Emerging Social Enterprises in Romania

Dec 14, 2011 2:24 PM ET

Posted by Vikas Vij

A new breed of social entrepreneurs is coming up in Romania to add to the ongoing efforts of the state to reach out to the economically and socially weaker sections of the society. The economic challenges faced by the country have forced the government to pursue austerity measures that have adversely impacted a number of social services for the needy people. A social enterprise called Rotract Triumph Club recently organized a full day event called Rotract Sparks to highlight the need to support the needy sections of the population through social entrepreneurship.

One of the newest examples of social entrepreneurship at work in Romania is set by the Motivation Romania Foundation that was established in 1995. It has recently opened a Motivation Medical Recovery Clinic, which runs as a social enterprise. It charges normal rates to patients who can afford the services, and keeps a percentage of the revenues to provide free treatment to financially weak and physically challenged patients.

Another social organization called WWF Romania is running a campaign to preserve the country's virgin forest wealth. To raise awareness about protecting the forests, the organization is mobilizing the support of general public through a public petition.

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Vikas is a staff writer for the Sustainable Development news and editorial section on Justmeans. He is an MBA with 20 years of managerial and entrepreneurial experience and global travel. He is the author of "The Power of Money" (Scholars, 2003), a book that presents a revolutionary monetary economic theory on poverty alleviation in the developing world. Vikas is also the official writer for an international social project for developing nations "Decisions for Life" run in collaboration between the ILO, the University of Amsterdam and the Indian Institute of Management.