What Black Jello Says About the Power of Small Enterprise

The Port of Skagit Commission invested $7.5 million in a public-private partnership to build grain infrastructure (including a $1.2 million mill, granary, and research center) that enabled local farmers to shift from unprofitable commodity wheat to specialty grains.

Point-of-sale-based agency banking helps make digital finance more accessible and inclusive, allowing small businesses to act as banking agents, offering services like cash withdrawals and bill payments through fintech platforms. This integration has been particularly impactful in regions without bank branches. The integration of fintech throughout Nigeria has not only led to more autonomy in personal finance but has also created significant employment opportunities.

Facing sky-high utility costs and accessibility challenges, the community of Molokaʻi, Hawaii, took their energy security into their own hands and developed an energy-resilience-focused action plan. Backed by the primary state utility, the community is installing solar arrays and batteries, some of which are collectively owned and subscription-based. At the same time, the solar cooperative is cultivating a local workforce specialized in solar infrastructure.

People across Argentina are earning an income during a severe economic crisis by joining recycling cooperatives. Members collect recyclables off the street and are paid by the co-ops by material and weight.

To combat unemployment, the Girls2Women Initiative runs 6- to 12-week training programs for girls and women in underserved communities in Nigeria. During this time they learn skills they can use to find a job or start their own business in industries like graphic design, decor, and tailoring.

The ADAMÂ Bakery trains and employs refugees in Uganda to make bread. This way they can earn a living while also feeding unaccompanied minors in the refugee settlements.

An abandoned, flooded mine in Bishrampur, India, is now an eco-tourism site where visitors can take a boat ride to a floating restaurant and locals breed fish. The new facilities offer employment for some of the residents who were left out of work when the mine closed.

A women’s cooperative in Malawi empowers women to diversify their incomes by selling a variety of produce instead of relying only on selling fish. The women in the collective split the proceeds and buy fish in groups to combat increasing sex-for-fish requests from fishermen.

Alongside clean energy, wind farms built on property leased from locals in Nebraska are generating jobs, income, and local taxes that keep small towns like Petersburg afloat.

Microfinance institutions in India are providing low-cost loans to women in remote areas that typically only have access to loan sharks. The women are using the money to break poverty cycles and start their own businesses.