Admittedly I'm feeling a bit ranty about this. Successful countries have created a successful private sector with plain-vanilla, for-profit companies. They employ people, train people, pay taxes, provide products and services. If you make profits, the sky is the limt. If you don't, your reach is restricted by the amount of subsidies/donations you get. None of these endless and headline-grabbing contortions of impact sourcing/impact investing/refugees/marginalised youth/social entrepreneurship. Good grief. <br>
<br>I've been commissioned to write an article on mobile 'buzzwords' in emerging markets. The commissioning editor suggested including txteagle. I wasn't convinced to start with, but have tried to find out a bit more how txteagle actually works (beyond the claims of 100+ corporate partnerships with telcos, and a 2bn+ potential network of people). If anone here has done any work with them, I'd appreciate a direct email - I can't actually figure it out from their website. <br>
<br>In the meantime, I've assemble a list of topics/'buzzwords' that are mostly a lot more focused on straightforward business and investment issues. Just to show that yes, Africa can actually be perfectly dull in a familiar way: corporates, suits, boardrooms, accountants, stuff. It's not all touching refugees in camps and marginalised youth. <br>
<br>Rant over. Off to find some chocolate. <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 21 June 2011 17:47, Muchiri Nyaggah <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:muchiri@semacraft.com">muchiri@semacraft.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">Andrea,<div><br></div><div>Your comments on that article have put a big grin on my face :) Samasource definitely wasn't any good to the KenCall sized BPO operators but a few smaller players. Samasource bids for work with large players in the west and finds operators with 'social impact' to work with apart from setting up shop in Dadaab.</div>
<div> <br><div><div class="im"><br><div><div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-GB"><div><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Kind regards,</span></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p><table style="border-collapse: collapse;" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr><td style="width: 104.65pt; padding: 0cm;" valign="top" width="140"><p style="margin: 0px;"><b><b><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Muchiri</span></font></b></b> <span style="font-size: small;">Nyaggah</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Principal Partner</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;">
<font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">@muchiri</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">+254 722 506400</span></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Semacraft.com</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;">
<font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p></td><td style="width: 338.15pt; padding: 0cm;" valign="top" width="451"><p style="margin: 0px;">
<font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><img src="cid:image001.jpg@01CB49C7.457E3650" width="113" height="20"></span></font></p>
</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial"><br></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br>
</span></font></div></div></div><br>
<br><br></div><div><div></div><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 5:28 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com" target="_blank">andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
Two years ago, I stumbled over this little Samasource PR clip: <br><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/13/iphone-app-provides-kenya_n_318692.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/13/iphone-app-provides-kenya_n_318692.html</a><br>
<br>As you can see from the comments underneath, it was probably at a slightly undersugared, over-caffeinated moment of my day :)<div><div></div><div><br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 21 June 2011 17:22, Andrea Bohnstedt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com" target="_blank">andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">How did Samasource help BPOs get started? I don't remember Nik Nesbitt from KenCall, for example, talking about Samasource (but maybe I wasn't paying enough attention). <br>
<br>I do remember Nik Nesbitt and a number of others talking about perception issues: that Kenya is not seen as a BPO market internationally, it's not on anyone's radar screen, the operations are still too small to carry weight etc. I very much doubt that an NGO-type outfit like Samasource, with people in refugee camps, does much to create a perception of Kenya as a punchy, professional, grown-up BPO player. <br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div></div><div>On 21 June 2011 16:57, Muchiri Nyaggah <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:muchiri@semacraft.com" target="_blank">muchiri@semacraft.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"><div><div></div><div>
Not quite aid, leans more towards trade (or traid). Players like Samasource have helped BPOs here get started. <div> <br clear="all"><br><div><div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-GB"><div><p style="margin: 0px;">
<font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Kind regards,</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 104.65pt; padding: 0cm;" valign="top" width="140">
<p style="margin: 0px;"><b><b><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Muchiri</span></font></b></b> <span style="font-size: small;">Nyaggah</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Principal Partner</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;">
<font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">@muchiri</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="tel:%2B254%20722%20506400" value="+254722506400" target="_blank">+254 722 506400</a></span></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Semacraft.com</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;">
<font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p></td><td style="width: 338.15pt; padding: 0cm;" valign="top" width="451"><p style="margin: 0px;">
<font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><img src="cid:image001.jpg@01CB49C7.457E3650" width="113" height="20"></span></font></p>
</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial"><br></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br>
</span></font></div></div></div><br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div></div><div>On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 4:34 PM, Agosta Liko <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:agostal@gmail.com" target="_blank">agostal@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"><div><div></div><div>
<h6 style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="2"><span>First,
they called is Social Entrepreneurship, Then impact Investing ....now its Impact Sourcing .......<br></span></font></h6><br><br><a href="http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/press-releases/rockefeller-foundation-foster-impact" target="_blank">http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/press-releases/rockefeller-foundation-foster-impact</a> <br>
<br><div>
<h1>Press Releases</h1>
</div>
<div>
<div><span><a title="ShareThis via email, AIM, social bookmarking and networking sites, etc."><span>ShareThis</span></a></span></div></div>
<h2 style="padding-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Rockefeller Foundation to Foster Impact Sourcing in Africa: Poverty Reduction through ICT Jobs </h2>
<div>June 17, 2011 / Press Releases</div>
<p><b>New York, NY</b>—A new report funded by the
Rockefeller Foundation estimates that the field of Impact Sourcing,
employing socioeconomically disadvantaged people in Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) centers, is currently $4.5 billion and has the
potential to reach $20 billion and employ 780,000 by 2015. The report,
conducted by Monitor Group, suggests a strong business case for Impact
Sourcing, which can provide high-quality, reliable services at prices
that are at least competitive with traditional BPO centers and, in some
cases, almost 40 percent lower than what traditional providers can
offer.</p>
<p>The findings, contained in the new working paper, <i><a href="http://www.monitor.com/Portals/0/MonitorContent/imported/MonitorUnitedStates/Articles/PDFs/Monitor_Job_Creation_Through_Building_the_Field_of_Impact_Sourcing_6_16_11.pdf" target="_blank">Job Creation through Building the Field of Impact Sourcing</a>, </i>also
finds significant potential for poverty alleviation because Impact
Sourcing workers can earn incomes up to 100 percent over alternative
employment options.</p>
<p>The working paper is part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Poverty
Reduction through Information and Digital Employment (PRIDE) work.
Through PRIDE, the Rockefeller Foundation plans to support the
development and testing of Impact Sourcing business models, support
research on interventions and continue to build the network of key
Impact Sourcing stakeholders to advance the field.</p>
<p>Impact Sourcing employs individuals with limited opportunity for
sustainable employment as principal workers in Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) centers to provide high-quality, information-based
services to domestic and international public and private-sector
clients. </p>
<p>“Harnessing the global BPO trend, PRIDE exemplifies the Rockefeller
Foundation’s commitment to promoting growth with equity, in which the
poor and vulnerable have more access to opportunities, such as ICT
employment,” said Dr. James Nyoro, Managing Director, Africa. “The
Foundation is proud to partner with Monitor on this important research,
which drives the idea that employing low-income workers will provide
them with sustainable income which can lead to positive social outcomes,
ultimately helping to improve livelihoods and build relevant skills for
employment in the fast growing ICT sector.”</p>
<p><i><a href="http://www.monitor.com/Portals/0/MonitorContent/imported/MonitorUnitedStates/Articles/PDFs/Monitor_Job_Creation_Through_Building_the_Field_of_Impact_Sourcing_6_16_11.pdf" target="_blank">Job Creation through Building the Field of Impact Sourcing</a> </i>features
case studies on current Impact Sourcing models in Africa, India and
other regions, including those of Foundation grantees like Digital
Divide Data, a social enterprise with the objective of creating jobs for
poor and disadvantaged youth in Cambodia, Laos and Kenya; and
Samasource, an intermediary that markets and sells Impact Sourcing
services to clients based in the United States and United Kingdom.</p>
<p>“Based on more than 120 interviews across 13 countries with Impact
Sourcing managers, providers of BPO services, outsourcing experts,
employees, outsourcing clients, government officials, and other
individuals linked to the Impact Sourcing space, this analysis creates a
shared understanding of the current situation, the size of the
opportunity and action agenda necessary to build this field,” said
Michael Kubzansky, Global Heald of the Monitor Inclusive Markets
Initiative.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>The Rockefeller Foundation</b></p>
<p>The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission to promote the well-being of
people throughout the world has remained unchanged since its founding in
1913. Today, that mission is applied to an era of rapid
globalization. Our vision is that this century will be one in which
globalization’s benefits are more widely shared and its challenges are
more easily weathered. To realize this vision, the Foundation seeks to
achieve two fundamental goals in our work. First, we seek to build
resilience that enhances individual, community and institutional
capacity to survive, adapt, and grow in the face of acute crises and
chronic stresses. Second, we seek to promote growth with equity in
which the poor and vulnerable have more access to opportunities that
improve their lives. In order to achieve these goals, the Foundation
constructs its work into time-bound initiatives that have defined
objectives and strategies for impact. These initiatives address
challenges that lie either within or at the intersections of five issue
areas: basic survival safeguards, global health, environment and climate
change, urbanization, and social and economic security. </p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>About Monitor Group</b></p>
<p>Monitor works with the world's leading corporations, governments and
social sector organizations to drive growth in ways that are most
important to them. Monitor Group offers a range of services—advisory,
capability-building and capital services—designed to unlock the
challenges of achieving sustainable growth. Monitor brings leading-edge
ideas, approaches and methods to bear on clients' toughest problems and
biggest opportunities. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the
firm employs more than 1,500 people in 18 countries worldwide. For more
information, visit <a href="http://www.monitor.com/" target="_blank">www.monitor.com</a>.</p>
<p>Monitor Inclusive Markets (MIM) catalyzes support for market-based
solutions to social challenges. MIM does this by understanding and
improving the business models of enterprises currently engaging people
that live at the bottom of the economic pyramid, particularly helping
these enterprises reach scale and commercial viability. For more
information, visit <a href="http://www.mim.monitor.com/" target="_blank">www.mim.monitor.com</a>.</p>
<p>###</p>
For media inquiries, please contact:<br><a href="mailto:svaisman@rockfound.org" target="_blank">Svetlana Vaisman <br></a><span dir="ltr"> <span dir="ltr" title="Call this phone number in United States of America with Skype: +19179755318"><span> </span><span title="Skype actions"><span> </span> </span><span><span><a href="tel:917-975-5318" value="+19179755318" target="_blank">917-975-5318</a></span></span><span> </span></span> </span><br>
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