Want to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic long-term? Support Solutions from Social entrepreneurs. Here’s how.

The Covid-19 pandemic sees social entrepreneurs throughout Europe and the world rising to the challenge and changing or adapting their work to meet the needs posed by this highly demanding situation. With solutions ranging from direct healthcare response to fighting disinformation and consequences of the ensuing economic crisis, social entrepreneurs directly contribute to the efforts to manage this crisis. In order for their endeavors to reach more people and communities and to keep pace with the volatile situation societies are facing, social entrepreneurs need the ongoing support of intermediary organizations, funders, and governments.

Ashoka Europe with the support of Zalando initiated a program of support for social entrepreneurs in the Ashoka network – Changemakers United. The program focused on understanding the solutions of the social entrepreneurs to the Covid-19 crisis and their concrete needs for developing these solutions further. It then selected 20 social entrepreneurs and connected them with experts from the Ashoka network and other partner organizations for a mentorship and coaching process around these solutions. The program constantly communicates about their efforts and continues to tailor collaborations between various parties based on the real demands of the social entrepreneurs.