Annual report 2010

The main activity of organization is functioning of the Community as a rehabilitation center for homeless people. They live and work together, have social training and addiction therapy. In 2010 57 homeless people lived in “Oselya”, six of them are children. In the end of the year the Community became larger thanks to the 3 extra rooms and we had 27 companions in December. They’ve got psychological support, medical assistance, pocket money, juridical support, registration. They participated in social training courses and different cultural events.

Every day we receive calls from citizens and our truck goes round the city and collect goods that people give away for homeless. Later we renovate them if needed and sell in our shop or give out at the Social support centre or to other poor people. In this way “Oselya” also prevent good things to be thrown away as a trash. We also provide transport service for citizens.

In 2010 almost fifty people worked and studied in the furniture workshop. They had opportunity to get new skills on renovation furniture, sewing etc. By working in the workshop people get used to work in the calm, good atmosphere with the support of social worker. Some people come to work only in day time.

Charity shop is one of the Oselya’s activities. It’s the place where we sell goods that we collect in Lviv city like cloth, furniture, household items. It’s the main source of Community incomes. In 2010 the workshop and depot moved to the new building and thanks to that the shop has got bigger space.

The companions decorate plates and other dishes in the art workshop. In 2010 5 companions worked and studied in the art workshop. The decorated pates are sold in our charity shop as well as in souvenir shops in Lviv city.

In 2010 we continued to run Kofoed’s social support center. It’s the only place in Lviv where homeless people can take shower and do the laundry. They also can 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 center first. In 2010 we had more than 1861 visits from 500 different people.

Solidarity with poor people is one of the main values of Community. Oselya does street work since August 2003. The every week food distribution for more than 100 homeless people in the downtown was held in 2010. This year it was financed and prepared by the companions. During street work we invite people to visit Social support center and inform them about social service they can receive in Lviv city. We made 50 distributions in 2010.

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 2010 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 2010 we published 3 issues, 4 000 copies of each and involved to its selling 15 homeless vendors. The magazine was supported by many famous writers, photographers and journalists.

In March 2010 we finished the project “Conscious and democratic society” that was supported by Democracy Funds at United State Embassy in Ukraine and lasted for 12 months. According to the project we had a lawyer who provided homeless people with juridical support. Social workers held trainings in schools and state institutions as well as in Social support center for homeless people. We published informational leaflets and bulletins for homeless people.In March we held a round table at sociology and social work department at National Lviv Polytechnic University. During the round table we summarized the results of the project and shared the experience with the social work students and lectures.

In 2010 we participated in the project “Extracultural guests” by Cultural management center that aims to involve social excluded people to cultural life of the city. Cultural management center is a mediator between cultural and social institutions and invite Oselya’s companions to different concerts, performances etc. In 2010 Oselya’s companions visited cultural events at Art Center “Dzyga”, National Opera and Ballet Theater and Lviv city Philharmonic.

In 2010 we finished construction of depot and workshop building in the backyard of Community house. As long as we have finished the building works the living and working conditions has improved. The new building we use as a depot where we keep humanitarian aid. There are also furniture workshop, art workshop and laundry. On the attic we have 3 bedrooms, washing room and meeting room.

In 2010 we signed rent agreement with Lviv municipality for the premises where we will open the social hostel. Lviv city vice mayor, head of social welfare department and representatives of “Oselya’ were invited to Paris for a study visit. During this study visit the decision was made to hire an expert who would work on the project development and cooperate with Lviv municipality. The salary to the expert was paid by Emmaus Association.

Since 2009 Oselya’s football team participates in different matches organized by NGOs. In 2009 we 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. In September 2010 we won first prize at the football match “Stop narcotics” and third prize in the match devoted to Solidarity Day with HIV/AIDS. The members of the teams are companions, workers and friends of Oselya. Every year the companions and workers go to Carpathians for ecological actions and some rest. This year companions from Emmaus Lublin and Koln went with us.

On May 31st 2010 in Art Centre “Dzyga” “Oselya” presented photo exhibition “No features of artistic life” by photographer Rostyslav Shpuk. The idea of the project is to represent famous Ukrainian writes, musicians, artists as homeless to attract attention to the problem of homelessness in our society. The project started in 2009. The participants were Taras Prokhasko, Yuriy Izdryk, Yuriy Andrukhovych, Volodymyr Yeshkilev, Sofia Andrukhovych, Oleh Hnativ, Myroslav Yaremak. The project was presented in Ivano-Frankivsk city and Cieshyn city (Poland). During the photo exhibition we also presented 10th issue of street magazine “Prosto neba”. 

On June 3rd 2010 in the Museum of national architecture “Oselya” presented the exhibition of plates decorated by two companions – Olena Sukhatska and Roman Paruta. The exhibition lasted for two weeks. Now the plates are being sold in the charity shop of “Oselya” and in the Souvenir shop in downtown.

In summer time five volunteers from Netherlands and one from Emmaus Koln worked in Oselya for 3 weeks. They helped at building works, in Social support center and charity shop.  In August the volunteers from different countries painted the wall of Oselya’s shop. The idea was to create home even in ruined walls, so we painted nice interior with tables, sofa and arm-chair and cat. That’s the view on one of the entries to Oselya charity shop. In 2010 “Oselya” organized Saint Nickolas holiday for the third time. In the park near Porokhova vezha we made food distribution and gave out small presents for more than 150 homeless and poor people.

In 2010 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 and also members of Council Committee at National Lviv Polytechnic University. Lviv Municipality partly financed the project of rehabilitation center. Private donators supported several solidarity actions. 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, Center 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 2010.

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 2010 we became full members of International Emmaus Movement.  In 2010 we signed rent agreement with Lviv municipality for the premises where we will create social hostel. Lviv city vice mayor, head of social welfare department and representatives of “Oselya’ were invited to Paris for a study visit. Oselya participated in Collective and Regional Emmaus meetings as well as in Emmaus Salon in Paris.

INCOMES IN 2010: 642 041 UAH

EXPENDITURES IN 2010: 833 012 UAH

PARTNERS IN 2010:

Sheptytsky hospital, NGO “Museum of ideas”, NGO “Vynnyky golden youth”, Cultural centere “Dozvillia”, Association “Prosvita”, NGO “Narodna dopomoha – Lviv”, NGO “Book forum”, Lviv Public Forum, Social policy department of Lviv municipality, Registration centre for homeless people, Municipal center for family and youth, Regional center of social adaptation, Lviv city employment center, “Doroha” centre, NGO “Nasha khata”, Verkhovynsky centre for family and youth.