The main activity of Oselya is organization of life and work of the Community of homeless people. It is a unity of people that live and work together, solve life problems and help people that are more poor. During the 2013 there were 37 adults and 8 children living in the Community. In Oselya companions receive psychological help, assistance in medical establishments, pocket money, and restoration of lost documents, participate in cultural events and solidarity actions. New-comers participate in social trainings – three months courses that include addiction therapy, and personal development trainings, learn history of Emmaus movement. These trainings are done by psychologist and social worker. Since 2010 Community became a member of International Emmaus movement. This year one of the companions stayed for 2 months in the Emmaus Community in Switzerland.
Every day organization’s truck is collecting furniture, clothes, appliances from Lviv citizens. After restoration these goods are sold in charity shops or given to the people in need in social support center. Very often people bring goods to the community or shops and every Thursday to the place where we give out food. By such activities we are not only supporting ourselves but want to show the community that useless thing for one person can be used by the other one. Things can not be just thrown away. We also do transportation service in Lviv. For spreading information about collecting goods together with the Lviv City Council we produced social advertisements that were posted on city billboards.
In November of 2013 Oselya installed 6 containers for used clothes, shoes and books in Lviv. Containers are located in city center near Museum of ideas, near two churches at Sykhiv and Levandivka and at OKKO gas station. Containers were produced by local company Eko-Lviv with financial support of Henri Nouwen Foundation. Such containers are first of a kind in Lviv and in Ukraine, they attracted attention of a lot of journalists, city citizens and other organizations. They want to install such containers in other cities of Ukraine.
Charity shop is one of the directions of Oselya’s work. Here for donations people can purchase furniture, clothes, household appliances. Shop is the main source of finances for the Community and solidarity actions. In order to attract more customers to the shops we have installed advertisement in Vynnyky.
A workshop of upholstery and furniture repairing is one of the Oselya’s activities. It is a place for work-therapy, education and generating money for Community. In 2013 ten companions were studying and working in the workshop. They gained skills in furniture repairing, sewing. Besides companions there are other people that come to work in the workshop.This year with the support of Lviv Educational Foundation we were able to hire professional that trained our companions for three weeks, than we purchased necessary equipment and materials. This helped to increase the production and bring more income. Members of students’ organization Enactus of Lviv Ivan Franko University engaged people that donated sewing machines for the workshop. Knowing about our work Lviv citizens make orders to repair their furniture and donate money for the work. Some people just donate their old stuff which we repair and sell in our charitable shops. We also provide a transporting service, our specialist can come to the client’s place and do consulting if necessary.
In 2013 Kofoed’s social support center continued it’s work and it remains the only one center for homeless in Lviv since 2008. Every day people come here to have a shower, wash their clothes, make the hair and get food. Every day we provide services for 20-25 people. Visitors of the Center participate in spreading street magazine “Prosto neba” and join social training.Work of the Social Support Center is possible due to the financial support of Kofoed’s School, Emmaus Europe and Social Service Department of Lviv City Administration. Soup for the kitchen is prepared daily by the company “Matvol”. Some people that asked for help in the Center now live in the Community.
In 2013 Oselya continued participation in the project of Charitable foundation “Salus” “I breathe i.e. I live”. Within the project we motivate homeless people that get services in the Center to do X-ray and TB examination. If needed there is further treatment. In 2013 there were 117 people that went through TB examination.
In 2013 we continued publishing socio-cultural street magazine “Prosto neba”. This project has two goals – earning money and social life of homeless and attraction of society’s attention to the problem of the homeless. Famous journalists, writers and civic activists are engaged into work in the magazine.In 2013 we published two editions, 6000 copies. 5 homeless people were engaged to the selling of the magazine and earning money with that. In 2013 publication of the magazine was possible due to the financial support of International Emmaus Movement. Both editions were presented at Oselya’s Garage sales. Traditionally we participated at the biggest Book Forum.
Solidarity with poor is one of the main values of the Community. We feel responsibility for life of others – those that are on the street. We do street work, give out food and clothes since August 15, 2003. This year food for street work was prepared by companions. Every week we feed hundreds of homeless people in Lviv city center. During our street work we encourage people to use services of Social Support Center, inform about other possibilities to get help. Square near the Tower is a regular place where people bring clothes, food and other things for homeless.In 2013 we had 50 expeditions of social patrol.During severe winter period Oselya does additional street work – companions, stuff and volunteers participate in expeditions to the downtown, train and bus stations to help homeless people, give them food, clothes, direct them to the places where they can get help.
For Christmas and Easter Oselya organizes big holiday celebration for 400 poor people to share the joy with them. This year we also kept to our tradition. Having food was accompanied with theatrical plays, songs. All the people felt special family atmosphere. These events are possible thanks to the financial support of local enterprises and private people.
Traditionally for St. Nicholas Day Oselya gives out presents. This year on December 19 “Saint Nicholas” from our Community gave out 200 presents to homeless and poor people. This was possible thanks to the donation of one parish of Ukrainian Community in Italy.
Today there are 14 people living in our social hostel, 9 of them are former Oselya companions. There are different projects at Social hostel: social enterprise – furniture workshop, where 2 Community members work and “Workshop of Good Deeds “Emmaus-Oselya”.
Since September of 2012 Workshop of good deeds “Emmaus-Oselya” functions at the social hostel. This is a place where people from Lviv can join different good deeds, share some goods, support activities of Community by purchasing restored things. Workshop cooperates with other NGOs. Here one can buy goods made by workshops of “L’Arche”, charitable foundation “Zaporuka”, cookies of social bakery “Horikhovyy dim”. Workshop tries to engage different visitors, volunteers, people that care. Before Easter we had a workshop on making Easter eggs, in September we were decorating coffers, cases and furniture and later were selling them at Garage sales.
On June 8th and September 8th of 2013 Workshop of Good Deeds “Emmaus-Oselya” was holding Garage sales. For Garage Sale in June we invited a lot of famous people to donate something to Oselya. A lot of artists, people of show-business, writers, businessmen, scientists from Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa supported the idea. Second Garage sale took place during the International Book Festival and was named “The whole coffer of books”. During the sales people could purchase decorated coffers, cases, restored furniture hand made and decorated by Oselya members and friends during master classes. Specially for Garage sales Ukrainian writers, poets, publishers donated their read, rare or popular books.During the event a presentation of the book “To live-to drink. 40 degrees of life” that united 11 modern authors took place. Due to the Garage sales we were able to raise 26 500 UAH that will be used for covering utilities expenses of social hostel.
This year it was a first time when a Regional Council Meeting of Emmaus Europe took place in Ukraine. 16 national delegates from different countries where communities exist participated in the meeting (France, GB, Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Ukraine). Total number of participants was 35 including 12 Selected Councilors, President of Emmaus Europe Julio De La Granja and President of Emmaus International Jean Rousseau.Regional Council of Emmaus Europe meets twice per year. Oselya became a full member of International Emmaus Movement in 2010. Ukrainian representative, national delegate is a member Of he Council and participates in the meetings and represents Emmaus movement in Ukraine. Regional Council Meeting is aimed to promote and monitor development of Emmaus Movement. During the Meeting that lasted for 3 days state and development of Emmaus organizations in Europe and in Ukraine in particular were discussed. Emmaus organizations are struggling for the rights of the poorest society members, organize solidarity actions, provide humanitarian support, cooperate with local authorities and spread the values of Emmaus.
Within Emmaus Europe Regional Council meeting a round table “From homelessness towards work, home and solidarity” took place on October 11, 2013 in Lviv city council. The goal was to inform participants from Ukraine with the approach of Emmaus Movement to the issues of homelessness and poverty, and to get acquainted international delegation with the activities of social services organizations in Ukraine.Round table speakers – President of Emmaus Europe Julio De La Granja, President of Emmaus International Jean Rousseau, Director of the Department of Humanitarian Issues of Lviv City Council Oleh Bereziuk, Head of the Department of Social protection of population of Lviv Natalia Fedorovych, Oselya CEO Olesya Sanotska, companion of Oselya Community Albina Mykhnevych. Other Emmaus representatives, representatives of the State Ministry of Social Affairs, local NGOs took part in the round table. Later Emmaus representatives talked about their work at the press-conference. After the Round table Emmaus representatives participated in the solidarity lunch with homeless and poor people of Lviv. It became possible due to the support of Lviv City Council and participation of a great number of volunteers from state social services and Oselya. There were 350 people having lunch together.This meeting at lunch was very meaningful and symbolized main idea of Emmaus – meeting of people that lost will for life with those that feel responsible for fairness in this world.
During the year Oselya members participated in different cultural events and actions in the city – Publishers’ Forum, Fair of Social Organizations, Ecumenical Social Week, attended theaters and concerts. Oselya’s children were acting in a play of Halyna Vdovychenko “League of mixed socks” at Children Book Forum. In August companions and stuff of Oselya organized ecological and rest camp in Carpathian mountains.
During July 8-18 Oselya’s partner organization – community Nasha Khata was hosting an International Working Camp. Companions from Lublin, Haarzuilens, Lviv and Chernivtsi and France participated in the camp aimed to help Nasha Khata organize farming activities. During the camp a lot of work was done to prepare place for pigs and 200 chickens that were purchased later with the help of Emmaus Europe.
Lately a lot of other organizations help Oselya by organizing special events to support Oselya.Photographers Mariana Babiy and Yaryna Chorna twice this year (on August 4 and September 29) were holding picture exhibition alfresco in the city square. It was an open space with pictures hanging on pins for exposure of different formats, works of different authors. Every person could hang a picture an the other could buy any picture he or she liked. All the money raised (6 260 UAH) were directed for development of programs for children at Oselya Community. Lviv scouts organized collecting of warm clothes for homeless people. For two weeks in October they were collecting cloth and passed it to Oselya. Enactus team of Lviv Ivan Franko University engaged people that donated sewing machines for furniture workshop. Students and teacher of International center for modeling and design organized hairdresser services for Community companions.
During April 8 – 12, 2013 Oselya was working with the OD consultants from University of St. Thomas (USA). The goal of the work was to evaluate the needs and organizational development of Oselya. Strategy of the organization was analyzed with the help of individual and group interviews and final conclusion and planning session. Due to this activity concrete steps for reaching goals and development were defined
At the end of 2012 charitable organizations of Ukraine faced difficulties with recognition of humanitarian transports. Commission of Humanitarian Issues that was acting before at the Cabinet of Ministers was dismissed. All the responsibilities were put on the Ministry of Social Affairs. For some time cargoes were blocked at the storages and process of recognition was too long. State Customs Service started charging fines from NGOs and charities, taking them away from organizations or suggested to transport them back to the places of their origin. 2 cargoes of Oselya from Emmaus Coln and Emmaus Aland were blocked. To escape from the unreasonable fine Oselya had to attract support from the whole community including deputies and city mayor. In April of 2013 we were able to release our cargoes.A lot of NGOs are facing the same problems, and some of them can not solve them for the whole year. The whole procedure of recognition of humanitarian aids was changed. According to the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers from 25.03.2013 №241 Ministry of social affairs has to prepare all the documents for decision and later send it for confirmation to 8 different institutions. Oselya have sent the documents on the transport from Emmaus Aland to the Ministry in June and received recognition only in November. This led us to conclusion that so far we will be able to receive humanitarian transport from abroad only once per year.
Lviv community was well informed and engaged into the activities of Oselya this year. Oselya remains one of the main organizations in the city that is dealing with homeless and their problems. We are continuous members of Coordination Council on issues of homelessness in Lviv city and Lviv region and also members of Advisory Board of Department of Social work at National Lviv Polytechnic University. Lviv Municipality partly financed partly the Social support center. Private donors supported several solidarity actions. We continue cooperation with NGOs Narodna dopomoha from Lviv, Chernivtsi and Kyiv, with Nasha Khata, Registration center for homeless, Publishers’ Forum and others. Oselya companions participated in international working camp at Nasha Khata and shared their experience with new community. During the year we had a lot of visitors from Lviv and from other cities of Ukraine.
For ten years already Oselya is learning the experience of International Emmaus Movement, that is helping people that are at the edge of society. In 2013 very important for us was the support of Communities from Lublin, Cologne, Aland, Haarzuilens, Emmaus Solidarite (France), Emmaus Europe and International Emmaus Movement. As the only member of Emmaus Movement in Ukraine, Osleya is also representing the initiatives of new Communities by organizations Nasha Khata in Drohobych, ND Community from Kyiv and Narodna dopomoha in Chernivtsi. Oselya participated in the meetings of Ukrainian-Polish Collective of Emmaus and organized Regional Council Meeting of Emmaus Europe. We also participated in the international fair which is annually organized by Emmaus in Paris.
INCOMES IN 2013: 1 723 841, 02 UAH
EXPENDITURES IN 2013: 1 657 103, 37 UAH
PARTNERS OF “OSELYA” IN 2013:
International Emmaus Movement, Kofoed’s school, Denmark, Lviv city council, Henri Nouwen Foundation, Lviv Educational Foundation, NGO “Samopomich”, Sheptytskyy Hospital, NGO “Vynnyky golden youth”, NGO “Museum of ideas”, NGO “Narodna dopomoha – Lviv”, NGO “Narodna dopomoha”, Chernivtsi city, NGO “Community ND”, Kyiv, Sociology and social work department of National Lviv Polytechnic University, Cultural centre “Dozvillia”, NGO “Publishers’ Forum”, Registration centre for homeless people, NGO “Nasha khata”, Municipal centre for family, children and youth of Verkhovyna, Charitable foundation “Salus”, Association of Catholic Apostleship of “doVira”, Scouts organization “Plast”, hovel named after Anna Yaroslavna
LOCAL DONORS OF «ОSELYA» in 2013:
PE «Matvol», Charitable Foundation «Pivdennyy», «Lvivkholod» Ltd, Lviv Regional Infrastructure department, «Druk service» Ltd, Ukrainian-Polish company «Еtrus», JSC «Factory of liquor and horilka», “Krakivskyy” market, Market «Shuvar», «Media-West» Ltd, Rotary club “Lviv-zamok”, Rotary club «Lviv kniazhyy», «Idea Bank», «CFT Ukraine» Ltd, Community “Baloslovennia” from parish of St. Volodymyr and Olha, «Bahira» Ltd, Company «Stepter», «Vynnychanka» Ltd, Restaurant «Vyshyvanka», ТМ «Simply good bread».