Since its founding in 1997, NESsT has invested financing and business expertise to develop social enterprises that bring innovative solutions to alleviate poverty in emerging market counties. Now, NESsT is teaming up with Kiva, a nonprofit social lending platform, to provide greater capital and a broader foundation of support to our most successful portfolio enterprises.
Recycle, Rehabilitate, Respect: The Upasol Story
Upasol, a social enterprise in Chile, reinvests revenues from recycling services into the only rehabilitation center for people with physical and mental disabilities in the Elqui Valley, a region recently hit by devastating mud slides. The enterprise uses an innovative model of educating the community to recycle, which significantly reduces waste while generating profits channeled toward high quality rehabilitation for the poor.
NESsT has worked closely with Upasol since 2007 to refine and implement its business plan and assess new growth opportunities. Upasol is now ready to expand its capacity and scale its social impact, with a $35,000 loan through a new NESsT/Kiva partnership.
Why Does Upasol Need a Kiva Loan?
With a Kiva loan, Upasol can buy a truck for collection and transportation of raw materials and recycled products, purchase equipment for improving the recycling process, and expand warehousing capacity in its waste-processing center. By collecting, processing, storing, and marketing more reusable goods, Upasol can generate more jobs, greater revenues, and stronger rehabilitation services.
Help Upasol invest in growing its impact by using the Kiva online platform. Kiva's platform leverages a network of over 1.2 million lenders to provide funds to social entrepreneurs around the world. With $25, you can ensure that Upasol will be able to reach its scaling goal of doubling tons recycled, and consequently doubling the number of children and adults benefited by rehabilitation, within 5 years.
In addition to lending Upasol $25, please share this opportunity with your network!
Upasol’s Impact:
- 61 tons of recyclable materials collected annually
- 75 percent of rehabilitation facility costs covered by revenues
- 4,000 people total benefitted from Upasol's recycling services and rehabilitation center
- 3,000 people educated in the local community on recycling basics in 2014