Bring People Out of Poverty

In 2001, a social enterprise was started in Cambodia called Digital Divide Data (DDD). Shortly after, they hired a young man named Kunthy Kann. Kunthy, the son of a very poor family, grew up in a rural area of Cambodia. Through his hard work and perseverance, he graduated from high school and enrolled in a computer-skills training program. He showed potential doing basic work with data, so we gave him additional responsibilities and helped him get a bachelors degree.

In 2003, he participated in our company's management training program where his final project was to write a business plan for a new office. When he finished, he opened a DDD office in Battambang, Cambodia's second-largest city. Kunthy rapidly grew the business to become a profitable operation employing 100 people. Later, he came back to Phnom Penh to lead operations, managing a 300-person staff in the largest technology-related business in the country.

For people living in poverty, any kind of paid work enables them buy food for their families, pay for housing and school fees, and access medical care. And work creates an essential sense of dignity that comes with self-sufficiency.

And the fact that these new digital jobs allow very poor people ways to earn additional income has the potential to change lives. However, if paid work is only a short-term project, people may end up in the same situation in which they started. In addition, ongoing work that does not provide opportunities to build knowledge and skills does little to unleash individuals' long-term success and the opportunity for economic growth in the community.

Last week at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, the Rockefeller Foundation announced a new initiative to create digital jobs in Africa with an extraordinary commitment of nearly $100 million. This is unprecedented news, due to the 21st-century employment opportunities that will be created in countries where technology is a critical lever for development, as well as the set of private and public sector partners the Rockefeller Foundation has engaged to ensure this contribution will have a transformative impact.

With the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, a Business Process Outsourcing operation in Nairobi, Kenya was established in 2011. Using a model called Impact Sourcing, they currently employ 250 staff, including over 200 youth from slum areas. The Rockefeller Foundation has committed to scaling the Impact Sourcing model. Creating value for clients and changing lives is seen in a short video that was produced with the support of the Sundance Institute.

DDD uses a model of Impact Sourcing that supports the personal development of every employee. While working at DDD, data management operators like Kunthy have the opportunity to study and earn a degree. The staff builds professional skills and enables the business to do value-added work for clients like Ancestry.com and Stanford University. And, this investment in human potential has a transformative effect, not only for individuals, but also for their families and communities.  employees start to plan for professional careers and also can afford to send their siblings and their children to school. Because technology skills are transferrable and in demand, this ripple effect not only contributes to DDD's success as a business, but is also a critical investment in the local economy.

The founder of DDD, Jeremy Hockenstein, says this:

“I believe that our model is only one way to empower people on a path out of poverty through digital work. Indeed, we're continually working to strengthen our approach. However, I'm convinced that using digital work as a means to bring people out of poverty is not just about providing work opportunities for the poor. There must also be a path for individual development -- and real demonstrable outcomes -- if we are serious about ending poverty.”