SaraBB's Blog (11)

Through my work, we support microfinance institutions. And by now, most of us know that microfinancing through self-help groups largely targets women. Some studies show that if a woman is tasked with managing a family's money, they are more likely to save and provide better opportunities for their children and future generations.



An initiative that we're running at my company works with MFIs in India to better understand the needs of these institutions so that they can better deliver… Continue

What I always find interesting (read: sad) is that although some nation states are economically and politically powerful, their might fails to translate in to a fight for equality.



Of course the best example of this is the USA, where the first glimmer of possibility of electing a woman as president came just last election. This is unreasonable, and more than a little maddening. Then we look at cases like Rwanda which, not-but 15 years ago was in the throws of one of the worst civil… Continue

Came across a great article and wanted to share it. I think it's examples like this that will shape the future of what we use to "pay" for goods and services.



The Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn lets artists, actors, and dancers pay for medical treatment in unconventional ways… Continue

A few weeks ago, I came across this idea for a low-cost vehicle that also serves as a water filtration apparatus. It's really genius!



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What used to be known as Earth Hour back in the early 2000's has now evolved to Off-Day. We not longer shut off the lights and other electric appliances once a year, most homes have implemented an Off-Day each week. It is somewhat reminiscent of the days of yore when religious traditions observed "the day of rest", the "Sabbath" for Jews on Saturday or Sundays for Christians, or "Jumu'ah" Fridays for Muslims.



Now that we have evolved into a human race that values empirical questioning… Continue

As important as I know it is to be developing alternative energy sources, I think that in the long-term we are moving in the wrong direction.

We live in a finite world and are often replacing one unsustainable resource with another. The example that comes to mind for me are biofuels, or more specifically plant-based biofuels.



We already know that soy is a resource-heavy crop, so then why are we touting it's use for more than just food? This is illogical to me. There are other… Continue

I am a mother, a wife, an activist, a student of life.



My meals are not just about the food, but about the experience. Every meal is shared with loved ones, eating on-the-go is no longer vogue - meals are a time to share food, thoughts, ideas, questions, and more. In the past ten years improvements to the meat production industry worldwide has meant less of a burden on our environmental systems, but I and my family have remained vegetarian. The food we eat isn't that different from… Continue

Having moved from Montreal, Canada to Bangalore, India I am keenly aware of the different food challenges that varying regions are facing.



In Canada, though we do not grapple with mass food shortages, we face on own unique issues. The foremost being genetically modified foods and the question of full disclosure. Should we demand that all GM foods be labeled as such? What is the real benefit of knowing, if no adverse effects are present? With the world moving towards more and more GM… Continue

It's 2020, ten years since I discovered and unlocked the door to Evoke. Ten years since I moved away from friends and family to India to start my career in social development in earnest. In the intervening years I've lived and worked on every continent. I've helped people overcome poverty using the solutions that they already had but just needed help modernizing or bringing to market.



I've probably learnt more than I have taught, but the people in the villages and towns I've spent time… Continue

The Social Innovator that I've chosen to shadow is Alex Steffen, Executive Editor and Co-Founder of Worldchanging.com. I have been following Alex and his work for at least three years through many sources:

• his personal twitter account,
• the…

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In this LEARN1 post we're asked to take just one "secret of social innovation" and to expand on why it can help us change the world. I take issue with the proposition that we should limit ourselves to just one secret; I believe that it's been this same folly that has kept innovation in silos and stagnant. We think in terms of "economic innovation" or "technical innovation" but the still relatively new trend of bringing together innovators of… Continue