Search
Ashoka is the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs. Ashoka identifies and supports the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, learns from their innovations and mobilises a global community that embraces these new frameworks to build an Everyone a Changemaker world. We pioneered the field 40 years ago and have supported more than 3,800 Ashoka Fellows across the globe, helping them to grow ideas into transformative social progress.
Ashoka believes the world’s most powerful force for change is a new idea in the hands of the right person. Time and time again Ashoka has seen these extraordinary changemakers and their teams move mountains. They see the world not as it is, but as it should be and they build the pathways to get us there. Ashoka accompanies them on their journey - with investment, strategic guidance and a peer-to-peer community.
Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs with transformative solutions to the world’s most pressing social problems. They are role models who inspire and empower other people to create positive and long-lasting social change. Across the globe, Ashoka Fellows are pioneers in education access, human rights, healthcare delivery, environmental justice, and many other areas of human need. As part of Ashoka, these social innovators no longer have to work alone. They gain access to critical resources and visibility and most importantly to each other. The Ashoka network propels their individual success while also making us all smarter about how to solve our most pressing problems.
“We are delighted to have 3i join us and more specifically one of your team as an Ashoka Support Network Member. ASN members are much more than mentors; they are allies who commit themselves to Ashoka and social entrepreneurs to realise the vision of Ashoka of a society where everyone is an actor of change.”
Since 2007, Bibliothèques Sans Frontières / Libraries Without Borders has been working to improve access to knowledge and information for those who are most in need. Because inequalities in access to information are at the heart of the greatest injustices, BSF / LWB work across 50 countries to empower people to be autonomous through open and free access to education. From young Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to Burundian street children, from teenagers in the Northern Districts of Marseille to users of laundromats in the United States, the association have helped change the lives of more than six million people.
In 2020, against the backdrop of the Covid-19 epidemic, BSF/LWB adapted its activities internationally to help fight the virus and its social and educational consequences:
"Many thanks to 3i for your support! Thanks to this donation, Bibliothèques Sans Frontières / Libraries Without Borders' team was able to take action in the face of the pandemic. For example, in France, our teams sent 15,000 books to associations, schools and a prison to provide reading to those who were deprived of it. In Burundi, we organised prevention and awareness sessions on Covid-19 for 600 street children."
Jérémy Lachal, Executive Director of BSF/LWB
Founded in 2004, "Club 21e Siècle" aims to promote a positive and collective perception of diversity to the benefit of everyone, regardless of their socio-cultural background, to ensure the fulfilment of their potential. As an independent and key player in the public debate, the Club is a pragmatic and field-based actor as well as a reservoir of ideas designed to advance its positive fight for diversity and equal opportunities.
“The Club 21e Siècle is very pleased and honoured that 3i has chosen to support the Club's actions in favour of diversity and equal opportunities. 3i's financial support will be key to the launch of Education 21, one of the Club’s new projects; for the development of the Revel@her project; and for the Entretien de L'Excellence project. The Club 21e Siècle is truly committed to building a productive, effective and long-term partnership with 3i.”
Young people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in France are twice as affected by school failure, delinquency and unemployment than the national average. 50% of Year 10 students do not pass the written exam of the junior school certificate in Priority Education Networks. We want to address this academic emergency. Esperance banlieues establishes non-religious schools in disadvantaged areas so that each child will have his or her chance in life and the opportunity to reveal his or her talents. Each of our schools, as the first environment where children blossom beyond their family circle, is the result of a local initiative. At the moment, we operate 17 schools which welcome over 800 students.
In addition to teaching classic mainstream programmes, our schools also focus on promoting French culture. Personalised educational methods are also prioritised. We want every child to find his or her role in society. We want them to grow up with confidence and a strong will to succeed. Our results are very encouraging: 96% of our pupils’ parents recommend our schools and 94% of our Year 10 students passed their junior school certificate. Our success is based on strong collaboration and local mobilisation through the commitment of volunteers, as well as both private and public funding. Together, we want to offer a positive future and help rebuild social ties.
Since last February, the whole world has been threatened by a global health crisis, which has increased social inequalities. Underprivileged French neighbourhoods have not been spared by this situation and are facing an economic and social crisis that keeps growing as evidenced by:
Espérance banlieues has been able to prove the effectiveness of its model by successfully supporting all of its students during lockdown. Thanks to this success, Espérance banlieues schools are attracting a growing number of parents and pupils. In September 2020, there was a 20% increase in pupils' enrollment for the academic year 2020-2021.
The growing number of students (800) requires additional funding in order to continue to provide effective support to each of them:
3i’s support will contribute to the efficiency of our action dedicated to the success of children living in underprivileged neighbourhoods.
"The past year has been challenging for all students and teachers. But current events make the mission of Espérance banlieus more necessary than ever. We would like to thank 3i for its support, which will allow us to provide specific support to our students."
Patrick d’Hérouville, CEO, Espérance banlieues
Fondation des Femmes, which operates under the auspices of the Fondation de France, is a foundation in France focused on women's rights and the fight against violence perpetrated against women. It uses donations it receives to provide financial, legal and other support to high-impact initiatives throughout France.
In 2020, in order to address the emergency caused by the Covid-19 lockdown, Fondation des Femmes focused its efforts on helping female victims of violence and their children, who were seriously endangered. During the first lockdown, in March 2020, domestic violence increased by 30% and police interventions in this regard increased by 36%. In response to this alarming situation, Fondation des Femmes launched an emergency fund to respond as quickly as possible to calls for help from women victims of violence, and their children, who were in danger.
Following the implementation of a second lockdown in France at the beginning of November 2020, this emergency fund was relaunched in order to continue to help women and children in difficulty as quickly as possible.
All donations are allocated towards 3 areas of action:
"Many thanks to 3i for its precious support! Thanks to its donation, Fondation des Femmes was able to finance associations throughout France during the lockdown, which helped hundreds of women victims of violence to be sheltered from their dangerous spouse. Thanks to you, these women were able to be housed in good conditions with their children and to receive basic necessities (food, hygiene products, baby equipment, etc.). Thank you very much for your support!"
The charity Perce-Neige was founded in 1966 by the French actor Lino Ventura (1919-1987) to help people with disabilities and their families.
Perce-Neige has been working for 55 years to support and provide a home for children and adults affected by mental, physical and psychological disabilities, as well as those with multiple disabilities and autism.
Today the Foundation’s care homes, the Maisons Perce-Neige, host around 1,100 people with disabilities throughout France. In these homes, educational and psychological support - and paramedical support in the nursing homes - is designed to encourage residents to communicate and express their personality, helping them to be as independent as possible.
The key programmes of the Foundation include:
Since March 2020, the pandemic has significantly affected the daily life of the people with disabilities hosted in the Perce-Neige Foundation’s care homes.
Despite lockdown and social distancing measures imposed in early March, most of the Maisons Perce-Neige have been affected by the virus, with several cases of infection of residents and staff being recorded.
Regarding daily life in the homes, the staff have shown dynamism and creativity to keep the activities going, both in- and outdoors, in order to give the residents structure and limit their levels of anxiety.
The donation from 3i will finance various projects:
"The last months have been very stressful for our residents, their families, and our staff. We want to thank 3i for its generous support which allows us to carry out several new projects in our Maisons Perce-Neige. During this difficult period of health crisis, people with disabilities need strong support and a lot of attention to live serenely. We are really grateful to 3i for helping us to pursue our goals and turn our projects into reality."
Christophe Lasserre-Ventura, President of the Foundation Perce-Neige
L'Enfant Bleu addresses the physical, sexual and psychological abuse against children. The charity provides emergency and long-term assistance and support to child victims of abuse as well as to adults who were victims of abuse in their childhood; prevents abuse by educating children and training childcare professionals; and works with organisations to aim for the better protection of children against abuse.
The donation from 3i has enabled us to further our aim of providing free legal and psychological support for victims of child abuse and prevention in schools, which includes:
"Each year, we help more than 1,000 victims. This year has been extraordinary: because of the lockdown measures, calls to us have increased by 30%. Thanks to the generosity of companies like 3i, we have been able to expand our listening unit and our team of professionals in order to be able to respond to all these victims."
Pauline Grison, Chargée de communication
Since 1984, Les Banques Alimentaires has been fighting against food insecurity and food waste in France. The organisation’s network of 79 food banks collects 115,000 tonnes of food from supermarkets, farmers and the food industry every year. It distributes the food across the country via a network of 5,400 charities and thanks to the daily commitment of more than 6,700 volunteers. As a result, more than 230 million meals are provided to 2 million disadvantaged people every year.
"Many thanks to 3i. Thanks to the donation they made, we were able to buy vehicles for food banks in the Auvergne region, the Bretagne region and the Bourgogne region. We were also able to equip the Aude department with a cold room."
Founded in 2013 by Athina Marmorat, Rêv’Elles offers innovative educational programmes for young women aged between 14 and 20, from working-class areas in the Ile-de-France region and Lyon metropolitan area, with the aim of broadening their professional prospects, building their plans for the future and developing their potential.
“Rêv’Elles Ton Potentiel” is the entrance programme; it is free, outside of school hours and based on group participation. The participants gain self-confidence, get to know themselves better, become familiar with the professional world and meet inspiring role models, who share their experiences and advise them.
The programme begins with an intensive 5-day course which establishes a relationship between the participants and Rêv’Elles. This course leads onto a 5-month support programme which helps to strengthen self-confidence, to develop areas of expertise and build the power to act.
At the end of the programme, 96% of young women feel they are more comfortable talking to professionals and 68% find that their relationship towards studying has improved.
Participants then have access to all of Rêv'Elles' activities and programmes and join the Alumni community: throughout the year, they are able to participate in activities of their choice such as the “RVL Tech” programme, which is focused on science and new technology; the “Rêv'Elles Moi Les Métiers du BTP” programme; or one of the many excursions and cultural visits which are organised. They also have the opportunity to join a team within Rêv’Elles and to undertake voluntary work while developing useful skills for their future professional life.
"During this period of health crisis, social and educational inequalities are growing. Our beneficiaries request more from us, encouraging us to double our efforts to adapt our programmes and ensure the continuity of our activities. For example, this year we had to equip a large number of young women with computers so they could follow their lessons and our programmes with peace of mind. We have also set up an emergency coaching programme in order to best support them in their professional projects. The donation received from 3i helps make this essential continuity possible, despite a difficult backdrop. 3i's commitment to equal opportunities and dreams, alongside ourselves, is precious"
Solidarité Femmes is a grassroots association which has been combating domestic violence for over 30 years, providing support, advice and shelter for women and their children.
FNSF operates the national help-line 3919 which offers listening, information and guidance; coordinates a network of 70 local organisations providing help and shelter to female victims of domestic violence and their children; and provides training to network members and to other community stakeholders, such as social workers, health professionals, law enforcement officers and elected officials.
FNSF provides 2,900 accommodation places and accommodates 5,000 women and children each year, receives 30,000 women in its reception centres and has handled more than 80,000 calls in 2020.
During the Covid pandemic, FNSF has seen a 300% increase in violence-related calls to the national helpline. The organisation has hired additional staff, set up temporary secure accommodation centres and organised hotel stays for victims; organised home interviews and physical support for women and children in dangerous situations; and has provided support, including food, for affected women and children.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, our network has faced a huge increase in requests from women facing domestic abuse. From counselling to housing, 3i's support will enable us to respond to, and meet, their needs. We are really grateful to 3i. With this donation, we can closely support those in need and help them through this very difficult process."
Françoise Brié, executive director