Four social enterprises challenge the status quo
Four trailblazing companies for social good that operate in India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Rwanda are overcoming traditional barriers to reach clients with family planning and reproductive health information, products, and services.
These companies are called social enterprises for health—companies committed to realizing health impact as part of their core business. They possess or actively pursue a sustainable, revenue-generating business model that frees them from grant or donor dependency while seeking impact at scale.
A new SHOPS Plus brief features case studies on four organizations—Nivi, Kasha, MYDAWA, and Sehat Kahani—and lessons for donors and implementing partners interested in working with social enterprises.
Nivi leverages artificial intelligence and cloud-based technologies to provide users with information on health products, services, and referrals through a digital messaging platform. Kasha operates an e-commerce and distribution system that enables direct-to-consumer delivery of a wide range of women’s health products, including family planning and personal hygiene products. MYDAWA also enables consumers to purchase medicines and health and wellness products online or through their phone. Sehat Kahani connects female doctors with patients through clinic- and mobile-based telemedicine in Pakistan.
“Social enterprises are identifying and addressing local health challenges while pursuing commercially viable business models,” says April Warren, lead author of the brief and private sector advisor for SHOPS Plus. “This is why they are fitting partners for USAID and other donors that seek to deepen private sector engagement and support countries on their journeys to self-reliance.”
The brief, Social Enterprise Innovations in Family Planning: Case Studies, presents examples of social enterprises that deliver information, products, and services in new ways. It also provides approaches for donors to engage these types of organizations.
To identify the four organizations, the authors worked with several social enterprise networks. SHOPS Plus considered several criteria when selecting the four enterprises profiled, including the pursuit of a revenue-generating business model with the potential for sustainability, a focus on family planning and reproductive health, and the extent to which an enterprise offered an innovative solution.
The authors developed case studies on the four enterprises, which had innovations in three areas: health information, product delivery, and service delivery.
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