Hands On: Back in Business

Who would imagine that peanut butter could help families survive Zimbabwe's economic crisis?

"Back in Business" learns tricks of the trade from entrepreneurs around the world as hard-pressed locals combine innovative ideas and business savvy in their quest to make a profit.

Sardinia: Pasqua's Paradise

The impact of tourism on Sardinia's coast is taking a heavy toll. During the hot summer months the populations of coastal towns, where holiday-makers concentrate, soar and so does the pollution.

With its stunning scenary, untouched villages and ancient ruins inland Sardinia has a lot to offer, and could help save the coast. Tourism here is beginning to take off - and in a more eco- and culturally-friendly way.

Madame Pasqua's hotel combines traditional Sardinian fare with old-country charm. And it's working. Now she's able to employ local villagers - giving them an incentive to stay, instead of leaving for better pay on the coast.

For more in-depth information from the Hands On team, visit their website.

Kenya: Banking on Women

If you're a business-minded woman in Kenya, you've got problems. Traditional banks refuse to give loans to women because they have no security to offer, like title deeds.

But the Kenya Women's Finance Trust is helping to redress the balance by offering small loans to the poorest of women.

The scheme is changing the lives of women and their families. While loans help set up and develop businesses, the profit from savings schemes help pay for school fees or household improvements. And there's one more important advantage. In the face of so much prejudice, women are at last beginning to find a belief in themselves.

For more in-depth information from the Hands On team, visit their website.

Portugal: Another Issue

Lisbon, like other capitals, attracts thousands of people looking for work. If you have no job - and no savings - the streets soon become home.

Now, thanks to a novel self-help scheme, there's a way out.

Modelled on a British idea - the 'Big Issue' - is CAIS ('gateway'), a monthly magazine sold on the streets by vendors looking for an honest income.

Started in 1994, CAIS now sells 34,000 copies a month - with 80% of the magazine price going to the vendor. The other 20% goes to homeless charities which help people prepared to help themselves.

For more in-depth information from the Hands On team, visit their website.

Zimbabwe: Buttering Up

As the economic recession worsens in Zimbabwe, unemployment reaches record levels. There's never been a more pressing need to find new ways of making money. The trick, though, is to choose a product that's in demand.

Used in African cooking for hundreds of years, peanut butter is a nutritious staple which local entrepreneurs are cashing in on. With a little investment, small-scale producers can buy a 'pulper' which grinds peanuts into paste.

And that's good news for everyone, making peanut butter readily available at a low price. The perfect accompanyment for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

For more in-depth information from the Hands On team, visit their website.


Bangladesh: Get Mobile

The 125 million inhabitants of Bangladesh have the lowest rate of telephone penetration in the world - just three telephones per thousand, mostly in cities. With waiting lists three years long, the mobile phone revolution was just waiting to happen.

Just three years ago the sight and sound of a mobile was virtually non existent. Now the country has 100,000 mobile subscribers.

And it's no longer an exclusive accessory. The Grameen Bank's phone initiative has brought the mobile to the rural and urban poor.

Now poor rural families can keep in touch with relatives abroad and local traders can ring markets direct to find out fair prices for their goods - cutting out the middle men.

For more in-depth information from the Hands On team, visit their website.