The Center for Inclusion and Social Services (CIS) from Bjelovar was facing the limited opportunities in finding the adequate work activities for persons to whom they provide services. CIS have decided to adopt the social entrepreneurship as the model which offers the overall solution for several acute problems.

One of the biggest problems for the persons with intellectual disabilities (PWID) is the issue of their right to work which is often denied to them. Thanks to the excellent co-operation with the City of Bjelovar, CIS has managed to secure work activities for several of their clients. However, in spite of the sincere support of the City, on the open labor market unfortunately only casual engagements of PWID are possible at the benevolent employers who are under great challenges and pressures and whose business volumes and work force needs are in constant decrease in the times of recession.

To create regular and secure work activities, under which the persons receiving services could also receive on-the-job training and increase their chances for employment on the open labor market and in order to achieve certain financial benefits for the core activities of the association (which is providing community based services to the PWID), CIS has decided to start the project of greenhouse vegetables production for the needs of their housing communities and for the sales on the open market.

The agriculture has proven to be the ideal choice because the skills which PWID can be trained in are very appropriate for them and developed agriculture sector of Bjelovar-Bilogora County provide the likely market for potential future employment. In the greenhouses persons receiving support from CIS will gain practical knowledge and real work experience.

Agricultural production in the greenhouses is the project which provides multiple benefits. In addition to the stable work activities throughout the year, there is also potential to generate significant savings on food expenditures of the housing communities as well as the additional revenue from the sales of the vegetables on the open market. These are reinvested into the CIS programs providing the additional increase in the quality of lives of the persons receiving the support.

Open Society Institute Mental Health Initiative (OSI MHI) provided grant funds to start this pilot project which will serve as the case of best practice with potential to replicate at other service providers in Croatia and abroad. The valuable experiences gathered through this project will be available to the interested associations and individuals in order to promote the idea of inclusion and to motivate the civil society organizations of the persons with disabilities and/or community services providers to adopt and incorporate the new models of functioning based on the principles of social entrepreneurship.

Two 300 square meters greenhouses were purchased and built on CIS locations in Bjelovar and Grubišno Polje with this OSI MHI grant. In addition to that, CIS financed from its own sources the additional equipment and materials as well as the additional agricultural production on the open field on location next to the greenhouse in Bjelovar.

In the conditions of prolonged recession and its negative effects on the availability of the state budget and donator funds to the social care sector, the social entrepreneurship is the quality alternative solution for the part of the acute problems which persons with disabilities and especially PWID are facing. It is well known that among the population of persons with disabilities who are already seriously disadvantaged in getting employment, PWID are the definitely the worst affected by being deprived of their basic human right to work.

As every project is primarily made of people taking part in it, CIS could not run this project so successfully without the expert who gave huge contribution to its success.

The agronomist Nikola Malbaša joined the project very early as the volunteer providing expert advice and making sure that right from the very start all the processes went in the right directions and were based on the professional code of practice. His love for his profession resulted in the greenhouses in Bjelovar and Grubišno Polje, as well as the open space production in Bjelovar, evolving into true little success wonders.

Nikola’s heartiness and sincere kindness to the persons receiving support resulted in motivating and pleasant work atmosphere for everybody engaged in the project’s activities, both work assistants and the persons receiving support.

Job coaches Marina Renić and Vesna Javorić, qualified in providing support to the PWID and also very experienced in agricultural production are Nikola’s team responsible for good yields, high level of inclusion of persons receiving support in the work process, their quality training and generally higher level of satisfaction and quality of life.

Here is what Nikola, who soon became the CIS full time employee and the greenhouse production manager has to say about it:

Nikola Malbasa – Yes, It Can Be Done!