To increase the participation of Small, Medium and Growing Enterprises within Developing Asia, Africa and Latin America in the trade of impactful products and services.
In each Impact Sector, in collaboration with local partners, we seek to understand the gaps that exist with products and services and the reasons the gaps exist – affordability, lack of suitable products, inadequate support for local enterprises to grow, policy gaps, lack of targeted financing, insufficient education of end-users about the product or service, or others.
We collaborate with select global trading partners and local enterprises to develop or procure the products and services to fill the market gaps.
With local partners in each sector, we aim to gather benchmark impact data so we can understand the potential impact of the product or service interventions.
Through education and training activities, we ensure local businesses have the resources and tools needed so the product and service interventions they deliver effectively meet the market gaps and contribute to long-term sustainable and inclusive development.
We follow-up with local partners to gather impact data following the interventions in order to understand the social, economic and environmental impact of the interventions and to confirm the economic growth and economic development the local enterprises have contributed to.
Trade Without Borders is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit and part of a global, hybrid social enterprise alongside Trade Without Borders (HK) Limited. Our vision is to drive sustainable development through inclusive trade by empowering small, medium, and growing enterprises across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We support these businesses with essential products and resources to foster local economic growth and broader economic development.
TWB’s founder, Joseph Fernandez, spent more than a dozen years managing global supply chains for products from manufacturers in Asia to the largest big box retailers and major importers, primarily in North America, Europe and Japan. He realized that very few products (less than 20%) were actually designed for developing regions of the world, and supply chains for even that 20% primarily extended only to major urban markets leaving billions of people beyond those urban markets without access to essential products and services.
TWB initially attempted to manage upstream operations such as product development, product procurement and logistics, as well as downstream operations, such as educating and training local enterprises and assessing the impact of local operations through a single non-profit entity. After experimenting with this model, TWB’s founder concluded that the organization’s vision and mission could not be attained exclusively as a non-profit entity. So, upstream operations were subsequently managed through a separate entity based in Asia while TWB focused on the essential downstream services.
TWB identifies market gaps for impactful products and services in collaboration with local partners, focusing on unmet needs within communities. Working with global trading partners, TWB procures and develops the products and supporting services needed to address these gaps. The organization sets impact benchmarks and assess the social, economic, and environmental outcomes of our interventions. Through education and training, TWB team equips local businesses with the tools and resources necessary to deliver these solutions effectively, contributing to sustainable, inclusive development.
To date, the global organization has shipped thousands of products to tens of local companies, global NGOs and humanitarian aid organizations. In Uganda, TWB is collaborating with Umeme and the Uganda National Alliance for Clean Cooking (UNACC) to expand access to clean electric cooking. In Burundi, the team partners with Weza Power and ReNewGen to introduce energy-efficient cooking solutions as more citizens connect to the grid. In Rwanda, TWB works with ARED to close the digital infrastructure gap with affordable data solutions, and with rural water utilities to establish cost-effective, sustainable water kiosks.
Following a successful solar mini-grid project for a Milk Collection Centre, TWB developed impactful Community Solar Energy Centers. With We Share Solar, the team had provided accessories for their Solar Suitcases for schools, and with Munyax, EnDev, and GIZ, TWB had supported a clean cooking project. In Tanzania, and partnered with Simusolar on fishing lamps and with the World Food Program to explore commercial cooking for schools. Lastly, in Kenya, TWB collaborate with local partners to improve energy-efficient appliances for the hospitality sector.
Our current activities span a range of impactful projects across multiple regions. In Uganda, we are expanding clean electric cooking solutions in partnership with Umeme, the national utility, and the Uganda National Alliance for Clean Cooking (UNACC). In Rwanda, together with ARED, we are bridging a digital infrastructure gap to support low-cost information management, and with select rural water utilities, we are exploring sustainable and inclusive community safe water kiosks. Building on a successful collaboration on a Solar Mini Grid project for a Milk Collection Centre in Rwanda with partners from the U.K. and Rwanda, we have developed a high-impact Community Solar Energy Centre. For nearly a decade, we have partnered with We Share Solar, providing high-quality accessories for Solar Suitcases used in schools. We are also active in clean electric cooking initiatives with local partner Munyax in Rwanda, backed by EnDev and GIZ, as well as in Burundi and Tanzania, where we support projects for fishing lamps and commercial electric cooking in partnership with the World Food Program. Additionally, we promote energy-efficient appliances for the hospitality industry in Kenya.
Leverage modern technology resources to empower local enterprises to expand sustainable and inclusive solar energy and safe water services in their local
communities.
We believe that empowered, local commercial/business entities can contribute the most to economic growth and poverty alleviation through the production and distribution of essential goods and services.
Sustained economic growth is the first step to sustainable development. However, economic development is then essential to ensure the benefits of economic growth can truly benefit local communities in the most equitable way ensuring improved livelihoods for individuals, families and entire communities.
We aim to build a social franchise network in Sub-Saharan Africa and Developing Asia to extend sustainable, inclusive value chains for essential products and services to remote, off-grid communities.
We aim to be accountable and transparent in what we do. To ensure accountability and traceability, it is necessary to gather and manage data from all of our operations in order to understand the impact of our interventions and to ensure our impact aligns with the objectives of all stakeholders, including funders/investors.
Leverage modern technology resources such as AIoT, Web 3, Blockchains and local server-based or cloud-based services to support local franchisees.
Lay the foundation to scale sustainable and inclusive development globally.
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