Impact Research
Report: Cross Sector Solutions Lead to Better Health Outcomes for African Women
Learn more about Ripples health services For women in Africa to achieve better health outcomes, an integrated approach that includes health, education and economic empowerment is required. According to a recent report from the World Health Organization Commission on Women in Africa, when a single solution is offered (i.e., public health only) it fails to …
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Report: Impact of Community Driven Systems Change vs Traditional Aid
Studies have demonstrated that traditional aid from multinational NGOs does not lead to long term success. The model fixes a symptom but not the underlying issues. To get to the root cause, community based organizations hold the key. See the latest data from the Firelight Foundation, a leading philanthropic group focused solely on aiding CBOs …
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Notes from the Field
Ripples Health Care Services in Action
Since 2015, Ripples has delivered family healthcare to over 17K patients. This intervention has led to a 20% increase in productivity as women are free to focus on business instead of care. Below are pictures of our Medical team and our patients in the field. Dr Marayam: Based in the northern Nigerian in the town …
Notes from the field: The Business Case for Family Healthcare
Background: In 2015 we asked our women entrepreneurs what else they needed from Ripples to succeed. What we heard most often was family healthcare. As mothers, women were forced to stop working to care for their sick children and family members. Some of these illnesses had the potential to be long and possibly fatal due …
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Small business loan launches a fishing start up
How a $250 loan for fishing equipment drove long term impact for a Widow and her children
Notes from the Field – Madam Rabi – Ghana
Who: Madam Rabi Background: Solution: Impact:
Sewing Co-Op: Building Marketable Skills for Job Seekers
Many young women from rural areas in Nigeria are tasked with going to the city, finding work and sending money home. Ripples introduced a fashion co-op in Lagos to train these women in sewing and design so they would have opportunities beyond unskilled labor. Roni’s story brings to light the impact this co-op has on …
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Shea Butter Enterprise: Launching & Scaling a Women-Run Business in Rural Ghana
2011 Production by Hand 2018 Production by Machine In 2011 Ripples launched a Shea Butter enterprise in rural Ghana. The global demand for Shea Butter paired with the existing skills of the local women made it a logical product choice. But we needed a local influencer to get the women onboard. Our first hire was …
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Food Security and Smallholder Farming
Background: Rural Nigerian communities are faced with a growing hunger challenge due to extreme droughts and flooding that are decimating farms. Solution: Ripples Farm Model Ripples worked with the council of Chiefs (the community decision making body made up of men) to get buy-in to start up a woman run stakeholder farm. Farms were …
Internship and Volunteer Experiences
Building Ripples’ Audio Brand: How Intern Marc Went Above and Beyond
Our intern, Marc Wanninger, took an idea and ran with it, learning a lot in the process. If you haven’t heard Ripples’ music, take a moment to watch one of our videos and listen. Grisly, jazzy and lyrical, our music weaves our story through its smooth melodies, meticulously wrapped into a consistent, overarching ‘sound’. This …
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Ripples’ Internship Program Taught Master’s Student Peichen Skills Beyond The Classroom
Though Ripples’ program, Peichen’s classroom knowledge was put to the test and she was able to gain practical experience and new insight into her chosen profession. Our Intern, Peichen, was pursuing her Master’s degree in Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis when she applied to our program. Peichen applied for Ripples’ Internship program …
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Notes of a Ripples Intern – What Nigerian Festivals tell us
By Daphne Visser,Undergraduate Philosophy, Education and Child studies This summer I traveled to Nigeria as part of my internship at Ripples USA. I would like to share the lessons that the country and its people have taught me with you. In this way I hope to inspire of you who want to help empower African …
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Diaries of a Ripples Intern – Teaching experience
By Daphne VisserUndergraduate Philosophy, Childhood and Education Studies This summer I was given the opportunity to travel to Nigeria to intern with Ripples USA. During my stay I have kept a dairy that i want to share with all of you. In this way I hope to be able to take you along on my …
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Diaries of a Ripples Intern – Teaching Experience
By Daphne Visser Undergraduate Philosophy, Childhood and Education studies This summer I was given the opportunity to travel to Nigeria to intern with Ripples USA. During my stay I have kept a dairy that i want to share with all of you. In this way I hope to be able to take you along on …
Diaries of a Ripples Intern – Teaching Experience Read More »
Diaries of a Ripples Intern -Teaching Experience
By Daphne Visser,Undergraduate Philosophy, Childhood and Education studies This summer I was given the opportunity to travel to Nigeria to intern with Ripples USA. During my stay I have kept a dairy that i want to share with all of you. In this way I hope to be able to take you along on my …
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My experience as an Intern with Ripples USA in Ogidi, Nigeria
Chanarion is currently studying Public Health in the University of Washington and she went to Nigeria in June to take part in our Medical MOT Program. She also wanted to see a different culture. Read below about her experience. ” My first exposure to Nigeria was enriched with the spirits and characters of the people …
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Market Trends
Baobab: A Super Anti-oxidant with Super Flavor
Products produced from the iconic African Baobab tree tick off several boxes in the clean product category. According to FoodNavigator, the exotic sweet tasting Baobab provides excellent nutritional value. The food industry is beginning to explore ways of adding baobab into a range of healthy food products for both nutrition and taste. White powder from …
Moringa: A West African Super Food
Moringa is becoming a staple ingredient in many healthy snacks. In fact, Whole Foods named it one of the top 10 food trends in 2022. Often called the “miracle tree,” moringa is traditionally used as an herbal remedy in Africa because of its strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. As a powder, it is used in …
Hibiscus is Driving Flavor Innovation across the Food and Beverage Category
Hibiscus has become popular everywhere – in fact it was reported as one of the top 10 food trends of 2022 by Whole Foods. Traditionally, in the United States it has been used in teas, but in Africa it has had a long been used in other drinks, spreads and desserts. (The New York Times …
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In the News: West African Flavors Added to the Culinary Institute of America Curriculum
2023 marks the first year the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) offers the West African Flavors Curriculum to its students. But it didn’t come together by a whim. As stated on their website, the CIA spent “years researching and developing this concentration. An advisory council of academics and experts on the African diaspora—led by renowned …
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West African Flavors: The Next Frontier in Product Innovation
The spice- forward flavors of West Africa are surging in popularity in the United States. However, they are still largely untapped by consumer brands, offering numerous possibilities for innovation. West African ingredients have many varied and unique properties that can be utilized to elevate products when sourced directly from the region. Request a consultation by …
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West African Flavors: A Growing Food Trend Explained
The word is getting out about West African cuisine. In fact, West African cuisine was included in Whole Foods’ food trends for 2020 and the Culinary Institute of America just launched a West African focused curriculum. The demand for West African cuisine coincides with multiple consumer preferences in the United States, including: Navigating how to …
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