7/31/2019 Newsletter Pentru Voi June - October 2011

1/4

www.pentruvoi.ro | pentruvoi.ro | 0356 421 215(6)

INFOPENTRUVOINewsletter July | October 2011

Foundation Pentru Voi is celebrating 15 years of activity

Foundation Pentru Voi is celebrating 15 years of activity, in the frame of an event which will take place onMonday 17th of October, at Banatul Philharmonic from Timioara.

Its an event dedicated to all those who are standing by our side since 15 years: our service users, their families,local authorities, national and international nancers, partners from the country and from abroad, representatives ofthe local business community, of the press, our volunteers. Its a moment of balance in which our thoughts go withgratitude to all those who helped us to regain dignity for persons with disabilities and to bring them back in the heartof Timisoaras community, declared Laila Onu, Executive Director at Foundation Pentru Voi.

Foundation Pentru Voi at 15 years of activity

Through these years we attracted over 13.000.000 lei inthe local community from nonrefundable nances andsponsorships in the benet of the adults with intellectualdisabilities.

Developed community social services, unique in the country,for adults with intellectual disabilities and their families. At thismoment the foundation supports 180 such families.

Developed a unique model of cooperation in Romania inthe social eld a public-private partnership with the LocalConcil and the City Hall of Timisoara through which the social

services are nanced.

Promoted at international level the model from Timisoarathrough the visits of personalities of international renown:Her Majesty The Queen Beatrix of Holland at Timisoara(2001), Members of the European Parliament: BaronessEmma Nicholson (2002) and Ms. Margot Krissler, HollandsAmbassadors in Romania: His Excellency Mr. Pieter JanWolthers (2002 and 2005) and His Excellency Mr. Jaap L.Werner (2005 and 2006), The Ambassador of Sweden, HisExcellency Mr. Nils G. Revelius (2001), vice-president of theGerman Parliament Ms. Suzanne Karstner.

Brought the Great Award of the Civil Society Gala to Timisoarain 2008, Handinnov award for innovation in disability awardedby the French Presidency of the European Union, in 2008.

Was called Model of Excellency in delivering communitysocial services for persons with intellectual disabilities by theMental Health Institute Budapest, in 2003.

Participated actively in creating the legal frame from theintellectual disability area through lobby, advocacy andself-advocacy campaigns (the Law 448/2006 regardingthe protection and promotion of the rights of persons withdisabilities, the UN Convention regarding the Rights ofPersons with Disabilities).

Has published over 50 specialty materials in the area ofintellectual disability, trained over 1000 persons at courses,seminars, conferences, informed and raised awareness ofover 100.000 persons regarding the issue of persons withintellectual disability.

7/31/2019 Newsletter Pentru Voi June - October 2011

2/4

The starting of the works at the construction site of the third day center*

The new location can be found between Ladislau Tacsi Day Centerand the protected home Casa Cristian and it is a construction siteof 400m2 useful surface. The works started in August and they areplanned to end next spring.

Here 30 persons with intellectual disability, service users of FoundationPentru Voi from the Copy Center, will carry out their activities. In the samebuilding, at the attic, ofces will be arranged, to which a great part of the

Pentru Voi team will move, making this way more space for the activitieswith the service users at Impreuna Day Center. The construction is partlynanced through the European Social Fund through the Sectorial Opera-tional Program Human Resources Development 2007-2013 - Invest inpeople!, in the frame of the project Social economy a chance for personswith intellectual disabilities, the land being given to free use by the City Halland Local Council of Timisoara.

The national conference with international participation Social services for persons with severe intellectual disabilitiesorganized by Pentru Voi between 18 and 19th of October, at Timisoara, brings together over 100 specialists, bothnational and international, from the intellectual disability and social economy area.

The reform in the social work area, the future of persons with disabilities between public statements which demand abdicationof the social state in Romania and the European Strategy 2020, social cohesion as a pillar in the development of the EuropeanUnion, cost reduction in the disadvantage of the severely disabled persons, responsible social policies, practical ways ofsupporting severely disabled persons all these themes will be discussed together with renowned specialists from Sweden,Holland and Finland, having a wide experience in the domain of social services and social policies for adults with severeintellectual disabilities and autism.The conclusions of the conference will be posted on www.pentruvoi.ro and www.facebook.com/FundatiaPentruVoi.

National conference with international participation*

50 persons from all around the country persons with

intellectual disabilities and their companions, participated atthe sixth edition of the national conference for self advocatesMy Life as it is and as I would like it to be, which took placein Mamaia, between 30th of August 1st of September.

In the frame of the conference discussions were focused on themost important aspects of the life of a person with intellectualdisability: the path which they follow through their life, the workplace, their incomes and ways of spending money, the way ofaccessing medical services, the rights they have all these takenthrough two lters: how they are and how they would want them tobe. While self advocates talked about their life, their companionsdiscussed aspects of legal guardianship as a way of protectionor an obstacle in the way of social inclusion for persons withintellectual disability.

Lets talk about our life as it is and as we would like it to be!*

The conference for persons with disabilities, from Portugal *

4 self advocates from Pentru Voi accompanied by a psychologist,participated between 30th of September 3rd of October to an inter-national conference for self advocates organized by The EuropeanPlatform of Self-Advocates in Peniche, Portugal.

Self-Advocates from all around Europe got together to talk abouttheir lives and their experiences, about their rights which they havein the context of the UN Convention regarding the rights of personswith disabilities. All workshops had selfadvocates as speakers,which discussed about the problems they confront and the waythey can bring them to the attention of the politicians and otherstakeholders from each participants country.

The event was a special one also through the fact that it meantying by plane to another country, for many of the participants beingthe rst time to experiment these new things.

7/31/2019 Newsletter Pentru Voi June - October 2011

3/4

The OngFest Caravan hosted us for the third consecutive year, thistime in Unirii Square from Timisoara, between 8 9th of October.

We presented our activities and projects which we develop, we organizedgeneral knowledge contests with prizes, having as theme intellectualdisability and a workshop on the theme of volunteering, we met people whowant to become our volunteers, we presented the activity and products ofPentru Voi Protected Unit.

In addition, Pentru Voi Vocal-Instrumental Group had a musical performanceeach day of the fair, presenting a new face of intellectual disability creativeand talented.

ONGfest 2011

Pentru Voi Protected Unit

In the last few months Pentru Voi Protected Unit worked hardly both to develop new partnerships and to extend olderservices for client companies, with the purpose of the employment of persons with intellectual disabilities.

Therefore, our employees had the challenge to fulll a new order of cutting auto adhesive rolls of paper for our partner FM Logistics.In the frame of the same partnership there were started discussions about the possibility to form a new mobile team of 15 personswith intellectual disabilities, who would need to make promotional packages at the clients headquarter for a period of 1 month.We

also had discussions with our partner Delphi about new possibilities of collaboration mobile teams, externalizing different activities,printouts, etc., as well as with the company Pro, in partnership with which we will restart the activity of the bakery from our protectedunit, from Sacalaz. In the same time, we continued our usual activities making the lids for air fresheners, selecting plastic bags,making printouts, decorative objects, small repayments following that in October the most hardworking employees of the unit to govisit Baumax company, as guest at their yearly event The Day for Persons with Disability at Baumax.

We thank all our collaborators and we dearly welcome new orders in our social enterprise! comenzi@pentruvoi.ro

Social Entrepreneurship course in South West region*

33 specialists in social economy and intellectual disability from the South-West region of the country participated at the course on the theme Socialenterprises and social entrepreneurship in the benet of persons with intellectualdisabilities, held in 12 of July in Ramnicu Valcea and in 13th of July at Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

The following course will take place in November this year, in the frame of DGASPCOlt, and the agenda of the course will contain information regarding opportunities andways of employment of persons with intellectual disabilities, and the mechanisms of thesocial economy in the service of social integration of this target group. Through thesecourses we aim to share part of the experience which we accumulated in the area ofsocial economy with other colleagues from other counties, to offer them another chanceto independent living for the persons with intellectual disability they work with.

Seminar for families*

In July Pentru Voiorganized a seminarfor members ofthe families whichhave a personwith intellectualdisability.

The seminar focusedon The Stipulationsof the new Civil Coderegarding the capac-ity of decision and the

procedure of establishing legal guardianship and aimed to an-swer questions such as: legal guardianship - a way of protec-tion or an obstacle in the way of employment? The access tomedical services? The seminar was organized at the parentsinitiative, which needed more information and claricationsabout the legislative aspects regarding the guardianship.

In July this year the Manual for the communitarian socialservices was nalized, publication which is addressed tothe specialists involved in social economy and intellectualdisability and is structured on two volumes.

The rst volume approaches the issue of social servicesfrom the perspective of disability, presenting the changes ofparadigm from this area and of the current legislation, as wellas of the main aspects involved in the planning and deliveringthese services. The second volume focuses on the specicity ofthe communitarian services for adults with intellectual disability,offering a series of information regarding the instruments andwork methodology of Foundation Pentru Voi.

The manual is distributed free of charge, within a limited edition.For details please contact us at phone no. 0356 421 216 oremail pentruvoi@pentruvoi.ro.

The manual of the social services*

* These actions are part of the project Social Economy a chance for persons with intellectual disabilities, project co nanced by Euro-pean Social Fund through the Sectorial Operational Program Development of Human Resources 2007-2013 Invest in people!.

7/31/2019 Newsletter Pentru Voi June - October 2011

4/4

With the occasion of the 15 years anniversary Foundation Pentru Voi brings out for sale a limited edition of promotionalmaterials: T-shirts, mugs, linen ecological bags, pens and postcards.

The funds gathered from these selling will be used for the construction of a new day center for 30 adults with intellectualdisabilities from the Copy Center, with the aim of preparing them to work.

These products can be bought, in the limit of the availability, from:

- the online store from our web page www.pentruvoi.ro (buy products section)- the headquarter of Foundation Pentru Voi - 47 Ion slavici Street, Timisoara

For orders and other details you can contact us at comenzi@pentruvoi.ro or 0356 421 216.

8 Romanian volunteers and 20 Dutch volunteers worked together torenovate the homes of 5 families of service users of our Foundation.

The 5 homes beneted of a series of works which the families could notmake without the nancial and human support of the Dutch: there wererenovated 2 balconies and windows were changed, a kitchen was arrangedand equipped, a bathroom was painted and put tiles on and even a gardenwas cleaned of herbage.

Cristina, Tudor, Bogdan, tefan, Corina, Alexandra, Nicu and Adi are allstudents or freelancers, but during the two weeks of the project they wereenthusiastic volunteers, which chose to dedicate their time and experiencefor a social cause. The project, fund at its 4th edition, ended with a barbeque,to which have been invited all volunteers involved and the families whichbeneted of the mending. In the name of the families where they worked at,we thank all Romanian and Dutch volunteers for their involvement!

Vive la France! Vive la Roumanie!

The National Day of France was celebrated by the persons with intellectualdisabilities from Pentru Voi together with 14 representatives from theAssociation for persons with intellectual disabilities To accomplish forself accomplish from France, who came in a visit to Timisoara.

The representatives of the association, persons with intellectual disabilities andtheir companions, started a 30 days adventure through Europe. They organizeda humanitarian convoy to support as many organizations for persons withintellectual disabilities. Also, they aimed to get to know this way other personswith disabilities from other European countries.Our team prepared a special program to mark the Romanian - French friendship:presentation of the two organizations, a traditional regional meal, singing of thetwo countries anthems, interpreting Romanian and French songs and dances,games and contests.

A Friend for You A Success Story

One of the success stories of A Friend for You project was revealed in aninterview by our colleagues from Tele Universitatea TV.

The interview is taking place in the center of Timisoara, where Nicu and Florianare often walking together, talking about sports, movies and daily life. The twoform a pair of mentor and mentee in the frame of the program A Friend for You,and their friendship seems like it went beyond the limits of the program. Theymeet often, they visit each other and they are close friends. Their story can beseen through the interview from the website www.pentruvoi.ro at the moviessection.

A Friend for You program offers the possibility for those interested to get involvedin a volunteering program through which they would spend a couple hours of their

free time with a person with intellectual disability going for a walk, having a juicetogether, watching a movie, going to theatre

Newsletter distributed to over 3500 organisations, professionals and friends of Foundation Pentru

Holliday volunteering in the benet of the persons with intellectual disabilities

New products under the Pentru Voi label