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.