Reach for Change Foundation is a children’s rights non-profit organization, headquartered in Sweden, with the mission to unleash the power of social entrepreneurship to create a world where all children reach their full potential in accordance with Agenda 2030. We do this by identifying promising local social entrepreneurs with social innovations operating from a child’s rights perspective and targeting at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). We develop the capacity of these social entrepreneurs, in 18 different countries across the globe, to scale solutions to improve the living conditions and outcomes of children and youth. Our programs (e.g. incubators and accelerators) support to develop and scale local innovators and their innovations through the design thinking process of identifying needs, testing the innovation, capacity-building, network connections and seed funding. In 2018, we supported 156 social entrepreneurs globally, 68% of which scaled their impact that year to reach more youth and children. Through activities of the social entrepreneurs, they reached a total of 341,620 children and youth with 66% of those innovations being led by female entrepreneurs. In 2018, we initiated a thematic program called BRIDGIT (Bridging the Digital Divide), which arose as a result of particular challenges our female social tech entrepreneurs were facing. All of the women in this program have tech solutions for solving a pressing issue for children or youth, and/or are encouraging more young girls to join a path towards a STEM career. These entrepreneurs, more so than the others in our portfolio struggle for financial sustainability and scaling. The BRIDGIT program is a way to further develop these innovations and female innovators to gain further traction towards impact

https://reachforchange.org/en/what-we-do/bridgit

• Rwanda
• Sweden

• Youth
• Women
• Remote and rural communities

By creating and encouraging female tech expertise to help guide the BRIDGIT social entrepreneurs in 8 different markets, the same expertise helps to guide female social tech entrepreneurs in all Reach for Changes markets where we support female social entrepreneurs working in tech. While it has not been scaled yet, Reach for Change aim to use BRIDGIT as a model globally to develop more thematic incubators in order to better help other social entrepreneurs and innovations. Our aim is that BRIDGIT will positively call for action on increased gender equality in the tech industry globally. We want to show corporates and other organisations that partnerships such as BRIDGIT can have a positive impact on branding, employee engagement and communication. Furthermore, through BRIDGIT, Reach for Change support the female tech leaders to scale their impact and to further develop the leadership skills they will need in the male dominated world of technology. Ongoing support via Reach for Change’s incubator and alumni network help them to implement the knowledge and advice gained in this program.

We do this by identifying promising local social entrepreneurs with social innovations operating from a child’s rights perspective and targeting at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). We develop the capacity of these social entrepreneurs, in 18 different countries across the globe, to scale solutions to improve the living conditions and outcomes of children and youth.

Basic literacy • Distance learning • Education/training • E-literacy • Gender • Combating illiteracy • Life-long learning • Research and development (R&D) • Self-learning • Teacher training • Training ICT professionals • Volunteering • Youth