Innovations for Poverty Action Empowered by Quality Data
IPA contracted with DDD to support global projects researching financial education household savings, and women who are potential microfinance clients
Could Our Innovation Create Jobs for 780,000 Poor People?
A new report from the Rockefeller Foundation says that the model DDD pioneered–using business process outsourcing (BPO) as a means to create employment for people at the base of the pyramid–has the potential for enormous impact. The report, authored by the Monitor Group, calls the model “Impact Sourcing” and makes a strong business case for it. They argue that Impact Sourcing can provide high-quality reliable services at prices lower than what traditional providers can offer.
A Match Made in Heaven: Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Partners with DDD
The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. As companies who market to people of faith, responsible sourcing is very important to ECPA members. That’s why the ECPA has entered into a new strategic partnership with DDD.
Announcing: DDD Launches Business Process Outsourcing Company in Kenya
Digital Divide Data (DDD) announced the launch of a new business process outsourcing (BPO) business in Nairobi, Kenya. The social enterprise, which aims to create jobs for Kenyan youth, is the first investment in a Kenyan BPO company to combine U.S. technology and market expertise with operating experience in Asia.
Welcome Lori Silverstein to DDD!
Lori Silverstein, a 30-year veteran content and publishing executive, joins DDD as our new world-wide Chief Sales Officer.
Dear Friends of DDD,
While we had a close call, I am relieved to let you know that all of DDD’s 428 employees in Cambodia are safe after the recent stampede. We are thankful to our local management team who were able to contact all but 5 of our staff within 12 hours of the event. The final 5 were accounted for the next morning when DDD’s offices re-opened after the water festival holiday. Our team in Asia was touched by our friends around the world who expressed concern about Cambodia and DDD’s staff in particular. We are sad to be mourning the loss of so many in Cambodia.
DDD asks: “What’s next?”
It’s in large part thanks to you—the clients and supporters that make up the DDD family—that DDD has reached our current point of growth. We’ve trained more than 1,800 poor youth, employed more than 1,000, and graduated more than 400 of them to jobs where they make more than four times the average regional income. With recent sales successes under our belt, and with our productivity continuing to increase, DDD is fast reaching a point of, “what’s next?”. How do we continue to optimize our impact? This question prompted a planning initiative that has taken place over the last nine months.
Going Local
The majority of DDD’s business—more than 85%–comes from clients in the US and Europe. Importing demand and dollars from abroad contributes to economic growth in the countries in which we work. But as Cambodia and Laos grow, we are starting to see a shift toward more demand for DDD’s services in the local market.
World Statistics Day
Today, Wednesday October 20th, is the first ever World Statistics Day: a to-be annual event organized by the UN. The purpose of the day is to “acknowledge the service provided by the global statistical system at national and international level, and hope to help strengthen the awareness and trust of the public in official statistics.”
The Lao Way
The first time I visited DDD’s office in Vientiane, Laos, I combined it with an extended weekend-trip to Luang Prabang; a picturesque town on a river island in the highlands of Northern Laos. I had a limited amount of time on hand (it being a work trip, after all) and therefore I favored the 40 minute flight over the 12 hour bus journey.
