Hand in Hand – Phase 2
In 2020-2021 the Izmirlian Foundation supported the establishment of a paper cup production facility in the social enterprise of the NGO aimed at empowering socially vulnerable groups of society and social enterprises as well as promoting environmentally friendly production. Some of the key outcomes of the project include: 19 autistic youth got employed with the social enterprise thus having a sustainable source of income; the parents gained additional time to spend on other productive activities; the sustainability of Step Forward NGO was enhanced, since the income generated by the social enterprise feeds into the projects implemented by the NGO, which ensures the sustainability of the social projects implemented by the NGO extending services to 100 children/youth with autism spectrum disorder, etc.
Scaling up the project, the Izmirlian Foundation will support the expansion of production capacity of the paper cup social enterprise though the provision of additional machinery that will allow to close the production cycle. The new machinery will allow paper printing and cutting for the production of paper cups. Currently the paper printing and cutting is outsourced to another company. Besides saving time and resources, the project will contribute to the creation of 10 additional employment opportunities for youth with autism spectrum disorder and expansion of the production line. Besides eco paper cups production the equipment will enable the production of paper bags and boxes.
The goal of the project is to empower socially vulnerable groups of society and social enterprises.
The specific objectives are:
Objective 1: Enhanced economic opportunities, skills and knowledge among youth with autism spectrum disorder.
Objective 2: Improved access to financial resources for Step Forward Social NGO.
Project direct beneficiaries are youth (16+) with limited access to any kind of employment due to having autism spectrum disorder, their families and Step Forward Social NGO. The indirect beneficiaries of the project are beneficiaries of Step Forward Social NGO in general.
The Project will be implemented by the "Step Forward" Social NGO.