Back from an incredible two weeks in the Philippines. While I was gone, it was nice to hear that Acumen Fund and LifeSpring got a shout-out by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times - just in time for Christmas giving.
He writes about meaningful gift ideas, saying:
"This time of year I'm always barraged with inquiries about well-run charitable groups doing effective work. So let me tell you about some of the organizations that I've encountered that tackle global poverty in innovative ways."
He continues:
"Acumen Fund, www.acumenfund.org, brings a venture capital sensibility to aid work. It invests money in for-profit businesses - like WaterHealth International, whose business model is to provide clean drinking water where none is available. Acumen also invests in LifeSpring Hospitals, which runs low-cost maternity centers where impoverished women can safely deliver babies.
Acumen argues that these businesses, because they earn profits and treat the poor as customers, are more sustainable than giveaways. This reflects a growing trend of using business mechanisms to fight poverty."
What's exciting about posts like this and the growing desire for more meaningful gift-giving is that LifeSpring is gearing up to formally launch its Sponsoring Births Initiative, which will allow funders to sponsor the deliveries of women too poor to afford LifeSpring's services. Stay tuned!
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