Looking forward to the Summit on East Asia
By Jack Sim, Founder of World Toilet Organization*
Although we have a world population of almost 7 billion people this year, 4 billion of us are poor and are outside our formal economy. As the marketplace of the 3 billion rich and middle-class become saturated and highly competitive, it is obvious that we should start to treat the 4 billion poor as our customers now.
I am the Founder of World Toilet Organization and BOP HUB ( Base of Pyramid ).
I'd like to meet potential partners to convert both the sanitation and poverty crisis into massive bsuiness opportunities.
I see the limitation of the charity model in changing the world. Creating dependency will not help the poor get out of poverty. We need to help them help themselves. We need to apply market-based approach to develop sustainable solutions that converge both economic and social objectives.
The 4 billion poor is our next big marketplace. We can bring investment and jobs into the poverty sector and also serve the poor as customers.
*Jack Sim attending the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Jakarta, 12-13 June. He is Guest Blogging for the Forum*
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