The main activity of “Oselya” is running the community – center 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 2012 we had 53 companions lived in the community, 8 of them are children. Two children in the age of 11 and 13 were abandoned by their parents – former companions and now are provided by care in Oselya. Also the baby-girl was born in community in April 2012.
In Oselya companions participate actively in community life, receive some medical help, pocket money, registration of address. They are also actively involved in solidarity action. New-comers participate in social trainings – three months courses that include addiction therapy, and personal development trainings. These training are run by psychologist and social worker.
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. In this way “Oselya” also prevent goods to be thrown away as a trash. We also provide transport service for citizens. In 2012 we received more than 1 400 calls from citizens. More and more often people bring goods themselves to our community, to the charity shop at Uhorska street and to the park in downtown where we distribute food for homeless people.
Furniture workshop is one of the main activities of Oselya. Companions get new skills here and also earn money for the community. In 2012 ten companions worked and studied in our workshop. They got 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. Many citizens of Lviv and Vynnyky city know about our activity and give their furniture for renovation. Buying new furniture for many of them is too expensive so they prefer to pay for good quality renovation. Recently this kind of service became very popular. In the workshop we also renovate donated furniture that we later sell in the shop for higher price. Beside that our clients can be provided by transport service, professional consulting etc.
In 2012 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 can get haircut, first medical aid, and food. Here they talk to social worker and also become the vendors of street magazine. Most of our companions were clients of this center first. In 2012 we had almost 4 000 visits from more than 700 different people. The running expenses of the cener as well as food distribution were supported by Kofoed’s school, “Emmaus – Annemasse” and Lviv municipality. Part of the works were done by unemployed people who were paid by Employment center for the public works. The local restaurant helped us with the soup for the center.
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 2012 as well as for several years before. Beside receiving food people are invited to Social support center and get information about other places where they can get social service. This year it was financed and prepared by the companions.
Many citizens bring the cloth and other goods to the place of distribution food.During extreme cold we do extra street work. During three weeks in January-February 2012 companions, workers and volunteers of Oselya did every day street work in downtown, stations and other places where we could find homeless people to distribute cloth, food and take them to night shelter or hospital if possible. This work was recognized by local community and in the end of the year they received gratitude from the mayor.
In 2012 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 2012 we published 6 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.
In 2012 the project of street magazine was financed by International Renaissance Foundation. The photos from the magazine by Rostyslav Shpuk were presented at the photo exhibition in one coffee place in Lviv. th we presented 16th issue on the migration topic, presented the movie “Illegal” and opened new stand with the wares of Oselya art-workshop. 18th issue “Art at the margins” was presented in Ivano-Frankivsk city at the concert «DRUMТИАТР» band, and 20th issue “From homelessness to solidarity” at the International Book Forum in Lviv city.
The documentary of Bohdan Kutyepov on the street magazine won the first prize in the festival “Kinomedia”. On the 9th of November the photos from the magazine by Rostyslav Shpuk were presented at the photo exhibition in Lublin city, Poland during the festival “Ukraina w Centrum Lublina”. Traditionally the magazine was sold during the Book Forum in Lviv city.
In 2012 we received 4 transports from groups in Europe – two from Emmaus Koln, and two from Emmaus Aland. This help was very significant. It helps 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 and donate it to the poor families.</p In September 2012 we received a truck from Emmaus Sonsbeck that was brought to Ukraine by our partners from Emmaus Haarzuilens. The new truck was very necessary for our community to collect more goods from citizens. In the beginning of 2012 community Emmaus La Chaux-de-Fonds invited our companion to visit their group and the companion from their group also visited us. One of our workers and one companion made a study visit to Emmaus Rzeszow in Poland. Two workers also made study visit to community Emmaus Haarzuilens in the end of the year.
The companions decorate plates and other dishes in the art workshop. In 2012 5 companions worked and studied in the art workshop as well as several volunteers. The decorated plates are sold in our charity shop as well as in two souvenir shops in Lviv city. The workers and volunteers of the art workshop participated in the Festival of Easter eggs and decorated city for the Easter together with other organizations.
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. Traditionally local enterprises and private people donate for this action.
In 2012 we signed final rent agreement with Lviv municipality for the social hostel premises. The rent agreement is signed for 15 years with the rent price 1 UAH per year. In summer 2011 the first residents moved in there and in the end of the year there were five former companions living there. In November 2011 communities “Emmaus” from Switzerland donated money to “Oselya” for the reconstruction of the premises and that was being done during the whole 2012. For that period we made technical documentation, installed and connected heating system, electricity, water and sewerage system, did the reconstruction of the cellar, installed windows and doors on two floors, shower cabins, floors and did the reconstruction and design of the charity shop. Most of the works were done by companions.
During last couple of years “Oselya” works on the development of social enterprise on the basis of furniture workshop. Thanks to the support of Carpathian Foundation we bought necessary equipment in the cellar of social hostel for the furniture workshop. Four trainees – residents of the hostel were trained there and got professional skills. Today it is the working place for 2 residents – former companions of “Oselya”. Thanks to the advertising company we have more and more clients willing to get service in the workshop. Social and informational component of social enterprise was financed by East Europe Foundation. The professional master classes on furniture works, financial management etc. On April 24th 2012 Iryna Krokhmal presented project of social enterprise on furniture workshop at VI International conference “Social responsibility of business. Investments in the future”.
On the 12th of September we opened new charity shop named Workshop of good deeds “Emmaus – Oselya” at the premises of the social hostel. That is the place where every citizen can be involved to the solidarity actions and donate goods for homeless people or buy something to support the community. At the opening we hold an action called “New life to the favorite books”. The famous writers, friends of Oselya were present at the opening promoting the idea of giving new life to the old favorite books by sharing them with others. “Emmaus – Oselya” charity shop welcomes other NGOs like “L-arche”, “Dzherelo”, Social bakery of Narodna dopomoha – Lviv to sell goods that they produce at this place.
Since 2009 Oselya’s football team participates in different matches organized by local NGOs. The football team consists of companions, volunteers, and workers of Oselya. On May 26th we won the third prize in the competitions between local NGOs.
In August companions and workers of Oselya organized summer ecological camp in Carpathians. During the year “Oselya” participated in many actions and events that were hold in the city like the Festival of Easter eggs, Book Forum, The Ecumenical Social Week, in the action devoted to the Day of Psychiatric health and Day of Homeless people, charity movie shows etc. Children that live in the community participated in the Children’s Book Forum and made the performance of one children’s play. In the end of the year volunteers of Lviv Educational Foundation had a project with children living in the community on organizing their leisure time. “Oselya” also participated in the action of Book forum called “Ukrainian books for the village libraries and donated a lot of Ukrainian books to the rural libraries.
During 12 weeks in 2012 we had three volunteers from Colombia and Poland from International youth organization AIESEC. Also local volunteers helped us a lot to organize different actions, like Christmas Eve and Easter breakfast, opening new charity shop. They worked in the shop, art workshop, Social support center, did a lot of work with the children.
The companions of new communities of Nasha khata and Narodna dopomoha – Chernivtsi made study visits to Oselya to get some experience, learn about the life in community and the activity of the furniture workshop. We also cooperated with Lviv city Employment Center. In 2012 they provided us with unemployed people who did the public works in Oselya. So, in 2012 we had 7 people, whose work was paid by Employment Bureau and they worked in Social support center, art-workshop, new “Emmaus – Oselya” charity shop and also worked with the children.
In 2012 “Oselya” together with Charitable Foundation “Salus” implemented project “I breath and that means that I live” with the financial support of The All-Ukrainian charitable foundation “The Coalition of HIV-service Organizatons”. The aim of the project was to motivate homeless people to check their lungs for tuberculosis and go on with the treatment if necessary. That was done during the street work and also in the Social support center. In 2012 63 homeless people did the check-up. Besides that, two companions were selected as the leaders to implement extra project, so they worked also at the stations and other places where they could find homeless people. Thanks to their work 40 more people checked their lungs.
In 2012 “Oselya” traditionally organized Saint Nickolas holiday. In the park near Porokhova vezha we made food distribution and gave out small presents for 170 homeless and poor people. One companion of “Oselya” played a role of Saint Nickolas.
In 2012 “Oselya” traditionally was one of the most active organizations working with homeless people. 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 partly the Social support center. Private donators supported several solidarity actions. We participated in all social events organized by Municipality – different conferences, forums, seminars etc. We continued to cooperate with many local NGOs and state organizations – Employment Center, Center of registration and night shelter, NGO “Book forum”, “Narodna dopomoha – Lviv”, NGO “Nasha khata” and many others.
The companions of “Oselya” participated in the International work camp at “Narodna dopomoha” in Chernivtsi and also visited community “Nasha khata” to share the experience of living and working in the community. In 2012 we started to cooperate with Association of Catholic Apostleship “doVira”. In the end of the year they presented photo exhibition of homeless people made by Oselya in 2007. Many guests visited community in Vynnyky in 2012.
For the last ten years we cooperate with International Emmaus movement. In 2012 we had significant support from Emmaus Europe and many Emmaus groups in European region. Since April 2010 we are full members of International Emmaus Movement and have national delegate from Ukraine. In 2012 as the only member of Emmaus in Ukraine, “Oselya” presented the initiatives of new communities of “Narodna dopomoha” from Chernivtsi and “Nasha khata” from Drohobych city. In 2012 we participated in Poland – Ukraine Collective meetings, Regional Councils and World Assembly, in Emmaus Salon in Paris. In 2012 we also received humanitarian aid from Henry Nouwen Foundation from Netherlands that was shared with two other NGOs. In 2012 “Oselya” also participated in the seminar of 5th Ecumenical Social Week on the issue of possibilities of micro credits in Ukraine and perspectives of the pilot project.
OPERATING BUDGET OF ORGANIZATION IN 2012
Costs received in 2011 for operating budget in 2012 – 114 850 UAH
INCOMES IN 2012: 1 349 338.00 UAH
EXPENDITURES IN 2012: 1 335 049.00 UAH
Finances left for operational budget in 2013 – 79 343 UAH
CAPITAL BUDGET OF ORGANIZATION IN 2012
Capital costs that we received in 2011 for the reconstructions in the social hostel – 516 770 UAH
Revenues of capital costs in 2012:
East Europe Foundation – equipment for the workshop and office at social hostel as a part of the project “Social and informational support of the social enterprise” 38 627 UAH
Expenditures
Reconstruction and renovation works at the social hostel premises at Uhorska, 2 540 321 UAH
Installation of the heating system in the social support center* 4 900 UAH
Summer terraces at the Community house* 21 345 UAH
Equipment for the workshop and office at social hostel 38 627 UAH
*from the incomes of the Community
TOTAL 605 193 UAH
PARTNERS OF “OSELYA” IN 2012:
International Emmaus Movement, Kofoed’s school, Carpathian foundation, International Renaissance Foundation, East Europe Foundation, Lviv city council, Lviv city Employment Bureau, NGO “Nasha khata”, International youth organization AISEC, Henry Nouwen Foundation, Charitable foundation “Salus”, Lviv Educational Foundation, NGO “Samopomich”, Lion’s organization, Sheptytsky hospital, NGO “Museum of ideas”, NGO “Vynnyky golden youth”, Cultural centre “Dozvillia”, NGO “Narodna dopomoha”, Chernivtsi city, NGO “Narodna dopomoha – Lviv”, NGO “Book forum”, Registration centre for homeless people, Municipal centre for family and youth, Regional centre of social adaptation, Verkhovynsky centre for family and youth, Association of Catholic Apostleship of “doVira”, “Dzherelo” center, Sociology and social work department of National Lviv Polytechnic University.