Publication database

This case study showcases the Juhudi Kilimo business which provides asset financing and technical assistance to smallholder farmers throughout Kenya and aims to increase the incomes of the farmers by 50 percent. It outlines how the model works, the business and development impacts to date, and the key success factors.

This case study looks at SABMiller’s initiative “4e, Camino al Progreso” which aims to improve the quality of life of the “tenderos” (community references and opinion leaders) by offering business training and outreach to 'tender' communities. It describes the company's “4e methodology” strategy which has 4 stages and 3 components where FUNDES carries out the training for Tenderos in six countries; and it outlines the results and lessons learned from the programme.

Some banks have started to develop partnerships with commercial outlets, such as shops or pharmacies, who provide a set of financial services on behalf of the bank. This model has been particularly successful in Brazil, where the number of bank branches remained stable from 2002 to 2011, but the number of banking correspondents experienced a 19 per cent annual growth rate. Find out about Bradesco’s experience using its extensive network of almost 47,000 banking correspondents to sell personal accident and funeral insurance.

UAB Vie offers a highly-trusted savings product to market traders in Burkina Faso. The daily, manual transactions were proving inefficient and prone to error and fraud. It therefore decided to equip each member of its sales staff with a mobile phone to record the transactions in real time. This brief reflects on the advantages and limitations of this technology upgrade.

This case study showcases Patrimonio Hoy, a subsidiary of the multinational Mexican cement manufacturer CEMEX, which joined Business Call to Action with a commitment to strengthening its inclusive business providing integral housing solutions for low-income families. It outlines the company's commitment strategy, how the business model works, the business and development impacts to date, and the key success factors.

This case study showcases the CEMEX' Assisted Self-Construction Integrated Program (Programa Integral de Autoconstrucción Asistida or PiAC) that is committed to enhancing low-income families’ capacities for attaining safe and affordable housing in Mexico. It outlines the cement manufacturers commitment strategy, how the business model works, the business and development impacts to date, and the key success factors.

Financing health for low income households is a significant challenge. Naya Jeevan is trying an innovative approach: in order to make quality health services affordable to low-income workers in Pakistan, it seeks sponsors to pay the majority of the premium on behalf of workers whom they employ or have a business relationship with.

In the last few years droughts have been increasingly severe in Kenya. During 2011 alone, livestock pastoralists lost on average a third of their animals due to severe drought. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has piloted a new way to protect them – livestock insurance using satellite technology.

This case study reviews PrOpCom (Promoting Pro-Poor Opportunities in Commodity and Service Markets), a DFID programme that facilitates functionality and efficiency of Nigerian commodity and service markets to assure these markets benefit the poor. It looks at how PrOpCom set about piloting a new model for the commercial distribution of tractors and the commercial provision of tractor services.

Increasingly insurance is being seen as a way to protect low-income people against the worst effects of catastrophes, such as the storms, floods and earthquakes which are regular and devastating for poor Haitians. Yet a chasm exists between the world of multinational reinsurers and the daily life of Haiti’s most vulnerable. Find out how Fonkoze, Haiti’s largest microfinance institution, was able to bridge this gap.