The mobile phone is one of the most powerful tools for fighting global poverty ever invented. Poor societies have leapfrogged over the infrastructure hurdles of laying physical phone lines, and as the costs of phones have kept falling, nearly 5 billion people now have them—vastly increasing their economic and educational opportunities.
Many funders grasp the potential of this revolution, and have launched a range of initiatives that use mobile technology to advance human progress. One corporate funder that’s especially worth watching in this regard is this the telecommunications giant Vodafone. The overarching premise guiding nearly all of its corporate giving is: “Mobile for Good.”
The company, which operates a global network of more than 20 foundations, supports organizations that are developing, piloting, and launching mobile tech solutions to improve the lives of underserved and marginalized populations around the world. One of the ways Vodafone does this is through its Wireless Innovation Project (WIP).
WIP, which is part of the foundation’s Sparking Innovation Program is an open competition that awards $600,000 in total grants to the top three innovators who have developed promising solutions to the some of the world’s most pressing global development challenges. One such innovator who has caught the Vodafone’s attention is Gwendolyn Floyd, co-creator of Soko.
Soko connects jewelry artisans in Kenya with customers and retailers around the world through the “first mobile driven value chain.” So that means even if these artisan-entrepreneurs don’t have access to the Internet or even a bank account, they still have the opportunity to connect to the global marketplace through Soko.
Last year, the company received a $200,000 WIP award from the Vodafone Americas Foundation and the impact the company is having on its participating artisans is palpable in more ways than one.
According to Soko, the “artisan craft industry is the second largest employer in the developing world.” The company also notes that it’s also an area rife with exploitation and subjugation. When you add that to the fact that the developing world’s artisan population is comprised largely of women, you can see how this is a nexus of two of the most pressing global development challenges—poverty and gender equality.
By the metrics, Vodafone’s $200,000 gamble on Soko is paying off on both fronts.
In terms of poverty alleviation, each of Soko’s participants retains around 25-35 percent of revenue. So far, that has translated into a fourfold average increase of household income. According to Gwendolyn Floyd, most participating artisans experience this income growth within two months of joining Soko.
In terms of gender equality, some 74 percent of the company’s participants are female run enterprises. That average fourfold increase in income coupled with the mobile tools and training offered by Soko go a long way toward not only improving the participating women’s livelihoods, but that of their families and communities as well.
While Vodafone hasn’t been on our radar for that long, its global grantmaking presence is growing, particularly when it comes to women’s empowerment and gender equality. Given the size and scope of this multinational, we can reasonably expect some interesting and innovative philanthropic commitments in the near future.
Published by Author: Sue-Lynn Moses
