Sweden education change leader story 2023

Inclusive environments for kids: lessons from a social entrepreneur

The close environment has a big impact on how children interpret social structures, and how they interact with each other. It’s up to us adults to create an environment that reflect that we’re all equally important. Our Change Leader Johanna Abdo, founder of the Swedish educational brand Elsa och Sam has dedicated herself to creating more inclusive environments for kids. We talked with her about her entrepreneurial journey and the products and impact she’s creating.

expertise Baltics impact investing

Attracting Impact Investors

Last month the social entrepreneurs part of the Baltic Sea Impact Network participated in an expert workshop on how to build successful relationships with investors. Check out 5 of the practical and down-to-earth suggestions on what to do first in order to gain investor’s interest and trust that emerged from the conversation.

Sweden news 2023 projects

Gathering forces for increased youth employment

In 2021 in Sweden 10.3% of youths are registered as unemployed at the employment agency. In Eskilstuna municipality the number is 13.9%. If you look at it even closer, the number goes up to 26.7% for youths born outside of Sweden. The numbers show a city where young people do not have the same opportunities to reach their full potential. The coming two years, Reach for Change together with Right By Me and the municipality of Eskilstuna, and with support of Inkludera will join forces to turn this around.

Baltics 2023 projects

Empowering Baltic social entrepreneurs

Reach for Change is a partner in the newly launched Integrated Baltic Ecosystem for Social Innovation (IBESI) - a Horizon Europe project aimed at raising awareness and facilitating access of Baltic States’ social entrepreneurs to the resources of local and pan-European innovation ecosystems.

expertise ecosystem blogpost

5 learnings from investing in social entrepreneurship

Our CEO Sofia Breitholtz reflects on the key learnings from our social entrepreneurship programs in Europe and Africa and the conversations with various stakeholders and investors which we're hosting.

Sofia Breitholtz

Baltics news 2023

Strengthening the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Latvia

Reach for Change Latvia has been chosen by the Latvian Ministry of Welfare as one of the partners in a large-scale cycle of social entrepreneurship activities under the name "Developing social entrepreneurship together!", financed by the European Social Fund.

2022 news highlights

Highlights of 2022

As 2022 draws to a close, we reflect on a restless year. Yet, despite all the difficulties and uncertainties, we look back with hope and gratitude towards all that we have achieved together. We've gathered the most important highlights from our work during 2022 for you.

expertise 2022 Ethiopia blogpost

Creating a green and equal future through social entrepreneurship: The case of Ethiopia

As developing economies like Ethiopia face the biggest challenges in the world with youth unemployment, high levels of inequality, and are the ones feeling the impact of the changing climate the most, we asked Lemlem to reflect on how social entrepreneurship is an important tool to tackle them and to share some of the inspiring examples and lessons learned from her work.

Lemlem Sinkineh

2022 news change leaders Senegal

Supporting 5 new climate innovations in Senegal

In Senegal, we've been partnering up with Kosmos Energy since 2019 to develop the Kosmos Innovation Center with the aim to strengthen the ecosystem for social entrepreneurship. This year our focus is on supporting innovative solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.

2022 impact story change leader story Ethiopia

Staying true to your dreams and identity against all odds

After all the challenges Hamere is now one of the most successful women in Addis Ababa, an example and inspiration for others. Hamere’s dream is to help children rediscover traditional values, bring out their talents and foster a culture of peace, tolerance, and respect.

2022 change leader story impact Bulgaria

Overcoming prejudice through family love

When Silvena Hristova and Krasimir Lambov had a daughter with Down syndrome, they were advised by their doctor, like many other parents in Bulgaria, to place the child in foster care and move on with their lives without her.

ghana 2022 change leader impact story

Transforming the lives of street teens

“I started having sex at age eleven,” Naomi shared with me in tears. Talking to her, I learned that Naomi’s mother had died and her father was nowhere to be found. Naomi also took care of her four siblings: “I can only do this when I am able get two to five Ghanaian Cedi from men I sleep with, some who are older than me,” she said. Naomi’s future looked bleak. She was highly exposed to what could curtail her education and expose her to sexually transmitted diseases. So, I put my arm around her and told her that someone cares about her.

2022 change leader impact story Sweden

Dolls that bring us all together

Fatma Guettou and Hamid Noroozian's passionate commitment to children and young people cannot be mistaken. However, they never planned on starting their own business. Fatma has a background in biochemistry and Hamid - as an engineer in urban planning. But then they had their first child, and that changed everything.

Sweden network ecosystem Baltics

New peer learning network for Swedish-Baltic social entrepreneurs

Reach for Change Sweden, Social Enterprise Estonia, Social Entrepreneurship Association Latvia and the Lithuanian Social Business Association will pilot The Baltic Sea Impact Network - a new transnational network for peer learning between social entrepreneurs from the Baltic Sea region.

global 2022 news

Summer 2022 at a glance

Capture the magic of the hottest summer updates before we all get lost in the autumn weekdays. Check this article for more information.

ghana education partnership

Reach for Change and the Jacobs Foundation announce the finalists of the collaborative support program in Ghana

Today, Reach for Change and the Jacobs Foundation are proud to announce and showcase ten social entrepreneurs who have the potential to positively influence the education system in Ghana. The finalists will join a customized support program to strengthen their innovative solutions in order to improve educational outcomes for children and youth in Ghana.