Micro credit projects in developing countries, sanitation issues

Diane Kellogg, Emerita Professor of Management, taught at Bentley University for 36 years. Her business consulting practice included long-term contracts with BP, Marsh-McClennan, Ford and Deloitte.

Wanting to put her business skills to work in the developing world, she initiated Bentley’s “Ghana Project” in 2005. She engaged Bentley faculty and students in economic development work that was based on finding business solutions to poverty by employing the poor and developing affordable products tailored to their needs. Over 250 Bentley faculty, staff and students traveled to Ghana and her own consulting work continues.

She co-authored successful sanitation grants with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (1M USD) and the Dutch government (3M EURO) to improve sanitation for the urban poor in Accra, Ghana. The grants focused on household toilets as well as reusable menstrual hygiene products for women and girls.

She will share experiences working in urban poor neighborhoods to address the sanitation crisis.