Social Ventures
Market-based solutions to fight global povertyWe’re believers in innovation—and that community-inspired business approaches can offer sustainable economic opportunity to the poor.
Social Ventures
We know that enterprises offering beneficial products and services can create sustainable social impact for the poor.
Even in the poorest places around the world, hardworking people struggle to improve the conditions of their family. While they are producing a good or produce to sell, people may lack the knowledge or opportunity necessary to form a market or delivery system to benefit or grow their profit.
That’s why we work to lay the groundwork for healthy, private sector collaborations at the grassroots and global trading levels. We support the start-up of businesses that can help people out of poverty while providing a service that everyone needs—like growing food, producing power, and improving accessing to clean water.
What we’re doing about it
Right now, our social venture work focuses on market-driven approaches to food, energy, and water security.
GRO Greenhouses
Developed in partnership with Pennsylvania State University’s Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Program, GRO Greenhouses help farmers grow and sell vegetables year-round, boosting food security and helping to alleviate poverty. By developing a for-profit GRO Greenhouse business, farmers can increase the volume of produce sold.
Fruit Cooperative
Because the poorest farming families lack the capital to invest in the resources required for planting, WHI teaches farmers in Sierra Leone how to utilize drip irrigation and machinery, farm fruit commercially, and access viable markets to increase profits from their harvests. Farmers can eventually invest resources back into their farms and communities.
Mushroom Cultivation, Thera Metrey
Meaning “Compassionate Earth,” Thera Metrey is a local Cambodian cooperative enterprise for collective sorting, processing
FIRST STEP
FIRST STEP is an Economic Opportunity Zone that introduces opportunities for direct, foreign investment in Sierra Leone—enriching lives through economic investment and community empowerment. 50 acres of land and a processing facility helps companies to establish and maintain businesses in Sierra Leone.
Mobile Power
Mobile Power Ltd. provides clean and affordable energy to off-grid communities in Sierra Leone to help improve livelihoods, reduce carbon emissions, and improve health. Portable battery systems powered by solar energy are available at local shops, and can charge phones and power LED lights.
TapEffect
TapEffect offers a market-based solution for households in rural Cambodia to have access to clean, piped water. As a result, women—upon whom the majority of the clean water burden falls—can have clean water piped into their home for drinking, washing, gardening, and more.
Our Impact
In 2017, we celebrated our social ventures impact.
households
benefitted from construction of a piped water business in Cambodia.
farmers
benefitted from 36 new GRO Greenouses in Sierra Leone and Mozambique, and 54 farmers linked to new markets.
households
in 5 communities in Cambodia produced 67.5 tons of mushrooms through mushroom cultivation businesses.
AN ORGANIZATION YOU CAN TRUST.
Spending of World Hope International (Canada) funds is confined to Board approved projects. Funds designated towards a project are used as designated, with the understanding that when the need for that project has been met or cannot be completed for reasons determined by the Board, the remaining funds designated will be used where needed most.
