For-Profit and Impact Social Entrepreneurship

December 5, 2011

New Education about For-Profit and Impact Social Entrepreneurship on Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water

Morgan Simon, of Toniic Investment Group, talks with Sharon Kleyne about Her Company's Worldwide Social Investments

Hear Sharon Kleyne's interview with Morgan Simon on World Talk Radio, Voice America, Green Talk Network and Apple iTunes

Sharon Kleyne, host of the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water syndicated radio talk show, recently interviewed Morgan Simon, Co-Founder of the Toniic Investment Group, about her company's commitment to for-profit social entrepreneurship and social investment worldwide. The interview may be heard on-demand on World Talk Radio, Voice America, Green Talk Network and Apple iTunes.

The Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water has always supported social investment, especially investments that encourage local entrepreneurship to improve the health and lives of the world's poorest people. Sharon Kleyne has always been outspoken in describing the need for improved water access in underdeveloped countries, and prevention of dehydration diseases, dry eye disease and blindness.

Sharon Kleyne is founder of the Save-a-Child's-Life Foundation to fight pediatric melanoma.

According to Morgan Simon, several Toniic Group social investment projects involve helping provide safe and available community water to remote communities in Africa and India.

Morgan Simon became involved with the Toniic Group because as a businessperson, she believed that a for-profit model was potentially more efficient and long-lasting in improving lives in underdeveloped regions, than charitable giving. Enterprises backed by Toniic are expected to yield a financial return to all involved, as well as a social and environmental return. The Toniic Group has investments on nearly every continent. Some investors also act as consultants to the companies.

The name "Toniic," Ms. Simon notes, is a joke, based on the name of another for-profit social investment company called "GIIN" (Global Impact Investment Network).

Toniic has several major social investments in India. A company called E-Health Point Services runs a chain of low cost health clinics. They are also involved in clean water distribution (There is inadequate water distribution in India and water tends to be unsafe and unreliable. Those who can afford it, drink mostly bottled water). Other enterprises in India involve compost toilets and individual electrical generation sold to the power grid. These represent low-cost solutions to significant social problems.

Africa is similar to India but the need is even greater. Investments involve water access and safety, prevention of dehydration diseases (such as dry eye), energy production, food supply and poverty reduction. Making water available in a community means women and children no longer have to walk miles each day to fetch and carry water, which means they can go to school and become involved in community projects.

Tonic has several investments in Liberia, including a garment manufacturing company that is 51% woman owned (100 women). 100% of the children of these women are in school.

Sharon Kleyne notes a similarity between the Toniic Group investment in Liberia and Liberia's "10,000 Woman Entrepreneurs" program, funded by Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs trained and awarded certificates in business management to 10,000 Liberian women, who have since started numerous small businesses and represent a powerful force in Liberian society. Since the Goldman-Sachs program, Liberia has greatly democratized and now has a woman President ("10,000 Woman Entrepreneurs" was not mentioned during the interview with Ms. Simon).

Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water is sponsored by Bio-Logic Aqua Research, whose Nature's Tears® EyeMist®, a hand-held personal all-natural water humidifying device for dry eye. Nature's Tears® EyeMist® is available at www.BioLogicAqua.com, Amazon.com, drugstore.com and selected drugstores nationwide.

Listen to the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water Mondays, 10 a.m., PST/PDT. The syndicated radio talk show is heard on Voice America/World Talk Radio, Green Talk Network and Apple iTunes. Go to www.SharonKleyneHour.com for written summaries and on-demand replays. Also visit www.naturestears.com, whatistheeye.wordpress.com, "Nature's Tears EyeMist" on Facebook and "Bio-Logic Aqua" on Twitter.

© 2012 Bio-Logic Aqua Research

Disclaimer: This article is not intended as a precise summary of the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water show in which the guest appeared. While every attempt is made to accurately represent the guest's statements and opinions, their statements are paraphrased or summarized (which is why there are no direct quotes). In some cases, additional material has been added after the fact (and noted in the article) and/or the article's focus has been slightly changed from the focus of the original interview.