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.

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 have equipped 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.

2022 impact Ethiopia climate

Catalyzing Green Business in Ethiopia

Since 2021, Reach for Change, with the support of the IKEA Foundation, has been implementing a pilot project in Ethiopia aimed at inspiring young people to establish green enterprises. This innovative approach has been delivered in collaboration with four higher education institutions in Addis Ababa, consisting of two TVETs (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and two universities. The pilot has yielded valuable learnings and insights, including the implementation of a Green Entrepreneurship Bootcamp and a Green Innovation Lab.

expertise 2022 Sweden Baltics impact

Empowering Social Entrepreneurs to Support NEETs

In Europe, a concerning statistic reveals that 11.5% of young people between the ages of 15 and 25 are neither in work nor in education. This critical period of their lives, when they should be embarking on their professional journeys, utilizing their acquired skills and knowledge, is instead marked by a struggle to find employment. This situation leads to frustration, economic hardship, and even mental distress, with potentially severe consequences for their well-being. At the same time, societies miss out on the opportunity to benefit from the talents and innovative ideas these young individuals possess.

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.

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.

global 2022 change leader

Change Leader Visit Day

The 17th of June was no ordinary day for us at Reach for Change. It was a Change Leader Visit Day - a time for everyone in the organization to go and visit a social entrepreneur from our portfolio. A moment to pause in order to reconnect with our mission, and understand better the successes and challenges of our Change Leaders.

2022 change leader story

Sustainable clothing for children with diabetes

“I never planned that I would be making clothing in my life, but around 6 years ago my friend’s little boy was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I wanted to step in and to fill the gap in the market. We couldn’t find anything similar.” - shares Simona Koncyte, a founder of a sustainable clothing brand for children with diabetes.