A true celebration of good food and good causes was the theme of an event to launch FSCI’s ambitious new social enterprise – HOPe Restaurant.

The event was held on February 9, in House of Moscow in Sofia, and special guests were Her Excellency Ms. Emma Hopkins, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Bulgaria, and Mr. Joerg Schenk,counsellor in the Embassy of the Federal Republic Germany.

After an inspiring opening speech from Ambassador Hopkins FSCIand Rotary Club Sofia International, HOPe Restaurant’s official project partners, talked more about the concept of social business and its value to vulnerable young people and society.

After the presentations the guests had the opportunity to dive into the diverse culinary world of HOPe Restaurant, meet the young people who it supports and, of course, sample the menu!

Four new workshops, covering employment skills, as well as a basic understanding of how to live an independent life, have been organised by the experts of the psycho-social centre in Sofia

During the workshops, young adults, who have grown up in institutions for children, deprived of parental care discussed with the team of FSCI the topic of work opportunities.

The workshops also included the opportunity to apply for different jobs. The team discussed with the young adults the most appropriate jobs for them by relying on the organisation’s direct contacts with the employers.

Apart from running these practical workshops, the Social Centre has been offering advice and guidance to twenty-three more young adults, nine of which are, as a result, accommodated in the observed “Houses of Opportunity”or have been redirected to other social services.

Thanks to the funding that the project received, FSCI was able to afford the materials used in making the soaps. Some of these soaps were distributed in several cities in Bulgaria in order to advertise the social enterprise HOPe SOAP.

The social enterprise gives young people the opportunity to fill their time with productive activities by making soaps and allows them to develop work and social skills. The enterprise also generates financial support for the House of Opportunity Programme.

Address of the Social Centre Opportunity:

Sofia,bul. “Dimitar Petkov” 75, floor 1, ap.3

Find out more about the Centre or about Air Liquide Foundation!

The cosy little restaurant on Vladaiska Street 43 (behind the Ministry of agriculture) has been open for a month to offer a carefully chosen menu to its customers, which follows the traditions of the Bulgarian cuisine, as well as the international culinary tastes.

Besides a diverse menu, being a social enterprise, the HOPe Restaurant gives its clients the chance to support the House of Opportunity Programme through ordering food. By buying food from HOPe Restaurant, you are supporting the network of observed homes for young adults who have grown up in institutions.

The implementation of this great business idea with a noble mission is made possible thanks to the invaluable support of Rotary Foundation & Clubs and The Trussell Trust, the biggest food bank network in the UK. 

*Follow us on www.hoperestaurants.org and Facebook in order to get our new menu!

The financing includes not only maintaining the psychosocial centre, but also purchase of furniture for the centre, as well as support for further development of the social enterprise of the foundation – “Workshop for soaps – HOPe SOAP”.

The main focus of the work in the psychosocial centre “Opportunity” is:
• Consulting, redirection and escorting of the clients;
• Development of social and employment skills through work in the social enterprise of FSCI for soap production;
• Increasing the knowledge and skills of the young people through trainings in several key areas: social skills, commercial skills, personal development and training for searching, finding and keeping a job;
• Create and maintain a network of stakeholders – NGO sector, government institutions and business organizations.

For the two years in which center “Opportunity” has been working, it managed to achieve impressive results:

• 114 beneficiaries have been trained (many of them have gone through more than 1 training);
• 2719 pcs. produced and distributed soaps;
• concluded 18 partnerships in three key areas – public institutions, businesses and NGOs;
• an online store has been developed for distribution of the production from the social enterprise;
• systematic manual for operation and management of psychosocial centre has been written and published;
• 4 training modules to work with the target groups in the social centre have been developed;
• 5 trainings have taken place outside the centre (ex. in central prison);
• 16 people were been redirected (accommodation) and 16 people have started work with our help;
• a website/platform was created;
• systematic package of documents has been created that describes the working processes at the psychosocial centre/ model for providing social services in the community with references to existing residential and other services;
• promotion of the problems of the target groups – wider public, social media, websites;
• Improving access to education and labor market of the representatives of the target groups;

The goals for the next five months are also ambitious:

• 15 consulted clients;
• 6 groups with a minimum of 4 ppl;
• 4 new partnering organizations;
• sales of the production from our social enterprise (HOPe SOAP);

* Center “Opportunity” relies on an innovative approach in providing services whose final result is to improve the welfare of the members of the target groups.
** Since its establishment in year 2008, Air Liquide Foundation works to encourage and develop philanthropic initiatives with focus on environment and life.
*** Learn more about psychosocial centre “Opportunity”: www.vazmojnost.com 
**** Learn more about Air Liquide Foundation

HOPe SOAPs again at Coca-Cola’s charity bazaar

Once again, the products of the social enterprise the aim of which is to support the “House of Opportunity” Programme, were presented at the charity bazaar of Coca-Cola.

The handmade products have fresh spring colours and delicate scents of lavender, rose, lemon and apple.

Shortly the foundation will launch an online store in which the lovers of noble causes and bio products can purchase soaps directly.

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.

On Valentine’s Day the young people from FSCI’s “House of Opportunity” Programme created HOPe SOAPs with a love theme. The aromatic handmade gifts are wrapped in special boxes with hearts symbolising love and harmony.

These lovely soaps would be perfect gifts and can be purchased at the FSCI office (Aksakov Str. 11, fl. 2 appt. 9) upon request: v.ivanova@fscibulgaria.org.

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.

More than 50 people took part in the donation initiative of the “Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion”. The mission was launched on the platform for volunteering and good deeds – www.TimeHeroes.org – the initiative lasted for one month and aimed at equipping the newly opened centre for social services “Social Centre Opportunity” with office supplies and products.

As a result of the initiative, FSCI managed to equip the centre with everything needed – printer, scanner, desks, several computers, monitors, keyboards, laptop, tablet, headphones, router, various stationery materials, radio, cups, towels, 200 notebooks, electric kettle and many other practical items. Most of the donors visited FSCI’s office and Social Centre personally to meet the team and find out more about the foundation’s activities and programmes that support young people leaving specialized institutions for children, deprived of parental care and people at risk of poverty.

“Social Centre Opportunity” was opened as part of FSCI’s project “Innovative approach in matching social services with social entrepreneurship – Centre Opportunity”. The project aims to support care leavers and people at risk of poverty in their transition to independent life. FSCI implements therapeutic individual and group techniques, personal development with focus on social entrepreneurship and training in social as well as other key skills, ranging from sales to business planning.

For more information: http://fscibulgaria.org/en/pages/Projects/Social-center-Opportunity/

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.