The goal of every social enterprise is to permanently and systematically transform an unfair societal condition. When successful, social enterprises can truly elevate the lives of their targeted recipients. And it is no wonder that the number of social enterprises is growing worldwide.

Interestingly enough, the idea of social entrepreneurship is still not very common in the Balkan region. More recently, the Belgrade-based design brand Folkk has emerged. It connects traditional Serbian craftsmen from rural areas with emerging designers in order to create contemporary homeware products.

The artisans who were chosen to create Folkk’s products are not only selected based on their skill level, but also by the very nature of their workshops. All makers are either small, struggling family businesses or social collectives that offer strong support to marginalized groups in their communities.

One example is Women’s Center Užice, which aims to empower jobless women, providing them with work and skills development. Women’s Center Užice supports the local community of women, employing those who have either been let go as ‘redundant’ from their workplace, or have a partial disability, which makes it harder to find other work.

Through providing these women with stable and fair compensation for their work, Folkk helps the collective further its goals, as well as empower each member individually. The collective works to strengthen their self-confidence, economically empower them and engage them in exercising their rights and independence.

By developing the demand for Folkk products that are produced at this center and other likeminded empowering organizations, we are widening the circle of trust and increasing the real, market impact of a social enterprise. The simple and final result is that more and more socially marginalized persons can find existential security that they need so much.