Help those in need across CEE by supporting the work of NESsT to develop social enterprises in Central & Eastern Europe

 

Eco-friendly nappies that help raise money for mother/child health promotion. A home decoration business employing people with disabilities. Audio‑books for blind and visually impaired people seeking greater access to education and employment. These are just a few of the social enterprise projects in central and eastern Europe that NESsT, an international non-profit organisation, has supported since 1997. Social enterprise – the practice of using commerce to raise funds for charitable purposes – is a growing phenomenon around the world, including in the Bank’s countries of operations ... And now NESsT wants staff at the EBRD to get involved.* 

 

You can help NESsT in two ways:

1. DONATE: EBRD is promoting an employee fundraising campaign to support NESsT's fundraising activities benefiting the social enterprises in its CEE portfolio. NESsT accepts individual donations in the UK through NESsT UK, a charitable company registered with Companies House (No. 6816824) and the Charity Commission (No. 1128823). You can make a donation: 

 - online with your credit card through JustGiving;

- by cheque to "NESsT UK" or cash to Stephanie Guillon at EBRD (guillons@ebrd.com)   

* If you would prefer to make a donation to NESsT through its charitable entities in the USA, Hungary or Romania, please contact Barb Alvarado at NESsT at balvarado@nesst.org for further details.   

 2. VOLUNTEER: NESsT is keen to hear from EBRD staff who would like to volunteer their time to help social enterprises in the region. EBRD employees who speak the languages of the countries where NESsT operates (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia) are particularly sought after as almost all of the organisation’s work is done in local languages. If you would like to explore volunteer opportunities, please contact Lee Davis at NESsT at: ldavis@nesst.org.  

About NESsT

Founded in Budapest in 1997 by social entrepreneurs Lee Davis and Nicole Etchart, NESsT works to solve critical social problems in emerging market countries by supporting social enterprises. NESsT has provided financial capital and business management support to over 2,000 social enterprises in 10 countries across CEE and Latin America, transforming thousands of lives and demonstrating entrepreneurial and sustainable solutions to critical social problems. Visit www.nesst.org

 

Read more about NESsT's work and portfolio of social enterprises in its "Making the Grade" report for CEE.

  

*You can also read more in EBRD's BluePrint Digest article "Wanted: People Like You!" (2010 Issue 9, pages 16-17).