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Browse recent blogs of interest to the Marketlinks community. Use the search box or the filters on the left-hand side to refine the listing of blogs by keyword, topic, and/or region/country.

The “Domino Effect” of Disbursing a Single Microloan

Society Development Committee, or SDC, based in Faridpur, Bangladesh, is a microfinance partner of the Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity, funded by USAID and implemented by ACDI/VOCA. Through this partnership, thousands of people working in Bangladesh’s livestock sector have benefited from microfinance products.

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Photo by ACDI/VOCA

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A Fenix customer in front of his solar-powered home. © Fenix International

The ENGIE Acquisition: With USAID Support, an Off-Grid Solar Fenix Rises

Author(s):

Taha Gaya
FROM SILICON VALLEY STARTUP TO LANDMARK ACQUISITION Access to technology is an essential component to development, especially in Africa. Africans use cheap mobile phones to pay their bills, conduct small business, and make calls anywhere and everywhere. However, even a small mobile phone is not useful if power is not available to charge it. Eighty percent of African households lack electric power, which limits opportunities to access information and mobile money, as well as business and educational opportunities. 
Two women lean in close together smiling at the camera

Youth Inclusion in Market Systems

Author(s):

Marketlinks Team
Youth — who make up a large portion of the potential workforce in developing countries — are often left out of markets systems, representing a significant lost opportunity to deliver social and economic benefits. 

The Stigma of Subsidies

Author(s):

Bronwyn Irwin
Market systems conversations should be centered on subsidies — where they are applied, what measures we take to ensure they are “smart,” and how we design subsidies to strengthen development impact.

Hurdles in the Last Mile

Author(s):

Daniel White
Dan White of ACDI/VOCA shares some learnings on last-mile delivery and overcoming barriers to distribution.

The Sustainability Challenge: Mike Field shares thoughts on good practice in facilitiation

Author(s):

ACDI VOCA
At Breakfast Seminar #60 on June 15, 2011, Mike Field of ACDI/VOCA presented on his experience with achieving sustainability in development projects by using the systems approach. After reviewing his own definition of sustainability—which involves ongoing efficiency improvements as well as expanding both the depth and breadth of benefits—Field talked about systemic forces which can either help or hinder sustainability.