The power of social capital

“The Cartier Women’s Initiative community has consistently shown up for me.”

Peer connection: the key to opportunity

In impact entrepreneurship, social capital can be as powerful as financial capital, with the relationships we build often determining how far and how fast solutions can scale.

That belief sits at the heart of the Cartier Women’s Initiative, whose global community of changemakers uplifts, motivates and propels each other forward.

Data from our last two Annual Reports (2024 and 2025) reflect that momentum. Consistently, about two-thirds of recent fellows report benefiting from pro bono advice and resources, access to networking events and, crucially, emotional support from other community members. Some also form partnerships and secure funding through the community.

In this latest post in our blog series highlighting those connections in action, we spotlight a collaboration between Namita Banka and Jife Williams.

When community becomes kinship

Namita and Jife’s work intersects in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) space, where both are tackling critical gaps in access and infrastructure.

Namita, a 2013 fellow and 2025 Impact Awardee, is the founder of Banka Bio, whose biodigester-powered biotoilets are driving India’s sanitation transformation. Her innovative model provides safe, hygienic and environmentally friendly toilet access while requiring minimal maintenance, combating open defecation and improving public health outcomes for millions.

Jife, meanwhile, a 2009 fellow and co-founder of MN Environmental Services, addresses sanitation gaps in Nigeria through modular toilets and shower facilities installed in high-traffic areas such as bus stations and parking lots.

Both women have been active in the Cartier Women’s Initiative community for more than a decade, regularly participating in peer learning sessions, monthly meetups, award weeks and retreats. As Namita explains, “I’ve stayed closely involved over the years, first as a fellow, then as a jury member and, most recently, as an Impact Awardee. The relationship has evolved with my journey.”

Emphasizing how connected she feels to the network, Namita describes it almost as a family. “The community has consistently shown up for me, and that creates a strong sense of responsibility to show up for it as well,” she reflects. 

When a stranger says, “I can help”

Fittingly, Namita and Jife’s collaboration began at Expo 2020 Dubai, one of the world’s largest global gatherings, where ideas, cultures and innovations converged from every continent. 

It was during a reciprocity ring session, held amid the energy and optimism of the World Expo, that their paths first crossed. Reciprocity rings are demonstrations of social capital at work: opportunities for community members to make a request — professional or personal — and offer support in return. 

When it was her turn to speak, nervous but excited, Jife did not hesitate.

“I explained that our greatest challenge was: how do we treat waste from our toilets in a safe and sustainable way?”

What happened next would prove pivotal in Jife’s entrepreneurial journey.

“Namita was sitting right behind me,” Jife recalls. “She said, ‘I can help you’.”

As they spoke, Jife realized that Namita’s biodigester technology — already proven at scale in India — could provide the missing piece in Nigeria. “I immediately recognized it as the solution we needed,” she says.

It would take time for the elation of that first encounter to crystallize into a concrete plan. But the foundation was laid, rooted in mutual admiration and a shared sense of purpose.

Namita remembers her first impression of Jife clearly: “I had an immediate sense that she was deeply mission-driven, which resonated strongly with me.”

Jife, in turn, admired Namita’s “confidence and boldness,” seeing in her a trailblazer whose experience could catalyze new possibilities.

Conversations become action

What followed were regular long-distance check-ins — conversations fueled by the women’s shared determination to strengthen sanitation systems in their respective markets.

But the turning point came some years later, when the Lagos state government began exploring the installation of more than 250 public toilets as part of a phased infrastructure project.

“We identified this as an opportunity to deliver our container-based toilets in bus stations and shelters across Lagos State,” Jife explains. Given Banka Bio’s experience constructing thousands of toilets in India, partnering was a strategic next step.

Namita boarded the next flight to Lagos. And conversations turned into action.

Emotional investment and a master class in co-creation

Today, MN Environmental Services is piloting Banka Bio’s biodigester technology at a newly constructed container-based public convenience facility located at a bus lay-by serving 30,000 passengers per month. If successful, the pair aim to scale across Nigeria, potentially reaching close to 12 million people by 2030.

But the partnership goes beyond technology transfer. Rather than importing biodigesters from India, MN Environmental Services is manufacturing them locally in Nigeria thanks to Namita sharing Banka Bio’s technical specifications at no charge.

“She wanted nothing in return,” Jife marvels. “This was genuine co-creation.”

“I’m very emotionally attached to this project,” Namita explains. “I want to see Jife succeed. Knowing I have helped her is all I need.”

Curiosity, communication, consideration: pillars of social capital 

Drawing from their own experience, Namita and Jife emphasize that intentional engagement and an open mind are essential to translating social capital into tangible impact.

“We learned that effective collaboration goes beyond complementary skills or transfer of technology; it requires co-creation and thoughtful adaptation to local realities,” Jife reflects. To achieve that, she adds, “patience, open communication and respect” are key.

Namita illustrates how that ethos has underscored the pair’s own approach. “Our partnership grew through continuous dialogue and mutual curiosity. Over time, those discussions became more structured as we explored how our strengths could complement each other on the ground.”

Ensuring no impact entrepreneur needs to build alone

Namita believes their story shows that the social capital built within networks like the Cartier Women’s Initiative "goes far beyond introductions.” Anchored in reciprocity, it supports sustained cooperation across countries and continents.

Jife, meanwhile, experiences the community as “a melting pot where members can draw on a wealth of knowledge, experience and support.”

For women impact entrepreneurs, who may face systemic barriers to funding and visibility, that wealth of knowledge can be a powerful accelerant — fast-tracking learning, broadening influence and opening doors that might otherwise remain closed.

And, perhaps most importantly, combating isolation. 

“Impact entrepreneurship can be challenging,” Namita points out. “Communities like the Cartier Women’s Initiative remind you that you’re not building alone.”

Namita and Jife’s story is a reminder that value takes many forms. Financial investment builds infrastructure and human expertise builds capability. But relationships build trust — the kind that turns a conversation into collaboration, an act of generosity into local employment and a momentary connection into lasting change.

That is the power of social capital, and the heartbeat of the Cartier Women’s Initiative.

Read our other community collaboration stories:

• ·   How Kresse Wesling and Mariam Torosyan joined forces to turn sustainable fashion into a funding stream for women’s safety.
• ·   How Ishani Roy and Jamie Soon-Kesteloot discovered a breakthrough in inclusive eyewear.
• ·   How Mint Lim and Toto Deng pooled their skills to reimagine where learning can happen.
• ·   How Atilana Piñón and Anna Raptis’s jury encounter evolved into impact-accelerating investment.
• ·   How Lynne Lim and Cécile Réal advanced a hotel room chat into a globe-spanning medical device partnership.