Description

How does a nonprofit grow from delivering school meals to transforming entire food systems?

This episode explores the remarkable journey of Naandi Foundation, one of India’s most influential social innovation organizations. Founded in 1998, Naandi set out to prove that poverty eradication could be tackled at scale through professional management, community participation, and cross-sector partnerships.

We trace Naandi’s evolution from early public-private collaborations in education and nutrition to pioneering hybrid models that blend nonprofit purpose with market mechanisms. The episode dives deep into four flagship innovations:

• Safe drinking water through Naandi Community Water Services, a sustainable village-level water kiosk model
• Araku Coffee, a globally celebrated social enterprise that transformed tribal livelihoods through regenerative agriculture and direct market access
• Education and nutrition, including large-scale Midday Meal operations and Project Nanhi Kali for girls’ education
• Gender-focused innovation, spanning skilling, sports, farming, and leadership for women and adolescent girls

We also examine how Naandi uses data and evidence—such as the landmark HUNGaMA and Teenage Girls (TAG) surveys—to influence national policy, while continuously refining its programs based on community feedback and evaluation.
Key discussion points include:

• How social enterprises can complement government systems
• Blended finance and public-private partnership models
• Scaling impact without losing community trust
• Lessons from building “Arakunomics,” a regenerative and inclusive economic model

This case study offers powerful insights into how social innovation ecosystems are built, scaled, and sustained—and what it takes to turn vulnerability into long-term resilience.

Key words

Naandi Foundation, Social Innovation in India, Public–Private Partnerships
Araku Coffee, Safe Drinking Water Models, Girls’ Education (Nanhi Kali), Regenerative Agriculture, Inclusive Development, Hybrid Social Enterprises, Poverty Alleviation, Gender Equity, Sustainable Livelihoods

Description

What if access to safe drinking water could scale the same way small businesses do?

In this episode, we explore the case of SwissFreshWater, a Switzerland-based social enterprise that delivers affordable, high-quality drinking water to underserved communities through a franchise-based kiosk model. Instead of relying solely on public utilities or aid-driven projects, SwissFreshWater empowers local entrepreneurs to operate neighborhood water kiosks under the Diam’O brand—turning clean water into a sustainable, community-owned service.
We trace SwissFreshWater’s journey from early pilot projects in rural Senegal to a nationwide network of franchised kiosks serving tens of thousands of people daily. The episode unpacks how advanced but rugged water-treatment technology, solar power, IoT monitoring, and preventive maintenance enable reliable service even in low-infrastructure environments.
Key themes include:

• How franchise entrepreneurship can scale essential services
• Blended finance models combining grants, impact investment, and revenue
• Health impacts from reducing waterborne disease and fluoride exposure
• Job creation and women’s economic empowerment through kiosk ownership
• Environmental gains from reduced plastic waste and local water treatment

We also examine the challenges SwissFreshWater faces—from financial sustainability and quality assurance to climate risk and policy alignment—and how its evolving strategy aims to expand the model to multiple African countries in the coming years.

This episode offers a compelling case study in market-based solutions for SDG 6, showing how clean water, local jobs, and environmental impact can flow from the same system.

Key words

SwissFreshWater, Safe Water Kiosks, Franchise-Based Service Models, Water Access in Africa, Senegal Water Innovation, Social Enterprise Case Study, Decentralized Infrastructure, Impact Investing, SDG 6 Clean Water, Water Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Development, Climate-Resilient Water Systems

Description

In a country where safe drinking water remains out of reach for millions, innovation is flowing far beyond pipes and pumps.
This episode explores how off-grid and decentralized water services are reshaping access to safe drinking water in Haiti. With limited public infrastructure and recurring political and economic crises, private enterprises, social innovators, and NGOs have stepped in to deliver clean water where centralized systems fall short.
We examine the rise of solar-powered water kiosks, community-managed systems, and entrepreneurial water networks—focusing on pioneers like DloHaiti, which operates decentralized, solar-powered water kiosks that serve rural and peri-urban communities at a fraction of traditional costs. The episode also looks at how financing innovations from Untapped Global emerged directly from Haiti’s challenges, creating new models for funding off-grid infrastructure in fragile markets.

Alongside social enterprises, we explore the role of established providers such as Caribbean Bottling Company (Culligan), NGOs deploying community kiosks, and solar-powered rural water systems that together form a resilient, if imperfect, water ecosystem.

Key themes include:

• How decentralized water kiosks function as micro-utilities
• The economics of selling safe water in low-income settings
• Public health and affordability impacts
• The role of solar power and off-grid technology
• Persistent challenges: insecurity, fuel shortages, maintenance, and scale

This case offers powerful lessons on resilience, entrepreneurship, and delivering essential services in fragile contexts, showing how clean water can still flow—even when systems collapse.

Key words

Off-Grid Water Services, Haiti Water Crisis, Decentralized Infrastructure, DloHaiti
Solar-Powered Water Kiosks, Safe Drinking Water Access, Social Enterprises in WASH, Impact Investing, Fragile States Innovation, Water Entrepreneurship, Public Health and Sanitation, Sustainable Development