Mission: Possible – Innovating for the World’s Most Marginalized
Description:
Mission: Possible – Innovating for the World’s Most Marginalized examines social innovations at the intersection of technology, policy, and community action. Each episode features in-depth conversations with experts and innovators tackling systemic challenges in low-income and underserved contexts—from water access and financial inclusion to climate adaptation and digital public goods.
The podcast highlights not only what works, but why it works: unpacking business models, behavioral insights, design principles, and research evidence behind scalable social impact.
Designed for practitioners, researchers, students, and curious global citizens, this podcast translates complex development challenges into practical lessons for building a more equitable world.
Key content:
Innovation, Inclusion, Equity, Resilience, Poverty, Community, Empowerment, Impact, Justice, base of the pyramid, transformative services
Episodes
61 episodes
#61 Project Maji: Pricing Water, Powering Change in Sub-Saharan Africa
DescriptionWhat happens when clean water becomes both a human right and a business puzzle? In this episode, we dive into Project Maji—a nonprofit social enterprise that builds solar-powered water kiosks across rural communities in Su...
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#60 Shenzhen Power Solution Replacing Kerosene Lamps with Solar Innovation
DescriptionAcross sub-Saharan Africa, hundreds of millions of people still live without reliable electricity. For many families, the night is lit only by candles or kerosene lamps—dangerous, unhealthy, and costly sources of light. In...
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#59 How AFEX is modernizing African Agriculture
DescriptionIn this episode, we dive into the AFEX case—an African commodities exchange that set out to “help Africa feed itself” by connecting smallholder farmers and agribusinesses to transparent markets and finance. Starting in ...
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#58 Clean Water, Local Responsibility: Sustainable Water Solutions with Waterkiosk Foundation
DescriptionWhat does it take to deliver safe drinking water to communities where infrastructure is limited and traditional water systems don’t reach? In this episode, we explore the work of the Waterkiosk Foundation and its innova...
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#57 Wecyclers: Turning Trash into Cash in Lagos
DescriptionWhat if cleaning up a city could also put money in people’s pockets?This episode explores the inspiring case of Wecyclers, a Lagos-based social enterprise that uses incentives to change behavior, create jobs, and bu...
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#56 Naandi Foundation: Scaling Social Innovation from Classrooms to Coffee Farms
DescriptionHow does a nonprofit grow from delivering school meals to transforming entire food systems?This episode explores the remarkable journey of Naandi Foundation, one of India’s most influential social innovation orga...
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#55 SwissFreshWater: Franchising Safe Drinking Water Across Africa
DescriptionWhat if access to safe drinking water could scale the same way small businesses do?In this episode, we explore the case of SwissFreshWater, a Switzerland-based social enterprise that delivers affordable, high-qua...
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#54 Off-Grid Water in Haiti: How Decentralized Solutions Are Quenching a Nation’s Thirst
DescriptionIn a country where safe drinking water remains out of reach for millions, innovation is flowing far beyond pipes and pumps.This episode explores how off-grid and decentralized water services are reshaping access to ...
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#53 Honeysuckers of Bangalore: How Informal Innovation Filled an Urban Sanitation Gap
DescriptionWhen nearly 60% of a city isn’t connected to sewers, what happens to the waste?This episode examines the rise of Bangalore’s honeysuckers—informal vacuum truck operators who emerged to manage fecal sludge in a city ...
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#52 Sehat Kahani: How Two Women Doctors Rewrote Pakistan’s Healthcare Story
DescriptionWhat happens when thousands of qualified women doctors are pushed out of the workforce—while millions of patients remain without access to care?In this episode, we explore the inspiring journey of Sehat Kahani, a pi...
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#51 Logy.AI: Bringing AI-Powered Oral Health Screening to Everyone
DescriptionIn this episode, we explore the journey of Logy.AI, a healthtech startup redefining how oral healthcare is accessed, screened, and delivered—especially in underserved communities.Founded in India, Logy.AI uses ar...
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#50 How Bühler Group has been reinventing milling for a better world
DescriptionIn this episode, we explore how Bühler Group, a 160-year-old Swiss engineering company, redefined what innovation looks like in the food and grain industry. From the heart of Switzerland to fast-growing markets in Asia ...
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#49 How Coca-Cola’s Micro-Distribution Centers were cracking the Last Mile in Africa
DescriptionIn this episode, we unpack how The Coca-Cola Company solved one of the toughest problems in emerging markets: reaching millions of small, informal retailers where trucks can’t go and infrastructure is limited.Bor...
#48 Hippo Roller: A Simple Idea That "Rolled" Into a Water Solution
DescriptionIn this episode, we explore the story behind Hippo Roller, one of the most iconic examples of frugal innovation in global development. Born in rural South Africa, the Hippo Roller tackles a fundamental challenge faced b...
#47 Project Shakti: How Unilever Built a Rural Distribution Network by Empowering Women
DescriptionIn this episode, we explore Project Shakti, one of the most influential inclusive business initiatives ever launched by Unilever. What began in rural India in 2001 as an experiment in last-mile distribution has grown in...
#46 SOIL: Reinventing Sanitation Through Dignity, Design, and Circular Systems
DescriptionIn this episode, we dive into the groundbreaking sanitation work of SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods), a nonprofit that is redefining what safe, dignified sanitation looks like in dense urban communities...
#45 M-KOPA: Pay-As-You-Go Power and the Future of Inclusive Finance
DescriptionIn this episode, we explore how M-KOPA transformed access to energy—and financial inclusion—for millions of low-income households across Africa.Founded in Kenya, M-KOPA pioneered a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model that al...
#44 Devergy: Rethinking Rural Power with Energy-as-a-Service
DescriptionIn this episode, we explore how Devergy is reimagining rural electrification in East Africa through smart technology and an innovative Energy-as-a-Service model.Founded in Tanzania, Devergy set out ...
#43 Spring Health: Delivering Safe Water, One Village at a Time
DescriptionsWhat happens when a cement company decides to tackle poverty, not just sell products? In this episode, we dive into the story of Patrimonio Hoy—an award-winning social innovation launched by CEMEX in Mexico that revolu...
#42 W.A.T.A.: Turning Everyday People into Clean Water Changemakers
DescriptionIn this episode, we explore the inspiring story of Water Access To All (W.A.T.A.), a young nonprofit proving that solving the global water crisis doesn’t always require massive infrastructure—sometimes it starts with pe...
#41 ChotuKool and the Power of Frugal Innovation
DescriptionWhat does refrigeration look like when designed not for luxury, but for real life at the base of the pyramid?In this episode, we explore ChotuKool, the radically affordable, portable refrigerator developed by God...
#39 How LifeStraw Turned Clean Water into a Global Social Innovation
DescriptionClean drinking water should be a basic human right—yet millions of people still rely on unsafe sources every day.In this episode, we explore the story of LifeStraw, the social enterprise behind one of the world’s...
#40 How Husk Power Is Electrifying Rural Communities
DescriptionWhat if agricultural waste could power entire villages—and unlock economic opportunity for millions?In this episode, we explore the journey of Husk Power Systems, a pioneering renewable energy company that began ...
#38 Cooking Without Smoke: How Eco Cookstoves Are Transforming Health, Homes, and the Climate
DescriptionFor nearly three billion people worldwide, cooking still means open fires or inefficient stoves—exposing families to toxic smoke, accelerating deforestation, and consuming hours of unpaid labor every day.In this ...
#37 Esta Casa es Mía: How MIA Is Redefining Affordable Housing in Mexico
DescriptionFor millions of low-income families, a safe and dignified home is the foundation for health, security, and opportunity—but traditional housing markets often leave them behind.In this episode, we explore the work ...