Description
For vulnerable groups, especially single mothers and young people from children´s homes (mostly Roma people), it is very difficult to find a job and they are often caught in a hopeless situation. Therefore, projects such as Dorka Bags, which provide a certain number of jobs and an opportunity to earn money, are of great importance. A big plus is that this project links active aid to people with ecology.
Dorka Bags is a project for the ecological use of PVC materials from the waste of advertising industry by making bags through the involvement of vulnerable groups living in crisis centres (single mothers, young people without work experience, many from the Roma minority). The project aims to professionalize the ongoing production of ecological bags, to find a suitable form of its transformation into social entrepreneurship, to create job opportunities for clients, increase their working skills and to draw attention to their problems. This project includes 3 components: 1. environmental, 2. creating opportunities, 3. spread awareness about the problem to the business environment.
Creative Pro s.r.o has been a project partner since its inception. It is the ideological father of the project. Creative Pro has from the beginning to spread the idea of environmentally friendly use of PVC from advertising banners among its clients, partners and colleagues in the advertising and event environment and to search for Slovak and multinational companies who would be interested in these bags as well as problems of vulnerable groups. Creative Pro s.r.o. will support the transformation of Dorka bags into social entrepreneurship. DeDo Foundation is one of the founders of Dorka n.o. and the main investors of all Dorka centres in Slovakia, which not only have built but continue to support them financially and professionally and lead them conceptually.
Summary of project results
In terms of employing women in crisis and single parents (mothers), finding a suitable job is a challenge. There are many restrictions on the client side of the Dorka Center that significantly disadvantage them in the labor market (young children, low education, no skills, etc.). Therefore, it was necessary to bring work to them. The advantage of the project is that the sewing workshops in Košice and Prešov are located in crisis center buildings, thus eliminating travel and providing flexible working hours. Therefore, the project is perceived as very necessary and beneficial for clients. The high involvement of the Roma community in the project is also considered a success. The project managed to produce 3,900 pieces of products, employed 4 women, present the project activities at conferences, markets and exhibitions, address companies, establish partnerships etc.Within the project, it was important for companies and individuals to understand the social dimension of the DORKA BAGS and the lives of vulnerable groups (single mothers, Roma). The main goals of the project: 3,900 products were produced, the non-profit organization DORKA BAGS, the dorkabags.sk website and a database with material suppliers (25 companies) were established, 1 business plan was created, 17 clients involved in the sewing workshop and 62 people had benefit from strengthening their position. The best way of expressing the project is via one of the clients of the DORKA BAGS, Stanka, who sews Dorka Bags products and is a mother of two daughters: “Dorka Bags has taught me a lot. I have improved various skills, I am more patient, I like to work in a team and I learn to listen more. I joined the project with only minimal sewing experience on the machine. However, with every bag or backpack sewn, I improve, I am more precise and I have the opportunity to unleash my imagination and creativity, which is a great added value for the future. Once again, I was given the opportunity to get involved in the work process and I improved financially, which is very important for me as a single parent." In a broader sense, the project managed to combine social and ecological thinking. The success is the creation of DORKA BAGS n.o. , which will continue the idea of the project and will also be a means of employing women and integrating them into the work process.