YSB, Virgin Unite & Clinton Foundation Launch Haiti Forest Initiative!

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Category: News

Published on Monday, 18 March 2013 15:02

From left to right: Saskia Bruysten (Yunus Social Business), President Clinton (The Clinton Foundation), Diane Osgood (Virgin Unite), Sophie Eisenmann (Yunus Social Business) 

Ten thousand hectares of land being promised by Ministries of Agriculture and Environment to develop sustainable agro-forestry initiative

Project to Impact the environment, agriculture and improve livelihoods in rural areas of Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 10, 2013 – Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of Yunus Social Business, Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Unite, and U.S. President Bill Clinton, founder of the Clinton Foundation, today announced the launch of a new social initiative called Haiti Forest. The partnership aims to solve social and environmental problems in Haiti by bringing sustainable, productive and socially responsible forests to the country.

Ten thousand hectares of land are being promised by the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment to develop the new, bold Haiti Forest Initiative in the Artibonite and northern part of the country. Haiti Forest has full support of the Government of Haiti and is in line with the priorities of the Government to support long-term reconstruction efforts, especially those that create jobs and promoting economic opportunities. The multi-year project will provide affordable food, timber, and employment in Haiti, and will be organized as a Social Business – a company set-up for maximizing social benefit rather than private profit.

"I am pleased that my Foundation is working with Yunus Social Business and Virgin Unite," said President Bill Clinton. "Through this partnership, we hope to create a replicable model for programs that demonstrate long-term, positive social and environmental impact as well as economic benefits across Haiti."

“Haiti Forest is an example how social business represents a unique opportunity to drive economic growth in Haiti,” said Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of Yunus Social Business. “Social Businesses like Haiti Forest that are aimed at an environmental or social need represent not only the solutions to these pressing issues, but the financially sustainable means for continued development in Haiti.”

"Virgin Unite is very pleased to partner with the Yunus Social Business Initiative and the Clinton Foundation to invest in supporting entrepreneurial solutions to generate reforestation and sustainable livelihoods in Haiti,” said Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Unite. “This project will create much-needed economic opportunities for many and is wonderful way to do something good for our planet and the people of Haiti.”

The new initiative’s four main objectives are: to re-forest Haiti; provide sustainable livelihoods to farmers; and over the long term help mitigate Haiti’s dependency on food imports; and help identify alternative fuel sources to reduce usage of charcoal. To ensure that the benefits of re-forestation are lasting and durable, Haiti Forest will empower micro-entrepreneurs and local communities to preserve and maintain their country’s forests.

Today also marks the beginning of a six-month planning and preparation study that will form the basis of the Haiti Forest pilot program. The study will work closely with Haitian rural communities and small holder farmers to determine what trees and crops should be planted, engage community leaders on the reforestation aspects of the project, and work with government to identify applicable land areas.

The Haiti Forest partnership was created out of a recognized need to address environmental degradation and Deforestation in a sustainable way. Haiti has lost virtually all of its forests over the last half-century, resulting in massive soil erosion and a consequent decline in the amount of arable land. By enabling sustainable forest management, Haiti Forest works toward providing a model to help reverse this trend.

About Yunus Social Business (Global Initiatives)

Co-founded by Peace Nobel Laureate Professor Yunus, Yunus Social Business (YSB) initiates and manages incubator funds for Social Businesses in several countries. While the incubators search, coach and select Social Businesses, the funds provide loans and equity after a thorough due diligence process. YSB also provides advisory services to corporates, NGOs, foundations and governments. YSB has a team of enthusiastic consulting, venture capital and development experts based in Germany, with subsidiaries in Haiti and Albania and is currently expanding into Brazil, Togo, Tunisia and Colombia.

For more information, visit http://www.yunussb.com 

 Contact:         Sophie Eisenmann, co-founder and CFO, Yunus Social Business GmbH

                          Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

                         Phone: +49 17 26 79 17 38

About Virgin Unite

Virgin Unite is the not for profit foundation of the Virgin Group, founded by Sir Richard Branson. It unites people and entrepreneurial ideas to reinvent how we live and work in the world to help make people’s lives better. Its aim is to revolutionize the way businesses, government and the social sector work together – driving business as a force for good. 

 Contact:        Matthias Stausberg 

                        E-Mail:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About the Clinton Foundation

Building on a lifetime of public service, President Bill Clinton established the Clinton Foundation with the mission to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness, and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private citizens to turn good intentions into measurable results. Since 2001, President Clinton’s vision and leadership have resulted in nearly 5 million people benefiting from lifesaving HIV/AIDS treatment; more than 15,000 U.S. schools building healthier learning environments; more than 51,000 micro-entrepreneurs, small business owners, and smallholder farmers improving their livelihoods and communities; and more than 248 million tons of CO2 being reduced in cities around the world. And President Clinton has redefined the way we think about giving and philanthropy through his Clinton Global Initiative, whose members have made more than 2,300 commitments that are improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than 180 countries. For more information, visitclintonfoundation.org, read our blog atclintonfoundation.org/upclose, and follow us on Twitter@ClintonTweet and Facebook at Facebook.com/BillClinton.

 Contact:         Clinton Foundation Press Department

                          Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

                          Phone: + 1-212-348-0360

National Conference on Social Business in Tunisia, 13.03.2013

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Category: News

Published on Thursday, 07 March 2013 14:25

On March 13, 2013, the National Conference on Social Business is taking place in the Institut des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (IHEC) in Carthage, Tunisia, hosted by the African Development Bank and Yunus Social Business - Global Initiatives.

Please find below the official flyer and program.

GROUPE DE LA BANQUE AFRICAINE DE DEVELOPPEMENT

     Programme

Conférence Nationale sur le Social Business en Tunisie

Mercredi 13 Mars 2013 – IHEC Carthage, Tunis

NOW HIRING: Programme Director for a country in South-East Europe

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Category: News

Published on Monday, 18 February 2013 14:09

Now hiring: Programme Director for a country in South-East Europe

Yunus Social Business (YSB) is recruiting a Programme Director for a country in South-East Europefor the following position, to start on 1st April 2013 in Frankfurt:

WHAT IS YUNUS SOCIAL BUSINESS (YSB)?

Co-founded by Peace Nobel Laureate Professor Yunus, YSB initiates and manages social business development programmes, including incubator funds for social businesses, in several countries. While the incubators search, select, coach and develop social business projects, the funds provide loans and equity (typically between 50-350k EUR) after a thorough due diligence process. YSB also provides advisory services to corporates, NGOs, foundations and governments. Its team of enthusiastic consulting, venture capital and development experts is based in Germany, with subsidiaries in Haiti, Albania and Brazil, and is currently expanding into Togo and Tunisia and in other countries.

YOUR ROLE:

Reporting to the YSB global management team, you will have overall responsibility for the success of one country programme in South-East Europe. You will be based in the YSB Head Office in Frankfurt but will be expected to spend time in the South-East European country about one week out of every six. Supervising, managing and coaching a team of four based in the country, as well as volunteers both in the country and in Frankfurt, you will provide strategic leadership for, manage the implementation of and continue to develop the programme for that country. While the local team provides on-the-ground capabilities, local networks and deep knowledge of social issues and potential social business solutions, you will complement and expand this with an international, outside perspective, your team leadership and project-management expertise, your excellent technical and analytical capabilities, and your experience of international-standard best-practice business methods. It is also likely that you will be called upon to undertake duties and roles for YSB beyond your defined country-specific responsibilities.

Your specific duties for the country programme are wide-ranging and include:

• General management of the programme, including Administrator/Managing Director position in YSB’s local legal entities (subject to the oversight of YSB’s global Management Team).
• Strategic oversight, political and ambassadorial role, business development, public relations, including developing new and maintaining existing strategic partnerships, and especially attracting and locking in new investors and donors for the Social Business Fund for that country, as well as international corporate partners for social business joint ventures in that country. 
• Intellectual leadership and coordination of social business development and Fund strategy in the country, including driving the development of the pipeline of social businesses and working closely with the Director of Funds and Investments, to ensure the smooth operation of the Fund.
• Other duties and responsibilities, as required, to help YSB meet its goals, within the country and globally.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Candidates should have the following qualities, skills and experience:

• Demonstrated commitment to serving society’s needs and a high level of personal integrity.
• An excellent understanding of “social business” and how this is related to other concepts, e.g. social innovation, social entrepreneurship, inclusive business, impact investing….
• Several years in numerate professional services, preferably management consulting and/or venture capital and/or private equity.
• Experience of international development projects, especially private-sector development, SME development, rural development or related fields.
• Very strong analytical skills, mathematical ability, critical and creative thinking, evidence-based analysis, efficiency and thoroughness, demonstrated by excellent academic qualifications, especially in business-related subjects (e.g. economics) or in science subjects.
• Several years of experience managing teams and complex projects, across multiple sites and nationalities and/or in challenging environments.
• Communication skills and team spirit; negotiating skills and diplomacy; a deep understanding of cultural differences.
• "Self-starter" mentality: a high level of passion, entrepreneurial energy, personal initiative and responsibility.
• Willingness to live in Frankfurt and travel to South-East Europe about one week out of every six.

WHAT IS A SOCIAL BUSINESS?

A Social Business is a company created for social benefit rather than private profit. Like an NGO, it has a social or environmental mission, but like a business, it generates its own revenues to cover its costs. Investors may recoup their initial investment, but all further profits are reinvested for growth and innovation, or to seed new social business ventures. In this way, Social Business introduces an additional business model to capitalism where serving society is the sole objective of the company. Since social businesses have to compete in the free market to provide their goods or services, they are efficient and effective at meeting customer needs. Over the last 30 years, Professor Yunus has pioneered more than 40 social businesses in Bangladesh alone — some of them are among the largest companies in the country. Today, the concept is broadly acknowledged by the UN, EU, multinational corporations and academic institutions.

If you are interested in this position and you think that you fit the role description, please send a CV and cover letter, in English, by email, to the following address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . We will then contact you for an interview. We look forward to hearing from you!

Albania: First Joint Venture signed!

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Category: News

Published on Tuesday, 22 January 2013 14:11

Yunus Social Business and Tirana Business Park are creating a vocational training centre to help give much-in-demand technical skills to unemployed young people.

The centre will initially train new plumbers, electricians and industrial mechanics, with more subjects being added in later years. The school will be sited on the Tirana Business Park campus and will draw on the vast knowledge and expertise of these professions within Tirana Business Park sh.p.k. and its German parent company.

The vocational training centre will be structured as a separate company clearly aligned with the principles of social business, with equity held by both Tirana Business Park and Yunus Social Business.

Saskia Bruysten at Hong Kong Social Entrepreneuship Summit (SES) 2012

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Category: News

Published on Friday, 21 December 2012 10:27

From November 27 – 30, our co-founder & CEO Saskia Bruysten was the key note speaker at the  Hong Kong Social Entreprise Summit 2012 attended by over 750 high-level participants from the worlds of business, NGO and government.

Next to the keynote speech she conducted a Social Business Lab,  participated in a panel and took part in a women entrepreneur dinner with only a handful selected participants.

The topic of her keynote speech was “Social Business City – How a New Kind of Capitalism Serves Society’s Most Pressing Needs”. In her keynote speech, Saskia shared with the audience examples of existing joint venture partnerships between for-profit businesses and the Grameen family, including Grameen Danone, Grameen Veolia Water, BASF Grameen and Grameen Uniqlo, to name a few. Saskia highlighted the different ways by which the business sector in Hong Kong can engage in social business, and how Yunus Social Business can help.

Three Social Business Cities have already been established: Wiesbaden, Germany, Pistoia, Italy and Fukuoka, Japan. Becoming a Social Business City means to choose the tools offered by Social Business to address local issues and community needs. The major issues local governments have to face, such as youth employment, elderly assistance, environmental protection, can be managed with Social Business solutions. Saskia talked about the ways municipalities can contribute towards developing grassroot social entrepreneurs and the benefits Social Business can bring to a global city such as Hong Kong.

Saskia thanks the wonderful team of organizers and is much exited to see that the Social Business scene in Hong Kong is taking off so fast.