Agency presentation2012 m., Kaunas

MOTHER AND CHILD CHARITY AND SUPPORT

FUND “AUŠTA”

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Contents: Situation in Lithuania History Aim and tasks Structure Human (non-material) resources Material resources Clients Services and activities The meaning for community Visions and risks The link to fund’s “Aušta”

Situation in Lithuania

Because of changes in society, economic development, globalization, entrenched neoliberalism, people's individualitys growth, changes the basis of each nation - the family. One- parent families are increasing in great numbers every year. Currently, statistics shows that 20 percent of children grow up just with one parent. Such a situation arises on the death of a spouse, divorce, a conscious decision to raise the children alone. One- parent families often fall into the poverty line, they‘re exposed to negative attitudes of society.

Stankūnienė (2001) emphasizes that family support in Lithuania is not organized well. Often providing only minimal financial support but various services and process of adaptation stays behind. Because of this partial families become stigmatic as “the source of social diseases” and “broken families”.

According to Stankūnienė state provides only minimal financial support so to cope with this where were established such non-governmental organizations as “Aušta”. These organizations has purposes to provide long-term and wide-ranging social services for partial families.

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History (I)

The idea to establish fund “Aušta” arose in heads of volunteers working in “Kaunas Generation’s House”. They have noticed that single young mothers who leave “Kaunas Generation’s House” lack further support. But “Kaunas Generation’s House” employees are unable to maintain further communication with these single mothers.

And on February of 2000 initiative group of “Kaunas Generation’s House” (part of this group people were or are fund’s board members) established single mother support fund.

In 2005 Emmaus-International according to carried project helped acquire office quarters.

Emmaus - InternationalNetherlands

Since 1996

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History (II)

In In 2006 2006 fund name wasfund name was changed changed to Mother and child charity and to Mother and child charity and support fund “Ausupport fund “Aušta”šta”..

2006-2007 years were years of crisis. Fund’s activity was suspended and board members seriously thought about discontinuing Fund’s activity and there were thoughts about liquidation of organization.

In 2007 a social work 2nd year student – trainee send by university step by step revived organization and Fund “Aušta” successfully continues its work till now.

In 2011 thanks to Fund activity the financing programme directed to communities was started by department of social security and work.

Mother and child charity and support

fund “Aušta”(The logo)

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Aim and tasks:

• The main aim is to explain single women and their children problems and solve it as mutch as it is possible trying to save child within family

• Fund tasks:

- To help single women and their children to solve critical situations in their life;

- To provide charity and finansial support;

- To encourage community to involve into support;

- To represent and protect interests of such families.

- To educate mother’s and their children’s self-awareness in purpose of their socialization.

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Structure

Fund “Aušta” is non-profit, charity and support organization, which supports poor living families – single mothers and their children.Fund “Aušta” is independent from any other organisations. Internal organization structure consists of three layers:

I. the Fund's Board and Director↓

II. Staff members, volunteers, trainees↓

III. The Customers. Mothers and their children

Although the internal organizational levels are influenced by each other, but the most important link in the organisation are the customers for which the Fund is working and looking for funding to carry out the activities oriented to the needs of customers.

Human (non-material) resources

Organization “Aušta” has only one employee. This employee is:

1. Director; 2. Social worker;3. The director of practice and

coordinator of volunteers. Usually 8 volunteers assist

this employee. But there are much more volunteers – single mothers, who return their thanks in this fashion.

The quantity of trainee moderates between 2 and 5 every year.

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Material resources

The main resources in fund “Aušta” are: Office quarters, was acquired with help of EMAUS. Material property: furniture, computers, different domestic electric appliances and

other inventory.

Funds ar e acquired from:1. project activities ( from Kaunas city municipality, department of work and

social security)2. resident income tax3. private sponsor financial support.

Material support from other sponsors: Foods Clothes Footwear Food additives Hygiene goods

Free services provided : Free visits to various events, such as. theater, bowling.

Provided free of charge quarters from other organizations.

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Clients

Who are customers?

The clients of fund are single mothers and their children. How to become a customer?

In most cases customers seek for help in organization by themselves. About the organization single mothers are redirected from other organizations or hear about organization from other customers

Who can become a customer?

Usually single mothers and their young children receiving public assistance become customers.

How many clients unites the organization?

From 2007 to 2010 count families with which we work has increased three times. Currently has a membership of about 40 single-parent families.

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Services and activities (I)

In fund “Aušta” there are three types of services:

For mothersFor their’s childrenFor workers and volunteers.

We work in three ways:Individual work (with

mother, family, children)Work with a groupWork in the community

(public organization, participation in campaigns etc.)

Services and activities (II)

For mothers and children: Individual work with families

Focused on individual problems, needs explanation, the word plan formation. Meetings with mothers aren't usually scheduled and takes part on demand. In 2007-2008 Individual meetings were frequent enough, there is recent decrease in their intensity, but the mothers are encountered at least once a month.

Visits to home In home environment women often feel more secure then in organization, also their are free of their transportation costs, and with a limited family budget, home visits are one of the ways to connect with the families also opportunity to monitor the home environment, it reveals the relationship between mothers and children. Visits to home are also carried on demand, but not less than once every 3 months.

A small groups of mothers Meetings held with mothers are of dual nature:

The first are focused on the moral support, the provision of information to each other to all mothers of the problem is dealt with, sharing of experiences. Most pressing problems are related child-rearing. Group is held once every two weeks by the principle of the wheel.

Others are informational meetings that are held as needed, but not less frequently than once per month during these groups mothers are made aware of what happened at the Fund, what are the results, what wiil happen next, their views and comments on what is going on are heard.

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Services and activities(III)

For mothers and children: A small groups of children Employment of a small groups of

children is the responsibility of the volunteers, sometimes students. In most cases children groups are held during groups of mothers that child mother would be able to fully engage in the busy. For some time it was organized physical and educational children's employment, despite the fact that the mothers did not take part in this but because lack of time, space and the safety of children, this activity has slowed.

Celebrations The main festival that is organized by

The Fund are Easter and Holy Christmas. Also The Fund organizes Children's Protection Day celebration. Program is developed in conjunction with volunteers also involving mothers with children, encouraging them to take responsibility for certain work what they understand and this is acting as a new test and in this manner developing their skills.

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Services and activities (IV) For employeers and for board members: Supervisions of staff and boad members Staff is supervised every two months by social labour expert Lies Gualthérie

van Weezel from Holland. During these supervisions a new understanding of social work is brought, different challenges disputed and available options offered. It seems simple, but sometimes the most basic things are hiding the biggest truth. In Lithuania people sometimes forget it.

For volunteers and for trainees: Meetings with trainees During these meetings students are familiarized with the organization, its

activities, documentation, history, purposes and objectives of their practice are explained, the areas where they would like to test themselves are recognized, they are encouraged to explore new ones. Practice time is monitored constantly. Fund staff is trying to answer their questions, uncertainties, help to solve practice issues. Constantly encouraging, promoting, asking allocated specific tasks with the time during which they should be carried out, etc.

Meetings with volunteers: Regular meetings (at least once a month) Meetings prior to organizing events, promotions. (if needed)

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Services and activities (V)

Participation in social campaigns:

"Food Bank" campaign Already 6 years in a

row single mothers with children are encouraged to engage in voluntary participation in the “Food Bank's” shares. Their activity and participation is growing, we're pleased to see how they take support but also are willing to participate in the process of its receipt.

Campaign “Let’s do ”Customers of Fund together with their children participate in campaign “Let's do” already two years. Campaign is intended to manage the public environment of trash, taught people to sort.

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The meaning for community

Found "Aušra" for its 40 regular clients of provides not only material (food, clothing, footwear), but also social support:

Single women with children are provided with individual counseling and group meetings.

They are informed about the other organizations that provide other services, that Fund does not.

The Fund also acts as an agent between the client and the other institutions, people and families.

Visits to the home are performend on demand. The Fund is also trying to look for the social partners in improving the

employment of children, to help women in society, to teach them how to use efficiently their leisure time.

The Fund provides emotional support and uphold warm relations with costumers, helps to solve different problems. Emotional support promotes women's performance, enables to change their life and change themselves. Mothers feel more secure because they know that they are not alone. Customers also know that they will always be heard and their opinion are important. This raises women's self-confidence, self-esteem, improves relationships with family members and community. Problem being tackled in a constructive way and positive changes begins.

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Visions and Risks

Visions for the future: Fund “Aušta” vision is to create an effective working single-mothers team,

which is able and willing to help other mothers with a similar fate. It is also expected to be able to develop activities for children (in cooperation

with social partners). While working with families we expect to achieve constructive interaction and

mutual respect between mother and child. We expect to involve more volunteers in planning and organizing children's

employment.

Risks for the future: The main risk for the Fund’s future is financial unstability. Received funds are is

temporary, there is no guarantee that the Fund “Aušta” will not lose funding. Lost financing will result in cancelation of Fund’s activity.

The posibility to lose clients is very small, because the number of lone parents in Lithuania and in world, increases every year, and social policy does not meet the needs of families, so long this needs can be satisfied only by non-governmental organizations as “Aušta”, in Kaunas it is the only organization of its kind.

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Facebook profile and webside

This is the link into fund “Aušta“ facebook profile

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001806487724

You can visit it and become a friend of this organization.

also

You can visit this organizacion webside

www.fondasausta.lt

Thank you for your attention

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