The main activity of organization is functioning of the Community as a rehabilitation center for 20 homeless people. They live and work together, have social training and addiction therapy. In 2009 65 homeless people lived in “Oselya”, five of them are children. 350 people applied to “Oselya” for psychological, juridical, and social support. All new companions participate in three months courses that include addiction therapy, communication skills training and personal development. The courses are run by psychologist and social worker and they take place in afternoon hours. In 2009 20 people participated in social trainings.
Every day we receive calls from citizens and our truck goes round the city and collect used goods that people give away for homeless. Later we renovate them if needed and sell in our charity shop or give out at the Kofoed’s social support center or to other poor people. In 2009 we received more than 600 calls. In this way “Oselya” also prevent goods to be thrown away as a trash. We also provide transport service for citizens.
In 2009 almost one hundred people worked and studied in our furniture workshop. They had opportunity to get new skills on renovation furniture, decorating plates, making candles etc. By working in the workshop people get used to working life in the calm, good atmosphere with the support of social worker. Some people come to work only in day time.
Kofoed’s social support center continued its activity in 2009. It was financed by Kofoed’s school, Charitable foundation “Pivdenny” and private donations. In 2009 we had more than 2000 visits from 500 different people. They come here to take shower, to make laundry, to get haircut, first medical aid, and food. Here they talk to social worker and get important information and here they are offered to become street magazine vendors. Most of our companions were clients of this centre first.
Solidarity with poor is one of the main values of Community. The every week food distribution for more than 100 homeless people in the downtown was held in 2009 as well as several years before. This year it was financed by the Community. We made 50 distributions in 2009.
Twice a year, for Christmas and Easter Oselya organizes big holiday celebration for more than 300 hundred poor people. For each event we prepare performances, sing songs and carols. These actions are financed by private donators of Lviv city.
In 2009 we continued the project of street magazine “Prosto neba”. It has two aims – to provide social and economic activity of homeless people and inform publicity about the problem of homelessness. In 2009 we published 5 issues, 2 000 copies of each and involved to its selling 10 homeless vendors. The magazine was supported by many famous writers, photographers and journalists.
In 2009 we started to build new workshop with the financial support of Emmaus International and Carpathian foundation. It was delayed for few months because of the neighbors protest, but after some strikes and open letter to Vynnyky municipality signed by 42 Lviv NGOs the allowance for the building was once again approved. We plan to finish it in spring 2010.
The football team named “Prosto neba” participated in 4th Open Russia Championship among homeless in Saint Petersburg and was 9th among 12 teams. And team “Oselya” was 1st in the competition “Better goal than injection” among social agencies of Lviv. The members of the teams are companions, workers and friends of Oselya.
On June 16 companions, volunteers from Netherlands, homeless, workers of Oselya and NGO “Museum of ideas”, artists organized ecological action – cleaned from ground and grass territory near museum “Arsenal”. In December 2009 at this place Christmas market was held and Oselya could sell some handmade souvenirs. This market will also function in spring and summer.
On the July 30 in the yard of Museum of ideas Oselya organized fashion show out of the cloth that we collected from Lviv city citizens before. The collections were prepared by volunteers from Netherlands. They also were models together with companions, writers, social workers, and friends of Oselya.
Every year our companions and workers go to Carpathians for the vacation and ecological action that they organize together with Verkhvuna social centre for youth, children and families. In 2009 we collected the trash on two mountains – Pysany Kamin and Pip Ivan.
The project “Conscious and democratic society” was supported by US Embassy in Ukraine and lasted for 12 months. Thanks to this project we had a lawyer who gave free consultations to homeless and poor people. We organized 13 training on homelessness issue in state organizations and 10 training in schools, 10 training for homeless people at Kofoed’s social support center in the issue of personal hygiene and health care. We also published and spread leaflets on the rights of homeless people and laminated leaflets for homeless people with the information about places where they can get help. We also put the stickers at the trash bins in the city asking not to throw away good things. The magazine “Prosto neba” as published in the frame of this project. As a result we made good contacts with some state organizations and informed publicity about the problem of homelessness.
For the last two years Oselya organizes Saint Nickolas holiday for homeless people. With the support of students and volunteers we bought 150 small presents and gave it for homeless in downtown in the big tent during food distribution.
In 2009 Oselya traditionally was one of the most active organizations working with homeless. We are members of Coordination Council on homelessness issue in Lviv city and Lviv region. Lviv Municipality partly financed the project of rehabilitation centre. Private donators supported several solidarity actions and Charitable foundation “Pivdenny” supported Social supported centre. We participated in all social events organized by Municipality – different conferences, forums, seminars etc. We cooperated with many local NGOs and state organizations – Employment burro, Centre of registration and night shelter, NGOs “Museum of ideas”, “Narodna dopomoha – Lviv”, NGO “Nasha khata” and many others. And many guests visited community in Vynnyky in 2009.
For the last seven years we cooperate with Emmaus International movement. In 2009 we had great support from Emmaus Lublin, Novy Sonch, Zheshuv, Emmaus Association, Emmaus Europe and Emmaus International. In April Collective meeting took place in Oselya. In May we participated in seminar in Soro organised by Kofoed’s school which also financed Kofoed’s social support centre in Vynnyky. Oselya also participated in Emmaus Salon in Paris and in all collective and regional Emmaus meetings. In 2009 we were participants of the project “From theory to practice in provision of services to homeless people” among Lviv, Warsaw and Utrecht. In 2009 our street magazine “Prosto neba” became a member of International network of street papers” and we also participated at INSP conference in Bergen.
INCOMES IN 2009: 1 413 413 UAH
EXPENDITURES IN 2009: 1 218 705 UAH
