About us

Our mission is to help young people living in poverty gain access to education, in order for them to exercise agency over their own future. Our core values are transparency, sustainability, and close collaboration with local partners.

The story about Zelmerlöw & Björkman Foundation

The Zelmerlöw & Björkman Foundation was founded in 2013 by artist, Måns Zelmerlöw, and professional tennis player, Jonas Björkman. Måns and Jonas had previously engaged donors for various types of charities, but they felt unsure about both how the funds were being utilized and the effectiveness of these donations.

 

By creating a fundraising organization together, the duo were able to increase both the transparency and accountability of their raised donations all the way to its purpose and see firsthand the results and effects of their engagement.

 

By combining their two biggest interests, singing and tennis, they created the foundation’s principal fundraising event, the Zelmerlöw and Björkman Invitational, which has become an autumn highlight within the local philanthropic community, consisting of a ProAm tennis tournament and a gala dinner.

What we do

Working in tandem with the UN’s global developmental goals and local partners we raise money to fund education, healthcare, boarding facilities, and access to clean water for young people living in rural areas of Kenya.

 

If you have any question, you are welcome to contact us at hello@zbfoundation.se

How does it work?

We fight for young people’s right to education – especially for young girls who have the strength and courage to create positive change for themselves and their surrounding communities. Strengthening young people’s self-esteem and providing opportunities for education and entrepreneurship, increases the chance that they can break the cycle of poverty via their own agency.

 

We employ a holistic and rights-based work approach (RBA) – focusing on education, safety, and health. Our rights-based approach creates change by empowering young people as actors, rather than passive recipients. We therefore work to ensure that the young people themselves find the strength to improve their situation – thus fostering long-term positive change.

 

We are constantly working towards the UN’s global goals – particularly goal no. 4, Good education for all. We always work with local partners who run all operations with local employees as the long-term goal is self-sufficiency.

 

Additionally, we follow all donations all the way to the intended project destinations- thus we have full transparency and control over the arrival of collected funds.