Today the Saviors Need Saving!

The SAVE the SAVIORS Initiative of Accenture Bulgaria and The Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law supports several social enterprises to survive the crisis and continue saving!

Small businesses which work with the most vulnerable: people with disabilities, young people in difficult situations, single mothers, elderly and others in dire situation. 

The enterprises receive between 3 and 6 thousand BGN with which they compensate their decreased income or cover costs of new activities in the time of emergency situation. In addition to the financial support each company will receive a combination measures which will ensure its sustainability in the future.

• Bon Appetit Catering of the Maria’s World Foundation which supports people with intellectual disabilities. Currently Bon Appetit prepares food for the families of people with disabilities and for social kitchens of churches. The additional funding will cover: the costs for salaries of the cooks in kitchen who also deliver the food in the afternoon; the expenses for leasing of the venues, transport costs; costs for disinfectants and other. The support for them will also include consultation on issues of financial management of activities and marketing in order for them to develop food delivery services with affordable prices aimed mainly to people from the neighbourhood. By continuing its work the social company will deliver warm meals with affordable prices to families and kitchens which give away food to the poor; will ensure the job of the Bon Appetit’s employees;  will ensure the funding of the non-commercial activities of  the Foundation of supporting people with intellectual disabilities which are currently carried out remotely.

• Bistro Caristo of Caritas – Sofia–the Bistro continuous working by delivering food. The main efforts are put in giving away food to the homeless and people in need at the moment. With the funding the Bistro will ensure the needed food products and will cover costs (like transport, administrative costs, part of the salaries, protective gear), which will enable it to prepare additional 180 warm meals daily. Those meals will be delivered to 120 people in the Center for temporary accommodation of homeless people in Sofia and to 60 people in need in the Triadica region. For Caristo this support means that it will be able to continue its work which provides jobs to vulnerable people and at the same time to fulfil the additional social goal, mission of Caritas – helping those in need.

• Art Studio Tvorilnica of the Global Initiative on Psychiatry – Sofia – 4 women with mental disorders work in the sewing studio who at the moment produce protective masks more than 200 of which are donated to social workers and to nursing homes and care facilities for people with disabilities.  In order for the work to continue actively, new products are developed in the Studio which are suitable to the current situation and not only – kits for sewing at home which will provide useful experience to mothers and daughters of for example sewing by themselves aprons. Thanks to the financial support the salary of one employee in the studio will be ensured as well as costs for rent and design and packaging of the new products will be covered. With appropriate consulting from a marketing specialist and a financial expert the Studio aims to popularize its thematic sewing kits for home so they reach more people. The opportunity for people with mental disorders to work in this period plays out the role of a “safe belt” for overcoming the crisis – this is the direct and substantial result of the continuous work of the company in the time of emergency. And this will help the sustainability of the company on the months to come after the crisis.

• The Wonderful Garden of the “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker” Foundation – 22 young people with mental and other disorders work in the Garden producing flowers and vegetables. They despite the difficulties, the social and family isolation (because most of them come from foster homes) work fulltime to guarantee sales of the production and to ensure income for their salaries. The financial support will provide funds which will guarantees that the young people will not be left without income. The continuing work also means emotional support for the young people, because they are not isolated completely, communicate with each other and experience positive emotions. Even with delay they receive salaries. The Wonderful Garden provides its products free of charge to its workers and often donates vegetables and flowers to social services, kindergartens, the two shelters in Dobrich and nursing home in the town.

• Bookshop with a mission “Hope” of Parallel World Association – 6 people with Intellectual disabilities work in the Bookshop. They produce variety of souvenirs – postcards, keychains, thematic decorations, in the workshop of the Bookshop and welcome clients in it. Their parents also help. Due to the time of emergency the company stopped working – it is difficult to organize the transportation of the young people to the workshop. An initial training for the young people is also required for the manufacturing of new products – reusable bags. The sewing is as well possible only in the workshop. For the young people the opportunity ot work is a mean for the to fill fulfilled, to communicate with other people. To organize the transportation of the young people and to ensure future deliveries of materials and finished products the Association needs a company vehicle. The financial support will help them buy one and to resume the work in the workshop.

SAVE the SAVIORS!