Helping social, not-for-profit organisations that align with Eurofins' DNA, and which are active in local communities where Eurofins staff live and work.
Bricks to Bread International is a non-profit organisation that helps to build brick ovens for women in rural Costa Rica and Central America in need of a sustainable source of income. Brick ovens not only provide families with a purpose and an income, but they also bring communities together, as the ovens often become a focal point and gathering place in the town. Many Bricks to Bread ovens are placed where residents can share stories and experiences over coffee and freshly baked goods.
In 2019/2020, support from the Eurofins Foundation allowed Bricks to Bread to complete a community project empowering eight indigenous Bribri women in the remote Costa Rican village of Barrio Escalante. Eighteen volunteers were involved in the project, and the result meant that the community at large had new access to freshly baked goods. The women developed skills in business management and leadership, serving as role models within their communities. Girls and young women are able to see that they too can aspire towards entrepreneurship, and young men learn to respect women professionally and work with them in a more collaborative way.
In 2021/2022, a grant from the Eurofins Foundation helped launch two new brick-oven bakery microenterprises in Costa Rica and the organisation's first in Honduras. Oven projects provide disadvantaged women and families with a means of financial stability, enabling them to liveabove the national poverty level (equivalent to USD 155/month). These new businesses also gave an additional 1,500+ community members access to freshly baked goods in areas regarded as ‘food deserts.’
The Eurofins Foundation’s support also helped to offset expenses for Bricks to Bread’s first Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Leadership Conference. This three-day conference for 17 new and experienced oven recipients focused on business skills, women empowerment, and entrepreneurial leadership. Furthermore, a portion of funding enabled Bricks to Bread to hire two in-country coordinators who identify and qualify future recipients and provide training and mentoring for 38 women and their immediate families (plus 116 extended family members) who have been in the programme for the past three years.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation renewed its support to Bricks to Bread. Growing steadily as an organisation, Bricks to Bread launched five brick-oven bakeries in 2023, supporting 24 new entrepreneurs and 43 new family members (benefiting over 25,000 community members). The Eurofins Foundation’s grant also provided scholarship assistance to fourteen young people who participated in building ovens as volunteers in 2023.
The Eurofins Foundation has renewed its trust and partnership with Bricks to Bread for the 2023/2025 period. Thanks to Eurofins’ support, six ovens have or will be built in 2024 and 40+ potential recipients are in the pipeline for future projects. With Eurofins’ support, Bricks to Bread’s will continue to offer programming that empowers female participants to gain culinary, business, finance, and leadership skills, which translate to increased resourcefulness and self-esteem, a greater sense of control and personal diligence, and more self-sufficiency The women who benefit from Brick to Bread’s initiatives become role models of independence, inclusion and equality for future generations by demonstrating their financial success, emotional growth, and positive mindset. They inspire other women and families through networking and mentoring while providing nourishment in areas where there is food insecurity.
Created in 1998, DUNE is a Brussels-based non-profit organisation focused on public health and social care. Its goal is to improve the physical, mental, and social health of drug users. These individuals experience social exclusion, leading to a reluctance to access and benefit from healthcare services.
DUNE's operational objective is to provide a set of services for healthcare and aid, creating a favourable environment for their beneficiaries' social inclusion, recovery, and self-determination.
The improvement of the social and health condition of drug users has a positive impact on their drug consumption, enabling a more controlled consumption which decreases the damage to their health and social integration, as well as to their families and the wider society.
DUNE acts as a mediator between reality on the ground and institutions. They advocate for the rights of their beneficiaries, provide them with access to healthcare and protect their human dignity.
In 2021/2022, the Eurofins Foundation supported DUNE's plans to provide healthcare and aid to vulnerable drug users in Brussels (BE) through a holistic set of services, forming a system to respond to the problems encountered by drug users. Access is unconditional, anonymous and free of charge.
The system revolves around four key areas:
The Eurofins Foundation’s grant enabled DUNE to increase its capacity:
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation renewed its support to DUNE for a new project, supporting the Creation of a bicycle sales and repair shop as a social economy enterprise to support professional opportunities and experience.
This grant support enabled DUNE to undertake the necessary actions for project development and the production of the expected deliverables, including but not limited to:
Thanks to the work carried out in 2022–2023, “Bécane”, a bicycle sales and repair shop coupled with an employment support program for vulnerable drug users, is ready to be launched in 2024. The Eurofins Foundation renews its support to this project for the period 2023/2025.
Since its creation in 1998, the French NGO, Entrepreneurs du Monde, has been working with communities in developing countries and helped people to become successful, which in turn enables their families and communities to make economic and social progress.
The ‘ICI - Incubation, Creation, Inclusion’ programme, launched in 2018 in Lyon, helps vulnerable people to set up businesses. To foster long-term socio-economic inclusion, Entrepreneurs du Monde (EdM) launched a new phase in 2020, with a focus on sustainable catering, a promising sector, while providing access to a solidarity food truck and a kitchen laboratory to test projects in real-life conditions.
In 2020/2021, the Eurofins Foundation’s support has enabled the Programme ICI to accompany 29 people through a series of individual interviews to help them clarify their business creation projects. These interviews allow EdM to carry out a socio-economic diagnosis of their situation and thus evaluate the potential barriers to setting up their own business. The grant also helped the organisation to acquire and equip a service vehicle with refrigerator boxes for use by the entrepreneurs for meal deliveries.
Through the training and personal support received, entrepreneurs improve their knowledge and technical and soft skills, strengthen their professional network, and build self-confidence. Furthermore, the programme boosts their income and improves their living conditions, helping them to achieve sustainable financial autonomy and ensuring that local communities are more resilient to everyday life challenges.
The Nafa Naana programme aims at removing barriers to clean, modern and affordable cooking and lighting equipment for fuel-poor families. Its target population is women, who are the most affected by fuel poverty and indoor air pollution.
Between 2020 and 2022, with the support of the Eurofins Foundation, Nafa Naana was able to reach 9.900 direct beneficiaries and 44.100 indirect beneficiaries such as family members and retailers. Nearly 4.700 solar lamps and 7.700 pieces of improved cooking equipment were sold as part of the revenue generating activies.
Nafa Naana has also strengthened its product range by introducing hybrid solar freezers/fridges for productive use by micro-entrepreneurs, and new "pay-as-you-go" offers combined with solar lamps. The programme has also extended its activities to other geographical areas and developed a new distribution channel through Nafa Naana Representatives, shopkeepers or wholesalers present in areas where Nafa Naana had not yet developed networks. These representatives benefit from marketing support and enable Nafa Naana to increase the geographical coverage of its distribution network at a lower cost.
Nafa Naana was granted an opportunity to present its solar and cooking equipment offers during the General Assembly of the Regional Council of the High Basins (March 2021). More than thirty mayors of the different communes (urban and rural) of the High Basins Region attended the event. A new partnership was established between Nafa Naana and the Council in order to foster the distribution of clean and affordable energy equipment to the benefit of vulnerable populations.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation focused its support on the Palmis Mikwofinans Sosyal: Strengthening the socio-economic inclusion of the most vulnerable people in Haiti through a holistic service offer including training and social support. Since 2003, Entrepreneurs du Monde, through its Palmis Mikwofinans Sosyal programme (PMS), has been supporting Haiti's most vulnerable micro-entrepreneurs (87% of whom are women) in the sustainable development of their income-generating activities, so that they can improve their living conditions.
These women come from the most disadvantaged areas of Port-au-Prince and from rural areas and are deeply affected by the terrible crisis ravaging the country. Thanks to PMS, they have permanent access to adapted training within their communities: management of income-generating activities (importance of regular savings, stock control), social issues (children's education), health (prevention of chronic diseases), environment (access to clean energy) and gender (women-men relations, sexuality)., Family support is offered in cases of specific difficulties, including individual follow-up, referral to partner organisations.
Thanks to the support of the Eurofins Foundation, the following indicators were achieved by June 2023: 13,836 micro-entrepreneurs were supported through 1,025 social interviews and 2,995 training sessions (1,814 on management of income-generating activities, 803 on social & health issues, 130 on the environment, 14 addressing gender, 234 about agroecology).
The Eurofins Foundation renewed its support to this project for the year 2023/2024.
iDE is an international development organisation that transforms the lives of marginalised communities worldwide by creating lasting income and livelihood opportunities for rural families. They accomplish this by leveraging human-centred data and market research to create functional, inclusive market systems that are flexible enough to adapt to changing market conditions.
By harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship on an individual level, iDE develops a deep understanding of the local market and designs products and services to ensure people can benefit from them. They create a lasting impact by delivering system-change solutions to help more than 36 million people become self-reliant.
The Eurofins Foundation has been supporting the “Seeding the Future through Farm Business Advisors (FBAs)” project in Ghana since 2021/2022.
Although 30% of the country’s population is engaged in agriculture, most of that workforce focuses on low-value staple crops. Rural smallholder farmers face challenges to improving profitability, including access to affordable quality inputs, market and pricing information, and financial services, including loans.
iDE’s agricultural programme prepares local market actors for accelerated exposure and the adoption of climate-smart technologies. Since 2010, iDE has impacted 146,000 individuals. It plans to expand its current efforts to reach vulnerable communities within Ghana’s rural regions: Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, and Northern.
With the support of the Eurofins Foundation, iDE accelerated the impact of its FBA programme in Ghana— training 25 new FBAs, who received training in climate-smart agriculture and technology. Utilising this training, FBAs are able to share knowledge and training with other farmers in their community, which helps boost productivity and adapt to shifting weather patterns. Additionally, FBAs are connected to trustworthy buyers and reliable markets, so they have a sustainable resource for purchasing quality inputs and selling crops.
Additionally, iDE identified approaches to specifically address the barriers that women face in growing their incomes in Ghana, one of the most significant being access to finance. As a reference, of the 332 Ghanaian farmers reached in 2022, 66% were women. informal credit access, and information sharing. With the support of the Eurofins Foundation, iDE facilitated the creation of 42 VSLA groups with an average of 30 members each.
In 2023/2024, the Eurofins Foundation continued contributing to this programme.
Founded in 2005 in France, Kinomé is a social business that aims to improve people’s daily lives by reversing the trend of deforestation. Active in 21 countries, Kinomé's network gathers multidisciplinary experts to bolster the human and economic development of vulnerable populations.
Kinomé developed a two-pronged methodology for local development:
The Eurofins Foundation supports Kinomé's project “Healthier people with Moringa” in Togo since 2021/2022.
Kinomé and its local partners have spent several years building a territorial and systemic approach for local development in the Kpalimé watershed region through:
The Eurofins Foundation's support has enabled several decisive advances:
In 2023/2025, the Eurofins Foundation renews its support to Kinomé.
Founded in 1937, Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
In 2019/2020, the Eurofins Foundation provided a grant to the programme Saksham, within which 2,241 young people (55% of which were girls) in India benefited from Job Oriented Vocational Training to acquire professional skills. 67% of participants have already been placed in a company in the cities of Delhi, Lucknow and Deradhun. In addition, 765 young people (80% girls) benefited from Vocational Training for Entrepreneurship Promotion, out of which 80% are already self-employed in the cities of Garsain, Uttarkashi and Lucknow.
In 2020/2021, the Eurofins Foundation supported the first year of the project AGIR, Support for quality education in Benin, where, at a national level, gender-based violence, such as rape, transactional sex, unwanted pregnancies, and forced and early marriages, is significant among school-age girls. Early marriages and pregnancies are particularly common obstacles to girls accessing education.
This programme empowers girls with the knowledge and skills they need to build their future. Important sensitisation work is also carried out with the community and the national and regional institutions that play a key role in the process of achieving an equal status for women in Benin society.
During its first year of operation, the project has impacted more than 21,000 pupils, of which 46% are girls, across 90 schools:
One of the objectives of the project is to work for equitable access for girls and boys in schools but also top strengthen their retention in the education system. The establishment and revitalisation of certain community-based organisations such as Parents and Mothers’ Associations contributes to minimising school dropouts, through mediation sessions with parents and personalised visits with students (especially those at risk of dropping out).
A system for monitoring absences from school has been set up, allowing teachers to provide weekly information on absences observed in class and to meet with families. Thus, the school dropout rate fell from 13% at the end of the 2019-20 school year to 10% at the end of 2020-21.
Working to improve the quality of education is also part of the project’s goal, through:
Between 2021 and 2024, the Eurofins Foundation has also contributed to the success of PLAN International France’s Tamkeen programme, which seeks to help young people gain access to employment in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt, through gender-sensitive and demand-driven skills training. The programme also promotes equal economic opportunities and gender-supportive environments at community and institutional levels.
Some notable programme achievements to date include:
Sanku, a non-profit social enterprise, aims to end malnutrition by equipping small mills with everything they need to add vital nutrients to maize flour, an East African staple.
Every day, 8,000 children die and 2 billion people suffer from preventable illnesses because their diets lack essential vitamins and minerals. Fortification (i.e. adding life-saving micronutrients to food during processing) is one of the most cost-effective nutritional interventions. Despite this, it fails to reach the 6.5 billion people in developing countries who rely on small, often rural mills for most of their food.
Sanku developed technology and a business model to help these small mills, that feed the most malnourished people, to conveniently and affordably fortify staple grains.
Since 2021/2022, the Eurofins Foundation has been contributing to the programme “Ending micronutrient malnutrition for 4 million East Africans through sustainable access to fortified flour”.
In 2023 alone, funding allowed Sanku to successfully pilot the program in Kenya, in preparation for the scale-up phase. During this grant period, they:
In 2023/2024, the Eurofins Foundation renews its support to this initiative.
Sina Loketa – SINAL is a Ugandan non-profit organisation led by refugees that is committed to supporting refugees and disadvantaged communities in areas of entrepreneurship, peace building, ICT, digital inclusion, livelihood, sustainable agriculture and environment management, towards increased access to decent work and economic growth.
Sina Loketa was recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for building on creative capacities of young people to develop social capital in refugee and host communities.
In 2023/2024, the Eurofins Foundation is contributing to the “Start-Up Lab” project, empowering youth through entrepreneurship and sustainable farming in Uganda's refugee and host communities.
The "Startup Lab" project ocuses on the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, addressing food insecurity and economic challenges. It aims to enhance sustainable farming practices and provide income opportunities by equipping local farmers with the necessary tools, resources, and knowledge. Innovative food processing techniques diversify income for farmers, contributing to local economic growth. The project offers comprehensive support to aspiring entrepreneurs, including mentorship, training, and networking opportunities. By fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, participants gain the skills and resources needed for economic independence. With strategic partnerships and a dedicated team, the Startup Lab aims to assist 200 entrepreneurs annually. Through this job creation and empowerment, the project drives positive social and economic impacts throughout refugee and host communities in Uganda.
The Accountability Lab engages young people to build the skills they need to improve their communities around the world. The organisation works to support active citizens and responsible leaders, providing them with the tools, knowledge, and networks they need to solve complex development challenges relating to health, education, clean water and much more.
The Accountability Lab’s approaches are solutions-oriented, positive and focused on building the “unlikely networks” that can lead to breakthrough initiatives and ensure a better life for future generations.
The Accountability Lab is a trans-local network, with local Labs registered in 12 countries that share ideas, lessons, values and a commitment to supporting young people from all walks of life. The Lab has won many prizes for its work around the world, including from the UN. The Lab is also supported by a range of governments, international organisations and foundations.
Since 2021/2022, the Eurofins Foundation supports The Youth Incubator, a project that supports 100+ young people across ten countries through a year-long training, networking, knowledge-building and idea generation process to solve health issues, local development challenges and environmental degradation.
Since then, the Accountability Lab:
Nancy Ongom, one of the Youth Incubator Fellow in Uganda mentions “…since joining, the biggest impact has been the content and learning as well as widening my network. The various content enabled me to improve on my idea of promoting menstrual health and the fellowship enabled me to train up to 200 girls with the skills of making reusable sanitary pads”.
In Kenya, fellow William Tolbert says that “since joining the incubator cohort 2022, my biggest impact has been rebranding my work to focus on the participation and inclusion of women, youths and people with disabilities. Through Promoters of Social Inclusion (PSI), I was able to train and empower 300 grassroots women drawn from ten counties in Kenya”.
The Youth Incubator is co-funded by the Skoll Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the Eurofins Foundation, which renews its support in 2023/2024.
Womenpreneur Initiative is a Brussels-based non-profit organisation focusing on women’s economic empowerment, mainly in entrepreneurship and the technology sector. Womenpreneur Initiative meets their goals through entrepreneurial activities, professional training, mentorship sessions, leadership programmes, technology education, networking events, and other opportunities.
The initiative is active in more than 20 countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Founded in 2016, Womenpreneur has reached over 19,000 women and convened more than 40 global initiatives worldwide to support visibility, social impact, and resources for women.
In 2023/2024, the Eurofins Foundation is supporting the project Women Who Repair in Morocco.
As smartphones and other digital tools continue to become increasingly present in our daily and professional lives, Women Who Repair aims to address intrinsic flaws in today’s digital world and job market. Combining technical and professional training, the Women Who Repair project aims to facilitate women's inclusion in the economic sector of digital tools (smartphones, tablets) refurbishments. Participants, women who are unemployed will thus have all the skills to be hired as repair technicians or start their own reparation shops. Beyond the individual and economic impact on the participants, Women Who Repair is primarily a project that supports an environmentally friendly economy and promotes social justice.
The project will have a favourable environmental impact on different levels:
WONDER is a UK-registered charity that empowers women and girls through quality education and access to good work so that they can exit poverty for good.
WONDER’s approach is based on six pillars: quality education, accompaniment and mentoring, investing in local women-led partners, empowering spaces, sustainable employment, and family engagement.
Since 2013, they have empowered over 125,000 women and girls with 36 local women led partners in 23 different countries around the world. In 2022 and 2023, 4,249 women and girls graduated from their programmes with recognised vocational training qualifications, and 87% of students increased their income and that of their family.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is contributing to the project “Strengthening Futures: Entrepreneurial Training for Women in Ivory Coast”.
Abobo is Abidjan’s poorest borough in Ivory Coast and Yarani is the only vocational training institute serving one of the world’s poorest communities. Without formal education and struggling to meet their basic needs, women cannot access formal jobs or training, trapping them in poverty.
In partnership with Yarani, WONDER’s project aims to empower 200 women through a comprehensive approach encompassing personal mentoring, business and industry-specific skill development, job placement networks, and community engagement. Spanning a three-month course and a three-month follow up, the programme integrates marketing, business management, microfinance. communication, and leadership, culminating in 100 hours of transformative training for each participant.
By integrating personal mentoring, boosting comprehensive skills development in critical business areas, and offering strong job referral networks, the project offers a pathway out of the cycle of poverty and exploitation.
Upon completion, the 200 women will be better equipped to leave poverty and to become pillars within their communities, ready to uplift others in turn. Yarani’s capacity to empower women will see a significant boost, enabling the institute to extend its reach and impact annually.
Young Water Solutions is an international non-profit organisation that aims to develop and support the potential of young people to contribute to universal water, sanitation, hygiene and water resources management. It does so by providing young leaders and entrepreneurs with the tools to carry out water and sanitation projects and to launch social businesses in their communities.
In 2020/2021, the Eurofins Foundation provided a grant to the first edition of the Young Water Fellowship in Latin America, supporting the piloting and launch of youth-led social enterprises in Latin America that tackle water, sanitation, hygiene, water pollution and water scarcity issues. The Fellowship aims to offer a fully funded intensive training course in business and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), seed funding grants for their pilot projects, and mentorship support from senior-level experts over the course of a year.
This pilot edition reached approximately 1,787 people, of which 286 were sanitation-related initiatives and 1,501 were water-related projects. The programme led to the organisation of stakeholder meetings in Peru and Colombia in 2022, which will bring together policymakers with entrepreneurs supported by the programme.
The programme also added value and impact at multiple levels:
In 2021/2023, Eurofins Foundation partnered with Young Water Solutions for the second and third editions of the YWF Latin America 2022, contributing to the participation and incubation of 45 young entrepreneurs.
Some examples of the incubated projects include:
Witari, a start-up established in Cuba. The pilot project involved the installation of 5 Rainwater Collection Systems (SCALL) with natural filters in the Loma Blanca community, a peripheral community in the city of Guantanamo facing water shortages. Each SCALL has a capacity to store between 400 and 1,000 litres of water. The installed SCALLs were adapted to the specific construction characteristics of each house, considering their capture surface. They also received technical advice and a donation of two Chaac Rural kits from the Mexican company Isla Urbana, whose components contributed to the comprehensive improvement of the systems.
The pilot project benefited 5 families consisting of single mothers with young children and disabled individuals. 5,000 litres of water were collected and distributed.
Nimbu, in Nicaragua, a social enterprise whose main objective is to provide access to efficient sanitation services for sewage and wastewater in small communities. Its primary focus is water treatment through innovative technology that incorporates biological sponge equipment.
The initiative to modernise and improve the wastewater sanitation system in the community of Ciudad Sandino aimed to provide more efficient and sustainable sanitation services for the local population.
The project included the installation of biological sponge equipment in the existing wastewater treatment plant, allowing for greater efficiency in the treatment process. These biological sponge units are an innovative technology that significantly improves the quality of the treated water.
The equipment operated for 47 days at a flow rate of 0.08 L/s in 9-hour cycles, translating to the treatment of 2,592 litres of wastewater per day, equivalent to 2.592 m3/day. In total, 121.8 m3 of wastewater were treated throughout the implementation campaign. 760 people gained better access to clean water and basic sanitation. The initiative also had an indirect impact on at least 2,000 people living in the area.
The Eurofins Foundation renews its support in 2023/2024.
AKHIN is a Nigerian organisation providing a platform for homeless youngsters to be rehabilitated, learn to read and write, and acquire vocational skills, which give them the opportunity to be gainfully employed and/or start their own business.
In 2023/24, the Eurofins Foundation is contributing to The AKHIN Vocational Training Centre, which focuses on behavioural rehabilitating, literacy skills, entrepreneurial training, exposure experience, and vocational training. The training will be a six-month course with 20 participants per intake. The participants are homeless young people aged between 16 and 24.
Anahat inspires people to fight for the rights of women and girls by challenging deeply rooted cultural norms that perpetuate gender-based discrimination and violence. They invest in women of the communities by empowering them with livelihood and knowledge so that they can earn respect and live their life with dignity and free from violence.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is providing funding for Gendering Agriculture: a kitchen garden project to uplift the community.
Following the closure of a tea garden in Dooars, North Bengal, more than 9,000 tea workers lost their employment, causing financial hardships for their families. The closure also affected the education of young students and increased the vulnerability of women, with the rate of dropouts, human trafficking and domestic violence having increased manifold. Without economic stability, the health and vitality of the local population suffers.
Anahat has launched the Kitchen Garden Project in Dooars, designed as a sustainable model that helps people earn more income and access nutritious food every day. By creating kitchen gardens, they will provide the rural, resource-poor communities with a platform for food production, as well as an opportunity to improve their livelihoods. Family labour, especially the efforts of women, play an important role in the management of these gardens; Women Self Help Groups in the village will be set up and trained to take the responsibility for guiding and monitoring the Kitchen Gardens.
FXB is an International non-governmental organisation (NGO) that has been fighting against extreme poverty for over 30 years. FXB believes in a world where everyone has a chance not only to survive, but to thrive. With the concrete implementation of children’s rights at the heart of the organisation, their mission is to bring about lasting change in the countries where they operate to eradicate extreme poverty and promote social justice.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation supported the Integrated Community Development Projects (ICDP) in Mongolia.
The Dornogovi Province, located in the Gobi Desert, comprises a vast and desolate area. 23.2% of its 67,000 inhabitants live in severe poverty, with an unemployment rate of 68%. Most of the families, both nomadic and sedentary, depend on animal breeding, and the main challenges they face are very low employment opportunities, limited access to services and vocational training, limited access to start microenterprises, and very low financial literacy.
FXB’s objective is to help families create opportunities where they live rather than migrate to cities such as Oulan-Bator, where migrants have very few job opportunities and live in extremely precarious sanitary conditions.
The support from Eurofins has enabled 96 families living in the communities of Sainshand, Ulaanbadrakh, and Zuunbayan to strengthen their resilience and progress towards the economic and social autonomy that our beneficiaries acquire after three years of participation in our program.
In 2023/2024, the Eurofins Foundation renews its support to this project.
Awana Digital partners with marginalised communities worldwide, including Indigenous Peoples and ethnic minorities, to co-develop and apply technology for environmental and social justice. Through co-creating digital tools and direct technical training, they empower frontline environmental defenders to protect their ancestral lands and livelihoods, fight for environmental justice, and counteract climate change. Since 2008, Awana Digital has driven change in 28 countries on six continents and continues to have a direct impact worldwide.
Their tools reduce dependency and challenge the colonial legacy of technology. At their invitation, Awana Digital supports local communities not just as data collectors, but to own and manage their data, mapping and monitoring process themselves. Tools are free, easy to learn, and do not depend on an internet connection.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation supported the project East Africa Earth Defenders Community Monitoring.
Chepkitale Indigenous Peoples’ Development Programme (CIPDP), a representative organisation of the Ogiek, an Indigenous group native to Mount Elgon in Kenya, have approached Awana Digital for urgent help to map their lands in order to gain legal title and conduct ongoing environmental monitoring to protect against threats to the forest ecosystem along the slopes of Mount Elgon and to their livelihoods.
Awana Digital has thus built Mapeo, a free, easy-to-use, open-source set of tools for collecting and mapping information, with and for earth defenders to easily document environmental & human rights information and to collect data about their land. It was designed to work in entirely offline environments, is highly customisable, and built on a decentralised peer-to-peer database that allows communities to own their own data.
The Eurofins Foundation’s support has helped make it possible to continue working with Chepkitale Indigenous Peoples’ Development Programme (CIPDP) as they undertake critical mapping work through Mapeo, to regain legal title over their ancestral homelands and work to protect their local forest and biodiversity. In addition, the Eurofins Foundation’s grant helped to organise and host a large Mapeo Training Gathering with representatives from 14 Indigenous communities in Africa.
CIPDP and the Indigenous Peoples attending this gathering aim to use Mapeo, along with the territorial mapping skills they learn, to gain legal title of their ancestral lands and collect accurate information about illegal activities and environmental degradation on their land. This information can be used to advocate with decision-makers and political leaders for increased Indigenous sovereignty over ancestral lands and more legal action to protect their territories from environmentally destructive developments.
The Ogiek won one legal battle in defense of a section of their territory in 2022, proving the strength of territorial mapping as a legal strategy. They, in addition to many of the other groups attending the meeting, are currently engaged in other important land rights challenges, and Awana Digital hopes that this project will lead to more territorial defense wins for these communities.
In 2023/2025, the Eurofins Foundation renews its support to the work of Awana Digital in Brazil through a grant to the Indigenous Women Land Defenders’ Programme.
The inclusion of women’s perspectives, knowledge, and leadership in Indigenous efforts to defend communal territories paves the way for more inclusive, effective, and ultimately sustainable approaches to the protection of critical ecosystems, benefiting not only their specific communities but also the global effort to preserve our planet for future generations. Through this new program, Awana Digital aims to co-design support and connections for Indigenous women land defenders both regionally and internationally.
CAMFED is a pan-African movement revolutionising how girls’ education is delivered. CAMFED supports girls from the most marginalised backgrounds through school and beyond, radically improving their prospects of becoming independent and influential women.
A partner of CAMFED since 2020, The Eurofins Foundation renews its contribution for the period 2023/2025, helping build climate resilience across rural Zimbabwe.
Around one third of CAMFED Association members work in agriculture, yet increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather is threatening these livelihoods. Together CAMFED and the Eurofins Foundation will address this challenge in rural Zimbabwe by supporting 600 young female agripreneurs to build sustainable, climate-smart livelihoods, whilst reaching more than 6,000 vulnerable community members with climate-smart farming techniques.
With over 30 years of on-the-ground experience, the EcoLogic Development Fund is dedicated to restoring and protecting tropical ecosystems in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, some of the world's most biodiverse regions. Its approach involves forging partnerships with rural and Indigenous-led groups, and assisting them in identifying, assessing, and prioritising their conservation and natural resource needs.
The EcoLogic Development Fund provides the resources necessary to preserve and rehabilitate the tropical ecosystems crucial to rural and Indigenous livelihoods and wellbeing. This support encompasses skills development, financial assistance, access to materials, engagement with decision-makers and experts, practical training, and more.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is supporting the project “Empowering Communities: Restorative Agriculture for a Sustainable Future in Ixcán, Guatemala.”
In the Guatemalan department of El Quiché, where Ixcán is located, 76.9% of the population lives in poverty, with over 20% classified as living in extreme poverty. Farming is the most available livelihood in the area, and persistent poverty often means farmers must use their land unsustainably, primarily through “slash-and-burn” agriculture, where land is clear cut and any remaining vegetation burned. Natural resources are also under duress in this region due to human activities, and climate change is contributing to extreme weather events, exacerbating the vulnerability of these communities.
For this project, EcoLogic will work with six communities in Ixcán to implement diversified agroforestry systems which will include plantains, cardamom, lemon, and mahogany, grown together with Inga edulis for added agricultural benefit. This work will create the conditions for higher yields through improved soil fertility, erosion control, water regulation, and best practices in agronomic management, achieving food security through sustainable measures.
Ultimately, the project will establish 38 hectares of agroforestry parcels and provide food and economic security for families in Ixcán, directly benefiting approximately 300 individuals, while restoring degraded land.
Electricians Without Borders is an international aid NGO, established in France in 1986, which has impacted the lives of millions of people in more than 50 countries. Targeting the most isolated and vulnerable, it improves their access to safe, sustainable clean energy and water, for public services and income-generating activities.
Although energy is key to sustainable development goals, a billion people still lack access to it. Electrician Without Borders works with partners from local NGOs, the authorities and the private sector to offer experience-based scalable solutions with the latest technologies and high-quality equipment, adapted to local needs. The NGO notably intervenes following crises and emergencies (Dominican Republic following Hurricane Maria, Lebanon and most recently Ukraine and Moldova) and implements post-emergency responses to help rebuild more sustainably.
In 2023/24, the Eurofins Foundation is providing funds to the project “Health, Civil Society Organisations and the Fight Against Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Sustainable Renewable Energy Innovations in Moldova”.
Moldova is currently the poorest country in Europe, with high emigration of young Moldovans to EU countries. It relies heavily on energy imports to meet its needs (80% in 2020). As a result, the country is bearing the full brunt of the consequences of the war in Ukraine: disrupted energy supplies, rising energy costs, and an influx of refugees are putting pressure on already fragile infrastructures.
The development of renewable energies that could raise the country’s level of energy independence remains limited, despite significant potential. The capacity of local structures to work in this field is therefore essential to encourage and facilitate their adoption. In particular, the use of renewable energies could help to improve healthcare services in the country by providing a local, more reliable, and more sustainable source of energy for health centres.
In 2022, Electricians Without Borders in Moldova reinforced the electrical capacities of 17 hospitals, and has since launched a project that aims to contribute to the sustainable securing of access to energy for essential infrastructures in the country for resilient growth, by prioritising renewable energies.
The project aims to strengthen the skills of local civil society organizations (CSOs), to enable them to participate fully in the implementation of the Moldovan government's sustainable development strategy, and to support private, public, and civil society initiatives in this field.
It also aims to improve access to energy for selected healthcare facilities through pilot projects (security, renewable energy, energy efficiency), implemented by partner CSOs with the support of Electricians Without Borders.
FareShare South West (FSSW) tackles food poverty in the UK South West region, using food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributing it to front-line organisations that need it. In 2020, in response to increased demand for services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, FSSW scaled up its operations and increased its output six-fold – delivering food for over 6.1 million meals. Half of the food they supplied went to families and children in need through schools, children’s centres, holiday projects and pantry schemes.
In 2021/2022, the Eurofins Foundation provided capacity-building funds to FareShare South West.
As of October 2022, FSSW had supported 385 charities, schools and community groups with access to a regular supply of surplus food. This food has reached approximately 46,200 end beneficiaries struggling with food insecurity with regular access to fresh, healthy food. Across the whole region, during the first ten months of 2022, FFSW saved 126 tonnes of surplus food from going to waste, this food equated to approximately 300,000 meals provided through the charity partners that FFSW work with.
The Eurofins Foundation renewed its funding to FFSW in 2022/2023, supporting a new FareShare South West region and Plymouth warehouse, the gateway to food support across Devon and Cornwall.
Between January and September 2023, FareShare South West (FSSW) has delivered over 505 tonnes of food (equivalent of food for 1.2 million meals) into Devon and Cornwall. Supporting 95 separate charities, schools and community groups, this food has reached approximately 10,930 individuals. The top three food groups delivered into Devon and Cornwall were vegetables, dairy and fruit.
Funding from the Eurofins Foundation directly supported FSSW’s new Plymouth warehouse, which has alone delivered over 388 tonnes of food (equivalent of food for 925,000 meals), supporting 58 separate charities and approximately 6,670 individuals.
The Eurofins Foundation supported FSSW’s expansion of infrastructure to support an additional eight frontline organisations in the region.
The project has benefitted the local community (in which FSSW operates) during a cost of living crisis. "Given the rising costs of food, FareShare South West have been an absolute asset to The Pantry. Without them we would not be able to buy the sheer volume of food required especially with the number of users rising each week. It's a real pleasure to be able to help so many, especially with the fresh fruit and veg we receive from FareShare which I believe contributes to good physical & mental health” (C. Sturgess, Tintagel Pantry).
The Eurofins Foundation renews its support to FareShare South West for the period 2023/2025, to extend food redistribution in Cornwall by launching an automated local collection point (a keypad accessible chiller in a remote location) in collaboration with a local Gleaning Network. FareShare South West also aims to increase the number of children in receipt of free school meals accessing FSSW food.
Farm Africa is a leading NGO specialising in promoting sustainable agriculture practices, strengthening markets, and protecting the environment in rural Africa. They work in partnership with smallholder farmers and small businesses in the DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to improve the quality, quantity and value of their produce, so that they can support their families with more resilient livelihoods.
Farm Africa’s work spans three strategic goals, focusing on agriculture, market engagement and the environment.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is contributing to “Solar Powered Irrigation for Women Farmers in Karamoja region, Uganda.”
This project will install solar-powered irrigation systems in Karamoja, northeastern Uganda, to enhance women farmers’ production, nutrition, and resilience.
Farmers in Karamoja face ongoing challenges with food security and water access due to unreliable rainfall, long dry seasons, and limited irrigation infrastructure, making crop production difficult. Women farmers are particularly disadvantaged and face additional barriers, including limited access to land ownership, training, and finance.
Since June 2024, Farm Africa has been working with women farming groups through the CASCADE (CAtalysing Strengthened poliCy Actions for healthy Diets and rEsilience) project, a multi-country initiative led by CARE International, to address these challenges. They have adopted the Farmer Field Business Schools (FFBS) approach to train the groups in climate-resilient, nutritious crop production and affordable technologies. As of September 2024, 174 learning sites have been established for training in agriculture and nutrition. Through this project, Farm Africa will provide 20 learning sites with solar-powered irrigation pumps to enable year-round farming and to boost crop production. 6,000 women farmers will benefit from this initiative.
Gitaru Marigu Development Group is a Kenyan community-based organisation formed by local opinion leaders, community members and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
Its mission is to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and children by strengthening the capacity of the community to take care of women and children in families affected by HIV/AIDS.
To do this, the organisation offers financial and material support to children in need, initiates and enhances education programmes for children, helps caregivers to access capital and acquire the basic skills needed to generate resources, and strengthens the communal spirit of using the available land resource to increase the quantity of food being produced.
In 2023/24, the Eurofins Foundation is supporting the project Livelihood Enhancement through Beekeeping, which aims to reduce poverty among rural communities.
50 beehives, honey harvesting equipment and training will initially be provided to ten members of the local community, then used as a platform for the training and support of up to 210 local people who are interested in beekeeping.
Some of the project’s objectives are to establish an innovative model of micro-economic enterprise which can be replicated in other rural parts of Kenya; improve the care and protection of children from HIV/AIDS and other viruses; and improve farming techniques together with agricultural production.
Humana People to People India (HPPI) is an Indian non-profit development organisation that works for the holistic development of under-privileged and marginalised people in 15 states in rural and urban India, reaching out to more than 2.8 million people annually. HPPI’s work strengthens the public health and education systems, creates environmental sustainability, and generates sustainable livelihood options.
In 2023/24, the Eurofins Foundation is supporting the project “Model Village Development Programme in Haryana, India: Solar Powered Water Filter & Street Lights”.
There is a huge energy and clean water accessibility and affordability gap in the Rewari District of Haryana; just 30-50% of the district has a distribution channel of potable water. Only 759 public water connections are available in the district to cater to the water needs of over one million people.
The project promotes access to affordable, clean, and potable water through clean energy sources over 10 years post installation. In addition, solar-powered streetlights will support the safe movement of women in the village after sunset.
The project will:
Humundi (formerly SOS Faim) is a Belgian international solidarity NGO that has been fighting hunger, poverty and inequality in Africa, Latin America, and Europe since 1964. They work through a global network of 70 local partner organisations to support farmers in their quest for food sovereignty and economic autonomy by accelerating the agro-ecological transition.
Humundi’s approach encompasses all players in the food chain, from production to consumption. By encouraging the adoption of agro-ecological practices, they aim to guarantee everyone the fundamental right to healthy, nutritious food, while preserving the planet for future generations.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is providing funding to the initiative “From rural to urban: building resilience of local communities through peri-urban agriculture in Cochabamba, Bolivia.”
In Bolivia, the constant growth of urbanisation (75% of the population is urban vs. 45% in 1970) has environmental and social consequences, such as pollution, pressure on natural resources, loss of land and biodiversity, health, loss of traditions, and changes in diet.
Based on a preliminary research study conducted in 2021 and 2022, Humundi’s project aims to increase the resilience of local communities through agriculture in six vulnerable municipalities of the metropolitan area of Cochabamba (1.4 million inhabitants) through five specific actions:
In 2025, the expected direct beneficiaries are 240 families mostly working informally, along with 600 secondary school pupils, mostly women/girls. Most of the women are also mothers.
Iles de Paix Luxembourg is an NGO that has been active in Luxembourg since 1955, accredited by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. In Africa and Latin America, the association's mission is to train and support disadvantaged rural populations in order to improve their food security and quality of life in a sustainable and autonomous way.
Training is one of Iles de Paix Luxembourg’s major axes of intervention, influencing beneficiaries’ ability to take their destiny in their own hands and take charge of their development in the long run. The association is also focusing on revenue-generating activities for women through the transformation of agricultural production, allowing other needs to be supported, such as school expenses, healthcare expenses, etc.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation supported the project Ally Mikushun for a sustainable food system and a healthy living environment in the Huánuco Valley in Peru.
A total of 989 beneficiaries (498 men and 491 women) were involved in the implementation of the project aimed at offering rural families access to drinking water for human consumption and basic sanitation. In 4 communities, social promoters have worked directly with the families to improve the environment :
In 2023/2024, the Eurofins Foundation renews its support to this initiative.
Inter Aide specialises in carrying out development programmes for particularly low-income, rural families. Since Inter Aide’s creation in 1980, it has carried out work supporting water, sanitation and hygiene, agriculture, health and education needs. Inter Aide programmes target remote rural areas where population density is high, there are few or no NGOs, and the political landscape is stable enough for such programmes to be effective.
In 2019, Inter Aide led 51 programmes in seven countries, and helped 140,821 beneficiary families (732,000 people in total) to meet their vital needs.
In 2020/2021, the Eurofins Foundation supported the Inter Aide project Trees for Tranobe. A Tranobe is a community lineage organisation. The Eurofins Foundation grant allowed 224 Tranobe to be supported in their reforestation work and maintenance of plots in three districts, representing 4,748 active households, including women-headed families. This led to the afforestation of 279 hectares of degraded land.
A 2021 study conducted by Inter Aide has shown that the main impact of afforestation on these communities are the following:
In 2021/2022, the Eurofins Foundation renewed its support to the Trees for Tranobe project.
In total, 414 Tranobe or Lohatrano (lineage groups) have been supported through the project, supporting the reforestation of 380 plots and maintenance of 369 plots (reforested in previous years) in the 3 districts of Mananjary, Manakara and Farafangana.
These lineage organisations represent 6,850 participant households (including many women-headed families).
380 new collective plots were installed for the afforestation of 479 ha of degraded lands. 750,000 trees of different species were planted despite the difficulties met by the local population at the beginning of the year as a result of 2 tropical cyclones in the area.
The main effects of afforestation for beneficiaries are:
Local leaders now consider the importance of afforestation for generations to come in decision making, and the number of requests for new afforestation interventions is growing.
Inter Aide expects that the initiatives developed as part of the programme will influence other organisations with similar purposes in Madagascar and elsewhere.
An external evaluation of the project was carried out by ECO-Consult in June 2022, and one of the main findings of the evaluation was that "socio-organisational and environmental impacts have been demonstrated both in terms of restoring tree cover and reducing the frequency of fires, as well as in terms of social cohesion and the acquisition of technical skills by reforestation farmers."
Le Refuge Foundation provides housing and support to young LGBTQAI+ people aged from 14 to 25 who have been rejected by their parents and expelled from the family home because of their Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics. (SOGIESC).
Le Refuge was created in 2003 and in 2019 opened specific housing for LGBTQAI+ refugees and minors.
Le Refuge offers its beneficiaries a safe environment and the care of multi-disciplinary teams to guide them towards autonomy by helping them to rebuild their confidence and their lives.
Le Refuge also implements prevention and awareness-raising actions, particularly within schools. The objective is to change mindsets so that one day they will no longer receive calls from young people in distress.
Finally, Le Refuge's have set up a phone support line dedicated to LGBTQAI+ young people that can be reached by phone or text message. It makes it possible to establish a first contact with young LGBTQAI+ victims of family prejudice or malaise due to their SOGIESC.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation supported Le Refuge to make their four missions more sustainable, more structured, and, moreover, safer:
To do so, Le Refuge continued to professionalise its actions and support young people by hiring social workers (6 recruited in the first quarter of 2023) and continuing to train volunteers.
Le Refuge has also begun to increase its accommodation capacities, by seeking agreements with the public authorities: 20 new beds opened in the first quarter of 2023 and 40 additional should open in the coming weeks/months in Marseille, Grenoble, Saint-Etienne, and Lyon. To support this development, Le Refuge’s Board of Director has decided to expand the executive committee by hiring a Director of Institutional Relations, who aims to significantly increase the amount of public subsidies in the financing of its actions.
The Eurofins Foundation’s grant also played a key role in enhancing the support and assistance provided to the youth. LGBTI+ migrant youth have been able to access assistance more aligned with their needs, particularly in legal matters. By conducting training sessions in school and professional environments, Le Refuge also successfully increased awareness about LGBTI+ issues, with around 200 pupils attending the sessions in the first semester.
The Lorna Young Foundation’s (LYF) is a UK-based charity working to eradicate poverty by improving social inclusion, protecting the environment, and strengthening smallholder livelihoods.
LYF’s mission, delivered through its flagship Farmers’ Voice Radio (FVR) initiative, is to transform the lives of millions of smallholder farmers through a highly effective and cost-efficient strategy that engages farmers in the production of local radio programmes that broadcast vital farming information, thus improving the long-term viability and sustainability of rural communities.
Since 2009, the Lorna Young Foundation has worked with producer organisations, radio stations, extension agents and market representatives in more than 10 countries across Africa to design and broadcast local language radio content that tackles the most pressing concerns of these farming communities. These programmes have reached a combined total of more than two million listeners with relevant, timely and practical information and knowledge, resulting in the adoption of more sustainable practices, more empowered farmers, and more resilient rural communities. In many cases, programmes have been specifically targeted at women farmers, using community radio as a platform to overcome exclusion, raise their voices and challenge gender norms.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is providing funding to the project “Farmers' Voice Radio for women ginger and hibiscus farmers in northern Nigeria.”
Nigeria is amongst the world’s poorest countries, and northern Nigeria struggles with low-income levels, poor education outcomes, and high infant mortality. Northern Nigeria is also one of the world’s top producing regions of ginger and hibiscus. Due to gender inequality, women famers of ginger and hibiscus have limited access to inputs, finance and markets and are also disproportionately impacted by climate change, which results in low yields. Men dominate in selling these crops, despite women undertaking the labour.
Farmers’ Voice Radio (FVR) is strengthening the livelihoods of 30,000 women ginger and hibiscus farmers in northern Nigeria, to improve the development outcomes and sustainability of Nigeria’s most remote and deprived communities.
Twice weekly radio programmes, broadcast in Hausa language on three local radio stations for nine months, will connect 30,000 women farmers to the knowledge they need to improve the quality, quantity and marketing of their ginger and hibiscus, protect their local environment, and address wider community issues, including health and education concerns.
In collaboration with the NGO Solidaridad and Twinings tea, FVR is using radio to empower women ginger and hibiscus farmers to build profitable farming businesses and more inclusive, sustainable communities.
One Acre Fund, a non-profit social enterprise, is delivering a holistic solution to food security and economic self-reliance for Africa’s smallholder farmers by delivering a critical bundle of services: financing, farm input distribution, agricultural training, and post-harvest support.
The world’s most disadvantaged are increasingly concentrated in a single demographic: smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. By 2030, the World Bank forecasts that nine out of ten of the world’s “dollar a day poor” will live in Africa – and of those, 79% in rural areas, where farming dominates. Despite the incredibly hard work that their job requires, African farmers struggle to increase their productivity as they cannot access the tools and techniques needed.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation supported the programme Building Climate Resilience and Sustainable Livelihood for Malawi Smallholder Families.
One Acre Fund’s clients make up one of the poorest populations on earth, yet their remote location leaves them unreached by major NGOs and governments. One Acre Fund’s offices are located in rural areas, and their proximity to remote farmers allows them to effectively serve those that other organisations cannot.
One Acre Fund helps 87,500 families in Malawi with poverty alleviating and climate resilience strategies. This project will deliver high-quality seeds and fertilisers to farmers. The impact of these inputs will be maximised through weekly field training throughout the season and administered by local field officers.
The Eurofins Foundation’s grant directly benefited over 3,000 farm families out of which 64% were female clients.
The Eurofins Foundation renews its support to One Acre Fund for the period 2023/2025.
The Platform of Family Agricultural Schools of Ivory Coast (PEFACI) is an Ivorian association that supports and develops a network of three Family Agricultural Schools (EFA) and two Rural Entrepreneurship Training Institutes (IFER) in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). These centres train young people aged 13 to 25 in agriculture and livestock.
PEFACI has been present in Côte d'Ivoire since 2006. Benefitting from technical support from the European Institute for Cooperation and Coordination (IECD), PEFACI contributes to achieving three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring universal primary education and promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation provided a grant in support of agricultural training and the integration of young people in rural areas in the Ivory Coast.
The Ivorian agricultural sector is one of the engines of the national economy and represents 20% of the national GDP. This sector employs nearly one in two people of working age, especially in rural areas. However, more than 56% of the rural population is still below the poverty line.
In 2006, PEFACI launched the project "Support for agricultural training and the integration of young people in rural areas", to offer quality training to disadvantaged rural youth. In five training centers throughout the Ivorian territory, 310 young people, 30% of whom are girls, benefit from quality training on production techniques, animal breeding and entrepreneurship for three years. During this time, young people are made aware of environmental issues and sustainable agriculture. Obtaining a broad understanding is at the heart of the project: young people alternate between theoretical training and internship periods, during which they are taught about agricultural entrepreneurship. This pedagogy is a way to give them the keys to successful integration: 80% of the young people trained are employed after the training (including 93 girls), 30% of whom are self-employed.
The Eurofins Foundation’s grant allowed PEFACI to implement the training of young people and to carry out awareness campaigns on the importance of the project to increase the number of trainees. Finally, this support helped PEFACI to communicate with the people surrounding the centers on agroecological practices and environmental protection.
The Eurofins Foundation renews its support to this project in 2023/2024.
Practical Action is an international development group, building sustainable lives and livelihoods with people on the frontlines of poverty and climate change. Its vision is for a world that works better for everyone.
Practical Action works with marginalised communities across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America to develop lasting and locally owned solutions for sustainable agriculture, clean energy access, efficient water and waste management, and climate resilience and adaptation. Underpinning all their work is a focus on influencing policy makers to address systemic barriers to progress, as well as the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is providing funding to “Solar Empowerment for Smallholder Farmers in Bolivia.”
Rural Bolivia faces two interrelated challenges: high levels of poverty, and increasingly severe impacts of climate change, especially drought. Around half of the rural population live in poverty and over half in food insecurity.
In the Altiplano highlands area, irrigation systems are based on dams and canals channeling surface water, which are highly dependent on regular rainfall. The water is salty and unfit for human consumption. Due to the small population, geographical dispersion, and distance from the main cities, marginalised communities of the Altiplano lack access to services and local governments do not have sufficient resources to invest in these communities.
This project supports the adaptation of 10 communities (280 households) through the introduction of improved solar-powered irrigation systems, and training farmers on nature-based agricultural practices to improve productivity and conserve natural resources.
Founded in 2000, SFHC has evolved into a farmer-led non-profit organisation that aims to increase the amount of locally grown nutritious food, promote environmentally friendly farming practices, and develop healthy communities.
The Eurofins Foundation supports SFHC's project to improve nutrition, gender equality, and wellbeing for 500 food-insecure farming households in Malawi. This participatory project responds to the intersecting challenges of food insecurity, poor health and nutrition, and poor soil health, exacerbated by climate change and underlying gender inequalities.
In 2020/2021, Eurofins Foundation's funding allowed SFHC to host agroecology, gender equity, and nutrition training with over 500 farmers from across seven village areas and distribute seeds to over 500 new farmers. These trainings gave farmers the necessary knowledge to improve their soil fertility, boost production, and increase their access to nutritionally dense foods.
By including gender training as part of their educational package, SFHC also encouraged social justice within farming communities, by following a curricula that challenge rigid gender roles. The funding helped disseminate more information to stakeholders such as policymakers, funders, researchers, and other groups whose continued support serves SFHC's mission. Results have demonstrated that this method helps redistribute household labour, incorporate men into caregiving roles, and support equitable decision-making power in households.
As a result, farmers reported widespread legume planting, culinary lessons, and implementation of agroecological training, focusing on the development of women and young people.
Since 2021/2022, the Eurofins Foundation further supports SFHC and Malawian farmers in achieving cooperative independence.
The funding provided by the foundation allowed SFHC to host agroecology, gender equity, and nutrition trainings to farmers from around the catchment area. They also distributed seeds as their overall objective is to help farmers improve their food security and nutrition while improving environmental indicators such as soil quality and biodiversity. These trainings allowed SFHC to serve over 700 new farmers with information that will empower them to improve their soil fertility, boost production, and have more access to nutritionally dense foods. By including gender trainings as part of the educational package, SFHC also encouraged social justice within farming communities. The funding has helped disseminate more information to different stakeholders such as policy makers, funders, researchers, and other groups whose continued support serves SFHC’s mission.
This is a testimony from Anita Chitaya a 49 year old farmer from Bwabwa:
« I have always attended agroecology trainings which included a number of good practices such as compost manure making, soil and water conservation, double –up legume intercropping, crop residue incorporation and agroforestry.
I have been practicing these methods in my farm and they have helped me improve my soils which were very degraded, and nowadays I harvest food to feed my family. In the first year, I just had the knowledge on how to produce food but later on I was also involved in recipe demonstrations which were organised by SFHC and I got involved with the preparation of different recipes from local available crops because my children were suffering from severe malnutrition.
Since then, we have been drinking soya milk and making soya meat and soya African cake, and I have also been making bean sausages.
The soya milk really improved the situation of my malnourished child, because as soon as he started taking the milk, he started gaining weight. In short, I can say that was the beginning of our development in our family. We now know what to plant and how to utilise them. We no longer have to sell all of our groundnuts and soya beans because the legumes have been helpful in improving the nutrition status of my children. »
In 2023/2025, the Eurofins Foundation renews its support to SFHC.
Vita is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable development and improving livelihoods in rural communities across East Africa. With a focus on environmental sustainability and economic empowerment, Vita implements projects and initiatives that address critical challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, and climate change.
By collaborating with local communities, governments, and partner organisations, Vita designs and implements innovative solutions tailored to the specific needs and contexts of each community. Key areas of intervention include access to clean water and sanitation, renewable energy solutions, agricultural development, and capacity-building programmes. With a track record of successful projects spanning decades, Vita is committed to long-term positive impact on individuals and communities and building resilient, thriving futures.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is providing funding to Vita's Sustainable Stoves Initiative: Empowering Women in Their Communities for Healthier Homes in Ethiopia.
The project focuses on addressing pressing environmental and health challenges associated with traditional cooking methods in rural Ethiopian communities, particularly in the Gamo region. Anticipated outcomes from increased adoption of fuel-efficient cookstoves include:
The project targets over 3,300 people in the Gamo region, representing a significant step towards Vita's broader goal of reaching approximately 250,000 people across Ethiopia by 2025 as part of their larger stove programme.
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