Chocolateria Cris - Hedona

Project owner: Udruga osoba s invaliditetom Križevci (Association of Persons with Disabilities Križevci)

Responsible person: Petar Gatarić

2021

Nominated

HR

Civil Society / Social Economy

Challenge

Chocolateria Cris – Hedona fights against poverty by integrating people with disabilities into the labour market. People with disabilities are often excluded from formal employment. Employing people with disabilities prevents poverty, boosts their self-confidence and inclusion in the community.

Idea

Chocolateria Cris – Hedona was founded in 2013 as a social enterprise by the Križevci Association of People with Disabilities. We use social entrepreneurship as a new form of business to promote social inclusion and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Actors

The participants of this project are the employees of Chocolateria Cris – Hedona: Half of our 18 employees have a disability. We also exchange knowledge, experiences, and resources with the Križevci Association of People with Disabilities.

Impact

Chocolateria Cris – Hedona employs people with disabilities and helps them access one of their fundamental human rights – the right to work. We are also a successful local promotor of social entrepreneurship as a new type of business in Croatia. Our business was awarded six different prizes and recognitions, including the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) Award for Social Cohesion.

Transfer

Chocolateria Cris – Hedona is an innovative, practical, long-lasting, and sustainable approach to solve unemployment for people with disabilities. Our project can be transferred to another social environment and region; it can be applied internationally to any country.