Moving the Work Ahead – Together – in 2026
Nestor Carbonera
Chairperson
FSSI
FSSI enters 2026 with a renewed commitment to strengthen the systems, partnerships, and communities that sustain our work. This year, the organization will focus on improving organizational capacity to enhance project quality, operational efficiency, and portfolio performance. We aim to ensure that FSSI remains responsive, efficient, and better equipped to support the growth of social enterprises.
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Our work takes place within a broader context. With the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals approaching, social enterprises across the Philippines continue to demonstrate how community-based solutions can contribute to national development. From expanding access to energy and essential goods to strengthening agricultural value chains and creating sustainable livelihoods, these enterprises show how locally driven initiatives can generate meaningful social and economic impact. Through our Triple Bottom Line (3BL) strategy of People, Planet, and Profit, FSSI continues to support enterprises that balance financial sustainability with community and environmental well-being.
This month, we also celebrate women and recognize the achievements of women-owned and women-led social enterprises (WSEs). WSEs are important drivers of inclusive development as they create jobs, strengthen local economies, and ensure that economic growth leads to greater equity and empowerment. As we celebrate their leadership, FSSI reaffirms its commitment to supporting women social entrepreneurs and ensuring that their contributions remain central to the sector’s growth.
Forty years after the People Power Revolution, we are reminded that FSSI’s own story is deeply linked to that historic moment. The democratic space opened in 1986 helped enable the debt-for-development agreement between the Philippines and the Swiss Confederation that led to the establishment of FSSI in 1995. Since then, FSSI has worked to channel these resources toward building social enterprises that create sustainable livelihoods and advance environmental responsibility. Moving into 2026, the same spirit of collective action that sparked our beginning continues to light our path. Alongside our social enterprise partners, FSSI is accelerating the growth of community-driven enterprises, turning local ingenuity into sustainable livelihoods. By centering our work on People, Planet, and Profit, we are ensuring that progress reaches the marginalized communities where it is needed most.
