REIMAGINING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
In Partnership With:
Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC)
GFA Consulting Group GmbH
ACTED
Alfanar
Changelabs
2023
REIMAGINING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Insights from Egypt, Jordan & Lebanon
The Social Entrepreneurship for Migration and Development (SEMD) project was designed to respond to 2 of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s (SDC) Programatic domains of intervention: Protection & Migration; Education & Income. The aim was to contribute to the creation of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that enables the development and implementation of innovative entrepreneurial solutions to migration & development challenges in the Middle East, namely in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. Switzerland takes an inclusive approach where nationals, migrants, refugees and their families can benefit from innovative solutions to community challenges. Sustainability and innovation have been at the heart of this project, with partnerships established with support structures in each of the three countries that contributed to a strengthened ecosystem and ensured a transfer of technical know-how to a larger number of social entrepreneurs. The project also supported innovative social enterprises to sustain and grow, and fostered national and regional exchanges and collaborations between stakeholders.
This publication is a result of a rich 30 months of implementation, where experiences, knowledge, lessons learnt, exchanges and discussions are documented and disseminated for future interventions. It aims to provide a practical guide for social enterprises (SEs) and social entrepreneurship support structures (SESTs) in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, to enhance their knowledge, strategies and the tools enabling their impact, growth, and sustainability. The publication’s content is derived from the project’s 14 regional and national roundtable meetings held in the three countries, bringing together policymakers, social entrepreneurship experts and practitioners, social entrepreneurs, investors and funders, development and donor agencies, and end beneficiaries to discuss ways to empower SEs and boost their growth, sustainability, and impact. It also includes the viewpoints of several credible field experts, real-life case studies, and lessons from successful social enterprises.
This publication is designed for social enterprises working with local communities, migrants and refugees. It can also benefit social enterprises that wish to become more inclusive of migrants and refugees within their groups of beneficiaries, and start-ups aiming to incorporate sustainable and impact-driven objectives, and practices into their operations. The publication is also designed for social enterprises at different stages of their life cycles, including pre-seed, seed and growth. It aims to support them during transition phases, as they grow from one stage to the next by seeking funding and scaling their operations. It can also provide guidance to social entrepreneurship support structures, such as incubators, accelerators, programme designers, and potentially donors and investors in designing impactful programmes for social enterprises.