We believe in a world where the most vulnerable communities envision and lead their own development—through trust, shared capital, and united efforts. Unio exists to scale these visions into reality.

Investing in Local Ventures. Led by Communities. Built on Trust.
In the world's poorest regions, local entrepreneurial groups are building village ventures that create jobs, solve problems, and strengthen their communities.

Unio exists to support them.
At the heart of our work is the Community Chest—an effective tool, a community-based revolving fund that gives small local ventures the capital and trust they need to grow and thrive.

Self-propelling Shared Prosperity. Not Charity.
Unio invests in productive peoples. Communities lead the investment decisions, contribute to and co-create the solutions, and own the productive means. Our proven model combines revolving capital, business training, and essential services & product delivery with a deep commitment to local leadership, agency and dignity. It is not a traditional aid model. We don’t give handouts— It’s a system that replaces dependency of aid with agency and shared ownership. It moves away from short-term transactional relief to long-term sustainable impact.

A New Way to Global system change: Build Local Futures.
Every amount repaid and reinvested strengthens our Community Chest — fuelling more village ventures, neighbourhood markets and local value chains, nurturing wellbeing from the inside out. Together, we’re growing shared prosperity, one cycle at a time.

Scaling Together
Unio is our vehicle to scale this approach globally. We’ve already launched Community Chests in 6 countries—India, Bangladesh, The Gambia, Niger, DRC, and Colombia—across 30+ communities. Now we are ready to scale to hundreds.

Therefore, we are looking for partners, funders, businessowners and changemakers who share our communities’ visions.

Unio - Let’s Trust Communities - Together!


From the communities

Explore the real-life stories of local leadership and lasting change.

West Africa


Investing in Healthy living ventures

  • In a rural community, we're supporting the launch of a soumbal production venture. This initiative boosts food self-sufficiency while generating income through community-owned processing.

    Food security

    In Tangakoira, Niger, a saving group with 21 women - called Amana - is leading their community to greater wellbeing. By building their joint village venture producing 'mari-bi' (soumbal) from sorrel seeds. Many neighbours help them. Making bricks, building the shed, ordering the machines, delivering the sorrel seeds in big bags.

    These women learned how to be a saving group, and have put in their own joint savings. They learned how to use, clean and maintain the machines. Now they are running this soumbal business. It's this independent, productive group of ladies, who're leading the way to shared prosperity for their community.


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  • In a village in DRC 25 women take agency and provided access to clean water, by investing with their own joint savings with the help of most neighbors, beating the spread of water-borne diseases.

    Access to water

    Meet Iranga mw’Cibebe, member of a women saving circle in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) “Our collaboration with the community chest has truly transformed our lives as women in the saving group. Before, we faced many challenges accessing clean water and supporting our families. Today, with the water taps installed and the pigsty project, we can provide clean water for our children and generate income to improve our households. This support has empowered us, giving us the confidence to manage these projects, work together as a community, and create a better future for our families. We are deeply grateful for your belief in us, as it has shown that when women are given opportunities and resources, they can become powerful agents of change in their communities."

    With 15 other members, they have all been saving and last year agreed to put their individual savings together, in order to get a substantial additional amount of capital in their community chest, for the sole purpose to invest in a clean water installation.

    This was exactly what they wanted: access to clean water, because so many of their children are affected by water-borne diseases. In less than 6 months they've mobilised the larger community members to build the water installation. Now they have 6 water taps, sell on average around 100-150 buckets (20 liter) of water. All 500 community members benefit from this! What a local leadership, this is what we call community change makers!


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South Asia


Investing in Local Value Chains

  • With the Mumpy Cheeta group in India, we’re co-investing in an incense stick production enterprise. It’s a sustainable livelihood initiative rooted in local skills, traditions, and serving a local religious market.

    Incense sticks

    Mumpy Cheeta and her group of several local women make incense sticks. They buy powder at the market and mix it with charcoal. They usually start at 10:00 AM and leave for home at 4:00 PM. With an investment of 750 euros, they bought machines together: one to automatically produce the incense sticks and another to package them properly. Now they can produce one kilogram of sticks (about 1,100 sticks) in fifteen minutes. A box contains 12 sticks, which they sell for 10 rupees.

    Other groups that make incense sticks now buy from their packaging. They also train other women in making these sticks. The women are incredibly proud. Cheeta says, "We used to be just housewives, now we earn 800 euros a month."



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  • Pooling resources to develop the local chicken and egg value chain, boosting livelihoods and food security.

    Chicken & eggs

    Building a chicken and eggs value chain in Assam, India.

    This is one of the productive groups. They invested their savings, plus capital from the community chest, in a chicken coop, a feeding system, vaccinations, and food. They started with 200 chicks. They raise chickens and sell eggs locally in their rural village. Their goal is to grow to 4,500 chickens. When one woman is away, the other takes care of the chickens.

    One of the members tells us that she married a man from this village and therefore has no immediate family nearby. In India, it's traditional to live where your husband lives. Now that she's a member of this group, she feels much more at home in this village.

    The elected village committee in the same village in Assam, is investing in an incubator. This is a heated box where eggs can hatch into chicks. Anyone, every individual, but also groups of women who raise chickens, can have their eggs hatched by the village committee for a few cents. This way, a value chain for chickens and eggs is gradually being created. A win-win situation.

    The women's group and the village committee are now planning to arrange purchasing contracts with local shops. The area is buzzing with entrepreneurial spirit now that investment has become possible.



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  • In Bangladesh two self-help-groups invested the capital from their community chest in a power tiller. Before, they had to rent such a device. Now all farmers in their village can use it with a pay-per-use model.

    Rent-a-tiller

    In Bangladesh two self help groups invested the capital from their community chest - holding their own joint savings as well as their social capital-. The joint investments were used to buy a power tiller. Before, they had to rent such a device. What happened?

    • Increased Income for Women’s Groups: The two acquired power tillers were put to use, generating income for self-help group members by offering land cultivation services to local farmers.
    • Improved Agricultural Productivity: Farmers who used the mechanized plowing services – with a pay-per-use-model - experienced faster land preparation and better crop yields, as the tillers allowed for more efficient soil management.
    • Skills Development & Empowerment: Women launching this village venture gained valuable knowledge in machinery operation, financial management, and group decision-making, increasing their independence and economic agency.
    • Stronger Community Collaboration: Through weekly group meetings and project planning sessions, women’s groups strengthened their collective action skills, leading to a more structured and organized approach to managing shared resources.



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  • Community Water Initiative. This village group in the North prepared their village plan and is ready to co-invest in a shared water pump to access their local pond. This effort addresses a recurring three-month seasonal water shortage and lays the groundwork for long-term climate resilience and agricultural sustainability.

    Water facility

    This cluster of nine villages houses 2,800 households and several productive groups. One group burns herbal soap, another group makes water hyacinth products, and another burns jewellery. Silkworm production is also present in the region.

    A democratically selected village committee has been established, which, together with the productive groups, has discussed the greatest needs at the village level. They have jointly concluded that the water supply in their villages can be improved, and that everyone benefits. Research shows that 1,200 people (have to) buy water for two planting seasons per year to irrigate their fields. If they were to acquire a water pump, they could irrigate their fields even when the lake's water level is low. This happens on average 3 months a year.

    Therefore, they intend to invest in a water solution using the community chest. That’s their village venture plan.



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  • Community Access to Health. In Darjeeling, this women-led group is planning to launch a community-run ambulance service to improve access to emergency care.

    From food to Access to health

    This group of five women are based in Darjeeling. They used to pick fruit and sell it at the market. When asked, "What do you want?", they immediately knew they wanted to invest in a solar-powered dehydrator. They did this with their own savings and our capital in their community chest. Now they dry 50 kilos of fruit and vegetables. Several people from their village use this dehydrator, which operates on a pay-per-use model. They pay per kilo. The value of dried fruit is much higher than fresh.

    They now also use a grinder, which can process herbs into powder. Dried ginger powder is also more valuable than fresh ginger, and it has a longer shelf life.

    Now, as a village, they want to invest in the well-being of their village by establishing an ambulance service. Naturally, they'll invest their own savings—that's part of our approach. The proceeds can then be used to repay the investment—in their community chest. Afterward, they can reinvest it - the idea at this moment is to use it for a water facility.



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  • Community Hygiene. In Assam, this group of soap producing women are ready to bring more hygiene products into their rural village, improving sanitation practices at the same time.

    Hygiene

    This group of five women in Assam started with a training to make a type of cleaning product (phenyl). They then formed a group and started saving, each 300 rupees. Once they had saved enough, they bought the ingredients and started their joint production of this cleaning product. They make and sell these products, building up a customer base amongst their neigbors. Five to seven customers return regularly.

    After their start-up, they’ve learned that the packaging could be improved. Their plan for the next joint investment focuses on this: thicker, sealable packaging. Furthermore, they're investing in a new product: hand soap. The machine they need for this can refill existing packaging. Very sustainable as well.

    To continue growing, they need a permit/card from the local government, which they’ve applied for, with the help of our local partner.



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Ready to Commit to Community- Led Change?

Join us in backing the local businesses who are building inclusive and sustainable futures inside out. Your support helps fund the initiatives that communities choose—and ensures that investment flows where it matters most.


Each initiative reflects a local vision & shared ownership - the core of what makes Unio’s model different. Many more communities are ready to go and invest in our local futures, with locally produced products, community-based shops, worker-owned businesses, citizens-managed public services. Do you want to contribute to flipping the system, from mass-production to production by the masses? Here are the communities ready for your co-investment!

For funding partners

Invest in Communities. Multiply Impact. Create Lasting Change.
At UNIO – Trusting Communities, we partner with funders to generate meaningful, long-term value. Your investment goes beyond short-term gains—it helps re-build systems rooted in dignity, resilience, and community-driven shared prosperity.

Over five years, your investment delivers exponential returns—financially, socially, structurally, and across generations.

Why partner with Unio?


  • Direct-to-Community Capital Deployment Your investment goes directly to organized productive groups in underserved communities,
  • Community Co-Investment Local community groups match your investment with their own time, savings and social capital. We call this our 3x Multiplier. Every €1 invested generates at least €3 in value because it will be re-invested at least 3 times.
  • Sustainable Impact Your investment continues to circulate within the Community Chests, supporting new cycles of growth and development for future generations.

Giving Options that fit your vision

We offer flexible, direct and sustainable impact giving models, each designed to match your philanthropic goals:

  • Join a giving circle
  • Business/Thematic aligned Partnerships
  • Country Adoption

Every partnership includes personalized support, transparent reporting, and direct connection with the communities (if you like).


“I immediately felt taken seriously. My contribution gained real meaning.”

Philanthropist & Unio Giving Circle member


About us

Our Mission

Unlocking the power of communities to shape their own future
At Unio, we believe every community has the power to shape its own future—when trusted with the right tools, resources, and opportunities.

Our mission is to expand access to capital for productive groups in underserved communities, helping them invest in what they know matters most. These are not top-down decisions: they are community-led, community-owned, and community-driven.

Through the Community Chest, we back the local associations of workers, neighbours and small businesses, who are building their own solutions from the ground up based on reciprocity and mutualism.

Our Vision

Investing in People. Powering Shared Prosperity
We envision a just and inclusive world where:

  • Marginalized communities are visible and valued
  • Local voices influence decisions that affect their lives
  • Community-led solutions are recognized and supported
  • Community-based production is stimulated
  • All communities have equal access to resources to thrive

We are working to replace systems built on extraction, charity and dependency with ones grounded in dignity, agency, and shared prosperity.

Our goal

Improving the wellbeing of 5.5 million people by 2030
How we get there:

  • Capital in the hands of communities
    We invest directly in productive community groups, empowering them to grow local businesses and drive development on their own terms.
  • Focused on the most underserved
    Over 80% of the communities we work with live on less than €3 a day
  • Powered by the Community Chest
    Our proven, self-sustaining model enables communities to lead investment decisions, co-creating their own solutions to community challenges, and own the outcomes.
  • Growing community agency, assets and income
    We build on social capital—trust, cooperation, and reciprocity, growing community resilience that lasts.

This is local development—owned and led by the people it’s meant to serve.

Organisation

Unio - Trusting Communities is an independent foundation based in the Netherlands, dedicated to advancing community-led development on a global scale.

Our work is built on long-term partnerships and guided by a governance model that values trust, collaboration, and accountability above all else. We are committed to putting communities – not institutions – at the center of development.

Our founders

UNIO – Trusting Communities is co-founded by Drishtee (2003) and Kula (2018). Drishtee is an award-winning social enterprise with decades of experience working with thousands of rural villages in India, building several empowering support systems, impacting the lives of millions of peoples. Kula has piloted the community chest in six countries in the most impoverished communities. Together Kula and Drishtee built on decades of experiences and Unio draws from the deep community engagement and recognized impact of both. Their work has been acknowledged across diverse platforms and through transformative interventions, making Unio a trusted steward of community-centered development.

🔗 Learn more about our social venture plan: Download our Social venture plan

Our Governance

Rooted in community
Unio is governed by a diverse network of community leaders, grassroots organizations, and dedicated volunteers, all united by a shared belief in community ownership and a lasting transformation driven by the communities.

At the heart of our structure is our Supervisory Board—a group that:

  • Represents the voices and priorities of local, productive groups around the world
  • Brings deep expertise in social impact, community-driven development, and community leadership
  • Serves entirely on a voluntary basis, receiving no financial compensation

This inclusive model keeps our strategic direction firmly dedicated to the communities we serve—ensuring that resources go where they’re needed most, and decisions are made with integrity and local insights.

unio overview

No hierarchy - just shared purpose
At Unio, leadership isn’t about control – it’s about partnerships.
Our Board doesn’t operate from the top down. Instead, they work alongside communities, serving as embedded partners who:

  • Co-create strategy with those closest to the challenges
  • Guide investments that reflect local priorities
  • Ensure accountability and sustainability by encouraging local ownership. This shared model of leadership keeps us grounded, responsive and aligned with the communities we support.

“Being on the board of Unio means listening first. We don’t make decisions for communities—we help unlock what they already know they need.” Erlijn Sie Board member & co-founder

Meet our Board members


Swapna Mishra

Swapna Mishra – Chair & co-founder,
Swapna is one of the co-founders and currently the General Secretary of Drishtee Foundation. She plays an instrumental role in structuring Drishtee’s various programs enabling self-sufficiency and self-reliance through community leadership. Her focus areas, as a core team member, have been community building, enterprise and innovation, women empowerment and capacity building.

Erlijn Sie

Erlijn Sie - secretary & co-founder
Erlijn is co-founder of Microcredit for Mothers and Kula International. She has been leading the Banking with the Poor network, and is author of the book "Reimagining Financial Inclusion" (2021).

Rene Pieterse

Rene Pieterse - treasurer
Seasoned as treasurer and fundraiser with Kula International (2018), on top of his 30 years of business (IT) consultant experience.

ANBI


Unio has been granted the ANBI status (ANBI = "Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling”) by the Dutch tax authority, meaning that we’re acknowledged as a Dutch not-for-profit foundation creating benefits for the society as a whole, in May 2025.

ANBI

“All this is simply to say that all life is interrelated. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality; tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. As long as there is poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich even if he has a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people cannot expect to live more than twenty or thirty years, no man can be totally healthy, even if he just got a clean bill of health from the finest clinic in America. Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.”
Martin Luther King Jr.


Our approach

Locally Driven. Collectively Governed.
At Unio, we don’t prescribe solutions—we invest in local leadership and community agency.

Our mutual organizational model ensures that mission, vision, and strategy emerge from the communities we serve. Through the Community Chest, we fund initiatives that are defined, led, and owned by local community groups—responding directly to their priorities and realities.

These are not charity projects. They are strategic investments that meet essential needs, create livelihoods, grow agency and assets in the community, and strengthen collective wellbeing.

A Strategy That Grows from the Ground Up
We follow an emergent strategy—a flexible, learning-driven approach that evolves directly from the communities' insights and experiences. Our Board members, partners and communities, engage in continuous participatory planning cycles where we asses, reflect and adapt. In this waywe jointly shape our path forward. This model ensures that our work remains rooted in real needs, lived realities, and continuous learning.

The Community Chest: Fuelling Local Solutions
At the centre of our approach is the Community Chest—a revolving fund and a symbol of trust. Managed directly by local community groups, these pooled resources are reinvested in ventures that respond to what matters most on the ground.

From essential services to daily needs, investments focus on:

  • Renewable Energy
  • Clean Water, Hygiene and waste management
  • Access to Healthcare and Healthy living
  • Housing & Furniture
  • Nutritious Food & Food security
  • Textile and Clothing
  • Sustainable Agriculture

Practical, powerful, and led from within
Unio’s role is not to direct these efforts, but to support independent, productive local community groups as they drive sustainable development and wellbeing from within. Unio co-invests with communities. The place holder for our pooled resources is the community chest. Pooled resources consist of members’ savings and social capital, plus Unio’s capital.

unio communitychest

FAQ

UNIO – Trusting Communities is a Dutch foundation. It operates as a collaborative initiative co-founded by Drishtee (2003) and Kula (2018), focused on enabling community-led development through access to capital and support systems. We work with underserved communities to build shared prosperity through productive group empowerment, community-owned investment, and systemic change.

We’re guided by the mindset shift that:

  • we move from ego- to ecosystem awareness and cultivate a mindset of mutuality
  • we believe in place-based knowledge and learning (most answers are already there - but host an inconvenient truth)
  • we focus on nurturing trust-based relationships of mutual respect, empowerment and care
  • we adapt to be inclusive of communal practices and adopt and value a caregiving and mutual cooperation attitude
  • changing a community comes from change within a person, within everybody involved

Beyond our direct community support, we co-lead the Move to Mutualism—a global effort to transform current development and economic systems. We aim to build a more equitable, inclusive society by promoting cooperative values, local ownership, and decentralised and networked collaboration across communities.

The Community Chest is our signature solution. It’s a revolving capital model, that channels funds directly into the hands of small, productive community groups—based in left behind countries. Together with them we invest capital in livelihood-generating assets. The Community Chest is geared to growing income, assets as well as wellbeing, that all stays in the communities we serve.These funds are repaid, reinvested, and continue to circulate, multiplying impact over time.

We partner with grassroots productive groups in left-behind communities, the majority of whom live on less than €3 per day.

Our model is sustainable by design. Community Chests are revolving by nature, meaning the capital is reused again and again. In addition, we build local capabilities, promote ownership, and co-create long-term solutions with community members—ensuring ongoing impact beyond our direct involvement.

UNIO is not a charity. We shift the narrative from aid dependency to agency and local leadership. Communities lead the investment decisions, contribute to the solutions, and own the results. Our approach combines capital, education, and essential services with a strong emphasis on community ownership.

UNIO invests together with the communities, without value extraction from the communities. Nor do we take interest. However, the original amount co-invested with the community is channeled back to the community chest and re-invested (always in the same country). Unique to this model is that the investment continues to generate impact in the community. And that it is multiplied with other resources from the community, the social capital, time and savings. In this way it’s fully geared to impact acceleration, through agency and ownership taken by the community.

We welcome partners who share our vision of community-led development. You can:

  • Fund or co-invest in Community Chests (capital)
  • Support the Academy, Toolkits, Labs (capacity building) or our flagship Global Mutualism Fellowship
  • Join the movement (advocacy & awareness raising)

We measure impact through a combination of quantitative data and qualitative insights, using both regular reporting and powerful storytelling from the ground. Our approach tracks both direct and indirect outcomes, including:

  • Number of communities and productive group members engaged
  • Capital invested and revolved within Community Chests
  • Increases in income, assets, wellbeing and social cohesion
  • Levels of community participation and local ownership
  • Signs of long-term, system-level change through partnerships and advocacy

All our data is community-informed and shared transparently with stakeholders. Just as important as the numbers are the stories—real experiences that show how locally rooted ventures are shaping more sustainable, resilient futures.

We currently operate in selected communities in countries in Latin-America, Africa and South Asia, with plans to expand as our network and capacity grow. Our model is designed to be locally adaptable and globally scalable.

Currently, through Kula and our country partners, Unio is active in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, The Gambia, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Colombia. However, scaling only happens when communities and partners are ready—with the commitment, systems, and capabilities in place to grow responsibly.

UNIO delivers a comprehensive, interconnected system designed to empower communities and scale grassroots impact.

Our key offerings include:

  • A global collective of local communities and productive groups, united through mutualism and supported by curated services.
  • The Community Chest—a sustainable, revolving capital model that enables community-led joint investments in local livelihoods and community assets.
  • An Academy, including facilitated peer-to-peer learning circles, an anual Global Mutualism Fellowship for community change leaders.
  • A digital platform that amplifies community voices, showcases scalable models, and fosters cross-sector collaboration—reshaping the global narrative around community-led development. Together, these elements form a powerful ecosystem that nurtures mutual prosperity, dignity, and long-term resilience.

Partnering with UNIO offers a unique opportunity to drive high-impact, community-led change with strong alignment to global development priorities.

Here's why:

  • High Leverage: A relatively modest capital investment goes far—thanks to deep community ownership and high social return on investment.
  • Scalable & Replicable: Our proven models are designed for adaptation and expansion across regions and contexts.
  • System-Changing: UNIO shifts the development paradigm and current extractive economic practices —placing power and decision-making directly in the hands of communities, not institutions.
  • Globally Aligned: Our work supports major global agendas, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), localization of aid, and the mutualism economy—all while staying deeply grounded in local realities.

At Unio, venture plans are not selected by us—they are proposed and prioritized by the communities themselves. Each Community Chest is managed by a local group made up of trusted community members. These groups identify the most urgent needs and promising opportunities—such as starting a small enterprise producing essential goods, investing in solar infrastructure, or improving access to clean water.

We work closely with country partners who have long-standing relationships with these communities. They speak the language, share the cultural background, and have spent years supporting and appreciating the work of independent productive groups. Their deep local knowledge and extensive networks help ensure that every venture is grounded in real context and trust.

Venture plans are then reviewed and approved through a transparent, community-led decision-making process, often with input from Unio’s local partners and technical advisors to ensure feasibility and sustainability.

This bottom-up approach ensures that every investment is locally relevant, fully owned, and community-driven. Keeping income, resources, and opportunity rooted in the community.

Funding is only disbursed once the venture plan is approved, the productive group agrees to invest their own joint savings and comes with social capital. This ensures full commitment and shared ownership from the start.

Here’s how the process works, step-by-step:

  • Proposal & Commitment: The local productive group develops a venture plan and agrees to co-invest using the joint savings of all its group members.
  • Approval: The plan is reviewed and approved through the community committee and supported by Unio’s local partners, trusted facilitators with strong relationships, shared cultural backgrounds, and deep local insight
  • Disbursement: Once approved, funding is released in phases from the Community Chest to ensure accountability and measured progress.
  • Monitoring: Both the community committee and Unio’s local partners track implementation, use of funds, and outcomes closely.
  • Repayment: All investments made in ventures include a repayment component. Each repayment lands in the Unio partner’s escrow account, ensuring secure, transparent fund management.

This revolving model allows your contribution to fuel not just one, but many locally driven village ventures and neighbourhood businesses—sustaining growth and value creation within the community over time.

Accountability is core to everything we do at Unio. We build systems that are transparent, community-led, and trusted by all stakeholders.

Here’s how we ensure responsible use of funds and shared accountability:

  • Community Governance: Each Community Chest is managed locally by a group of respected community members, who discuss venture plans, budgets and reporting with the productive groups. This creates built-in accountability from within the community.
  • Clear Agreements: All funding is tied to a co-developed agreement outlining responsibilities, timelines, and repayment terms when applicable.
  • Continuous Monitoring: Local partners and Unio team members regularly monitor progress, offer support, and verify outcomes—without disrupting local ownership.
  • Annual Review Cycle: we engage in a participatory planning and review process to reflect on what worked, adapt where needed, and ensure our strategy stays aligned with community needs.
  • Full Transparency for Donors: Financial partners receive regular updates, outcome reports, and direct stories from the communities they support.
  • Strong Community Commitment: Because community members know that repaid funds return to the Community Chest—to be reinvested again and again in new ventures—they show a strong sense of responsibility to repay, report, and keep the cycle going. This shared purpose fosters a high level of accountability at every step

We believe accountability grows best where there is trust, participation, and shared purpose, not bureaucracy or top-down control, but through mutual respect and shared vision.

At Unio, we’ve built a connected network that is based upon trust and mutualism. It anticipates challenges, turning them into structured learning moments that strengthen the entire network.

At least twice a year, our local partners—who maintain close relationships with productive groups—submit reflection reports. These include detailed accounts of ventures facing difficulties, whether it’s machinery breakdowns, poor product-market fit, packaging complaints, or repayment delays.

Here’s how we turn those challenges into actionable insight and accountability:

  • Root-cause reporting: Local partners document not just what went wrong, but why—and what solutions were tested.
  • Peer learning circles: Facilitated conversations—often topic-specific (e.g. packaging, local marketing, digital sales)—enable other groups to learn directly from those who’ve experienced setbacks.
  • Cross-community sharing: We connect similar ventures across regions (e.g. soap makers, peanut processors) to troubleshoot, exchange tools, and share strategies.
  • Support team response: Technical experts and field teams step in when needed to provide targeted advice or assist in reworking venture plans.
  • Obviously, we encourage sharing between communities with similar trades, challenges and solutions, before launching new community ventures.

Crucially, because every community knows that repayments return to their own Community Chest for future reinvestment, there is a strong sense of responsibility to recover, adapt, and repay. Accountability is not just enforced—it’s internalized.

Ultimately, the Community Chest model is designed to absorb risk, so one failed project doesn’t undermine the entire system. Funds continue to circulate, and communities grow stronger with each lesson.

Unio works in communities where the need is real—but where the potential for lasting, community-led development is even greater. We focus on underserved regions where:

  • Community voices are overlooked
  • Local groups show strong initiative, cohesion, and readiness to co-invest
  • And, where we have strong partners with extensive networks and strong relationships with communities.

Our approach starts with identifying trusted local partner organizations—typically through Kula, Unio’s founding organization and ongoing Board member, as well as the Move to Mutualism network. These partners have deep roots in the communities, speak the local language, and bring years of trust-based relationships and experience.

We don’t “enter” communities with fixed plans. Every engagement is co-created—beginning with listening, and moving forward only when there is mutual commitment, trust, and alignment.

Currently, through Kula and our local partners, Unio is active in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, The Gambia, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Colombia. However, scaling only happens when communities and partners are ready—with the commitment, systems, and capabilities in place to grow responsibly.

In short, Unio is a powerful vehicle for funders and partners who want to invest in sustainable, inclusive, and locally owned transformation—where growth is earned, not imposed.

Not in the traditional sense. Your capital becomes part of a Community Chest in one (or more) country, where it’s continuously reinvested in locally owned ventures. As the original investment is repaid, the funds are reused by the same or another community to launch new initiatives—creating lasting value and expanding access to essential services. You won’t see a financial return, but you will see a powerful return in the form of long-term, community-driven impact.

Yes. Everybody has ‘skin in the game’. Each venture plan is co-invested by the community, using their own savings and deep social networks. Local people bring their financial and social capital—offering support as buyers and workers—ensuring that every initiative is deeply rooted and widely supported.

A Giving Circle is a group of individuals who pool their resources on an annual basis, to invest in community-led ventures. It’s a hands-on, collaborative way to give—members come together twice a year to decide which groups to support. But it’s more than giving; it’s about satisfying a wish to build sustainable futures WITH the people co-creating them. It’s for most people very interesting and a powerful learning journey too.

Still have questions? Please reach out.


Contact us

Please do not hesitate to contact us!

Unio Trust
Lauwerecht 96
3515 GV Utrecht
The Netherlands
+31 6 10413917
info@uniotrust.org

Tax authority number (RSIN):
867795785

Bank account:
NL39TRIO0321052846

ANBI:
867795785

ANBI

We are part of the Move to Mutualism