The Financial Times covers the launch of sOPHIa Oxford where we are working to help businesses end poverty. Listen to the podcast.

sOPHIa Oxford, the University of Oxford’s first social enterprise spinout, will provide businesses with tools to measure and respond to poverty amongst their employees and their families, contractors, and in their supply chain. Building upon the work and experience of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), sOPHIa Oxford aims to expand the use of multidimensional poverty measurement to the private sector. sOPHIa Oxford has an exclusive worldwide license to the Business Multidimensional Poverty Index (bMPI), developed by OPHI in partnership with the business association Horizonte Positivo, which has pioneered the implementation of the bMPI in Costa Rica. The first company to use the bMPI, BAC Credomatic in Costa Rica, has announced that the bMPI identified 12% of its employees in poverty and has rolled out a series of initiatives to help its employees. sOPHIa Oxford was created by OPHI with the support of the Oxford Department of International Development and the University’s innovation arm, Oxford University Innovation (OUI).  In Costa Rica partner Horizonte Positivo has already implemented the bMPI with 42 businesses successfully. See the full press release here.

My life was changed when Robert Zevin suggested that I read the book The Gift by Lewis Hyde which helped me understand the difference between the economy of trade and the economy of gift. I was talking about this to Pastor Keith Anderson and about how the book had helped shape my work for the Brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. Pastor Keith has just given a sermon on the gift economy quoting me. Listen to his sermon here

Ancient practices meet new technology when Episcopal monks share wisdom online The Society of St. John the Evangelist monks — who don’t use social media themselves — have developed a worldwide following by offering spiritual guidance on the Internet. Duke University’s Faith and Leadership blog: https://www.faithandleadership.com/ancient-practices-meet-new-technology-when-episcopal-monks-share-wisdom-online

Coats stories on Coats.com An Indian tale A commitment that can be traced back centuries… Our world class facility in Ambas, Southern India This Coats story comes from Jamie Coats, the great, great, great, grandson of Peter Coats who founded J & P Coats (the forerunner to Coats) with his brother, James Coats. When Jamie recently visited two of our plants in Southern India, he found a commitment to health and safety that can be traced back to his forebears. http://www.coats.com/index.asp?pageid=15&blogid=38