About SUSTAINEXUS
Making good sustainable development work easier to do, and easier to prove
Our mission
To democratise access to sustainable development knowledge and tools through a global open marketplace of digital and non-digital resources, while carrying out practical development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa that bring together nature conservation, environmental health, waste management, poverty reduction, support for vulnerable people and food security.
Our vision
A world where every development practitioner, researcher, community and individual has free access to comprehensive sustainable development tools, and where every intervention recognises the link between protecting nature and improving livelihoods, between environmental health and human health, and between healthy ecosystems and reduced poverty.
What we believe
- Nature and livelihoods are one problem. Projects that protect ecosystems while leaving people poorer do not last, and projects that lift incomes while degrading the land do not either.
- Knowledge should be free where it matters most. The people doing sustainable development work are rarely the people with money for software and data.
- Evidence beats assertion. We want data that can be traced to its source, and we report outcomes honestly, including when they disappoint.
- Local partners lead. Communities and local organisations know their context. We support them with tools, data and funding; we do not replace them.
- Be accountable in the open. We publish how we are governed and how we manage conflicts of interest and risk.
How we are organised
SUSTAINEXUS MTÜ is a non-profit association registered in Estonia. It brings together three things that began as separate efforts: a free knowledge and tools platform (OpenKnowledge), a data platform (the Data Centre), and field implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa. They share a mission and a brand but run independently, so each can succeed or be maintained on its own.