Wow!: Social entrepreneurs fight to make gig work fairer, greener

KIM HARRISBERG, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how social enterprises are trying to rejig the gig economy model by offering tech-driven, on-demand services that prioritise workers’ rights and ethical supply chains…
Women running ethical businesses seen worse hit by COVID than men

London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation Women who run ethical businesses were harder hit by the pandemic than their male counterparts, a United Nations-backed survey found on Wednesday, raising fears of another sector where women bear the economic brunt of COVID-19. From factory floors to shops, women have endured greater job losses and wage cuts due to […]
Wow!: How social entrepreneurs are getting creative in pandemic

BEH LIH YI and NITA BHALLA, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, report on how social enterprises have adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic…
Hong Kong social enterprises on the brink after protests, COVID-19

Thomson Reuters Foundation A quarter of Hong Kong’s social enterprises could go out of business by the end of the year, according to a new poll, threatening the jobs of hundreds of employees as the coronavirus pandemic takes a heavy toll on the city’s economy. COVID-19 has exacerbated the woes of the roughly 600 social […]
Businesses doing good can reboot ‘fairer’ Africa after coronavirus

Johannesburg, South Africa Thomson Reuters Foundation Businesses doing good in Africa can create jobs for some of those hardest hit by the new coronavirus pandemic – the youth, women and the poor, British researchers said on Wednesday. Social enterprises, or businesses with a social purpose, employ up to 41 million people across Africa, said a […]
“We cannot afford to fail”: Businesses working with slavery survivors in India seek ways to offset COVID

ANURADHA NAGARAJ, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from India on how businesses providing help to trafficking survivors are coping during the coronavirus pandemic…
Fighters and farmers step in to help Beirut after the blast

Amman, Jordan Thomson Reuters Foundation From former fighters repairing damaged buildings to rural women preparing meals, people from across Lebanon have stepped in to help businesses set up to do good after the seismic port explosion in Beirut. The 4th August blast, which officials have blamed on more than 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate being […]
With AI learning and recycled soap, social businesses step in as coronavirus spreads

Hong Kong, China/Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thomson Reuters Foundation Handing out soap to street cleaners in Hong Kong might sound like piecemeal work in the battle against coronavirus. But with schools and offices shut in the Chinese-ruled city and across Asia, social enterprises – businesses that seek to do good while making a profit – […]
From tinsel to turkey, shoppers dream of a “guilt-free” Christmas

London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation Menstrual cups or wormeries may not top everyone’s Christmas wish lists but with the rising tide of anti-consumerism, ethical businesses are hoping to boost sales this year. Nearly two-thirds of consumers globally prefer to buy from companies that reflect their personal values, according to research firm Accenture. Christmas shoppers pass […]
Postcards: After a violent past, Colombia’s Medellin emerges as a hotspot for businesses doing good

ANASTASIA MOLONEY, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from the Colombian city of Medellin…