Baltics news 2023 projects

Next phase of the Baltic Sea Impact Network: New members and opportunities

The Baltic Sea Impact Network - a transnational peer-learning network among social entrepreneurs from the Baltic Sea region - is entering its next phase. The network is expanding, as the membership increases from 32 to 50 social entrepreneurs, welcoming new members also from Denmark and Ukraine.

Sweden change leader story equality 2023

Raising the voices and improving conditions for children and youth living in foster care

Historically there has been a stigma surrounding children and youth growing up in foster care. To combat this, to work to improve the situation for those in care, and to make sure the voices of the ones affected are heard, Knas Hemma was founded in 2013. Today they are part of our Swedish Incubator program, aiming to help social entrepreneurs scale and take their initiatives to the next level. We sat down with Anna Sabelström, Emiliya Larsson and Jennie Persson Thörnqvist, three forces behind the organization, to talk about what drives them, what challenges they have faced and what they have learned from it.

expertise ecosystem Baltics blogpost 2023 projects

Developing impact investing ecosystems

This fall, we launched the Nordic-Baltic Investor Skillsharing - a series of online workshops which gather investors from the Nordic-Baltic region who are already involved or interested in investing in social entrepreneurs. We give them an opportunity to exchange knowledge and foster new connections to strengthen the Baltic Impact Investing ecosystem.

partnership 2023 Nordics mental health

Reach for Change, The Inner Foundation, and the Tim Bergling Foundation are launching a collaborative initiative aimed at supporting improved mental health for emerging adults in the Nordics.

This initiative, known as "Next in Mind", is launched on World Mental Health Day and will provide support to social entrepreneurs currently offering innovative solutions for the target group of emerging adults (aged 18-29) across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Social entrepreneurs will receive both funding and business development coaching with the aim of increasing their reach and impact.

expertise Sweden blogpost 2023

Supporting social entrepreneurs: Unplugged learnings

Our Senior Program Manager Louise Johnsson Zea reflects on the key learnings from her daily work with the social entrepreneurs in our portfolio. She delves into their most pressing needs, remarkable strengths, common pitfalls, and promising opportunities, as well as the human side of the social entrepreneurship journey.

Louise Johnsson Zea

change leader Sweden 2023

Conversations that change: Fighting segregation through dialogue

Fatima Gronblad is passionate about making people feel less like strangers to each other. Born and raised in a tight-knit community in southern Sweden, from an early age she observed how easily people with different ethnic or socio-economic backgrounds can be categorized and how that often leads to misunderstandings, prejudices and segregation. She founded “Världen finns här" where she works tirelessly to build a more inclusive society, one conversation at a time.

ghana education partnership impact

IT for children in Ghana

Living in Ghana while pursuing work within the political, academic, and development fields since 2012, Torsten Kjellgren has an incredible appreciation for the learning gaps among children in rural Ghana, particularly in Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT). This led him to establish IT For Children - a non-profit organization that provides daily free-of-charge access to computers, the internet, and high-quality ICT education for children in rural communities.

Sweden news 2023 programs partnerships

Your idea - our support. Looking for new social entrepreneurs to join our Incubator in Sweden

Our Incubator program in Sweden is open for applications. Social entrepreneurs with ideas that make a difference for children and young people can apply until September 30th. The national outdoor campaign is shown on Clear Channel's digital screens across the country.

2022 ecosystem impact Ethiopia equality projects

Voice of Change in Ethiopia

In 2022, in collaboration with the award-winning radio show Erq Ma’ed and funding from the Swedish Institute, we produced the Voice of Change - a much-needed radio series which highlighted 5 strong and successful Ethiopian women and their stories.

ecosystem Baltics news 2023 ukraine project

Empowering civil organizations to maximize their impact

We’re launching a new project which will strengthen the ability of civil society organizations to measure and manage their impact. Until February 2024, with funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers, we’ll collaborate closely with Civic Alliance-Latvia and Social Economy Ukraine. We’ll provide them with the tools and knowledge on how to measure their own social impact, and will empower them to provide trainings and support within impact management for their member organizations.

2023 ukraine expertese

Social entrepreneurship in Ukraine: driving social impact in the face of a conflict

Petro Darmoris, Director at Social Economy Ukraine and Board Member of Social Economy Europe, reflects on the state of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Ukraine today, on the role of social entrepreneurship after the Russian invasion and on staying hopeful and driving social impact in the face of a war.

ghana 2022 impact projects

Scaling ed-tech solutions in Ghana

Despite significant progress in recent decades, the Ghanaian educational system continues to face several challenges. In our Scaling Readiness program, done in partnership with the Jacobs Foundation, we're equipping 10 outstanding edupreneurs with the resources and skills to strengthen and scale the impact of their ed-tech solutions.

ghana 2022 impact projects

Empowering youth and women in Ghana to advocate for their economic rights

Poverty is a major and multidimensional issue in Ghana, preventing individuals especially young people and women from enjoying a right to economic security. Through Forum CIV, together with Social Enterprise Ghana, we're enabling young people and women living in poverty to advocate for and gain access to services that should be made available to them to become sustainably self-employed or start a small business.

2022 Bulgaria projects

Enhancing the ecosystem for early growth social entrepreneurs in Bulgaria

To help close the funding gap for early-growth social entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, with the support of the European Commission, we launched the cross-sectoral initiative the Valley of Growth. The project included mapping and research activities to better understand the social entrepreneurial ecosystem in Bulgaria, designing and verifying a new financial instrument and creating an impact community of social entrepreneurs, investors and experts.

change leader story Bulgaria equality 2023

A pioneer gym for children with disabilities

Sports play a crucial role in the lives of children with disabilities, offering a wide range of benefits that positively impact their physical, mental, and social well-being. However, in Bulgaria, there are few sports facilities equipped for the needs of children with disabilities. Determined to change that, Svetoslav Zahariev founded Zahariev Fight Team - a pioneering gym which provides adapted equipment and regular training sessions for children with disabilities and special need

Sweden change leader story equality 2023

Turning fear into fins

That a girl who grew up far from water, without any experience or knowledge of swimming, would take her first swims on her own as an eighteen-year-old; and then training as a swimming instructor and starting her own swimming school, is a story that inspires. Muna Idow is the mermaid who found her fins relatively late in life and who has made it her life's project to spread the love of water further.