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The Diakonia Christian Foundation Sfântu Gheorghe


http://diakonia.ro/

The Diakonia Christian Foundation Sfântu Gheorghe as a non-governmental organization, contributes towards promoting inclusive society in Transylvania (Romania) – a society in which all people regardless of age, ethnicity, religion and personal circumstances are able to lead self-determinate life, find useful occupation and work, and achieve greater social inclusion. The organization works since 2002 in homecare, and from 2006 has a Daycare for People with Disabilities (PwDs), and also has a protected unit since 2007 – named Boglarka – shelter workshops for PwDs. The protected unit Boglarka gives workplaces in different domains, like: cleaning, maintenance services, painter group, tiling, green area maintenance, gardening, Toilet paper workshop, carpentry, documents archiving, second hand clothes sorting, shop etc. At the moment 19 out of 25 employees are people with disability. In 2009 was finished the Iris House, Daycare and Occupational Therapy Center for Adults with Disabilities, where 40 beneficiaries have a personal developing plan, five days a week. Our goal is to integrate people with disability in the society, to create sheltered workplaces, to employ people with disability on the labour market and support them to be independent in protected and semi-protected residential homes. In the last 3 years Christian Foundation Diakonia set up four small income generating businesses for PwDs. During the pilot phase from 2015 to 2017,was created a total 16 integrative jobs for people with disabilities thereby contributing to creating vibrant, prosperous and inclusive communities. So it was established

– the Garden and Landscaping working group, of people with psychosocial impairments such as depression, bipolar depression or maniac depression. This small gardening team maintain and work on various gardening projects on a contract by contract basis doing regular tasks such as mowing lawns, cutting hedges, cleaning paths, removing weeds etc., or larger one off landscaping projects such as paving, making terraces, planting trees and plants, etc.

– Social Laundry GOTLIB, which employed long term unemployed and/or people with disabilities. They purchase professional washing machines, driers, irons and other equipment and provide a comprehensive service for small as well large items.

– Sewing Workshop BEE, a shelter workshop employing four people with disabilities The workshop includes a sewing room, depository for raw materials, depository for final products and an office. Their main product are beanbags, as well as pillows (for chairs, beds, cushions, travel pillows, etc.), costumes, clothes, bedding, tablecloths, bags, etc. Their design is brightly coloured and target young people and families with children.

– a Second-hand clothes selecting (sorting, packaging and resale) workshop, a social business to promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities through employment in a second-hand clothes store. The source of clothing is donation from abroad. The clothes are sorted and graded by the employees, then packaged and transported to partner second-hand shops for resale.

Diakonia Sf Gheorghe has 90 employes as paid staff, 39 work in the home care department, 31 work with children, 17 in protected workshops and day care, 3 in the administration and 18 people with disabilities in assisted employment.