Giving Compass' Take:

• The Business of Giving host, Denver Frederick, interviews co-founder and CEO of Simprints, about the unique way that the organization battles poverty. 

• How can other organizations learn or replicate Simprint's process/model of change? 

• Read more about how to measure impact in the fight against poverty.

The following is a conversation between Toby Norman, Co-founder and CEO of Simprints, and Denver Frederick, Host of The Business of Giving on AM 970 The Answer in New York City.

Denver: How effective can you be in helping someone improve their life if they have no formal identification? Likewise, how can they be agents of their own change if they lack that same identification? Difficult, maybe impossible. Yet, there are over one billion people worldwide who find themselves in this very predicament, preventing them access to essential services. Fortunately, there is a young and innovative organization that is tackling this head on. It’s called Simprints. And it’s a pleasure to have with us their co-founder and CEO, Toby Norman.

Denver: So, Toby, what is the mission of Simprints?

Toby: So, at its heart, Simprints’ mission is really to transform the way that we fight poverty. What we do is we build technology – like fingerprint biometrics – to radically increase the effectiveness and transparency the way we deliver aid. Our goal is really to make sure that every vaccine, every bed net, every dollar in this fight is reaching its intended recipient.

Denver: To fully appreciate the value of identity, describe to me what my life would be like without it, without any formal identification.

Toby: Well, let’s imagine I go into your wallet, and I throw away your driver’s license. I’m able to, say, go online and delete your birth certificate, your social security number, any medical insurance numbers you have. Think about what you would be able to do. Could you open a bank account without those details? Absolutely not. Would you be able to enroll your kids in school? Definitely no. Would you be able to travel? No. You’d essentially be a refugee within your own country.

Read the full article about Simprints by Denver Frederick at Business of Giving