May 30th, 2018 | Updated on July 5th, 2018
Author and journalist David Bornstein said, “Poverty is not only a lack of money, it is a lack of sense of meaning.”
This way of thinking is helpful for understanding the world’s poverty issue.
In remote areas, people focus on basic needs. They rely on aid of bread, water, and temporary solutions.
In big cities, the meaning of life becomes more complicated. People require affordable housing, decent wages and career opportunities.
Limited resources or circumstance spur unexpected poverty conditions. For instance, an estimated 500,000 San Diego residents are a missed paycheck away from homelessness, reports the Washington Post.
Long story, short — the poverty problem is complex and corporations are far from a saving grace.
However, when well-known companies work with local communities, it’s a win-win for everyone involved. Take a look at some of these global brands that are making an impact.
1. Ikea
IKEA, the Swedish furniture manufacturer, plans to hire refugees at its production center in Jordan this summer.
The long-term goal is to create 200,000 jobs for disadvantaged people around the world through cooperation with social enterprises.
The IKEA operation will hire skilled workers to work on hand-fabricated products and textiles such as pillows, cushions, and bedspreads.
Jordan’s production center will start operations in August and employ Syrian refugees and Jordanian residents.
2. Amway
Amway is a global consumer goods company with the bold goal of building the world’s largest volunteer workforce by 2019.
The #AmwayVolunteers program organizes events and projects around the world. For instance, in Grand Rapids, a group of 200 Amway Volunteers spent six hours building a custom playground to serve thousands of local children.
In addition to volunteer initiatives, Amway provides entrepreneurship opportunities to communities around the world in the form of selling the company’s products on your own time.
Similar to rideshare apps and freelance services, this type of opportunity is opening new doors that can help families escape generational poverty.
3. Acer
Impoverished communities face a lack of information, education and resources, especially in remote areas.
Digital education for the physically and mentally disabled is also limited.
Acer is working to shorten the information gap. The computer company created the Digital Mobile Vans project in 2010.
The project collaborates with the Hanguang Education Foundation to provide free computer courses for people without easy access to technology.
The project focuses on children, aborigines, immigrants and seniors in Taiwan, where the technology gap between communities is dramatic.
Additionally, Acer encourages their workforce to serve as volunteers and teach people how to use technology in countries around the world.
For instance, Acer donated notebooks to Myanmar and set up a digital opportunity center.
In June 2016, they began working on Myanmar’s first solar-powered mobile learning center, which is similar to the Digital Mobile Vans project with a sustainability bonus of solar power.
4. Surveymonkey
SaaS companies aren’t usually mentioned when discussing corporate social responsibility. They’re usually smaller in size and don’t have the global resources needed to make an impact.
SurveyMonkey bucks that trend. They created SurveyMonkey Contribute, which partners with nonprofits as a donation arm.
Users take surveys for prizes and gift cards, while each recorded survey results in a 50 cent donation to their selected charity.
The service has brought in more than $10 million for non-profit organizations.
The program is a powerful tool for SurveyMonkey because it provides their clients with audience research and data.
However that doesn’t mean charities don’t see real results.
According to GivingTuesday.org, California-based Guide Dogs for the Blind raised thousands of dollars in just a few months, while Charity Water credited the program with giving more than 600 people access to clean drinking water in Nepal.
