*This and all other names of individuals mentioned in the stories within this report have been anonymized and are fictitious
Impact 2023
Message from our CEO, Sofia Breitholtz
A year of transformative impact
2023 was a tumultuous year, marked by continued armed conflicts, economic instability, and unmet climate goals, impacting entrepreneurs worldwide. But this is also when social entrepreneurs are needed the most. In this report, you will read about the positive impact these entrepreneurs create every day. Support from organizations like Reach for Change is crucial for them to thrive. So, in 2023, we took many steps to enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem by improving financial instruments, legislation, and fostering cross-sector connections. We launched partnerships scaling impactful solutions for mental health, inclusivity, education and green entrepreneurship. We need to move forward, but let's take a moment to celebrate our successes and reflect on our lessons learned.
Learnings & Reflections from our Director of Programs & Impact, Shifteh Malithano
Challenges, successes, and the road ahead
Looking back on the past year, we are confronted both with a multitude of challenges but also remarkable successes. Our robust impact measurement framework provided valuable evidence of the efficacy of our programs and insights into areas for improvement. Over the years, we have transitioned from non-earmarked corporate funding to diverse project-based philanthropic and institutional funding. While this makes us financially sustainable, it poses challenges for our long-term impact measurement and our ability to provide grants to social entrepreneurs. We are currently exploring new technologies to make our work and impact management more effective and efficient, and we are developing new collaborations to ensure that our programs and impact measurement remain responsive, relevant, and pioneering.
Highlights of Our Impact in 2023
124 organizations and 840 individuals trained to develop skills and an entrepreneurial mindset
Over 630 stakeholders engaged across sectors to share learnings and develop the ecosystem
40 000 children and youth supported by our entrepreneurs
How we created change in 2023
We develop the capacity of local social entrepreneurs through advisory and financial support and network connections; foster entrepreneurial mindsets and skills; nurture an ecosystem that supports innovation and enables the scaling of impactful solutions,
Equal opportunities for all children in Sweden
Our incubator program in Sweden is aimed at helping early stage (proof of concept) entrepreneurs who work to improve inclusion and equality among children and youth. During 2023 we supported 10 social entrepreneurs in our incubator program, who in turn reached over 15 000 children and youth.
With Tele2, Kinnevik, HSS, Kivra & Hogia
Mental Health in the Nordics
During the coming years we will deliver an incubator program that focuses on developing and scaling the impact of social entrepreneurs focused on mental health. In 2023 we focused on gathering key stakeholders, co-creating an effective program, and embarking on a collective impact journey. In October, we organized a launch event with over 110 participants, highlighting the importance of working together to improve the mental health of emerging adults in the Nordics.
WITH The Inner Foundation, Time Bergling Foundation and with support of the Kavli Foundation and Illusian Foundation
Equal access to high-quality education in Ghana
Over a period of two years, Reach for Change implemented a Scaling Readiness program where we supported later-stage social entrepreneurs focused on education. In 2023 we supported 10 social entrepreneurs who in turn reached over 25 000 children and youth. The children benefited from innovative educational solutions and materials which included STEM education services, online and physical reading platforms, a school advisory platform and a learning content creation platform.
WIth the Jacobs Foundation
Green Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia
The Green Innovation Lab was a pilot initiative funded by the Ikea Foundation, with 60 participants in total between July 2022 - July 2023. Through our GIL program we supported students to start their own green businesses, and 83% of our participants were able to successfully develop their MVP and validate it with potential users. Moreover, at the program's conclusion in 2023, 11 participants have not only become successful green entrepreneurs but have also collectively created 154 jobs.
WITH the IKEA Foundation
Fostering inclusive social entrepreneurship
Through our training programs for women and youth we provide hands-on practical training and technical support to help them gain entrepreneurial skills and knowledge. In 2023, we provided trainings for 401 women together with the Gender, Innovation and Learning team at the World Bank in Ethiopia. In Ghana, we worked to achieve a more inclusive entrepreneurship sector through ‘Empower All’ bootcamp together with Fidelity Bank for 53 entrepreneurs with disabilities.
With World Bank, Fidelity Bank
Building a supportive ecosystem for social entrepreneurs
In 2023 we joined forces with leading experts and practitioners in the field of social procurement from 17 countries in Europe, as part of the Buy Social Europe B2B project. In order to build a community among social entrepreneurs and create opportunities for collaboration we piloted a new network for social entrepreneurs in the Baltic Sea region. We joined forces with eight other organizations in a first of its kind initiative to promote a stronger support structure for social entrepreneurship in Sweden.
With EU Commission, SAP, Vinnova, the Lithuanian Social Business Association, Social Entrepreneurship Association Latvia, Social Enterprise Estonia and others
Stories of change
Ghana
The Remarkable Journey of Benjamin* at Booksie Book Club
Booksie is a pan-African organization that provides reading lessons and culturally relevant decodable books for Ghanaian and African children between 3-12 years. In January 2023, Booksie's Book Club welcomed 7-year-old Benjamin, a bi-lingual Ghanaian-Congolese boy, into their reading community. Recognizing the challenges he faced in learning English and overcoming social anxiety, his mother enrolled him in the club, hoping for positive changes in his academic and social life.
Sweden
Eva's Story of Finding her Voice with the Help of Knas Hemma
Knas Hemma is a meeting place and safe space for young people when many other things in life can feel uncertain, where they can connect with others in similar situations as well as youth leaders who offer support. One of the young people that Knas Hemma supported during 2023 was Eva. She was recommended by social services to contact Knas Hemma. She was then 15 years old, and felt depressed and insecure.
Ghana
Dzifa's Journey from Textbooks to Technology with STEMBees
STEMBees is an organization focused on encouraging and mentoring young African girls aged 8 to 18 to pursue their dreams and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Thanks to a STEMBees Rural Outreach program, a 13-year old girl Dzifa from a small Ghanaian village of Ansafona has used a computer for the first time.
Sweden
Aiza's Transformation through Fitness with Healthy Women
Healthy Women offer free exercise groups, weekly activities such as kickboxing and dance classes, gym groups, monthly girls' nights, and annual camps in nature. They create a community that improves young women’s physical and mental health, and train them to become young leaders. One of the girls Healthy Women supported during 2023 was Aiza.
We created impact with the support of
We reach for change
The world is full of remarkable people who carry brilliant solutions to social problems. Since 2010, we have been empowering these people to create a world where all children reach their full potential.
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