11 February 2026

ARGENTINA

The Video Game Born in a Small Village That Reached the Big Leagues

From Labordeboy (900 inhabitants), Santa Fe Province, Argentina, an entrepreneur supported by My Business ROOTED in My Village, a program of ES VICIS Foundation, reached the most important exhibitions in the video game industry with an educational project aimed at raising awareness about a condition common in children and adults. Natasha Dubrowsky is an entrepreneur and video game developer. She lives in Labordeboy, a small village in Santa Fe Province, Argentina, and participated in My Business ROOTED in My Village, a program of ES VICIS Foundation. Her journey shows how support, planning, and a concrete opportunity can transform an idea into a project with real impact. Thanks to the work carried out together with her mentor Romina Gleria within My Business ROOTED in My Village, and the financial incentive she received after obtaining second prize in this program, Natasha was selected by a video game incubator and participated in two key industry events: XR – Rafaelina Video Game Industry Exhibition, a showcase that brings together video game developments from across Santa Fe Province. There, her project was the only one coming from a small village, in a space largely dominated by productions from Rosario, Santa Fe city, and Rafaela. Expo EVA, the largest video game exhibition in the Argentine industry, which brings together developers, studios, investors, and sector leaders at the national level. Reaching these stages was not accidental. Natasha explains that before participating in the program she had many ideas but struggled to organize them: “I have many ideas in my head and it’s very hard for me to bring them down to earth. That’s exactly what My Business ROOTED in My Village helped me do: stop fantasizing and start executing.” “I started working on documents, visualizing where I saw the company and how I saw myself. I didn’t want to do it without a purpose.” That process led her to define a clear mission: to develop immersive video games that not only entertain but also teach. “I’m tired of casual games where you don’t learn anything. That’s why one of the most important pillars is that the player has to think. We’re not going to solve everything for them, because today there’s an overuse of tutorials and constant help for players.” The experience in My Business ROOTED in My Village also allowed her to prioritize concrete goals: “That’s when I defined that one of my goals for 2025 was to reach Expo EVA, the most important video game industry exhibition in Argentina.” The path was not easy. Natasha couldn’t meet development timelines on her own and decided to bring Kevin on board, who is now her partner. Later, the project was selected by a Santa Fe–based video game incubator seeking to strengthen developments from the province: “There were only 10 spots and they asked for a lot of requirements, and we were one of the first games selected,” she says with joy and pride. That selection was decisive, enabling participation both in Expo EVA and in the exhibition held in Rafaela. In addition, the financial award granted within the framework of My Business ROOTED in My Village, which recognized the value of her venture, allowed her to make key investments to move the project forward: “The game is developed on a graphics engine that is quite expensive. With the prize, I was able to buy equipment and materials so the engine would run properly on the computer. That was super important.” Nina Moreau: A Video Game to Build Empathy and Strategic Thinking The project Natasha presented at both exhibitions is called Nina Moreau, and it centers on the experience of a detective who lives with a neurodivergence that science today refers to as AuDHD, a co-occurrence within the autism spectrum and Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without hyperactivity. “In the game, no diagnosis is mentioned. Since the story takes place in the late 1970s, she simply feels ‘different’ or excluded in a system that doesn’t understand her, but she ‘thinks’ and ‘feels’ in a particular way,” Natasha explains. Personal Inspiration “My greatest inspiration for developing Nina Moreau’s character was my dad and my own experience for the game mechanics. Many times, it was hard for me to put my neurodivergence into words, so I designed the game so others could experience it from the inside rather than receiving a medical lesson,” Natasha explains. She also notes that the game includes many mechanics inspired by the neurodivergent mind: Hyperfocus: When activated, it reduces external stimuli (sounds and lights) and highlights key clues to connect the dots.  Stimming: Repetitive behaviors people use to self-regulate—especially common among people on the autism spectrum, but also present in people with ADHD, anxiety, or even neurotypical individuals. It is a mechanic that can help or hinder the player when connecting clues.  Hyperfixation (Photography): Nina is a photography enthusiast; she uses her Polaroid camera to record clues and write her conclusions in a notebook.  From a small village in Santa Fe Province to the main stages of the national industry, Natasha’s story shows that when planning, support, and concrete opportunities come together, impact multiplies.  

Switzerland

Dialogue and Intersectoral Models: Learnings from Davos

During the week of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, a recurring challenge emerged across multiple conversations: while global interest, capital, and policy attention for rural and territorial development are growing, their translation into concrete, community-level impact remains limited. One of the cross-cutting messages during the WEF week was the centrality of dialogue as a tool to address contemporary economic, social, and territorial challenges. Beyond its conceptual dimension, dialogue was repeatedly framed as a practical mechanism to align stakeholders, rebuild trust, and reduce fragmentation across sectors. Yet, the gap between intention and implementation remains significant. For ES VICIS Foundation, these discussions confirmed the relevance of a model developed and implemented over more than a decade, based on structured dialogue, community building, and intersectoral cooperation among public, private, and civil society actors. The ES VICIS framework is designed to operate in complex territorial contexts and to translate dialogue into action by structuring local processes, clarifying roles, and accompanying implementation on the ground. A recurring tension in Davos was the difficulty of effectively channeling impact capital into concrete projects in rural and peripheral territories. Despite growing availability of funds and institutional interest, the absence of operational frameworks, articulated local actors, and implementation-ready projects often prevents investments from reaching communities in a timely, accountable, and sustainable manner. In this context, the ES VICIS framework functions as an operational bridge between capital, territory, and community. By articulating local actors, structuring multi-stakeholder dialogue, and supporting execution, the model reduces coordination costs and enables capital to be deployed with clarity and measurable outcomes. Dialogue, in this sense, becomes a form of social and institutional infrastructure that allows investment, policies, and partnerships to materialize in the form of local jobs, productive capacity, and strengthened livelihoods. The conversations in Davos made clear that the challenge today is no longer only to define priorities at the global level, but to ensure that resources, policies, and goodwill effectively reach people and places. Intersectoral models capable of closing the gap between the global agenda and local reality are no longer optional—they are essential. Within this landscape, the ES VICIS approach consolidates itself as a practical, field-tested response to an increasingly visible need in the international debate: transforming dialogue into implementation, and global interest into grounded, community-level impact.

ARGENTINA

Financial Literacy and Digital Skills in Early Stages

Thanks to the agreement between ES VICIS Foundation and Junior Achievement Santa Fe, secondary school students from the villages of Maggiolo and Santo Domingo (Santa Fe Province, Argentina) accessed scholarships for high-impact training opportunities that strengthen their economic autonomy and future employability.. During the last quarter of 2025, this alliance enabled students to participate in online courses focused on Personal Finance and Artificial Intelligence—two critical skill areas for navigating today’s labor markets, digital economies, and everyday financial decisions. Why Early Financial Literacy Matters Understanding how money works from a young age is a key driver of long-term economic resilience. Financial literacy empowers young people to make informed decisions, plan ahead, and reduce vulnerability to debt, exclusion, and informal financial practices—particularly in small rural communities where access to guidance and tools is limited. This need is reflected in global data highlighted by Junior Achievement Santa Fe: according to S&P’s FinLit Survey, nearly two-thirds of adults worldwide are financially illiterate. More specifically, 44% of young people under 35 lack basic knowledge of core concepts such as inflation, interest rates, and saving. Addressing this gap early is essential to breaking cycles of economic fragility. Personal Finance Training in Santo Domingo In Santo Domingo, a village of 1,800 inhabitants, more than 40 students from 4th and 5th year of the Agricultural Technical School completed a Personal Finance course designed to provide practical, everyday skills. The training covered saving, investment, financial planning, and the use of digital financial tools, including fintech platforms increasingly present in daily life. Beyond theoretical knowledge, the course strengthened students’ confidence and decision-making capacity, helping them understand how to manage personal income, contribute to household stability, and plan future projects. For many participants, this was also their first experience with virtual learning—an additional step toward digital inclusion. Students reflected on the impact: “It gave us tools for everyday life and for the future.” “We learned about fintech, fixed-term deposits, bonds, and stocks—things we use or hear about but didn’t really understand before.” “It helped us move toward financial independence and even support our families.” Introduction to Artificial Intelligence in Maggiolo In Maggiolo, around ten secondary school students participated in an introductory course on Artificial Intelligence. The training explored generative AI, ethical considerations, real-world applications, and practical tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot. The objective was not only technical literacy, but also the development of critical thinking, creativity, and digital autonomy—skills increasingly required across professions and educational pathways. Students highlighted the relevance and applicability of the content across subjects and daily tasks. “We learned a lot and found it very engaging.” “It’s something we can apply in other subjects and in the future.” Impact Beyond the Classroom By facilitating access to high-quality financial and digital education in small villages, this initiative contributes to long-term community resilience. Young people gain tools to better navigate economic systems, make informed choices, and envision future opportunities without needing to leave their territory prematurely. This experience reinforces a core principle of ES VICIS Foundation’s approach: investing early in human capital—especially among youth—is one of the most effective ways to strengthen rootedness, autonomy, and sustainable local development.

ARGENTINA

When Impact Capital and Capacity Building Turn into Local Jobs

During 2025, ES VICIS Foundation implemented a comprehensive strengthening process with the CONFEMAG Textile Workers’ Cooperative in Maggiolo, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. Through the strategic channeling of impact funds, combined with targeted training and organizational support, the cooperative strengthened its structure, increased local employment, and sustainably improved its productive capacity.   The Foundation supported CONFEMAG through an integrated approach that combined productive investment, business model strengthening, and organizational development. As a result, four new jobs were created, and the foundations were laid to increase productivity and members’ returns over the medium term. A key milestone of the process was the USD 10,000 impact investment provided by the Ameropa Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organization promoting long-term humanitarian, educational, and agricultural initiatives in vulnerable communities, and a supporter of ES VICIS programs in Argentina since 2025. These funds were strategically allocated to the acquisition of essential machinery: two bartack machines, one overlock machine, one button machine, and one steam iron. This targeted investment removed critical production bottlenecks, enabling the cooperative to expand capacity, optimize workflows, and improve efficiency in the production of workwear. In parallel, CONFEMAG participated in My Business ROOTED in My Village, an ES VICIS program focused on strengthening local enterprises. The cooperative completed an intensive training process on business models and received personalized one-on-one mentoring to refine its growth strategy, value proposition, and economic sustainability. Recognizing the positive impact of this integrated process, the Alimentaris Foundation supported an extension of specialized mentoring. This additional phase deepened the impact of the productive investment by addressing key organizational dimensions, including a workplace climate survey and facilitated working sessions on internal communication, coexistence, and collective planning. Technical assistance was provided by sector specialists, supporting the cooperative in implementing concrete management tools such as cost and pricing models, monthly production planning, and indicator dashboards to monitor production volumes, client portfolios, financial returns, and the valuation of working hours. The process concluded with an in-person workshop where productive advances, machinery integration, and the results of the workplace climate survey were collectively reviewed, and future development priorities were defined. Thanks to this comprehensive strengthening and effective channeling of impact capital, CONFEMAG is now positioned to further increase its productive capacity, improve the profitability of cooperative work, and project the creation of an additional three to four quality jobs in the village. For 2026, members are expected to see a 40–50% increase in returns, supported by sustained production and improved economic resilience. A Cooperative with History and a Future CONFEMAG is a cooperative with more than 50 years of experience in the production of workwear in Maggiolo, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. It is composed of 24 members—predominantly women heads of household—who generate local employment in a largely agricultural region, strengthening the village’s productive and social fabric.  

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