The main activity of “Oselya” is running the community for homeless people. It’s group of people that live and work together, and learn how to solve the problems and use the money they earn together. In 2011 we had 45 companions living in the community, 7 of them are children. They participated actively in community life, in social training, received some medical help, pocket money, registration of address. They were also actively involved in solidarity action.
In 2011 we had 3 courses (three months each) 26 people participated in social trainings. Also people outside the community visited these trainings.
Every day we receive calls from citizens and our truck goes round the city and collects goods that people donate for the homeless. Later we renovate them if needed and sell in our shop or give out at the Social support center or to other poor people. This way “Oselya” also prevent goods to be thrown away as a trash. We also provide transport service for citizens. In 2011 we received more than 1 000 calls from citizens.
In 2011 twenty 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 life 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 are collected in Lviv city like cloth, furniture, household equipment. It’s the main source of Community incomes. In spring 2011 thanks to the support of Emmaus Koln we made a roof over one part of the shop building. And in the end of the year thanks to the support of Emmaus La Chaux-de-Fonds we installed heating system in the shop and that improved much conditions both for workers in the shop and for customers. In December 2011 we started to rent one one more premise for the furniture shop.
The companions decorate plates and other dishes in the art workshop. In 2011 5 companions worked and studied in the art workshop as well as several volunteers. Last year Charitable foundation “Eastern – European mission” donated the oven for ceramic products. Thanks to that we started one more activity in the art-workshop – ceramic production. One of Oselya’s workers – Iryna Krokhmal had study trainings in Emmaus Lublin. Later the project of ceramic production was supported by Lviv Educational Foundation. The decorated pates are sold in our charity shop as well as in two souvenir shops in Lviv city.
In 2011 we continued to run Kofoed’s social support center. It’s the only place in Lviv where homeless people can take shower and do laundry. They also get haircuts, 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.
In 2011 we had 3 098 visits from more than 600 different people. The running expenses of the centre as well as food distribution were supported by Carpathian foundation together with International Foundation “Renaissance” within Anti-crisis humanitarian program and by Kofoed’s school. The local donators helped us with the food for the centre.
The every week food distribution for more than 100 homeless people in the downtown was held in 2011 as well as several years before. 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 more than 50 distributions in 2011.
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 2011 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 2011 we published 5 issues, 3 000 copies of each and involved to its selling 5 homeless vendors. The magazine was supported by many famous writers, photographers and journalists. The project of street magazine was supported by Carpathian foundation together with International Foundation “Renaissance” within Anti-crisis humanitarian program. In 2011 we presented street magazine in the Center of visual arts in Kyiv and also participated in Book forum in Lviv. The photos from the magazine by Rostyslav Shpuk were presented at the photo exhibition in one coffee place in Lviv.
In 2011 we received 5 transports groups in Europe – Koln, Roanne, Annemasse, Aland and La Chaux-de-Fonds. This help was very significant. It let us increase incomes of the community and attract more customers to the shop. We share received goods with other NGOs that work also in social sphere and they are our partners. In October 2011 two companions, responsible and local journalist were invited to visit Emmaus Annemasse, to see their work and together upload the transport. After that visit the journalist Halyna Vdovychenko published several articles about Emmaus in Europe and Ukraine. The responsible of La Chaux-de-Fonds community Emmanuel de Fallois during three weeks in November was responsible of Oselya community, made a supervision for the workers and helped us to make the reconstruction in the charitable shop.
In 2010 we signed rent agreement with Lviv municipality for the premises for opening social hostel. The rent agreement is signed for 15 years with the rent price 1 UAH per year. In summer 2011 the first 5 residents who are former companions started moved in there. The project of social hostel was supported by Anti-crisis humanitarian program of International foundation “Renaissance”. Thanks to this project we made some basic reconstruction, installed heating system in the part of building, and during the year we paid communal facilities payments and salary to the administrator. In November 2011 communities “Emmaus” from Switzerland donated money to “Oselya” for the reconstruction of the premises.
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. And in 2011 we won third prize in football match organized by NGO “Center Doroha”. 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. The companions also visit performances, concerts and other cultural events.
In summer 2011 during 3 weeks we had two volunteers from Moldova and Indonesia from International youth organization AIESEC. Also local volunteers helped us a lot to organize different actions, Christmas Eve and Easter breakfast. They worked in the shop, art workshop, Social support center. The workers of Charitable foundation “Social partnership” and Community of mutual aid “Nasha khata” stayed in “Oselya” for some time to see how the community works and to exchange experience. For few months we also welcomed volunteer from International Emmaus Movement from La Chaux-de-Fonds community. We also cooperated with Lviv city Employment Center. Since March they provide us with unemployed people who do the public works in Oselya. So, in 2011 we had 5 people, whose work was paid by Employment Center and they worked in Social support center and art workshop.
On February 3rd in the park in downtown we organized action on collecting necessary goods for Social support center. The aim of the action was to involve citizens to the solidarity with homeless people. Few days before the action we made announcement in mass media that every Thursday people can bring cloth, food, washing supplies etc to the place in downtown where we distribute food. The action attracted a lot of attention and since February every week we have local citizens bringing food and close to the place of food distribution in downtown. Also the number of calls to the organization increased since then.
On June 17th “Oselya” together with theatre “Madam Kurazh”, NGO “Museum of ideas” and volunteer organization “SVIT – Ukraine” organized action “Street fashion” with the motto “New old things”. The aim of the action was not only to make fashion show but also to demonstrate community of people that appreciate even small things and share them with others. The main activity of “Oselya” is to collect things, recycle them and make them useful for others. There were few performances in the fashion show that demonstrated the fashion of previous years. The companions, workers, volunteers and friends of “Oselya” participated as models. In the end of the fashion show we demonstrated the decorated plates from “Oselya” art-workshop.
In 2011 “Oselya” organized Saint Nickolas holiday. In the park near Porokhova vezha we made food distribution and gave out small presents for more than 150 homeless and poor people.
The Ukraine – Poland Collective meeting was held in November 2011 and we hosted participants from Emmaus groups from Poland, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany – together 50 participants. Among Ukrainian NGOs there were NGO “Narodna dopomoha” from Chernivtsi city and Community of mutual aid “Nasha khata” from Drohobych city. Both organizations are working on creating communities that will work according to Emmaus idea. The participants of Collective meeting also visited community “Nasha khata” in Drohobych and social hostel building at Uhorska street in Lviv.
In 2011 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 workshop and social trainings. 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 center, Center of registration and night shelter, NGOs “Museum of ideas”, “Narodna dopomoha – Lviv”, NGO “Nasha khata” and many others. Many guests visited community in Vynnyky in 2011.
For the last ten years we cooperate with International Emmaus movement. In 2011 we had great support from Emmaus groups from Lublin, Koln, Annemasse, Roanne, Aland, La Chaux-de-Fonds and other groups from Switzerland, Emmaus Solidarite, and Emmaus Europe. Since April 2010 we are full members of International Emmaus Movement. Oselya participated in Collective and Regional Emmaus meetings as well as in Emmaus Salon in Paris.
In 2011 “Oselya” was recognized as the most significant nongovernmental organization working in Lviv region in 2011.
OPERATING BUDGET OF ORGANIZATION IN 2011
INCOMES 1 125 735 UAH
EXPENDITURES IN 2011
The finances left from 2011 for the operating budget in 2012 – 127 477 UAH
CAPITAL BUDGET OF ORGANIZATION IN 2011
Income 705 971 UAH
(the average rate of EUR in 2011: 1 EUR = 11,00 UAH)
Emmaus Koln – 41 217 UAH (sent in the end of 2010) for the roof reconstruction in the shop building
Emmaus Switzerland – 636 768 UAH for the reconstruction in the social hostel and charitable shop
Kofoed’s school – 21 998 UAH for the attic reconstruction in the workshop building
Emmaus Toulouse – 5 998 UAH for buying color printer machine
Expenditures 132 359 UAH
Attic reconstruction in workshop building – 21 998 UAH
Roof reconstruction in the charitable shop – 42 740 UAH
Installation of the heating and electricity system in the charitable shop – 48 058 UAH
Color printer machine – 5 988 UAH
Installation of the heating system in social hostel – 13 575 UAH
The finances left from 2011 for the works in 2012 – 573 612 UAH
PARTNERS OF “OSELYA” IN 2011
International Emmaus Movement, Kofoed’s school, Carpathian foundation, International Renaissance Foundation, Lviv city council, Lviv city Employment Bureau, International youth organization AISEC, Henry Nouwen Foundation, Charitable foundation Salus, Volunteer organization “SVIT – Ukraine”, Lion’s organization, Sheptytsky hospital, NGO “Museum of ideas”, NGO “Vynnyky golden youth”, Cultural centre “Dozvillia”, NGO “Narodna dopomoha – Lviv”, NGO “Book forum”, Registration centre for homeless people, Municipal centre for family and youth, Regional centre of social adaptation, “Doroha” centre, NGO “Nasha khata”, Verkhovynsky centre for family and youth.