Name: Vladyslav Malashchenko
Age: 22
Education: Institute of Screen Arts, Acting
Profession: Founder of social enterprise Good Bread from Good People
Did you know? Malashchenko plays bass guitar in a Kyiv-based grunge-punk band.
Vladyslav Malashchenko has always wanted to help adults with mental disabilities, and at the age of 22 he runs a social enterprise that employs these people.
Malashchenko, the founder of Kyiv-based social enterprise Good Bread from Good People, gives people with mental disabilities a chance to socialize while offering them employment as bakers.
After graduating from the Institute of Screen Arts in 2015, Malashchenko worked on theater performances until 2017. However, he had always been interested in therapeutic education and eventually started learning how to teach people with mental disabilities. He also worked as a therapeutic teacher in two Kyiv schools.
But as Malashchenko also wanted to help adults, so he decided to launch a social enterpris. He got a grant for education at Startup Ukraine, an organization that supports people starting new businesses, and in September 2017 opened a bakery.
“My personal victory is that I established this bakery, and even if it will ever stop working, Good Bread from Good People has become an example, and a lot of people have started following our example and begun to employ people with disabilities,” Malashchenko said. “We inspire people, and this is cool,” he said.
Good Bread from Good People employs 13 people, nine of whom are people with mental disabilities, aged between 24–55 years. Malashchenko arranges art and dance sessions for his employees every Thursday.
“I don’t like the injustice that happens in our country, when these people are discriminated against,” Malashchenko said. “There is a need to show people what problems those with disabilities face.”
Malashchenko believes more social enterprises will help people with disabilities socialize and live better.
“It is better to employ 10 people with disabilities and take care of them for a whole year then to spend a day talking to one million of people with disabilities, as such talk changes nothing,” Malashchenko said.
He said that Good Bread from Good People doesn’t just make delicious cakes and sell them — they’re also changing society’s attitude.
“When people find out who have made those cakes — their attitude changes for the better,” Malashchenko said. “It’s a part of inclusiveness, and I’m proud of it.”
