The overall objective of microfranchising is to promote economic development by developing sound business models that can be replicated by entrepreneurs at the base of the socio-economic pyramid (bottom of the pyramid or BoP); therefore, helping to solve the “necessity entrepreneur” dilemma by providing  job opportunities to those who lack fundamental entrepreneurial skills. The key principles are replication, sustainability, and social impact.

There is a lack of employment opportunities in developing countries leaving nearly one half of the world’s population (3 billion people) living in acute poverty (living on less than two dollars a day). Therefore, many people have no choice but to start microenterprises in order to survive. The International Labor Organization’s indicate that 72 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population operates within the informal sector, eking out a hand-to-mouth survival.

In Latin America 51 percent operate within the informal economy, and 65 percent in Asia. Furthermore, many of the small businesses operated by people in developing countries fail or exist on subsistence levels, leaving hundreds of millions in poverty. MicroFranchising is a new tool designed specifically to assist these entrepreneurs to become more successful and reach economic self-reliance, through the provision of successful business models with the necessary initial and on-going training needed to succeed.

One key strength of the microfranchise model is that the franchisor creates and standardizes the business model for a successful enterprise. Thus, all the microfranchisee needs to do is manage the business by following explicit directions. Microfranchising is beneficial in the developing world primarily because of the shortage of basic education and well-developed infrastructure. New business ideas result as industry builds off industry. Since industry in developing countries often lacks variation, business idea creation is more difficult. For people whose primary activity is merely trying to survive, finding the amount of time and effort needed to grow a profitable business is challenging and unrealistic. 

The difference between franchising and microfranchising is the social component (see Figure 1). There are three primary components to microfranchising: micro, franchising, and for-profit. Micro means more than “small.” Micro embodies a meaning of benevolence, poverty assistance, and helping the poor. Franchising means the replication of businesses. For-profit simply means that microfranchises are not charities; they are created with the intent to generate income. A true microfranchise business must include all three components. 

KEY BENEFITS
“Microfranchising has enormous promise. First, the model makes sense: it fits the reality of the bottom of the pyramid, has the right incentive structure, and can enable more people to have good jobs than the microfinance model (which truly requires entrepreneurial talent). Second, the model allows social entrepreneurs to invest in poor countries, allowing them to ‘do well and do good’ at the same time.”

 
     —Katherine Terrell, Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, University of Michigan

Source: Wikipedia

Source: Jason Fairbourne

Richard Register, a pioneer of the eco-city movement once wrote “. . . we teach how to build, but what we build teaches us how to live” (Register & Peaks, 1997). We are now learning from our built- environments lessons about the effects of pollution, poor air-quality, resource consumption, climate change, socio-economic inequality, loss of bio-diversity and waste.

Simultaneously we see city sky-lines crowded with energy-intensive commercial sky-scrapers reflecting the power of private capital and global corporations, while the perimeters and vacant lands sprawl with the desperation of people living in informal settlements. Our settlements are the best class-rooms we have to learn about what is unsustainable. So what should we be learning to become sustainable?

One of our greatest challenges is to learn how to eliminate the unsustainable from our built- environments and develop ways of regenerating our cities, towns and villages so that they are places in which everyone can learn through experience to live in peace, health, harmony and joy. This ideal has been called an ‘eco-settlement’ and is the fundamental vision and learning aim for these guidelines. 

In addition, such human settlements provide equal opportunity for a productive and freely chosen livelihood; equal access to economic resources, including the right to inheritance, the ownership of land and other property, credit, natural resources and appropriate technologies; equal opportunity for personal, spiritual, religious, cultural and social development; equal opportunity for participation in public decision-making; equal rights and obligations with regard to the conservation and use of natural and cultural resources; and equal access to mechanisms to ensure that rights are not violated. The empowerment of women and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, whether rural or urban, are fundamental to sustainable human settlements development. 

Sustainable development is essential for human settlements development, and gives full consideration to the needs and necessities of achieving economic growth, social development and environmental protection. Special consideration should be given to the specific situation and needs of developing countries and, as appropriate, of countries with economies in transition. Human settlements shall be planned, developed and improved in a manner that takes full account of sustainable development principles and all their components.

The quality of life of all people depends, among other economic, social, environmental and cultural factors, on the physical conditions and spatial characteristics of our villages, towns and cities. City layout and aesthetics, land-use patterns, population and building densities, transportation and ease of access for all to basic goods, services and public amenities have a crucial bearing on the liveability of settlements.

This is particularly important to vulnerable and disadvantaged persons, many of whom face barriers in access to shelter and in participating in shaping the future of their settlements. People’s need for community and their aspirations for more liveable neighbourhoods and settlements should guide the process of design, management and maintenance of human settlements.

Objectives of this endeavour include protecting public health, providing for safety and security, education and social integration, promoting equality and respect for diversity and cultural identities, increased accessibility for persons with disabilities, and preservation of historic, spiritual, religious and culturally significant buildings and districts, respecting local landscapes and treating the local environment with respect and care.

The preservation of the natural heritage and historical human settlements, including sites, monuments and buildings, particularly those protected under the UNESCO Convention on World Heritage Sites, should be assisted, including through international cooperation. It is also of crucial importance that spatial diversification and mixed use of housing and services be promoted at the local level in order to meet the diversity of needs and expectations. 

The family is the basic unit of society and as such should be strengthened. It is entitled to receive comprehensive protection and support. In different cultural, political and social systems, various forms of the family exist. Marriage must be entered into with the free consent of the intending spouses, and husband and wife should be equal partners.

The rights, capabilities and responsibilities of family members must be respected. Human settlements planning should take into account the constructive role of the family in the design, development and management of such settlements. Society should facilitate, as appropriate, all necessary conditions for its integration, reunification, preservation, improvement, and protection within adequate shelter and with access to basic services and a sustainable livelihood. 

Source: United Nations Habitat 

It is urgent to eradicate rural poverty and to improve the quality of living conditions, as well as to create employment and educational opportunities in rural settlements, regional centres and secondary cities. Full advantage must be taken of the complementary contributions and linkages of rural and urban areas by balancing their different economic, social and environmental requirements. 

More people than ever are living in absolute poverty and without adequate shelter. Inadequate shelter and homelessness are growing plights in many countries, threatening standards of health, security and even life itself. Everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food, clothing, housing, water and sanitation, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. 

Women have an important role to play in the attainment of sustainable human settlements. Nevertheless, as a result of a number of factors, including the persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women and discrimination against women, women face particular constraints in obtaining adequate shelter and in fully participating in decision-making related to sustainable human settlements. The empowerment of women and their full and equal participation in political, social and economic life, the improvement of health and the eradication of poverty are essential to achieving sustainable human settlements. 

Encountering disabilities is a part of normal life. Persons with disabilities have not always had the opportunity to participate fully and equally in human settlements development and management, including decisionmaking, often owing to social, economic, attitudinal and physical barriers, and discrimination. Such barriers should be removed and the needs and concerns of persons with disabilities should be fully integrated into shelter and sustainable human settlement plans and policies to create access for all. 

Older persons are entitled to lead fulfilling and productive lives and should have opportunities for full participation in their communities and society, and in all decisionmaking regarding their wellbeing, especially their shelter needs. Their many contributions to the political, social and economic processes of human settlements should be recognized and valued. Special attention should be given to meeting the evolving housing and mobility needs in order to enable them to continue to lead rewarding lives in their communities. 

Although many countries, particularly developing countries, lack the legal, institutional, financial, technological and human resources to respond adequately to rapid urbanization, many local authorities are taking on these challenges with open, accountable and effective leadership and are eager to bring people into the sustainable development process.

Enabling structures that facilitate independent initiative and creativity, and that encourage a wide range of partnerships, including partnership with the private sector, and within and between countries, should be promoted. Furthermore, empowering all people, especially those belonging to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, in particular people living in poverty, to participate equally and effectively in all activities related to human settlements is the basis for civic engagement and should be facilitated by national authorities. 

Human settlements problems are of a multidimensional nature. It is recognized that adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development are not isolated from the broader social and economic development of countries and that they cannot be set apart from the need for favourable national and international frameworks for economic development, social development and environmental protection, which are indispensable and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development. 

Source: United Nations Habitat

The most serious problems confronting cities and towns and their inhabitants include inadequate financial resources, lack of employment opportunities, spreading homelessness and expansion of squatter settlements, increased poverty and a widening gap between rich and poor, growing insecurity and rising crime rates, inadequate and deteriorating building stock, services and infrastructure, lack of health and educational facilities, improper land use, insecure land tenure, rising traffic congestion, increasing pollution, lack of green spaces, inadequate water supply and sanitation, uncoordinated urban development and an increasing vulnerability to disaster.

All of these have seriously challenged the capacities of governments, particularly those of developing countries, at all levels to realize economic development, social development and environmental protection, which are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development – the framework for our efforts to achieve a higher quality of life for all people. Rapid rates of international and internal migration, as well as population growth in cities and towns, and unsustainable patterns of production and consumption raise these problems in especially acute forms.

In these cities and towns, large sections of the world’s urban population live in inadequate conditions and are confronted with serious problems, including environmental problems, that are exacerbated by inadequate planning and managerial capacities, lack of investment and technology, and insufficient mobilization and inappropriate allocation of financial resources, as well as by a lack of social and economic opportunities. In the case of international migration, migrants have needs for housing and basic services, education, employment and social integration without a loss of cultural identity, and they are to be given adequate protection and attention within host countries. 

More people than ever are living in absolute poverty and without adequate shelter. Inadequate shelter and homelessness are growing plights in many countries, threatening standards of health, security and even life itself. Everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food, clothing, housing, water and sanitation, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. 

The rapidly increasing number of displaced persons, including refugees, other displaced persons in need of international protection and internally displaced persons, as a result of natural and humanmade disasters in many regions of the world, is aggravating the shelter crisis, highlighting the need for a speedy solution to the problem on a durable basis. 

The needs of children and youth, particularly with regard to their living environment, have to be taken fully into account. Special attention needs to be paid to the participatory processes dealing with the shaping of cities, towns and neighbourhoods; this is in order to secure the living conditions of children and of youth and to make use of their insight, creativity and thoughts on the environment.

Special attention must be paid to the shelter needs of vulnerable children, such as street children, refugee children and children who are victims of sexual exploitation. Parents and other persons legally responsible for children have responsibilities, rights and duties, consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to address these needs. 

In shelter and urban development and management policies, particular attention should be given to the needs and participation of indigenous people. These policies should fully respect their identity and culture and provide an appropriate environment that enables them to participate in political, social and economic life. 

Source: United Nations Habitat

Our objective is to achieve adequate shelter for all, especially the deprived urban and rural poor, through an enabling approach to the development and improvement of shelter that is environmentally sound.

Unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, particularly in industrialized countries, environmental degradation, demographic changes, widespread and persistent poverty, and social and economic inequality can have local, cross-national and global impacts.

The sooner communities, local governments and partnerships among the public, private and community sectors join efforts to create comprehensive, bold and innovative strategies for shelter and human settlements, the better the prospects will be for the safety, health and well-being of people and the brighter the outlook for solutions to global environment and social problems.

During the course of history, urbanization has been associated with economic and social progress, the promotion of literacy and education, the improvement of the general state of health, greater access to social services, and cultural, political and religious participation.

Democratization has enhanced such access and meaningful participation and involvement for civil society actors, for publicprivate partnerships, and for decentralized, participatory planning and management, which are important features of a successful urban future. Cities and towns have been engines of growth and incubators of civilization and have facilitated the evolution of knowledge, culture and tradition, as well as of industry and commerce.

Urban settlements, properly planned and managed, hold the promise for human development and the protection of the world’s natural resources through their ability to support large numbers of people while limiting their impact on the natural environment. The growth of cities and towns causes social, economic and environmental changes that go beyond city boundaries.

Enviro Board deals with all settlements – large, medium and small – and reaffirms the need for universal improvements in living and working conditions.

Source: United Nations Habitat

]]> http://enviroboard.com/2012/03/adequate-shelter-for-all/feed/ 0 http://enviroboard.com/2012/02/%e2%80%9c-the-ladder-of-sustainability-%e2%80%9d/ http://enviroboard.com/2012/02/%e2%80%9c-the-ladder-of-sustainability-%e2%80%9d/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:00:42 +0000 Joshua Mosshart http://enviroboard.com/?p=1455 Design Sustainability into:

Products or Services
Processes
Business Model
Company Focus
Brand Identity of Company
Supplier Web & Value Chain
Industry Leadership & Advocacy Role 

Products and Services—The first area an enterprise should focus on is its products and services. Are they sustainable? Are products made from nontoxic, renewable materials, manufactured under socially responsible conditions? 
Processes—How sustainable are a company’s processes? Do the design and production processes promote the re-use of materials and minimal use of energy, ...]]>

Design Sustainability into:

1. Products or Services
2. Processes
3. Business Model
4. Company Focus
5. Brand Identity of Company
6. Supplier Web & Value Chain
7. Industry Leadership & Advocacy Role 
   

   Products and Services—The first area an enterprise should focus on is its products and services. Are they sustainable? Are products made from nontoxic, renewable materials, manufactured under socially responsible conditions? 

   Processes—How sustainable are a company’s processes? Do the design and production processes promote the re-use of materials and minimal use of energy, water, and materials? “You want to make sure the process, as well as the product, is green,” says Friedman. Companies might also review their overall design processes, targeting “cradle-to-cradle” (as opposed to “cradle-to-grave”) product lifecycles (as written about by Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart). 

   Business Model—Companies can align their financial incentives with their sustainability goals. For example, leasing as opposed to selling is a new concept that some businesses are now exploring. This shift could help balance profitability with waste reduction.   (E.g., as long as Interface Carpet made more profit the more carpet it sold, there was little financial incentive to use less material by selling less carpet. However, once Interface changed to a business model of leasing carpet, of collecting an annual fee for “carpet services,” then the company would make more profit the longer the carpet lasted and the more fibers they could reuse). 

   Company Focus—“When you move your efforts to a company focus,” says Friedman, “you get everyone on board at all levels. By doing this, you let loose innovation throughout the company.” Given the early stages of the sustainability movement, Friedman notes that contributions are needed almost everywhere. Everyone has something to add to make sustainability a reality.  

   Brand Identity—Making sustainability a part of an enterprise’s public identity turns out to be a great branding and marketing tool, as shown by companies such as The Body Shop and Ben and Jerry’s—or, locally, Shaklee Corp. The latter became the country’s first climate-neutral company in 2000. By actively seeking out such companies, conscientious consumers, investors, and job candidates promote TBL success and profitability. 

   Supply Chain and Value Network—As part of the “big picture,” a company’s commitment to TBL goals can move beyond the boundaries of its own organization to include to its entire value chain or network, including suppliers, partners, and even customers. All materials, resources, and processes that contribute to the making or use of a company’s product or service be viewed as part of the enterprise’s impact in the world. Aligning the whole “extended enterprise” around TBL goals can in fact make these easier and less expensive for each separate company in the system, and can lead to breakthroughs that can only be achieved at this larger system’s level. 

   Industry Leadership and Advocacy Role—Once a company has made its way up the first six rungs of the ladder, advocacy becomes its next opportunity. Today, many CEOs and company founders are taking leadership roles in demonstrating sustainability and TBL principles for other businesses and for their industry as a whole. Some examples include Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, Body Shop founder Anita Roddick, and Ben & Jerry’s cofounder Ben Cohen. 

   Moving Players into Position

   Like almost any corporate initiative, TBL goals call for the creation of teams of people whose jobs are to bring these goals to fruition. “When a company has committed to TBL goals,” says Friedman, “three groups of people make the difference between plan and reality: the leaders, the stakeholders, and the change support group.” 

   Leaders—Typically, a company needs at least one executive-level sponsor on board to see a TBL strategy through. That executive’s role is to clear the way and give or get authorization, support, and resources for necessary activities.

   Stakeholders—This group takes responsibility for implementing a TBL plan. “With this group,” Friedman explains, “it’s about how to get people motivated and inspired. Basic training and education are critical to ensure buy-in and build capability among stakeholders.

   Change Support—“The changes are often large and complex enough that the company needs a support team to enable a broad-scale migration,” says Friedman. The change support team acts as facilitators, gathering resources, linking people to expert resources, coordinating meetings, and spotting and solving problems.

   The Next Industrial Revolution

   Incorporating sustainability into business is part of a larger transformation that sustainability leaders such as McDonough and Braungart and Amory Lovins call “the next industrial revolution.” As with the first industrial revolution, the challenges are clear and present. While the goal of the first industrial revolution was to create financial value, the challenge in this next era is to simultaneously create financial, social, and ecological value. Friedman’s point of view is that there is a significant advantage for those working to enhance sustainability in this new era: It is still open territory — there is much to be accomplished and plenty of room for innovation. Pioneers are needed at all levels, and interventions now can make important contributions and have profound impact on our future. 

   
   

   
   

   Source:

   Anderson, Ray. Mid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise — The Interface Model. Atlanta: The Peregrinzilla Press, 1998.

   Berry, Thomas. The Great Work: Our Way into the Future. NY: Bell Tower – Random House, Inc., 1999. 

   Friedman, Lisa, & Gyr, Herman. The Dynamic Enterprise: Tools for Turning Chaos into Strategy and Strategy into Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Business and Management Series / John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998.

   Hawken, Paul; Lovins, Amory; & Lovins, L. Hunter. Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1999.

   Liebes, Sid; Sahtouris, Elizabeth; & Swimme, Brian. The Walk Through Time: From Stardust to Us — The Evolution of Life on Earth. NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998.

   McDonough, William and Braungart, Michael. Cradle to Cradle: Re-Making the Way we Make Things. NY: North Point Press, 2002. 

   ecoOpportunities

In the Philippines, less than 1/3 can afford proper shelter. In Metro Manila alone, there is a 3 to 1 ratio of informal settlers; 23% stay in government land, 22% in private properties, 15% in danger zones (which include the streets, bridges, riversides, and along train tracks), and 40% on infrastructure sites. (gmanews.tv) There still exists a huge problem on housing in the Philippines. Various factors affect this such as financing, government policies and interventions, institutional subsidies, and the values and culture the Filipino people illustrate.The concern for housing should grow because of the fact that the Philippines is considered to be part of the ‘typhoon belt.’ More and more people would suffer in such disasters if proper housing is not addressed.

Furthermore, half a billion pesos is being spent yearly on disaster and calamity damages. Just imagine where else we could allocate that cost if only we can do a better job in preventing such damages through a better housing program.So how do we actually solve this housing problem? There are countless of reasons on how to, but the main factors would hugely depend on the government (both national and local), people, and non-governmental organizations willing to help in the housing program of the Philippines.

It is the role of the government to create policies that will suit well with the country’s needs. It is also the government’s role to properly manage and regulate the Filipino people in following such policies. Laws have to be examined and cleared especially with regards land use. This is specifically addressed to illegal squatting issues. People have to be given notice about these rules, then they can strictly implement the policies and violators should be apprehended justly. We all know that ignorance to the law is not an excuse, but of course, being a poor country, not all people have access to basic information. It is still, I believe, the task of government to convey these important information to public.

Another issue that can be touched here is taxation. There is a need for systematic information on land and real estate properties in the Philippines; this would enhance a better taxation. Better taxation can lead to more budget for programs in helping the housing problem in the Philippines. Of course, corruption is another issue that surfaces from here. This is where the values of the Filipino people have to be fixed. The Filipino people should start valuing other people’s lives. We are sacrificing here lives of millions of people while the few get filthy rich through corruption. It’s basic, try to lessen corruption; not necessarily eradicate totally, but minimize it to the lowest level that we can. Everywhere else in the world exists corruption, but the Philippine corruption level is high. The worse corruption gets, the deeper the Philippines will get into the poverty trap. People’s money should go to the right places, and these are projects and programs to uplift human existence.

The next solution is fixing the financial side of housing. The government still has a role here; and that is to create the right regulatory policies in financing for housing projects or programs. This is specifically in line with middle-cost housing. It shouldn’t be too tight or too relaxed. Making it too tight would limit the opportunity for citizens to actually take part in such programs. Making it to lenient on the other hand could be cumbersome as well; just like what the recent financial crisis in America demonstrates.

When people see opportunities such as relaxed rates, they obviously would take it, even though a lot of them actually take more than what they can afford, it’s a common reflex of human nature. Banks on one hand will tend to take advantage of the relaxed policies because more people would sure want to borrow money from them for financing. But as we see, the market does fail also at times. By the end of the day, the policy that triggers such events is still the policy that gets most of the blame. So government has the biggest responsibility to play and weigh things right.

Subsidies and other sources of funding is also a solution to this problem. International organizations and non-governmental organizations do play a huge role in addressing such problems. It is a fact that government cannot do everything effectively and efficiently. This is where the role of these organizations comes in. These organizations do not exist to compete with government or to make government look bad. They do exist to complement the government in areas where it lacks in providing its services. Subsidies and funding are good; it’s just that these organizations need to communicate and work with the right people. I still believe in the effectiveness of such organizations working with the government especially the local government units (LGUs).

They should integrate planning with one another to make sure that things don’t overlap; as this would waste resources. I would also want to stress out that such grants should be directed at the right projects. Middle-cost housing should be more focused on financial funding from banks; and these banks should always a have a reliable basis in lending credit. Direct subsidies on the other hand should be more directed at low-cost housing where more people do need grants.

Lastly, I would just want to point out alternative housing. Alternative housing which costs 40-50% less are now being done such an Enviro Board Corporation Net-Zero Energy homes.  I think it is time for the Philippine people to open their eyes to opportunities being given to them. Some people stick to the olden traditional way of doing things that can hinder development because of problems such as costs. We have to move forward and be open to innovations and other technological breakthroughs. These small things are sometimes the solution to big problems. Help is around the corner, sometimes it’s our slow movements and resistance that make us lag behind.

Sources:

http://www.gmanews.tv/video/14050/Sine-Totoo-Philippine-Agenda-Housing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BC2Qme8Mrw&feature=related

Ballesteros, M. 2002. Philippine Institute for Development Studies: Policy Notes. “A

Second Look at Institutional Reforms in the Housing Sector.”

Torres

What we need is a better approach to help the poor, an approach that involves partnering with them to innovate and achieve sustainable win-win scenarios where the poor are actively engaged and, at the same time, the companies providing products and services to them are profitable. This collaboration between the poor, civil society organizations, governments, and large firms can create the largest and fastest-growing markets in the world. Large-scale and wide-spread entrepreneurship is at the heart of the business solution to poverty.

Such an approach exists and has, in several instances, gone well past the idea stage as a private enterprises, both large and small, have begun to successfully build markets at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) as a way of eradicating poverty. There are banks adapting to the financial needs of the poor, power companies reaching out to meet the energy needs, and construction companies doing what they can to house the poor in affordable ways that allow for pride.

The strength of these innovative approaches, as you will come to appreciate, is that they tend to create opportunities for the poor by offering them choices and encouraging self-esteem.

Source: The Fortune at The Bottom of The Pyramid

There are two great forces of human nature: self-interest and caring for others. Capitalism harnesses self-interest in a helpful and sustainable way, but only on behalf of those that can pay. Government aid and philanthropy channel our caring for those who can’t pay. But to provide rapid improvement for the poor we need a system that draws in innovators and businesses in a far better way than we do today. 

Such a system would have a twin mission: making profits and also improving lives of those who don’t fully benefit from today’s market forces. For sustainability we need to use profit incentives wherever we can. At the same time, profits are not always possible when business tries to serve the very poor. In such cases there needs to be another incentive, and that incentive is recognition. Recognition enhances a company’s reputation and appeals to customers; above all, it attracts good people to the organization. As such, recognition triggers a market-based reward for good behavior. In markets where profits are not possible, recognition is a proxy: where profits are possible, recognition is an added incentive.

The challenge here is to design a system where market incentives, including profits and recognition, drive those principles to do more for the poor. I like to call the idea creative capitalism, an approach where governments, businesses, and nonprofits work together to stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or gain recognition, doing work that eases the world’s inequities. 

Source: Bill Gates