Living Goods
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| Founded | 2007 |
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| Founder | Chuck Slaughter |
| Type | Social enterprise focused on improving health and incomes at the bottom of the pyramid United States IRS exemption status: 501(c)(3) |
| Location |
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Area served
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Uganda, Kenya |
| Website | livinggoods |
Living Goods is a non-profit organization operating in Uganda, Kenya, and Myanmar. Its goal is to build a sustainable distribution platform for products designed to fight poverty and disease in the developing world. Living Goods operates networks of independent entrepreneurs who make a living by selling medicines and products to poor people that can help improve their health, wealth, and productivity. Living Goods borrows from successful direct selling models like Avon Products, Amway and Tupperware. The project aims to be fully self-funded at scale.
Living Goods was founded by Chuck Slaughter in 2007.
Living Goods focuses on three prevailing problems with health systems in the developing world: 1) the shortage of front-line health workers, 2) the inadequate distribution of basic health products in both the public and private sectors, and 3) the failure of innovations like clean cook stoves and solar lamps to reach scale. It is largely recognized that each of these problems increases in severity at the “last mile” where the need is greatest.
Using a double bottom line business approach, Living Goods aims to:
Living Goods franchises its brand and business model to women who work as independent, self-employed ‘Avon-like’ agents. The women receive training, a below-market inventory loan, and a ‘Business in a Bag’ including branded uniforms, signs, and basic health and business tools--including a smartphone loaded with Living Goods apps . Living Goods supports agents through networks of branch-warehouses. Agents serve their clients via door-to-door visits, home-based stores, mobile technology and community meetings. Each agent serves approximately 700 people.
The organization focuses on a short list of diseases that account for over two-thirds of child mortality but can be prevented and/or treated at very low cost, including malaria, diarrhea, respiratory infection and neo-natal sepsis. Living Goods also acts as a distribution platform for new pro-poor products designed by smaller companies who face challenges distributing in these markets on their own. Listed below is a sample of the items in Living Goods’ product mix:
Pro-Poor Innovations: Solar lanterns, clean cook stoves, slow burning briquettes.
Prevention/ Nutrition: Water filters, fortified foods, bed nets, condoms, vitamins, iron, safe delivery kits, family planning.
Treatment: Malaria treatments, de-worming pills, diarrhea treatments, basic antibiotics.
Fast-Moving Consumer Goods: Diapers, sanitary pads.
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