Latest Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives - Just a Click Away
Macedonia
“The Social Enterprises Network Mk” is a platform for communication and cooperation between different social enterprises, promotion of the public image of the sector, provision of cooperation and multisectoral partnerships.
“Treebanks” is a simple but powerful concept. With each booking you make through their partners together we plant a tree for free. It does not cost a dime and yet you help fight the pollution and C02 on the long run.
“Zhabec” is the first and only educational center for children that promotes the topics of ecology and environmental protection.
“Umbrella Lounge Bar” is the only restaurant of its kind in the country that employs people with disabilities for their inclusion and economic empowerment. It is a social enterprise that includes people with disabilities through active work.
“Kopche” is a project developed by the Red Cross as a result of many years of work in the field of donating clothes and distributing it to the most vulnerable.
Therapeutic community “POKROV” is the first long-term rehabilitation program of withdrawal from drugs, alcohol and hazard in Macedonia, opened in 2009 structured on the principle of the global therapeutic communities.
Street Magazine “Face to Face” is one of the pioneering social enterprises in North Macedonia. Available since September 2012 and sold in five cities – Skopje, Kumanovo, Negotino, Struga and Bitola.
It operates within the Association Public, and enables magazine sellers to resocialize through social outreach and integration through development and outreach programs, thus preparing them for an open labor market. The magazine engages people who have not received enough opportunities for development (street youth, people with disabilities, homeless people …), thus empowering them economically and socially.
“Esnaf” is a social enterprise that unites craftsmen. It is a platform for the development of small craft businesses, established by the Creative Macedonia Institute, with the aim of bringing together craftsmen and connecting them with customers. “Esnaf” is also working to create employment opportunities for craftsmen that are a part of some vulnerable groups of people. The platform promotes green businesses that do not harm nature, combining business and social equality.
Guided by its social mission, namely the desire to improve social status and access to rights for marginalized communities, Association HERA has launched a social enterprise “Nega Plus” that offers professional care for elderly people at home.
HumanaS is a home care service for elderly people (palliative care), regardless of their health and social status. They employ long-term unemployed persons and socially at risk (female victims of domestic violence, single parents, youth, adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds).
“Mama Organa” is a company formed to collect food waste and by adding value to it, to produce organic fertilizers and innovative soil substrates. “Mama Organa” also provides jobs for socially excluded single parents.
“HOPS” primarily conducts its activities in order to improve the status of drug users and sex workers, as well as all other marginalized groups in the society and in this context they all are direct users or target groups in the operations of the organization.
Albania
YSB is active with its projects in Balkans since mid-2012. It was formally established in Albania, in February 2013 (as “Foundation Yunus Social Business Fund Albania”, registered in Albania in February 2013) and since 2015 it has expanded its activities towards other non-EU Western Balkan countries under its “Yunus Social Business Balkans” name. It aims to address social issues through the supporting creation of startups/businesses that have potential to create social impact for the society in Western Balkan countries.
GjejZa app developed by Arla, Dea, and Jonada is a solution against gender-based violence. The app offers options to get a legal, psychological, and medical consultation. It breaks myths on gender violence, shares success stories, and has an SOS menu with emergency holiness. They are Winners of Technovation Challenge 2019.
“The Center for Promotion of Civil Society” is contributing to the strengthening of civil society in B&H by supporting the development of civil society organizations and their mutual cooperation and networking, establishing a framework for effective relations with the government and profit sectors and developing civic activism, as well as promoting the non-profit sector as a quality and indispensable actor in the socio-economic sector development of the country.
Croatia
The Creative Development Association “Slap” advocates and promotes for development of social entrepreneurship.
AuThink is an award winning social enterprise at Social Impact Award and presents is a system, designed and implemented by four students, with one main goal in mind: to help children with autism! But in order to do so, we were aware that parents and teachers who work with them can also be helped. That is why AuThink was designed bearing them in mind as well.
Bosnia & Hercegovina
CDP “Globus” is the first center for the development of social entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Team of “Globus“ (Globe) is composed of highly motivated professionals/experts who have years of experience in implementation of projects in the field of social inclusion, employment and entrepreneurship.
The Coalition for Development of Social Entrepreneurship “Udruzheni mozhemo vishe” (Together we can do more) has 35 members encompassing civil society organizations and social enterprises.
“The Center for Promotion of Civil Society” is contributing to the strengthening of civil society in B&H by supporting the development of civil society organizations and their mutual cooperation and networking, establishing a framework for effective relations with the government and profit sectors and developing civic activism, as well as promoting the non-profit sector as a quality and indispensable actor in the socio-economic sector development of the country.
Kosovo
“Kiku 3D Toys” is an UPSHIFT-winning youth-led social enterprise whose goal is to express and improve the creativity of children by turning their 2D drawings into real toys.
“Bear Sanctuary Prishtina” is a social enterprise that saves bears from that are kept as pets and used as animation (restaurant bears). Here, the bears have the chance to live under professional supervision and in an environment suited to their species.
“Villa Katundi” is a social enterprise that offers alternative tourism in Kosovo by adopting the circular economy model.
Bulgaria
amaritans Association emerged in 1998 with the main mission to work for full inclusion in society of disadvantaged children, youth, and families in the municipality of Stara Zagora. The association operates a centre for social and educational support to vulnerable groups of children, crisis centre “Samaritan House”, and complex for social services.
The “NadEzhko” bakeries, developed under the company NadEzhko, are part of the Bread Houses Network and offer an innovative mix of an organic bakery with interactive bake-house and a community centre, where people of all walks of life, socially excluded groups and people with disabilities mix to regularly make, bake, and break bread together.
The “Synergia Foundation” was established in early 2015. As a public benefit NGO, its mission is to improve the well-being of visually impaired people by implementing successful social entrepreneurship practices and fostering dialogue and interaction between citizens, businesses, state and NGO sector.
Serbia
The project “Development of Social Entrepreneurship in the Rasina District” aims to create an enabling environment for the development of this type of business in Serbia, first in the Rasina District.
“isoBillboard” wants to solve two problems: the huge amount of posters the city has been painted on and the approximate number of facade-free homes across the country. Frequent gluing of posters (which otherwise turn into waste) gives a multilayer structure that could have good thermal insulation properties. Pressing the poster would produce material that is highly flammable. As the project is based on recycling and environmental responsibility, it would be necessary to place waterproof eco boards, which are made of recycled tetrapacks, in certain places before the posters.
HearO is an award winning (Social Impact Award and FLUO) social enterprise that deal with problems of deaf people.