The World We Want

3W is proud to fund the commercialization of the first small hydro-electric plant in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In April 2012, The World We Want Foundation initiated support of COMACO — Community Markets for Conservation. COMACO employs an innovative model to successfully combat deforestation, poaching, and poverty in Zambia. The unique model is the brain child of Dr. Dale Lewis, a zoologist who has worked in Zambia for 30 years and witnessed first-hand the shortfalls of traditional conservation models. Dr. Lewis decided to come at the problem by addressing the root cause of poaching and deforestation — poverty, through smart agriculture. The model then goes one step further by providing a supply chain, value-added processing, and access to national markets through the brand “It’s Wild”.

With a four year commitment, 3W is one of the founding investors of Acumen Fund’s Education and Employability Portfolio. Through our work with Partners in Health in Haiti and Pratham in India, 3W funds specific education programs. Our collaboration with Acumen is slightly different in that the Acumen Fund invests in private-sector companies that can provide basic services to the bottom of the pyramid, profitably and, therefore, sustainably.

In order to move forward on two of our priorities in Latin America, Poverty Alleviation through Job Creation and Rainforest Preservation, we have partnered with Root Capital. This innovative organization utilizes a highly impactful model that not only increases the economic welfare of impoverished farmers and artisans, but also drives sustainable agriculture practices.

A major obstacle for Haiti is a lack economic opportunity. To address the issue, 3W teamed up with Root Capital and supplied the start-up funding to get Root Capital’s innovative model up and running in Haiti. Root Capital pioneers finance for small and growing businesses (SGBs) by providing capital, delivering financial management training, and strengthening market connections so that these businesses can lift rural communities out of poverty.