Presentation of the first collection of social entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan

On October 20, the presentation of the first Kazakhstan collection "Social entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan - 2016" was held in the cinema "Arman".

The collection was prepared within the framework of the project of the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia "Initiative to promote social entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan" with the support of "Chevron". The purpose of this publication is to raise awareness of the social entrepreneurship model among non - governmental, business and academic stakeholders, and to disseminate best practices of social entrepreneurship (SE) in Kazakhstan.

The research has repeatedly demonstrated low awareness and lack of common understanding of the concept of SE in Kazakhstan. According to experts, today there are a number of factors hindering the development of the SE in Kazakhstan:

• lack of clarity on the term SE;

• due to the misunderstanding of entrepreneurs of the mechanism of SE there is a reluctance to invest in something that does not benefit quickly and easily;

• insufficient state support for business structures involved in SE

• low level of entrepreneurship culture;

• the imperfection of legislation that does not provide incentives for SE.

Despite this, social entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly visible trend among Kazakhstan SMEs (small or medium sized enterprises).

"We are convinced that this work is more relevant than ever for Kazakhstan, because it is in the crisis that the role and importance of the joint venture significantly increase. But there is still no description of clear, generally accepted criteria and indicators in the sphere of SE, which in turn is a consequence of information hunger in this area, - said Rinad Temirbekov, Executive Director of EFCA. "That is why the idea arose to release a collection dedicated to the current social entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan, which would comprehensively illustrate the degree, depth, and diversity of the development of the joint venture in Kazakhstan."

The event was held in the framework of the first meeting in the format of SERNEU Impact Talks – an experimental platform for the exchange of ideas, search for joint solutions and topical issues of our society, where each participant is a social innovator. At the meeting, social and creative entrepreneurs, representatives of international organizations, business, and local authorities discussed the prospects for the development of social entrepreneurship, as well as the future of the cinema "Arman" as a cultural and business center of Almaty.

Download " Social entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan, 2016"