They make ajvar, sew backpacks and grow organic vegetables: These are SOCIAL ENTERPRISES whose noble ideas are yet to be heard of

They make ajvar, sew backpacks and grow organic vegetables: These are SOCIAL ENTERPRISES whose noble ideas are yet to be heard Chopped mild and spicy ajvar, rosehip jam and plum Požegača are products made by employees in Leban, and sold in the Radanska ruža online shop and in stores across Serbia.

Their colleagues from the social enterprise Countryside retreat from North Macedonia offer accommodation, vegetarian and vegan food, accessible facilities, a swimming pool and hippotherapy in working with people with disabilities at a ranch of rescued animals, while magician Kristijan from the Srećotvorci association from Skopje educates children and parents through performances on environmental protection and mental health.

A total of six ideas were supported in the program “SEME inclusion – social enterprises for economic development and social inclusion”.

These are developed social enterprises and those in the initial stages of development or establishment, which operate responsibly and aim to achieve social or environmental impact.

In the category of initiators is Green Witches, a social enterprise that was created through the mission of two women from Kumanovo, with the aim of producing eco-food and educating people for a holistic lifestyle, while respecting the rules of permaculture farming.

There is also an association with an ecological mission for green projects Ignea, which produces organic cosmetics from plant ingredients, as well as the Center for Social Integration and Empowerment – SIEC, whose designers developed a product – a backpack, which will be made by members of minority groups in Skopje.

This project is part of the Cross-Border Cooperation Program between Serbia and North Macedonia, funded by the European Union, through the Sector for Contracting and Financing of EU-funded Programs of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia.

At the final conference, it was stated that the social economy is motivated by community, not capital, and that it contributes to improving the lives of vulnerable, less employable groups, implements environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, and fosters solidarity.

It was emphasized that progress is visible and that institutions in both countries are showing interest in supporting the development of the social economy. A regional declaration on the social economy has also been launched.

There are only 20 social enterprises in Serbia, which is an extremely small number, while in North Macedonia there is currently no such register.

In an interview with Price with a Soul, Predrag Stošić, director of the social enterprise Radanska ruz, stated that all employed women belong to marginalized groups of the population (women with disabilities, single mothers, women who have suffered violence) and that many of them live in mountain villages in the Lebane municipality.

“We created a system that works so that to this day we have not had a single sick day, we have never introduced a norm, there are no defined working hours, and a break is taken when they decide” (Predrag Stošić)

“We put a smile back on their faces because they saw this company as their new home, which provides them not only with economic security, but also with social inclusion in the community,” said Stošić.

Radanska ruza was founded in November 2015, and at that time, out of 5 employees, 4 were women from marginalized groups of the population.

Today, the company has 25 employees, 22 of whom are women, and annually, among other things, they produce more than 50 tons of organic peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.

“The company’s greatest success came in 2019, when we launched primary production and production of finished organic products. Since 2020, we have had our own organic raw materials and about 5 hectares of organic fields under collective certification. We are now among the largest producers of organic pepper in Serbia,” said Predrag, adding that Radanska ruža’s products are also sold in Austria, where they have a long-term contract with the Balkan Express company.

Less than 200 km from Lebane, in the capital of North Macedonia, Kristijan Šopov from the Srećotvorci (Happiness Makers) association came up with the idea of ​​promoting ecology to children and parents through magic tricks. Aware that the planet is being polluted every day, he wanted, as he says, to make his contribution and try to change that.

“I hope that my idea of ​​an eco-illusionist will be met with a positive response. I will reveal to you one part of the show: I take old newspapers that I tear up and explain to the children that new paper can be made from that old paper. When the children say the magic word “recycling”, the newspapers are put back together,” he says.

“We will use the support we receive in the SEED of Inclusion project to produce magic shows on the aforementioned topics,” Kristijan Šopov, a famous Macedonian magician who began his journey into the world of magic 20 years ago and has trained more than 50,000 children so far, told Price with Soul.

A leg injury prevented Maria Duda DiBiaggio from returning to America, which is why she stayed in North Macedonia, and during the recovery period she stayed on an estate outside the city, in Rankovac. That is how the social enterprise Countryside retreat was born.

“We are engaged in animal rescue, hippotherapy and equine therapy with horses, as well as education in the field of environment and animal protection. This project is a great opportunity for cooperation between the two countries and for meeting other social entrepreneurs,” said Marija.

The creation of a backpack at the Center for Social Integration and Empowerment – ​​SIEC from Skopje also caught the attention of Priča sa dušom.

This is an association and a collective of designers who create urban fashion products through upcycling (reusing old items, where items are recycled and improved).

“We advocate for equality for all citizens, and the backpacks will be made by marginalized groups of citizens: Roma and Albanians from Skopje. We will buy a machine on which we will train people to sew and embroider for free,” said Amar Kačar, a representative of SIEC.

All participants selected to participate in the Academy of Social Economy had the opportunity to work with a team of experts for 5 months to improve their business and social mission.

The total value of the awards is 15,000 euros, and ideas are supported in the range of 2,000 euros for ideas in development and up to 3,000 euros for developed companies.

The Academy of Social Economy program is implemented within the project “SEME inclusions – social enterprises for economic development and social inclusion”, which is implemented by the Trag Foundation ARNO from Skopje and Optimist from Bosilegrad.

Author of the text: Nenad Blagojević; Photographers: Saša Đorđević and Jelena Đukić Pejić; Text and photos may be transferred to another website with the publication of the source and a link to the website www.pricesadusom.com and with the signature of the photographer. Thank you for respecting copyright.