Our approach

Market Systems

Advancing long-term health through local business

Entrepreneurs become the drivers of change by strengthening markets for health products.

Why a Market Systems Approach? 

Traditional aid offers temporary relief, but sustainable change comes from strong local markets. By engaging local entrepreneurs, governments and financial institutions, we create self-sustaining markets, driven by entrepreneurs, that make health solutions accessible and affordable for the long term. Our approach focuses on:  

  1. Creating Demand: Raising awareness about the benefits of health-related products and services, encouraging households to invest in solutions that improve child health. 
  2. Strengthening Supply: Supporting (women) entrepreneurs and small enterprises to expand their capacity, overcome barriers and ensure reliable access to essential goods and services. 
  3. Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Connecting local businesses with financial institutions and support networks to drive sustainable market growth. 
  4. Policy and Systems Strengthening: Engaging governments and civil society organisations to strengthen local ownership and create policies that support business-driven health solutions.  

Expanding Market Systems for Lasting Change 

We are scaling market-driven solutions to create even greater impact by:
> Measuring and Monetizing Social Return on Investment (SROI) – Strengthening the scalability of social enterprise models. 
> Expanding Women-Led Businesses – Partnering with financial institutions and local business to support more women entrepreneurs.
> Co-Creating Scalable Business Models – Partnering with innovative businesses to adapt solutions, build local partnerships and develop feasible models.
> Strengthening Business Resilience – Supporting businesses in (post)conflict areas to ensure long-term stability and growth. 

Max TapWater our social enterprise spin-off

Our impact

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Evidence for Scale

Proving what works and scaling what matters

Integrating for Impact

Improving child health requires more than isolated interventions.

Strengthening Systems 

Building Resilient Communities Through Strong Systems

Community voices

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A sanitation business woman 

The story of Shahera Khatun Read article

Shahera Khatun is a single mother of 3 children. She also runs her own sanitation business. It requires hard labour, and is more commonly done by men.

Shahera started small a few years ago, and steadily grew her business. She now has expanded to sell a variety of sanitation and hygiene products.

Last year during COVID-19, her business suffered as people couldn’t afford to invest in sanitation. Luckily business is picking up again.

We are happy to see Shahera’s business grow!