IQ October 2014

 

 

Impact Quarterly Issue 15: Women Power             View it in your browser.

October 2014

Welcome Letter

Dear Friend,

I am still feeling ‘high’ from the incredible gathering at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). With its star studded line up, the most heartening thing at CGI was to see its commitment towards girls, women and the environment. Thus, it was indeed an honor to announce IIX’s commitment at CGI for women’s health through our Women’s Impact Bond.

Among the many take-aways and wisdom gained from the 2008 financial crisis, the two that stand out in my mind are, one, while the markets melted globally, the microfinance institutions still gave on average 14% return to its shareholders and two, if we had more female finance ministers, given the ‘holistic’ approach that women usually take in any field, this financial crisis could have been avoided.  In other words, financial markets cannot ignore the part women play in this equation.  With this wisdom, impact investing has grown over the last six years and continues to do its part to have women in center with the hope that the traditional markets will soon follow.

This IQ is dedicated to the women and men who are tirelessly working to make women a part of the sustainable growth equation.

Enjoy our version of ‘women power’!

From a beautiful, rainy Dhaka amid all the incredible women who shaped my life,


Durreen Shahnaz
Founder of IIX & Shujog

Redefining Growth

A healthy woman is a wealthy woman

For decades now, women have been classified as the ‘vulnerable’ section of society. Recent statistics suggest that while women make up for half of the world’s population, they represent 70% of the poor population.
Read more.

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In the Spotlight

Women’s Impact Bond

IIX is proud to announce its latest offering to the development of the Impact Investing space: The Women’s Impact Bond (WIB). Launched officially at the recent Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting, the WIB represents IIX’s commitment to the CGI.
Read more

Empowering Women through Shujog ACTS

Janice Wilson came to Cambodia from New York City in 2008 on a corporate legal assignment and never left. Struck by the plight of victims of sex trafficking and recognizing a market need for the supply of human hair extensions, Ms Wilson founded an online manufacturing and retail social enterprise called Arjuni.
Read more.

‘Accelerating’ Social Enterprise Development

Very few countries have suffered through a three-decade long war and a devastating tsunami in recent history. It is a country that acutely requires unique solutions to generate employment for its displaced youth and to realize the full potential of its natural resources. 
Read more.
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Sector Insights

The Humanity Bond: A Life-Saving Game Changer for All

Imagine for a moment that if institutions like Grameen, the UN gender office or the Clinton Global Initiative had five times the amount of program funding available today. What would the world look like? 
Read more.

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Reflections

Financial Inclusion of women has been one of the key development priorities to ensure gender equality and empowerment. Amy Duffuor from IIX speaks to Michaela Walsh from Women’s World Banking to understand the status of financial inclusion for women. 
Read more.
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Investor’s Corner

Women and Impact Investing 

In an interview, Ms. Kalpana Raina recalled her beginnings in impact investment. It was 2009 when she found herself on a “roadshow” with Durreen Shahnaz, founder of Shujog and IIX, to raise interest about the sector which was still in its embryonic stage. She had observed then that “despite all the credentials, despite all the access and despite all the networks that both of us had, this was going to be a very tough task.”
Read more.

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Voices from the Field

By Women, For Women 

When Lastiana started Aliet Green back in 2009, she set out to introduce Indonesia’s indigenous commodities to the world; and through that quest, promote values of fair trade, honest respect, and empowerment among every individual working in the agriculture value chain.
Read more.

Connect with us 

            

 

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Our impact in numbers

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IIX

Facilitated $8,621,000 across

14 investment deals impacting

8,099,062 people across Asia

15,978,800 social value created

Shujog

1,397,793 undeserved people benefiting from social creation

3,833 professionals introduced to the ecosystem through education and training 

234,000 people exposed to social enterprises and impact investing

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What’s on?
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Launch of Impact Accelerator

Know of any early-stage Philippines based Social Enterprises? Are they looking to accelerate their Business Growth? Scale their Social Impact in Six Months? Would like to be trained, mentored and accelerated in their social business?

Watch out for our next Impact Accelerator program or register your interest today!

Upcoming Events

In the next few months, our Founder, Ms Durreen Shahnaz, IIX Managing Director, Robert Kraybill, Director of Impact Partners, Mark Sayer and Director of Research and Assessment, Alison Eskesen, will be speaking, sharing and attending the following events. Be sure to catch them there!

October

14   ‘Towards an Impact
Investment Fund for Land
Degradation Neutrality’
A side event at the World
Investment Forum 2014
(Switzerland)

16   ‘Social Change through
Social Enterprise’,Social
Enterprise World Forum
(SEWF) (South Korea)

November
25-  Innovating Justice Forum
26   (Netherlands)

27   ‘Transforming Economies
through Social
Entrepreneurship: A Post-
2015 Development
Agenda’, First Social
Enterprise Advocacy and
Leveraging (SEAL-Asia)
Conference, (Philippines)

27   ‘Business Competitiveness
and Continuity’, Social
Enterprise Conference,
(Philippines)

December
2-   How to Prepare a Best
3    Practice Sustainability Report
GRI Certified (Australia)

10- 3rd International Conference
12  on Sustainability, Technology
and Education 2014
(STE 2014) (Taiwan)

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Meet our dedicated
new staff 
of 
IIX & Shujog.

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New Team Members
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Deanna Salpietra
Research, Shujog

Taila Mueller
Manager, Shujog

Pranav Shah
Corporate Finance, IIX

Noopur Desai 
Research, Shujog

Kalyani Basu
Business Development, IIX

Diana Binte Mohd Najib
Administrative Officer,
IIX & Shujog

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Fall Analysts and Associates

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Lance Ng
Advocacy, Shujog

Ryan Liew
Corporate Finance, IIX

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In the Media

• Returning women their glory. Read up.

• Lester Salamon’s new book, New Frontiers of Philanthropy, is out now! Explore the frontiers of philanthropy, social investments and impact investments in the book with a chapter on Social Stock Exchanges co-authored by Durreen Shahnaz, Robert Kraybill and Lester Salaman. Grab a copy here today!

• Durreen Shahnaz receives the 2014 Joseph Wharton Award for Social Impact. Read up.

• Launch of Women’s Impact Bond. Read up.
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Be an Impact Ambassador
Help introduce us to potential new investors for the Social Enterprises we work with as an ‘Impact Ambassador’ on a freelance basis.Read more.

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