OREANDA-NEWS. Tele2, an alternative mobile operator, has summed up interim results of the All-Russia contest of social entrepreneurs held by the Reach of Change foundation.

The semifinal is entered by 51 projects seeking to solve childhood problems in 30 Russian regions.

The target of the Reach for Change foundation is to help social entrepreneurs that are trying to change lives of children and teenagers for the best. The project is enjoying support by leading Russian companies: along with Tele2, other partners of the foundation are Metro newspaper, CTC Media and Viasat group.

Between 1 April and 15 June, social entrepreneurs from all over Russia were submitting their projects for the Reach for Change contest. They presented innovative solutions to solving childhood problems in a certain region. All in all, the jury received 306 applications that were shortlisted to most interesting and promising ones by Reach for Change employees, the expert council and volunteers. 

The projects by contestants are offering support for the children with health issues, additional education and leisure opportunities, and development of creative potential in children living in small residential areas. Some entrepreneurs have come up with business ideas aiming to socialize graduates of orphan home, prevent child abandonment and settle children deprived of parental care in foster families. Some of the projects are dedicated to developing practical skills and mastering crafts as well as career guidance for school graduates.

The sixth part of participants − 51 people − reached the semifinal. Most of these successful projects were drafted by residents of the Siberian Federal District. The Volga Federal District has been ranked second in terms of participant numbers, whereas social entrepreneurs from the North Western region took up the third place in terms of submitted applications.

All semifinalists were invited to participate in training workshops that took place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk. During the training, semifinalists get detailed information on preparation for the next stage of the contest and find out more about fundraising, GR relations, business modelling, marketing and PR.

After the training, every semifinalist will defend his project in front of Reach for Change representatives and its partners before 15 November. Finalists will come to Moscow on 1 December in order to meet adult experts and children’s jury that will choose four winners.

The foundation and partners will draft an individual program for support and professional development. It includes the initial finance over one year at 1.2 mn rubles as well as consulting services in promoting the project as business incubator and its support on the territory of the region.