The Work4Progress (W4P) program, launched in India in 2016 and subsequently in Peru and Mozambique, by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, seeks to create new employment opportunities. The program operates as an open platform for social innovation, formed by civil society organizations, financing institutions, research and technology agencies, and public stakeholder institutions. This program is operational in 345 villages across Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand, and works with socially and economically disadvantaged communities, women, and young adults. Social innovation is at the core of the W4P approach and brings with it advanced tools and methodologies for key processes of listening, co-creating, prototyping, and accelerating. The starting point and an ongoing principle is deep listening, which lays a solid foundation for community-centeredness, innovation, and social change. A strong emphasis on developmental evaluation, learning, and knowledge building helps to gather insights, refine program strategies and processes, and pave the way for acceleration.

“la Caixa’’ Foundation celebrates 25 years of international cooperation in 2022. Over the years, the foundation has forged strategic alliances to impact and transform the lives of thousands of people through decent employment, education, health, and humanitarian aid. The Work4Progress (W4P) program is part of its employment portfolio and brings a new approach of social innovation to unleash entrepreneurship and create jobs for women and young people.

Through this issue of the newsletter and subsequent ones, we will share the program’s experience of transferring the social innovation approach for entrepreneurship-led job creation through partnerships and collaborative actions that are already underway in the program geography and beyond.

download full publication