Four years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we hear from professionals whose lives and careers were suddenly interrupted and the social entrepreneurs working to support them in rebuilding through dignified work.
What We’re Celebrating This World Day of Social Justice
The NESsT Lirio Fund Disburses Over $20 Million USD, Improving Livelihoods and Protecting the Environment Across Brazil, Colombia, and Peru
Narratives from COP 30 Belém: Unlocking the Potential of the Global Funding Ecosystem to Invest in a Sustainable Amazon Bioeconomy through the Lens of Local Communities
This video brings together testimonies from leaders in the sociobioeconomy who have participated in key climate and finance forums, such as COP30 in Belém, with support from NESsT. Grounded in lived experience, these leaders’ perspectives highlight why their presence is essential in spaces where far-reaching decisions are made.
The Lirio Fund reinvests in organic cooperative COAS to ensure steady income for close to 600 smallholder producers in Junín, Peru
Cooperativa Agraria Sonomoro del Vraem (COAS) joined the NESsT Lirio Fund in 2023 and has since received a revolving capital line of credit and a term loan to scale its cacao production, ensure steady income for its cacao producers, and strengthen its commitment to conserving local biodiversity. Based on the cooperative’s strong track record of sustainable operations in a volatile market, in 2025, NESsT renewed the cooperative’s revolving credit loan, ensuring it can continue to pay local producers for raw cacao while meeting the rising global demand for high-quality cacao.
Greenbox and Cuencas secure repeat investments from the NESsT Lirio Fund to continue strengthening rural livelihoods in Peru through sustainable agriculture
In 2025, the NESsT Lirio Fund extended repeat loans to Greenbox and Cuencas del Huallaga, reflecting our continued commitment to these enterprises’ business models and impact. Operating in regions where farming families have few income livelihood options and often turn to illicit crops and environment-damaging monocultures to generate quick income, these enterprises offer sustainable livelihood alternatives through sustainable, organic agriculture and meaningful technical assistance.
Why Financing for the Amazon Matters to Everyone: A conversation with NESsT's Cairo Bastos, Program Manager in Brazil
COP30, held in Brazil and hosted in the Amazon for the first time, marked a turning point in global discussions on climate and development. Against this backdrop, NESsT has been working more intentionally to bring local realities from the Amazon into global debates around access to financing. We spoke with Cairo Bastos, Program Manager at NESsT Brazil, about his key takeaways from Belém, what it takes in practice to build development models rooted in local territories, and why financing for the Amazon is a topic that concerns taxpayers and citizens more broadly.
Reflections on 2025, Looking Ahead to 2026 with NESsT's CEO Chad Sachs
Why Mentorship Matters for Social Entrepreneurs: A Win-Win Relationship
In this interview, we speak with Mihai Cepoi, Chief Everything Officer, Jobful, and IKEA co-worker Rumen Mihaylov, Insights Capability Leader, Inter IKEA Group, whose exchange grew out of the NESsT - IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program in Central and Eastern Europe. What began as a structured mentoring relationship quickly evolved into a space for honest dialogue and shared learning.
Rebuilding livelihoods through opportunity and belonging: Olena’s story with Women’s Entrepreneurship Foundation
After leaving Ukraine and arriving in Poland, Olena faced challenges while trying to secure stability for her family. Through Women’s Entrepreneurship Foundation (WEF), she connected with several programs designed to support displaced women navigate these new systems and access clear pathways to quality jobs and entrepreneurship.