Pride in action: Dela social entrepreneurs working towards a more inclusive world for all

As Pride Month 2025 unfolds, we acknowledge the work of social entrepreneurs who are ensuring that no one is left behind, regardless of their sexual orientation, age, identities, or background. Two of these social innovators are Ashoka Fellows Francisco Quiñones Cuartas from Argentina and Federico Armenteros from Spain.  

Both Francisco and Federico are participants of the current edition of the Dela programme, co-created by Ashoka and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, where they’re further refining their systems change strategies to continue their work towards a more inclusive, dignified, and fair world for all.  

Restoring dignity through the power of community 

Francisco Quiñones is the co-founder of Mocha Celis, an organisation that aims to shift the mindset of companies, government officials, and citizens and their approach to addressing challenges experienced by Travesti, Trans, and Non-Binary (TTNB) people to a more effective and holistic manner. 

The Mocha Celis TTNB High School is the world's first trans school, and it has inspired similar programs in more than 15 of Argentina’s provinces, as well as Brazil, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Chile. With over a hundred students each year aged 16 to 60, the school also welcomes LGBTQIA+2S, Afro-descendant and migrant individuals. In addition to offering high school completion, the Civil Association provides vocational workshops to promote employment and personal development.  

Since 2014, over 10 cohorts have graduated with a degree as experts in community development, enabling them to pursue higher education nationwide. Many graduates have also secured positions in the public and private sectors. The school empowers students to become knowledge producers and has published books, produced documentaries, and organised various cultural events.  

Through Francisco’s participation in Dela, Mocha Celis is incorporating new tools to increase their impact and scalability. In Francisco's words, “For Mocha Celis, Dela represents a profound process that enables us to plan our scalability and take a confident step toward the systemic change we envision. This is approached from a new perspective while simultaneously reinforcing the strength of our own foundations. Moreover, it has been a valuable opportunity to learn how other Ashoka Fellows are navigating this journey, and to connect with our collective potential from a diverse and integrated standpoint.” 

Now, as they go through the Scoping and Experimentation phase of Dela, they’ve been working on new research about experiences and success stories related to trans employment in Argentina. The goal is to generate key insights and compelling evidence to strengthen Mocha Celis' employability programme and amplify its systemic impact within the corporate sector. 

 

Aging with Pride: empowering LGBTQIA+2S seniors 

Meanwhile, in Spain, Federico Armenteros has been working for a paradigm shift in the older LGBTQIA+2S population, as they face unique challenges due to the intersection of age and their identities. 

Through Fundación 26 de Diciembre, Federico and his team have been focusing on comprehensive care for LGBTQIA+2S seniors including housing, mental health care, personal support, and socialisation throughout the Spain and abroad. 

The organisation has so far offered personalised holistic care to over 5,000 LGBTQIA+2S seniors. In addition, their programmes and projects have facilitated extended access to social and health services, ensuring that thousands of seniors receive the care they need.  

One of the initiatives they’ve been working on focuses on driving systemic change in the way older members of the LGTBIQ+ community are cared for in residential care settings. Through the development of a Diversity Certification programme, residential facilities will be able to enhance their internal procedures and create safe and inclusive environments. The goal is to increase the participation of LGTBIQ+ seniors in these services where currently only 4% of them access such resources. 

Through participating in Dela, Federico and his team have connected with other Ashoka Fellows like Francisco, as well as IKEA co-workers, to improve the management and impact, and consolidate their systemic change. “I feel grateful to the Ashoka Fellowship program for guiding us through the systemic change process within Fundación 26 de Diciembre. We're looking forward to continuing to work with IKEA co-workers toward the promotion of LGBTIQ+ seniors' rights,” said Federico. 

Now, as they enter the final stages of the accelerator programme, Federico is leading a pilot project aimed at bringing an LGTBIQ+ certification to life. The initiative seeks to develop an LGTBIQ+ certification seal for companies and organisations: a meaningful tool to drive deeper, long-term cultural change. It centers on training and guiding institutions in adopting care models that emphasise person-centered attention and inclusivity. Fundación 26 de Diciembre, with its extensive experience in this field, is well-positioned to lead the development of this framework.

The Dela programme is currently in its fifth year and has supported over 50 social entrepreneurs in their systems change journey to scale their impact beyond their organisations. Learn more about the programme and meet the current cohort here.