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The fifth edition of the Best NGO Business Project Competition ended with an official award ceremony held in Matti-d Hall, Sofia on February 24th, 2016. The competition was part of the Programme for Social Entrepreneurship set up by the Bulgarian Center Not-For-Profit Law (BCNL) and the UniCredit Foundation with the support of the America For Bulgaria Foundation (ABF).
Lyuben Panov, BCNL Director, shared: “We see this programme as a very important one as it stimulates people to search for working solutions to their problems. We believe that supporting an organization to engage in economic activity related to its mission would solve the problem it seeks to address for a long time”.
Maurizio Carrara, UniCredit Foundation President, explained why the Foundation supports the programme: “I personally believe that strategic support for the evolution of social enterprises in their initial stages is of key importance for the development of non-profit economy both today and in the near future. This is one of the pillars of our activity - in 2015 UniCredit Foundation supported 30 incubator programmes in 13 different countries all around Europe and thus directly helped more than 280 social enterprises.”
This year the jury was composed of:
Ralitsa Krasteva (Siemens)
Georgi Breskovski (Mikrofond)
Daniel Chipev (BNT)
Belizar Marinov (Eleven)
Desislava Taliokova (America For Bulgaria)
Krum Aleksiev (UniCredit Bulbank)
Radomir Milanov (SAP)
Anna Cravero (UniCredit Foundation)
Two organizations were awarded first prize by the jury, each of them receiving a cheque for 12,000 Bulgarian leva to implement their ideas. The prize for Best Business Idea went to the Listen Up Foundation, Sofia. It was awarded by Mr. Levon Hampartzoumian, CEO of UniCredit Bulbank. The idea of the foundation is to integrate a system for automatic translation in aid of people with impaired hearing.
The prize for Greatest Social Impact went to the Altruist Association from Varna. The award was presented by Lenko Lenkov from the America for Bulgaria Foundation. The Altruist Association won the jury with its idea of a workshop for concrete products to be created in Varna’s prison.
The jury also provided one additional prize of 6,000 Bulgarian leva. It was awarded by Ms. Ralitsa Krasteva from Siemens, Bulgaria, to the Helping Hand Foundation from the town of Dobrich for their idea to develop services for children and elderly people following the Montessori system.
The special prizes determined within the programme “Your Choice, Your Project” through voting among the employees of UniCredit Bulbank are given to finalists in last year’s programme. They were awarded by Mr. Maurizio Carrara, the president of the UniCredit Foundation, Milan, to:
- The workshop for dolls and souvenirs of the Cancer Patients and Friends Association, Burgas. They received the first special prize of 5,000 Bulgarian leva. Working in the workshop is a way for female cancer patients to relieve themselves of stress and negative emotions.
- The workshop for ceramic works and candles of the Concordia Foundation, Sofia received 3,000 Bulgarian leva. The workshop provides an environment where disadvantaged youths, coming from troubled families or straight from the streets, can develop working habits and history in order to improve their prospects of finding an employment.
- The Hrankoop Cooperative, Sofia received the third prize of 2,000 Bulgarian leva. Their idea is for the creation of farmers’ baskets based on subscription.
The purpose of the programme is to stimulate NGOs to develop economic activity in support of their mission. The programme includes trainings on the development of skills needed for the growth of social entrepreneurship, on how to compile business plans for starting successful economic activities and in the concluding part - a competition for the best business plan.
In 2016 a record number of civil organizations joined – 60, out of them 25 were selected to partake and 7 continued to the final race. These were the Tsvete Theatre, the Altruist Association, the Organization of Bulgarian Scouts, Ideas Factory, the Helping Hand Foundation, the Listen Up Foundation, the Center for Creative Training.
For the first time the event included also a bazaar of social enterprises which had received support by the programme in its previous editions. Twelve organizations had the opportunity to present themselves and their products for a cause before representatives of the business and the civil sector.
Additional information of the organizations participating in the bazaar, that were part of the programme
• The workshop „HOPe SOAP" of the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion make hand-made soaps. The mission of the workshop is to support disadvantaged youths to build working skills and to enable them to find a job.
• The Hug Me Art Workshop of the Hug Me Association, Sofia, makes items of art and books. The mission of the workshop is to reveal the artistic potential of children and youths from social homes and thus to overcome the discriminatory attitudes towards them.
• The Betel Foundation, Sofia, manages a workshop for restoration of old furniture. Its mission is to help people in fighting different kinds of addictions.
• The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds makes badges and indicators for birds in support of its two nature conservation centers– Poda and Iztochni Rodopi.
• The Concordia Workshop of the Concordia Bulgaria Foundation, Sofia, makes ceramic items and decorative candles. Their mission is to encourage employment of people coming from vulnerable groups.
• The Cancer Patients and Friends Association, Burgas, has a workshop for dolls and souvenirs which is being used as a way to relieve female cancer patients of stress and negative emotions.
• The Transformatori Association, Sofia, makes alphabetically arranged bicycle racks, systems for urban and countryside furniture, cupboards for storage and charging of electronic devices. The revenues from the social enterprise are being used for improvements to the urban environment.
• Martenitsi, souvenirs and glycerin soaps is what the young people with intellectual disabilities make at the Maria’s World Foundation, Sofia. The mission of the foundation is to enable young people to establish themselves professionally more successfully including through programmes for assisted employment and mediation for hiring.
• The Hrankoop Cooperative, Sofia presented in the bazaar baskets with various farmers' products.
• The Bee Social Enterprise of the New Way Association from the village of Hayredin produces honey in different packages. Its mission is to support the employment of vulnerable groups in one of the municipalities with the highest rate of unemployment in Bulgaria.
• The Tuk-Tam Association presented in the bazaar a book named “Career in Bulgaria. Why not?” which comprises of the stories of Bulgarians who have made it beyond Bulgaria’s borders.
• The Listen Up Foundation works towards support for integration of people with impaired hearing. It will sell martenitsi hand-made by its supporters.
Contact Person:
Ralitsa Nikolova
Tel.: +3592/981 53 23