A Year in the Field
IIX and Shujog work together to help Impact Enterprises (IEs) across Asia become investment-ready by conducting on-the-ground impact assessments and providing technical assistance to help IEs raise capital to scale. In 2016, IIX & Shujog traveled to the field to support 13 IEs across five countries. Follow us as we recap the year through a photo journal that captures some of our favourite moments from our visits to incredible IEs throughout the region!
Vietnam
Viet Trang’s full-time weaver shows how the seagrass is woven into a mat. “I used to have a very low salary,” she explains. “Now I have enough to feed my family. If I did not work for Viet Trang, I would not have enough to eat.” Viet Trang employs local women to create high quality seagrass handicrafts from 100% natural raw materials.
Indonesia
Bali-based enterprise Indosole disrupts the scrap tire value chain by repurposing tires that would otherwise be burned. These tires are then transformed into soles for high quality footwear. Ethical consumers have expressed their support for this trendy footwear — says one satisfied customer, “I am looking for an environmentally-friendly, labor-friendly pair of shoes that is high quality. It seems that Indosole is that. ”
India
“I have seen a drastic change in my child after SEED Schools,” a parent of a SEED school student observed, “His attitude towards education has changed.” SEED schools’ scalable and sustainable model for low cost private schools uses innovative teaching methods, effective curriculum and efficient school operations to improve learning outcomes.
ERC Eyecare
“I am here for my second cataract surgery. I visited a government hospital for my first eye but the quality was so bad that the surgery failed,” says a patient from ERC Eyecare’s hospital. “Here, the doctors are good and they treat us with dignity and respect.” ERC Eyecare, based in Assam, provides a market-based solution to eye care by providing professional diagnostic equipment and qualified optometrists while remaining low-cost, patient-centric, and highly mobile.
“I like working with Ecoware for three reasons,” says a factory employee under Ecoware. “It is a good product that does not harm the earth; workers and managers work together like a family; we receive higher and more stable wages.” Ecoware manufactures 100% biodegradable and compostable tableware and food packaging products made from Bagasse, a sugarcane by-product that is hygienic, durable and affordably disposable.
Philippines
CFP is an enterprise established by the Peacebuilders Community (PBCI) to bridge Christians and Muslims in Mindanao. The Talaandig Tribal Chieftain shares how they benefit from Coffee For Peace (CFP), “Coffee growing, account[ing] how much we get… all of this cannot be done without peace. CFP is helping us grow culturally, and support our identity.”
Duran Farm is a Philippines-based Impact Enterprise focused on promoting sustainable agriculture through vegetable and seedling production. A local farmer who purchases from them explains: “Before, we used seeds which were very often low quality. Now we buy seedlings from Duran Farm and the quality is better.”
Cambodia
“Since we started using this biodigester, we save a lot of time for cooking that we can spend for farming and looking after our kids. We have enough biogas to feed our family,” a local from Kratie explained about owning an ATEC biodigester unit. ATEC’s high-quality, pre-fabricated biodigesters that deliver significant energy, economic and health benefits to Cambodian households.
Falihah Zaimuddin, Research & Programs
Jocelyn Matyas, Business Development
Originally published at impactquarterly.asiaiix.com on December 20, 2016.
