The Americas Business Council (abc*) Foundation, a nonprofit organization that brings high-impact leaders and organizations together to confront pressing social and environmental issues in the Americas, has selected Fairtrasa, Naya JeevanandPlaneta Océano as its new partner organizations to support, following the 2012 abc* Continuity Forum where these organizations presented alongside 29 other social entrepreneurs. These three organizations will receive funding and two years of advisory, media and marketing support. Here are the three selected organizations:
FAIRTRASAhelps small-scale farmers in third-world countries escape poverty and improve their lives by providing them with technical support and access to international markets. The company helps to ensure that farmers are paid fair prices, which can often be up to 10 times higher than local market prices, and help them increase their yields. www.fairtrasa.com
NAYA JEEVAN is a nonprofit micro-insurance company dedicated to rejuvenating the lives of the urban poor by providing them with access to quality and affordable healthcare, insurance and socio-economic opportunities. The company buys group health plans from insurance companies at below-market rates and leverages corporate distribution networks to distribute, market and co-finance the plans. www.njfk.org
PLANETA OCÉANOis committed to conserving and restoring coastal and marine environments—vital life support systems—that are threatened by overexploitation, pollution, habitat degradation and climate change. Planeta Océano centers its efforts, which primarily occur in low-income areas in Peru, on research, environmental education and sustainable development of coastal communities. www.planetaoceano.org