Press Release 21.04.10
The second annual Regional competition of the projects in the field of Social entrepreneurship
Vagit Alekperov`s Fund of regional social programs “Our Future” announces the second annual Regional competition in the field of Social entrepreneurship which is held in the 14 regions of Russia from March 31 to April 30, 2010. Representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, individual entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations of Russia can take part in it.
The aim of the Competition is the selection of projects in the field of Social entrepreneurship, as well as promotion of Social entrepreneurship in Russia as an institute that helps to solve main social problems and achieve positive social changes.
The projects of entrepreneurs with a social orientation, innovation and potential practical solutions of significant social problems, as well as financially sustainable business model, the ability of self-repayment and potential for replication, will be selected during the Competition for funding.
The competition is held in the following subjects of Russian Federation: Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Kaliningrad, Kirov, Kurgan, Leningrad, Moscow, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, Yaroslavl, Perm and Bashkortostan regions.
For further information, please contact us by e-mail konkurs@nb-fund.ru
Brief
The Fund of regional social programs "Our Future" was founded by Vagit Alekperov in 2007 in order to implement long-term socially relevant programs and projects, where the principles of Social entrepreneurship can be applied.
In 2008 the Fund held Pilot competition of the projects in the field of Social entrepreneurship. Thirty two organizations took part in it, three of which received funding for projects in the field of Social entrepreneurship.
In 2009 the first Competition was held in 10 regions of Russia. The Fund “Our future” got 85 applications, among which ten projects were selected and received financial support. The main goals of the finalist’s projects were to create new working places for socially disadvantaged groups of people and to build infrastructure in such important areas as public health, education and sport.
03.12.09
What can be more inspiring than doing goods?
Professor Muhammad Yunus greets Vagit Alekperov, Founder of the Fund "Our Future"
Professor Muhammad Yunus, the creator of the microfinancing, 2006 Nobel prize winner and the Medal of Freedom recipient in 2009, arrived for a few-day visit to Moscow in mid-November. Professor Yunus’ activity in Moscow was more than eventful.
On November’17 Muhammad Yunus opened the 8th Moscow International Conference on microfinancing organized by Russian Microfinance Center (RMC), and met with Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who had kindly agreed to write the preface to the Russian edition of Professor Yunus' book «Creating a world without poverty». Meanwhile we have to pay tribute to Professor Yunus because he doesn’t forget, even for a moment, that social entrepreneurship and microfinancing is his life work. And no official events can replace the warm welcome of like-minded.
Vagit Alekperov, Founder of the Fund "Our Future", was among the first to meet Professor Yunus in Moscow, on November’16. The goal of the Fund is to develop and support social entrepreneurship in Russia. Professor Yunus cannot but come from a far Bangladesh to Russia (a far country for Professor Yunus) and shake hands with his like-minded. Natalia Zvereva, Director of the Fund "Our Future", and Michael Mamuta, Director of RMC also took part in a friendly atmosphere open collar meeting.
- We have agreed on this meeting six months ago, - Natalya Zvereva says. - The initiator of this meeting was Professor Yunus. Naturally, when you live in Bangladesh and suddenly discover friends in Russia, you should come and greet them. This was for the first time I met Professor Yunus and I’m really surprised that we speak the same language. Besides, talking about global experience of social entrepreneurship, Professor Yunus told us exactly about activities of our Fund and we are proud of it.
Professor Muhammad Yunus always speaks about microfinancing with enthusiasm. It does not matter whether he speaks about new projects made in cooperation with large companies, or repeats a thousandth time the story of his world-famous Grameen Bank, providing microcredits to the poor women in Bangladesh. Vagit Alekperov was really keen on the fact, that Grameen Bank is working especially with women. The motivation is absolutely social, just like for everything what Muhammad Yunus is doing.
"It’s true that 96% of our borrowers are women, - Professor Yunus says. – First of all, commercial banks give their priority to man, so women have unequal chances for getting a consumer loan. And last but not the least it is women who are the most responsible borrowers. This is our secret of high percentage of returned loans issued by Grameen Bank.
By the way, the whole system of the Bank of Muhammad Yunus is based on the belief and trust in people. The Professor says: " Grameen Bank provides its clients with tiny loans, which eventually change their lives, and they pay off loans even without making guarantees." It’s interesting that Grameen Bank doesn’t enter its clients into commitment but take a promise, concerning not only finance. The most simple is to improve the quality of their own lives, such as obligation to drink only bottled or boiled water, or a promise to provide their children with education. The percentage of repaid loans in the Grameen Bank is about 98%, and this proves that Muhammad Yunus’ faith in people is not groundless! What is more, all the bank's borrowers are as well its shareholders!
- You know, you can provide a great help with small resources. I mean that a great social effect can be obtained with a modest amount of money in operation - Muhammad Yunus asserts. - Receiving a loan from the Grameen women get not only the capital to start their business. They feed their family, put their children into educational process, providing them a sustainable future. Our assistance is a long-term model.
Muhammad Yunus is proud only of good deeds and never sticks out his figure - he is a very modest man. He is also a very inspiring. "We had planned a very short meeting. Big leaders had to turn back to important issues, - Natalia Zvereva says. – But our conversation lasted for more than one hour. I have to confess that we discovered some new issues during our conversation with Professor Yunus. While helping social entrepreneurs, we came to the conclusion that a social business can be operated only within small and medium companies. However, Professor Yunus told us about the partnership with large companies, such giants as Danone and Adidas! It was a great surprise for us.
- In Bangladesh, we have run a joint program with big business – producing goods of high quality and at a reasonable price - Danone yoghurt and Adidas training shoes, - Muhammad Yunus says. - We have established small factories for yogurt production, using milk produced by local farmers, making vitaminized yogurts.. So we save on transportation and give jobs to locals. Besides, we guarantee freshness of the products, providing a healthy food for poor people including children. As for the training shoes, the concept is simple - quality goods at cheap prices.
In such collaboration Mr. Yunus sees the evolution of corporate social responsibility and its transformation into a social business - when large companies produce goods for the poor having no purpose to make a profit on it.
- The principle of social entrepreneurship and microfinance is very simple. Do not hand out money but make it possible for poors to buy a quality product at an affordable price, - Michael Mamuta, Director of Russian Microfinance Center, says.
- Certainly it is not easy to promote the idea of social entrepreneurship in Russia, – Vagit Alekperov shares his experience. – Russia has rich recourses, vast possibilities and huge potential, but the socialist past has formed an exploitative treatment of the population as opposed to the western one, focused on entrepreneurship. Make people more entrepreneurship- orientated is another goal of our Fund.
- At the same time we have also to promote both the idea of social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in general, - Natalia Zvereva adds. - That is why we hold not only the competition aimed to support social entrepreneurs, but also act as a social entrepreneur. For example, we have created a Center of consulting and outsourcing "Our Future" in the city of Astrakhan, a business incubator supporting small and medium businesses.
- I think that cataract treatment can be an interesting social business project, - Muhammad Yunus recommends. - You can organize a system of clinics specializing exclusively in treatment of this disease.
- Yes, we had a similar project, but it was a charity project. We understand that until social entrepreneurship is not officially fixed by law, social business will stuck in our country, - Natalia Zvereva answers.
- As for the Regional competition of social entrepreneurs hold by your Fund, I think that the general approach, could be changed for the second year of implementation, - Professor Yunus offers. –The first thing is to come to the region and identify the most pressing social problems, then allocate a financial limit for the region and announce the competition on projects aimed to solve these particular problems. Besides, each region will have its own pool of experts appraising the project efficiency, including representatives of government, public, business and academia.
Professor Yunus is an inspiring man. After having a conversation with him It’s absolutely impossible not to share entirely an idea of social entrepreneurship. He believes in people and that social business has a great future.
