We spent two weeks with a potential JV partner to assess the needs of the poor with regard to footwear. We travelled to various villages and conducted focus groups with the support of the Grameen Ladies. The trip was very successful and it seems like the project is feasible. We hope to get approval from the CEO soon and start production next year. We also visited a few existing social businesses and assessed them as extremely successful business models. After only 14 months in operation, the Grameen GC Eye Care Hospital reached break even this year. A second eye care hospital has already been opened in the South of Bangladesh in April this year. Grameen Danone has also achieved great progress and is looking to further expand in the near future.
