation Blood:Water African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) Development Expertise Center (DEC) Pwani Youth Network The Global Fund for Community Foundations TILITONSE FOUNDATION SIVIO Institute Zambian Governance Foundation

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Together we can make a difference! I want to invite you to join Karissa Adkins and I in addressing a critical global issue affecting young girls in Kenya: period poverty. Many girls in Kenya lack access to affordable and safe menstrual products, which forces them to use unsafe alternatives or miss school during their periods. This affects their health, hygiene, education, and future opportunities. . . During our first trip to Kenya, the girls shared intimate stories with us about losing their dignity, falling into a deep depression, and contemplating suicide as a result of not having access to sanitary pads. Karissa and I quickly sprung into action and fundraised and were able to give over 15,000 units of sanitary pads to a girls' high school in Narok County. . . Shortly after, we realized this wasn't a sustainable solution for the girls and the environment, so we sought an alternative. . The Solution: the Ruby Cup. Made from high-quality medical-grade silicone, the Ruby Cup is designed for maximum comfort and safety. It reduces the risk of infections and irritation other menstrual products can cause. Most importantly, it works and is a life-changer for girls who receive it. . . Reusable and Economical: One Ruby Cup can last up to 10 years, significantly reducing the ongoing cost of menstrual products for young girls and their families. . . Ecological: By choosing a reusable product, we help reduce the environmental impact of disposable sanitary products, which often end up in landfills. . . Life-Changing: With a Ruby Cup, girls can attend school without interruption, participate in daily activities with confidence, and focus on their education and personal growth. https://gofund.me/316b0341

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#GenderMaistreaming: A big shout out to the Kenya Ministry of Energy, Practical Action, the SAGAs and partners supporting initiatives towards institutionalisation of gender in the energy sector. Moving this to the next level requires further strengthening of supportive multi-stakeholder alliances to support implementation of the recommendations.

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Climate and Health Connect is making a difference in Wajir, Kenya by raising awareness about GBV. Climate change can actually contribute to the increasing incidence of GBV in the region. As climate change affects resources like water and food, it can create competition and tensions within communities, leading to conflicts and violence. To create more awareness, radio talks are an effective way to reach a wide audience. By broadcasting messages about GBV prevention, support services, and the importance of gender equality, we can educate and empower the community. Strengthening the local community is vital too. By providing them with the knowledge, skills, and resources to identify and address GBV, they can actively fight against these cases. Let's continue working together to raise awareness, support survivors, and create a safer community for everyone. #Endgvb #WajirCounty #ktnews #CHC

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On 15 August 2022, the first pre-paid water (ATM) kiosk was officially launched in Tanzania! MORUWASA and World Waternet jointly developed a solution to provide affordable and clean water to those who do not have a household connection. The pre-paid kiosk has a sustainable revenue model and reduces non-revenue water that offers MORUWASA a steady income to maintain the water kiosks far into the future. Can we implement such projects here in Zimbabwe. How durable is our type b- bush pumps against corrosion. If we are to implement water kiosks in rural growth points and villages, are we able to retain sustainability of infrastructure. #community #sustainability #technology

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Strong positive changes created by the members of Hand in Hand’s programme in Eldoret, Kenya 💰👨‍🌾 We are pleased to share the first Social Return on Investment (SROI) report from our partnership with Hand in Hand Eastern Africa and Hand in Hand Sweden. Hand in Hand is an international network of NGOs fighting poverty via entrepreneurship training and job creation in India, Asia, and Southern and Eastern Africa. Hand in Hand mobilises and trains self-help groups of entrepreneurs focusing on resilient livelihoods and sustainable businesses to alleviate poverty and improve living conditions for the members and their families.    Hand in Hand and Lind Foundation have joined forces on a community upliftment project in the Rift Valley Region, Kenya, where the programme is executed by Hand in Hand Eastern Africa to improve the social and economic conditions of more than 2,500 people, mainly women, but also indirectly their families and communities. More specifically, the community upliftment project has four main objectives;   1) income increase💰   2) improved agricultural productivity🌱   3) strengthening micro-enterprises 📈  4) enhancement of women economic empowerment🙋‍♀️    We look forward to continuing our partnership with Hand in Hand Sweden and Hand in Hand Eastern Africa. Together, over the next year, we aim to create sustainable and more climate-resilient livelihoods. Here, in addition to the core programme, some members from this project will have the opportunity to grow and expand their businesses even further, reaching larger markets and creating more jobs within their communities. See highlights of the value created during the three-year project below 👇 #lindfoundation #handinhandsweden #handinhandeasternafrica #sroi #sroireport #socialimpact 

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Namibia Rolls Out Digital Tool to Boost Green Sector Investments Namibia is taking a significant step towards promoting sustainable development and attracting foreign investment with the introduction of a new digital tool designed to connect sustainable suppliers with enterprises both domestically and internationally. This initiative is crucial in addressing the global annual $2.4 trillion climate financing gap, emphasizing the collective responsibility of all sectors in closing this gap. The Namibia Sustainable Supplier Database, developed in partnership with the World Economic Forum, is a searchable online platform featuring Namibian businesses committed to sustainable practices. This innovative tool aims to facilitate Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Namibia's green sector by providing detailed information about the country's most competitive and sustainable companies. Here’s how it works: Searchable Online Platform: Investors and global firms can easily search for Namibian businesses that meet specific sustainability criteria. Company Details: The database includes comprehensive profiles of companies, showcasing their commitment to sustainable development. Companies listed in the database are evaluated based on five key s... #GreenSectorInvestments #Namibia

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Another week, another searing insight from the LIWAY programme in Ethiopia. In the last of the thematic cases, we're talking "de-specialisation". If you'll forgive the slightly icky term, the concept can be very useful for those of us working in very low resource context, as it has been for LIWAY. Adam Smith sets the case for microeconomic specialisation leading to increased productivity by driving down the unit cost of production. Bad MSD programmes can be very uncritical in how they conceive of economic development - a linear trajectory where everything ends up in the same place. This is usually manifested in a very simple form by assuming everything can be commercialised and specialised; even more basically, it's business development services (BDS) programming. But in many of our contexts, this simply isn't viable. There are half a million microenterprises in Addis using low-input, low-output models. A tiny fraction of them have real growth potential but for many, their livelihoods can only realistically be improved through small, incremental, improvements to their profitability. There is never going to be a business case for a mom-and-pop FMCG retailer, spice seller, or injera maker to pay a marketing consultant, accountant or web-developer. Nor is there likely to be a case for these BDS providers to develop an offer suitable to these very low-income businesses. But other actors within the market system with whom these businesses do engage might be able to perform these functions well enough to add just enough value to the businesses to create incremental growth and have a business case for doing so. This short thematic paper introduces the concept with a number of examples that have been beneficial in LIWAY: 🏫 Help non-specialist training providers to provide basic training to fill their capacity gaps where there was not a business case for high-quality training provision. 📞 Get a digital financial service provider to support micro-agents in selling other products through merchandising to make the businesses sufficiently profitable that they could act as an agent network. 🏭 The failure of specialisation in trying to build a specialised consultancy service for Kaisen certification in a market which was not ready, leading to revised and more generalised offer. 🚌 Other functions such as transportation, catering, and even small-scale lending became embedded within firms whose core function was something completely different but where performing these functions in a limited way was essential to the success of their core business. https://lnkd.in/eHAcRmvB

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Event Link 👇 https://lnkd.in/dKJmJjiX 🇳🇦 Join us on 15 May to learn more about climate change in Namibia and how it affects us and our biodiversity.

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Last Friday was yet another moment to move the agenda for #mothers and #newborns in Kenya. I was priviledged to share the platform with the current President of FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) , my fellow advocate for the accountability of mothers, newborns and adolescents, Prof. Anne Kihara. As she reminded us of these powerful but true words by the late Professor Mahmoud Fathalla, a past president of FIGO, it took me back to the work that we are currently undertaking as White Ribbon Alliance Kenya, through the #Ask #Listen, #Act approach and finding solutions through #storytelling. Prof Mahmoud’s words resonate so deep with the realities of families, children, husbands, parents who have lost their kin to #preventable maternal and newborn deaths world over. That “Women are not dying because of untreatable diseases. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving“.  As a speaker in this forum, it was my moment to remind everyone in the room that we are failing because we are yet to decide that women’s lives are worth saving, and that to change this, we must be ready to take the #unconventional route, and start our #programming #resourcing and #policymaking from the place of asking, listening and acting on what the #users of care want, for they are the real experts of their own health. During our discussions, we collectively recognized that the usual #global to #national  “plug and play” approach is insufficient and fails to appreciate country and community contexts. Contexts and realities matter, and women and newborns are not #homogeneous. As a staunch believer that maternal and newborn health is everyone’s business, I was excited to see my years of advocacy bear fruit to a great extend. There is now widespread acknowledgment that addressing maternal and newborn health requires considering their self articulated needs, needs that transcend the health sector , and seek to address the #socialdeterminants of maternal and newborn health. I emphasized that we shouldn’t merely think outside the box; that we should discard the box entirely and venture far from our usual modus operandi. Our data-rich environment often lacks #actionable decision-making. We get caught up in the long #processes, #templates, and #forums, losing sight of what truly matters: meeting the needs of women & newborns where they are! We concluded by crafting an #action plan to tackle #postpartumhemorrhage in the country, the leading killer of mothers during #childbirth. I am optimistic that by contextualizing the global PPH roadmap to our country’s unique circumstances, we will make significant strides. Let’s continue challenging norms, using all forms of data effectively, & prioritizing #WhatWomenWant, recognizing that beyond the #numbers are lived #realities of women and their newborns. Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society USAID MOMENTUM Robyn Churchill CNM, MSN, FACNM AlignMNH Fatima Gohar

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How great is this?! NCBA Bank Rwanda has launched its new “Man Enough” program, pioneering male engagement in gender equality initiatives in Rwanda, according to The New Times (Rwanda). This 8-week program challenges traditional masculinity roles and promotes men as allies in dismantling unequal power dynamics and advancing women’s empowerment. Through partnerships with organizations such as TRANSFORM NATIONS INC, NCBA aims to cultivate empowered male leaders committed to social responsibility and inclusion. Where traditional notions of masculinity can be deeply ingrained, can such initiatives succeed, in reshaping societal perceptions of masculinity and promoting more inclusive workplace cultures? Ahd how can we tell? What metrics could be used, for instance, to measure the effectiveness of such initiatives in fostering gender equity and diversity in corporate settings? Boy oh boy, assuming there ARE positive results out of this prgram, other financial institutions and corporate entities across the globe can sure learn from NCBA Bank Rwanda’s approach to promoting gender equality and male engagement -- any program anyplace else would obviously need to be adapted to the cultural context wherever it was going to be implemented, but wouldn't it be fantastic if pilots such as this one could lead to the requisite shared learnings, replication, and adaptation that can finally begin to address gender disparities and create a stronger, gentler workplace and community? #genderequity #malechampions https://lnkd.in/e9vx-aw7

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Kudos to Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) for this comprehensive guide on sustainable finance taxonomies! I hope the map of existing taxonomies will soon include the Kingdom of Morocco with the @Ministère de l’Economie et des Finances currently working on developing its green taxonomy Zakaria Nachid Achraf Bennani Karim Bouhafes GIZ Morocco Agence Française de Développement

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Here’s a spotlight on Health Innovation. I recently attended a breakfast meeting hosted by the Medical Credit Fund | PharmAccess and Swedfund International to honor women who are at the frontline of changing the healthcare landscape in Kenya. The discussions and insights shared were nothing short of transformative. Key Takeaways: 1. Empowerment through Access: Medical Credit Fund is bridging the financial gap, using #digitalloans to provide essential credit to women-led health enterprises, ensuring they thrive and scale. 2. Impact on Communities: By supporting female entrepreneurs, we're not just boosting individual businesses but also enhancing healthcare accessibility and quality across communities. 3. Innovative Solutions: The creative and resilient solutions provided by these entrepreneurs highlight the crucial role of women in driving healthcare innovation. Why It Matters: Empowering female health entrepreneurs goes beyond gender equality - it's about creating robust #healthsystems that can serve everyone better. It's about investing in those who are often closest to the challenges and, therefore, to the solutions. PharmAccess Dr Wasunna Owino kennedy Okong'o Angela Kamakil Siteyi Dr. Nkirote Kalaine Sabine Gremmen Sabine Verschuur #HealthcareInnovation #Womenempowerment #ImpactInvesting #UHC #SustainableDevelopment https://lnkd.in/dQZgGRk6

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Three years ago, right in the middle of #covid19, Kenya Red Cross, ICHA _KRC and 510 - An Initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross piloted the #121 solution that would ensure a more secure and dignified process for #cashtransfer for disaster affected communities. Fast forward to now and the Kenya Red Cross has mainstreamed the #121 solution in #cashprogramming and continues to work closely with 510 - An Initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross to explore scale up of the solution. So proud and excited to be part of this initiative! #humanitarianinnovation #cashprogramming #digitalsolutions

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The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (ADF) approved yesterday a grant of USD 43 million to #Ethiopia to fund the implementation of the agri-MSMEs development for jobs (AMD4J) project. The project comprises two pillars. One seeks to expand access to finance for #youth and #women led agri-MSMEs while the second aims to establish a Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank (YEIB) in Ethiopia. Proud to have coordinated the team behind this important projet. #Ethiopia #Youth #YEIB #accesstofinance #entrepreneurship #MSMEs #AfricanDevelopmentBank #AfricanDevelopmentFund

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