By Elly

Poverty, money – and love. What do you think of people who live in poverty? Jessica Jackley shares her story of feeling guilt and a sense of “us” and “them” when engaging with stories about poor people. She shows us that listening to stories from these people, not about them, teaches us to believe in what each person has to offer is the first step to making a meaningful difference. She founded Kiva.org with the vision providing access to financial resources, through micro loans, to talented and hard-working people and is working to change the story of poverty around the world.

What non-profits can learn from Coca Cola. Why is it that in countries where getting condoms and vaccinations to rural communities is so hard, everyone has access to coca cola? Melinda Gates shows us the clever and surprising ways that coca cola has been so successful in the developing world, and how non-profits can take a leaf out of their book.

If you want to help someone, shut up and listen! Ernesto Sirolli built his career on an important lesson he learnt while volunteering in Zambia. A poignant, funny talk about why listening is crucial for any kind of development work and why entrepreneurs are the solution to our world’s biggest problems.

The way we think about charity is dead wrong. Rather than rewarding not-for-profits for how little they spend, we should focus our attention on the impact they have and how they are achieving their goals. Dan Pallotta makes a strong case as to why investing in impact towards a cause is not frugal spending, and why the ability to scale organizations with a social cause is crucial for our world’s future.

Social Experiment: The 2 Euro T-shirt. What happens when you know where your clothes really come from? We love how this short clip shows the power of sharing human stories in making citizens more socially aware and responsible for their everyday choices.

DOCUMENTARIES

Poverty, Inc.
Fighting poverty is big business, but who benefits the most? Why is our current aid and development sector not working, and what are some solutions to fix it?
Such an important documentary.

True Cost
With the price of clothing rapidly decreasing, the human and environmental costs have increased over the years. The true cost shows us the untold human story behind the fast-fashion industry and forces us to reconsider our everyday choices as a consumer. A beautifully crafted documentary with eye-opening and inspiring solutions.