Annual report 2017

The main activity of Oselya is organization of life and work of the Community of former homeless people. By living and working together companions learn to solve their problems and help people who are poorer. During 2017 there were 25 companions living in the Community. In Oselya, companions are provided with psychological and therapeutic assistance, they receive new professional and communicative skills, participate in cultural events and solidarity actions. Companions can be sent for medical treatment if needed, they receive pocket money and get help with renewing their documents. Newcomers have 3 months social training that include addiction therapy, personal development training and history of Emmaus movement.

To improve the work with addicted companions we continued the project supported by Dutch foundations – Henri Nouwen Stichting and Kerk in Actie (ICCO). It was a special rehabilitation program that included social and psychological support of companions, therapy of addictions.  

In order to generate funds for everyday needs of the community and solidarity actions, Oselya runs social enterprise.

The main activity of this enterprise is collecting goods from citizens which they no longer need, but that can still be used by others (furniture, clothing, household items, toys etc). We pick up goods in the city with two trucks responding to the citizens’ calls. We also collect goods from containers located near churches and petrol stations OKKO. In 2017 OKKO Company paid for producing 2 containers that were installed at their stations, and entrepreneur Oleh Vynnyk funded the producing of container that was installed at King Cross Leopolis center. By the end of 2017 we have 23 clothing containers all over Lviv city.

Ecological part of this activity is very important. Companions and volunteers sort and repair collected goods and sell them in the charity stores or distribute among poor and homeless people, refugees from Eastern Ukraine. In 2017 we provided 1 800 poor people with clothing and other goods. Some were distributed to other nonprofits like Charitable Foundation “Myloserdya Starosambirshchyny”, Lviv Yuriy Lypa regional hospital for disables people, Sambir regional organization for disabled people, Lviv #5 communal hospital. 974 persons who use service of Kofoed’s social support center, received the clothing during the year whenever they needed.

Normally we sell bad clothing to be recycled. This year we faced the problem with selling bad clothing as many recycling companies stopped their business. In order to recycle at least something we started to sort more precisely and were able to send cotton and jeans separately for recycling. In 2017 122 tons of textile was sent for recycling.

We represent our community as ecological organization. The external activity in 2017 was mostly concentrated on ecological issues. During the year we participated and organized several ecological events.  On January 25th in the bookstore “Ye” we presented newly published issue of street magazine “Prosto neba” and held discussion “What do the homeless people do for our city?”. We talked about ecology and homelessness and how homeless people do ecological work trying to survive in the streets. And we talked about the work of Emmaus-Oselya in this field. In the beginning of 2017 the social initiative “Khtos ne zrobyt” (“someone won’t do that”) together with Lviv regional children’s library organized eco-training and tour for children to Oselya. In April 2017 Natalya Sanotska participated in youth conference “Eco-М-Тalk”, and in International  Eco-forum on waste recycling where she talked about Oselya’s activities on collecting and recycling goods. In summer the representatives of Oselya visited Emmaus communities in France to learn their experience in sorting and recycling. In September and October we organized three one-day eco-camps with volunteers. The volunteers helped to sort clothing and learned about ecological activities of Oselya. In October we participated in Eco-forum “Water and energy”.

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE: CHARITY SHOP

Charity shops bring the main income to community and help us fund solidarity actions. This year we started new project called “Shop on the wheels”. We sell collected cloth in the villages not far from Lviv. That helps us to involve more customers and generate more income for social projects.

Our charity store is also kind of cultural center where we organize different events, workshops etc. This year we continued the project of Club for elderly at our Charity store. We’ve had a lot of events organized for them, like “button-therapy”, “costume – therapy”, Easter eggs decoration etc. The Literature meetings are regularly organized by the writer Halyna Vdovychenko. This year we welcomed writer Halyna Pahutyak and photographer Maryna Elbakidze. Another meeting was with photographer Mykola Tynkalyuk. We also had a charity concert with Leontiy Bebeshko, his wife Aeliti and Oksana Pasternak. The concert was organized by Mykhalo Myrka.

Four companions worked in furniture workshop in 2017. They learned to repair furniture and to do upholstery. The workshop was temporarily closed in the summer because some companions left the community, but in the end of the year one of our former companions began to teach new companions how to repair furniture.  

In 2017 we continued to run Kofoed’s Social Support Center. In 2017 we have provided services to 974 people, gave out 4713 lunches, people took the shower 1184 times, had 155 haircuts, 1014 laundry services. The expenses of the Center were covered by the community income, financial support of Social Service Department and Economic Policy Department of Lviv City Administration.

In 2017 we continued the project “Social service delivery” financed by European Commission in Ukraine, Association of Samaritan workers of Georgia and Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research. The project lasted from November 1st 2016 till October 31st 2017.

The main activities during the project:

  1. Social support and home care of 20 elderly people in Vynnyky city
  2. Different activities in the Club of elderly people
  3. Social service for elderly people in Kofoed’s social support center

The workers of Oselya made 970 home visits to elderly people and helped with cleaning, laundry, food provision, haircuts, household goods, provided social consultations and material aid like clothing, shoes, bedclothes, diapers, books, furniture etc. This project was also supported by Henry Nouwen Foundation. We were able to buy food provision and hygiene supplies, household items, birthday presents and organized trips for elderly people.

The Club for elderly was part of this project. Totally we have had 18 events there: St. Andrew party, St. Nickolas holiday, Mother’s Day, Happiness Day, Movie club, dancing classes, costume-therapy, meetings with prominent people, theatre and concert trips, trip to Univ etc. The elderly people were provided with social support also in the Kofoed’s social support center. Totally 228 people had there basic needs provided thanks to this project.

We were able to involve some partners to this projects like Vynnyky municipality, volunteers of NGO “Vynnyky golden youth”, Henry Nouwen Foundation and FoodBank. Many volunteers organized and participated in the Club for elderly events. Those volunteers are music band “Vynnykivchany”, “Narodny dim”, the pupils of the Vynnyky boarding school, Parish of Chyshky village, dancers Olha Baltrunas and Vasyl Porokhovsky, folk-band “Marvinok”, photographer Mykola Tynkalyuk, psychologist Nataliya Lahan, and theater band of NGO “Vynnyky golden youth”.

In 2017 we traditionally organized Christmas and Easter for about 500  homeless and poor people. Small performance and traditional food help those people have holidays in the warm and friendly atmosphere. As usually local enterprises and people contribute to this action. Bishop Venedykt and Bishop Ihor Voznyak, Lviv city mayor Andriy Sadovyy and Vynnyky city mayor Volodymyr Kvurt joined those solidarity actions. Singer Mykhaylo Myrka, NGO “Vynnyky golden youth”, nuns of St. Joseph and Sister Lidgi performed at the solidarity actions.  

Every Thursday our community cooks meal and distribute it to the homeless people in downtown. During the distribution we invite people to Kofoed’s social support center to use service there. In 2017 we did more than 50 distributions. During the extreme cold in January 2017 we went out to reach homeless people in the streets for the 19 times. We brought them hot tea and clothing. For the Saint Nickolas holiday we gave out small presents during the food distribution.

In 2017 we had 16 adults and 3 kids who lived in the social hostel. 12 of those residents are ex-companions of Oselya. We provided housing for two families from Donetsk and Crimea there as well. Workshop of good deeds “Emmaus-Oselya” is a charity shop on the first floor of the social hostel. The citizens can bring their goods there and buy something as well. There is also workshop in the basement where resident of the social hostel has his workshop of designed backpacks.

On November 12th “Emmaus-Oselya” and Theatre “Madam Kurazh” organized Garage Sale in Lviv Art Palace. Books, clothing, furniture, and dishes from Emmaus in Cologne were there on sale. Theatre “Madam Kurazh” with companions and volunteers made performance “Antique movie about antique life”. And the band “Kraynya khata” sang for our customers. At the garage sale we collected 21 569 UAH for the social projects.

Since its very beginning Oselya has been developing partnership with Emmaus movement. In 2010 Oselya became a member of the movement. We participate in Ukraine – Poland Collective meetings and Regional Councils of Emmaus Europe. In March 2017 we hosted Ukraine–Poland Collective meeting in Oselya and welcomes participants from Poland, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, and Germany. The vice mayor on development of Lviv city council also participated in the meeting and emphasized on the importance of Oselya’s work both social and ecological for the city. He assured that Lviv city council will support Oselya by all means.  

In September the publishing house “Astrolyabiya” published book “Emmaus movement. The history of solidarity” written by Andriy Kurkov together with Nataliya Sanotska and Maryana Sokha. This book was financed by Emmaus Europe. That is the first book about Abbe Pierre in Ukrainian. The book also tells the story of Oselya and its founder Olesya Sanotska.    

The book was presented for the first time at the Lviv Book Forum in September. The Ukrainian presentation tour organized by Bookstore “Ye” started in November. By the end of 2017 the book was presented in Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipro, Ternopil, Vinnytsya. More presentations are to be held in 2018.  The book was also presented by Nataliya Sanotska at the Emmaus Europe Regional Council in Sweden in October 2017.

We will always remember and honor the founder and the leader of Oselya Olesya Sanotska. This year we came together on her birthday to share our memories about her. In May Alik Olisevych organized meeting dedicated to Olesya in Lviv city. In September during Book Forum there was discussion аbout Olesya as a leader. Posthumously Olesya was honored in the nomination “Pride of Lviv” among the 50 most successful women in the city of Lviv, according to the magazine “Ria. Ukraine”.

Companions, workers and volunteers of Oselya actively participate in various events, spread the Emmaus idea and enrich their own experience. This year, the companions went on holiday in the Carpathians and made a pilgrimage to Univ, went to celebrate the anniversary of the “Nasha Khata” partner community in Drohobych, and celebrated the 14th anniversary of the foundation of Oselya.

On July 27, social workers of the Lychakiv Department of Social Work held a lecture “Humans are not for sale” for the companions of Oselya. There wa also training on conflict resolution and a fairy-tale therapy for the companions. Carol Bailey, national manager of Motorola, visited Oselia and had a lecture “How to become successful”. The Oselya football team participated in the “Stop Drugs-League” football tournament. The representative of Oselya Inna Arsenich-Berezovska made a study visit to Emmaus Lublin, and our companion Zhenya Hrihoriev made a study visit as well to Emmaus Krakow.

Oselya continued active cooperation with Ukrainian and foreign organizations. Many guests visited us in 2017. The students of the Institute of Internal Affairs had practice in “Oselya”. Representative of Oselya Natalia Mysula and head of the Lviv City Center for Social Services for Children, Family and Youth Oksana Rubay made a study visit to the organization “Emmaus Solidarite” and studied the model of cooperation between the city authorities, the state and a non-governmental organization in solving the problems of migrants and homeless people in Paris.

This year we started cooperation with “Food Bank”. Thanks to them, cooperation has been established with METRO Cash & Carry Ukraine and Sandora. They donate breads, buns, hygiene supplies and detergents to the Community, Kofoed’s social support center and street work. Representatives of Oselya participated in various events.  In June, Natalia Sanotska participated in the discussion on “Influencial Civic Initiatives: An Orchestra or Solo?” at the UCU Leadership and Management Institute. In August, at SD_Campus, “Fresh Ideas, Progressive Solutions” for young leaders in the “Living Book” seminar, Natalia talked about the work of Oselya to young people from different parts of Ukraine.

Andriy Kurkov and Oleh Kotys presented “Oselya” as a social enterprise at the “Inclusive Business Development” conference held on November 22-23, 2017 in Kyiv under the Partnership for Urban Development Project (PROMIS). Andriy Kurkov presented his book about Emmaus Movement there. The Oselya project on collecting goods won the third place in the “Ecology” nomination in the Social Project Awards. The award ceremony took place in Odessa, Ukraine. Oselya employees Olya Biyanska and Svitlana Kirebko attended it. Oksana Prokhorets, our Board member and volunteer, received an honors from the Lviv city mayor for volunteering at Oselya on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day. The companions together with the theatre “Madam Kurazh” participated in the International Television Festival “Christmas Kaleidoscope” and received the Grand Prix diploma.

INCOMES OF “EMMAUS – OSELYA” IN 2017 2915045,68 UAH

EXPENDITURES OF “EMMAUS – OSELYA” IN 2017 3132484,43 UAH

DONORS OF “EMMAUS – OSELYA” IN 2017 

Karlsberg Ukraine Brewery, “!Fest” Holding of emotions, Valery Nikiforets, and “Miss Lviv”, Sergey Zozulya, RIA Magazine, “Shuvar”, Comel Ltd., “Vynnychanka”, FOP Gileta G.M., Mihalyna Andriy and Oksana, Medvyana Rosa, Rotary club “Lviv-zamok”, Alliance Market, Bohdan Holiyan, Parish of Saints Volodymyr and Olga Vynnyky, Parish of Exaltation of the Honest and Life-giving Cross, Parish of St. John’s Lavra Student’s Statute, Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, Parish of Exile The Holy Spirit, the parish of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the village of Lipniki, the Parish of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin in the village of Porshna, the Parish of St. Archangel Michael, Stavchany, Parish of St. Archangel Michael from the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Gallie, and St. Basil’s Parish Nicholas of the city of Berlin, Lviv professional school of restaurant service and tourism, Social Bakery “Walnut House”, University of the 3rd age under the LNU of Ivan Franko, SieFTI Ltd., Lvivholod, PP “Stepper”, PJSC Concern Khlibprom, Krakivsky Market, “Matvol”, “Rayduha” LLC, Ortopop, Pivdenny TVC, ProSteer Group, Yar-step Ltd, “Hetman” Restaurant, Vyshyvanka Shop, Oleh Vynnyk

PARTNERS OF “EMMAUS – OSELYA” IN 2017 

Emmaus International; Lviv city council; Henry Nouwen Foundation; Association of Protestant Churches “Church in Action” (ICCO Foundation); Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Studies; Union of Workers-Samaritans of Georgia; Lviv City Employment Center; Vynnyky City Council; NGO ” Vynnyky Golden Youth”; Lviv Regional State Administration; Vynnyky boarding school; Image-theater “Madam Kurazh”; Lviv Art Palace; “!FEST” Holding of emotions; Social Initiative “Khtos ne zrobyt!”; Patriarchal Commission on Youth Affairs of the UGCC; Lviv Regional Library for Children; Center of registration and night stay of homeless people; City Center for Social Services for the Family of Children and Youth; Drohobych city-local public organization “Nasha khata”, “Food Bank”, Lviv Academic Theater named after. L. Kurbas, designer Ivaskiv Nadiya.