Project to support social entrepreneurship a success in Ukraine, say initiators
Kyiv, October 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) –The initiators of the Social Enterprise Development in Ukraine Project (the British Council in Ukraine, the East Europe Foundation, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ukraine and ERSTE Bank) have pointed to a successful start to the program and announced tasks for the near future.
The head of the communications department at ERSTE Bank, Yaryna Lukan, said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday that the pilot project was realized in 2010-2011 in three regions – Lviv, Donetsk and Crimea. The initial task was fulfilled – providing training for Ukrainian businessmen. Later two centers for the support of social entrepreneurship were opened in Lviv and Donetsk.
"Their goal is to train representatives of social entrepreneurship and advise them on business development, taxation, etc," Lukan said.
She said that the British Council in Ukraine, which has studied the social companies market in the country, took an active part in the realization of the project.
"The next step of the program is new training and the creation of new centers in Ukraine," she said.
She also said that ERSTE Bank, which is taking part in the project, decided to finance (issue a credit) to one such company – the Zdorovie medical rehabilitation center in Donetsk region.
The deputy director of the British Council in Ukraine, Natalia Vasyliuk, said that Ukraine was partially adopting the experience of Britain, where social entrepreneurship means a real business that earns money that is spent on social needs.
She said that a British trainer has designed recommendations for Ukrainian businessmen. They are to be published soon.
East Europe Foundation CEO Viktor Liakh said that a concept for social entrepreneurship has been in effect in many countries for many years.
"The concept of social entrepreneurship says that everyone has a chance to achieve economic growth," he said.
A senior attorney at PricewaterhouseCoopers Ukraine, Adrian Opaits, said that there is a proposal to join the Social Enterprise Development in Ukraine Project. The company's specialists carried out training in various regions of the country.
The head of the Zdorovie Medical Rehabilitation Center, Liudmyla Chyorikova, said that her center was opened six years ago in Novoazovsk (Donetsk region). It provides services for the rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a stroke, children with cerebral spastic infantile paralysis, disabled people and others.