Introduction;

Greetings! My name is Jonathan Kalan, founder of The (BoP) Project. I am an internationally

published journalist, photographer, and social enterprise blogger who has spent the past year living throughout East Africa, reporting on stories of social innovations, technologies, enterprises, and entrepreneurs at the Base of the Economic Pyramid (BoP). This brief Executive Summary serves as a progress report for The (BoP) Project, from September 2010 to June 2011, to spur interest among potential media outlets, funding sources, and social enterprise networks. If you have received this indirectly, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].

The (BoP) Project; East Africa;

The (BoP) Project seeks to report on the narrative of potential behind the veil of poverty in
emerging economies, through the lens of social entrepreneurs, enterprises, innovations, and market-based opportunities to alleviating poverty. For almost a year, The (BoP) Project traversed East Africa uncovering, documenting and sharing stories which are redefining the development field and generating significant buzz among a new generation of donors, investors, development workers, and concerned global citizens. This body of work has produced visual narratives, independent reporting, and onthe-ground commentary of social innovations, technologies, enterprises, and entrepreneurs, exposing the growing movement towards more viable, effective, and innovative approaches to economic and human development in East Africa. Through intimate and in-depth photography, investigative journalism, and short narrative essays of those serving, working with, and benefiting from social enterprises at the base of the economic pyramid in East Africa, The (BoP) Project will continue to engage and inspire readers around the globe to begin re-examining the way they view the poor, poverty and its solutions. Instead of donating dollars out of a feeling of pity, perhaps readers may begin to understand the potential of investing time, skills, knowledge, and money in the hope of lifting up the BoP through innovation.

The (BoP) Project East Africa

KOMAZA

The (BoP) Project; East Africa has produced: Still Photography & Photo Essays

The (BoP) Project. (e): [email protected] (c): +255 68 68 99885

 High-quality photojournalistic documentation of social enterprises & innovations,

their operations, employees, customers, and real impact. Reflective photo essays that capture individual personal stories, create narratives about social enterprises, and connect themes within the social enterprise ecosystem.

In-Depth Journalistic Articles & Reporting Rigorously researched, interviewed and reported stories on social enterprises &
innovations, their impact, and the social business environment across multiple sectors.

On-The-Ground Blogging & Tweeting Continuously updated reflections, discoveries, ideas, connections, and information
relayed to readers. Active reader engagement, discussion prompts, responding to readers comments, asking questions, investigating topics and suggestions proposed by readers.

Media Partnerships; The (BoP) Project is currently continuing to seek media outlets, web and print, that may be
interested in funding, hosting, distributing, or supporting this type of content in any way. Previously, The (BoP) Project has contributed to outlets such as Stanford Social Innovation Review, NextBillion, The Christian Science Monitor, The Star (Kenya), Dowser, Beyond Profit, Triple Pundit, Causecast and On The Ground New York Times blog. See Appendix (1) for a full list.

The (BoP) Project Story; Four billion people on this planet live in relative poverty. While each of their situations are
filled with a complexity, uniqueness, and essential suffering which is difficult to collectively define, most of these four billion people do share a similar set of economic characteristics that collectively place them in a category known as the Base of the Economic Pyramid (BoP). Characteristics of the BoP: 1. Significant unmet needs. Most people in the BoP have no bank account and lack access to modern financial services. They live in informal settlements, with no true title to their dwelling, and lack access to water and sanitation services, electricity, and basic health care 2. Dependence on informal or subsistence livelihoods. Most in the BoP lack good access to markets to sell their labor, handicrafts, or crops and have no choice but to sell to local employers or to middlemen who exploit them. 3. Impacted by a BoP penalty. Many in the BoP, and perhaps most, pay higher prices for basic goods and services than do wealthier consumerseither in cash or in the effort they must expend to obtain them and they often receive lower quality as well. (World Resources Institute/International Finance Corporations The Next 4 Billion Report, 2007)

The (BoP) Project. (e): [email protected] (c): +255 68 68 99885

Traditional forms of aid and nonprofit solutions often fall short of addressing these critical issues and providing sustainable solutions for those at the BoP to escape the poverty trap and enter the formal economy. Additionally, they often tend to reinforce a narrative of pity, helplessness, and other negative stereotypes of the poor that do not reflect the true potential of people in poverty. The time for pity is over. The development narrative of the past few decades- pictures and videos of fly-covered street children with dirt-clotted snot dripping off their face standing next to plastic bags full of human excitement floating through flooded schoolyards, horrendous images of poverty, stories of development failure- have shown the western world a one-sided story of poverty; one that doesnt reflect the hope, power, and potential of emerging economies on the edge of something bigger. Vigorous debate has been constructed around aid effectiveness, and the apparent lack of aid-led development success in many regions of the world over the past 30 years. Half-funded projects, giant bureaucratic inefficiencies, unacceptable overheads, and the perception of foreign aid workers zipping through developing countries in giant white air-conditioned SUVs, have jaded many donors. On the rise, pushing for recognition and validation, are new, sustainable social enterprise models which are emerging to serve those at the Base of the Economic Pyramid. Over the past 25 years, well known social enterprises pioneers like Grameen Bank (Mohammed Yunus), Ashoka (Bill Drayton), Acumen Fund (Jacqueline Novogratz), and many more have been developing or accelerating innovative approaches to meet the needs of those in the BoP, leveraging the powers of capitalism, technology, and innovation to help entrepreneurs lift themselves out of poverty. These approaches, which represent a more business-centric approach to development- bring a refreshing alternative to the aid discussion table. Dozens of MBA courses, conferences, and programs are being tailored around social entrepreneurship at the worlds most prestigious institutions. Young graduates from top universities are passing up high-paying jobs and opportunities at consultancies to move to Africa and India, preferring to spend a year tinkering with social business models instead of climbing the corporate ladder. In many cases, their universities are helping push them along through scholarships, fellowships, competitions, and incubators. There is now a foreceful wave of young social entrepreneurs who are hoping to change the world through the enterprise. But what exactly is their impact? For eleven months, Ive spent my own savings capturing just some of these stories and images in East Africa. Over the next 1-2 years. I would like to complete documenting in East Africa, and then expand to construct a visual narrative that connects social enterprises, innovations, entrepreneurs and their impacts from India to Brazil, two other emerging playgrounds for the social innovation field. Are these models truly eradicating poverty through profits? Is the actual impact of social enterprises worth the amount of attention, investment, and excitement that they have generated? The goal of The (BoP) Project is to let the voices of the customers, clients, and entrepreneurs working at the base of the economic pyramid speak for themselves.

The (BoP) Project. (e): [email protected] (c): +255 68 68 99885

The Curator; Jonathan Kalan, founder of The (BoP) Project, is a photojournalist, journalist, and blogger
specializing in social enterprise coverage. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara Global & International Studies program, in just 23 years he has traveled to over 33 countries, lived and worked in South Asia and Africa, and simultaneously pursued careers in social business development and photojournalism. His photography and writing has been published nationally and internationally, covering a wide range of topics from rural energy solutions in Nepal, to California wildfires, local spot news, and international social business/ innovation. Before relocating to Africa in 2010, Jonathan worked in Los Angeles for growing startup company Causecast, a "Cause-Integration Media Agency", running their Mobile Fundraising services and Corporate Social Responsibility programs. He is currently based in East Africa, covering social enterprises, technologies, innovations, and BoP markets. He is a Staff Writer for NextBillion.net, a regular contributor to Dowser.org, and a Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards 2011 Finalist.

Kivu Dairy, Rwanda

KickStart, Tanzania

Honey Care Africa, Kenya

Barefoot Power, Uganda

Indego Africa, Rwanda

Living Goods, Uganda

The (BoP) Project. (e): [email protected] (c): +255 68 68 99885

Appendix (1): The (BoP) Project Article & Photo Contributions, Sept 2010 - June 201 1:
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Stanford Social Innovation Review: From The Field; Impact First http://www.ssireview.org/ opinion/entry/from_the_field_impact_first/ The New York Times (On The Ground Blog, NYT.com): A Low-Impact Stove for Rwanda By Josh Ruxin. Monday, June 13th, 2011 (The (BoP) Project Photo Credit) http:// kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/a-low-impact-stove-for-rwanda/ The Christian Science Monitor: Barefoot Power brings solar lighting to off-the-grid areas in East Africa http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2011/0519/ Barefoot-Power-brings-solar-lighting-to-off-the-grid-areas-in-East-Africa NextBillion.net: The BoP In Pictures: One Entrepreneur's Story to Market, Sell Sanitation http://www.nextbillion.net/blog/2011/05/09/the-bop-in-pictures-marketing-and-selling-sanitation NextBillion.net: "The BoP In Pictures: One Beekeeper, Many Hives In Kenya" http:// www.nextbillion.net/blog/2011/04/28/the-beekeeper-joyce-kavinya-motunga The Christian Science Monitor: How Mafuta Sasa is turning waste cooking oil into clean-burning biodiesel in East Africa http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/ 2011/0513/How-Mafuta-Sasa-is-turning-waste-cooking-oil-into-clean-burning-biodiesel-in-EastAfrica Dowser.org: "How Mafuta Sasa is turning waste cooking oil into clean-burning biodiesel in East Africa" http://dowser.org/bringing-biodiesel-to-africa/ Dowser.org: "BoP Slideshow: KOMAZA, innovations in microforestry and sustainability in Africa" http://dowser.org/bop-slideshow-komaza-innovations-in-microforestry-and-sustainablity-in-africa/ The New York Times (On The Ground Blog, NYT.com): "Where The Grid Will Not Go", By Josh Ruxin. Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 (The (BoP) Project Photo Credit) http:// kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/where-the-grid-will-not-go/ Dowser.org: "BoP Slideshow: KOMAZA, innovations in microforestry and sustainability in Africa" http://dowser.org/bop-slideshow-komaza-innovations-in-microforestry-and-sustainablity-in-africa/ The Star (Kenya): "On The Coast, Money Grows On Trees" The Star Newspaper, Thursday March 17th, 2011 The Star (Kenya): "If There Is Sunshine, There Will Be Water" The Star Weekend Edition, Saturday, March 5th, 2011 Beyond Profit E-Magazine: Door-To-Door Healthcare http://beyondprofit.com/door-to-doorhealthcare/ Acumen Fund: Unexpected Uses of an Ikotoilet http://blog.acumenfund.org/2011/01/26/photo-ofthe-week-unexpected-uses-of-an-ikotoilet/ NextBillion.net: "The (BoP) Project: Finding Sustainable Water Solutions" http://www.nextbillion.net/ blog/2011/01/07/high-tech-solutions TriplePundit: "The (BoP) Project: Turning Wasted Vegetable Oil into Fuel for Africa" http:// www.triplepundit.com/2011/01/bop-project-turning-wasted-vegetable-oil-fuel-africa/ TriplePundit: "The (BoP) Project Photo Essay: KOMAZA" http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/12/ komaza-bottom-of-pyramid-photo-essay/ PhotoPhilanthropy: "Powering Africa: A Night in Musubiro, Uganda" http://photophilanthropy.org/ 2011/01/14/powering-africa-a-night-in-musubiro-uganda/ Causecast: "The BoP Project: Photojournalism At The Bottom Of The Pyramid" http:// www.causeintegration.com/2010/the-bop-project-photojournalism-at-the-bottom-of-the-pyramid/

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The (BoP) Project. (e): [email protected] (c): +255 68 68 99885

Appendix (2): The (BoP) Project Content Snapshot: Sept. 2010 - June 201 1:

The (BoP) Project. (e): [email protected] (c): +255 68 68 99885