SOCIA – SOCIAL REFORM FOUDATION

The origin of SOCIA Foundation was a natural outcome of 10-year-long influence of Cooperating Netherlands Foundations for Central and Eastern Europe. During the ten years (1992 – 2001) they supported 99 social projects in Slovakia and thus lay bases for the network of nongovernmental social services for endangered groups of citizens. Helena Woleková, Pavol Demeš and Vladislav Matej, who have been collaborating with the Netherlands Foundations, stood at the birth of the network. A great support in involving a potential cofounder from corporate environment was also the then ambassador for the Kingdom of the Netherlands Henk Soeters. ING and SKaN Netherlands Foundation became the founders of SOCIA Foundation.

The SOCIA Foundation wishes to bring about changes in the social system through financial support and its own activities for the benefit of the social groups that are most at risk.

VALUES, MISSION, AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

All programs and projects of SOCIA – Social Reform Foundation are based on clearly defined values as expressed in the following statement:

We believe that each human being is unique. Everyone has their value regardless of their mental, physical, material or other disadvantage.

We believe that it is our obligation to create an environment in which good social services will originate as a response to the needs of people who are dependent on the help of others.

We believe that the role of social services is to reflect on the needs of their clients. The services are to stimulate independence, responsibility and dignified life of the clients.

We believe that the optimal environment for life is family and community; therefore the clients should receive social services in such an environment.

We believe that the quality of life of socially disadvantaged groups can only improve when all of those involved cooperate as partners, e.g. clients, families, local office, church, state bodies, local companies, local entrepreneurs, social workers etc., and when both formal and non-formal solidarity exists among the groups.

We improve the quality of life of socially, physically and mentally disadvantaged groups of people

we actively create modern field and outpatient services and we support the development of the services that already exist

we mediate financial support for the development of services and capacities of NGOs

We support social system reforms

we collaborate with non-governmental organizations and public administration to create policies and draft laws
we model and create the system of social services
we connect and network experts and organizations
we bring in new topics and innovations

We strengthen social solidarity of inhabitants of Slovakia

we create partnerships with entrepreneurs who have possibility to direct their support for organizations and individuals specifically and effectively through our foundation

we improve awareness of lay and professional public about possibilities of life of disadvantaged and endangered social groups in community, community services, philanthropy and volunteerism

By the means of financial support and by its own activities SOCIA Foundation influences changes of the social system for the benefit of the most endangered social groups of inhabitants. We provide our services with maximum effectiveness, without unnecessary bureaucracy in the process of helping others. We do not confuse philanthropy with self-promotion or inappropriate promotion of our partners.

SOCIA – ANNUAL REPORT 2015

I. SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
direct support for families and individuals

We provide targeted support for families in crisis which is closely linked to long-term crisis intervention (“sanation”) provided for families by staff of “Návrat” (Return) Civic Association. Financial contributions to families are purposeful and they are aimed at preventing separation of the child from its parents (e.g. loss of housing when failing to pay the rent etc.).  So far we have supported 18 families with the sum of 14 355 Euro through such targeted financial help.

Until 2010 we had been supporting families and individuals who were in social distress because of their health disadvantages. We tried to support their independence, ability to mobilize their inner capacity and connection to local communities. Over 10 years we provided support for 382 individuals and families with the sum of 340 000 €.

II. SUPPORT FOR ORGANISATIONS
supporting systemic changes and organizational development

We support nongovernmental organizations with modern projects that are based on the needs of clients, providing field and ambulatory social services in the natural environment of their users. We support schools that are aware of their responsibility for the quality of education of children with health disadvantages and want to create the best conditions possible for them.

A.      BLOCK GRANT FOR Nongovernmenal organisations TO SUPPORT PARTNERSHIPS OF SWISS – SLOVAK COOPERATION (2012-2015)

The Block Grant of the Swiss Financial Mechanism is being realized in cooperation of three foundations. The leader is the Ekopolis Foundation which is responsible with regard to the Government Office of the Slovak Republic and the Swiss Confederation for the realization of the block grant. The Foundation controls the financial fulfilment (in terms of expenditures of partners as well as transferring of resources of beneficiaries of the Block Grant of the Swiss Financial Mechanism). SOCIA tutors 13 organisations that were supported in the area of social services with the total sum of 1 326 462 Euro.

www.bgsfm.sk

B.      BLOCK GRANT TO SUPPORT NGO´s – PROGRAM OF ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND INCLUSION

In collaboration with the Norwegian government we support the development of NGOs in the area of field social services for citizen groups at risk. We also support the transfer of clients living in institutions to the local communities. We provided the sum of 521 181 Euro for 8 NGOs.

www.eeango/aoi.sk

C.       LADYBIRD HELPING

The aim of the LADYBIRD HELPING program is to support field and outpatient social services for seniors – their expansion and improvement as well as introduction of new services. The program is funded from the revenues of the public collection Ladybird of Help organized annually by the foundation. So far we have got the means in the amount of about 100 000 Euro through which we have supported approximately 50 organisations.

www.lienkapomoci.sk

III. SOCIAL NETWORK MODELING
creating and implementing the models of complex social network in practice

Through our pilot projects and in collaboration with international networks we try to create and verify models of complex social network for specific groups of citizens at risk.

A.      COMMUNITY SERVICE AND DEINSTITUALIZATION IN SLOVAKIA

Slovakia is facing a great challenge – transformation of the system of social services from year-long residence services to the community services. Thanks to the support of Open Society Foundation – Mental Health Initiative in Budapest SOCIA can annotate this process, bring in solutions and inspire collaboration and dialogue with stakeholders of the transformation process. SOCIA is one of the cofounders of the FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES – A Home from Home Platform that was started to provide space for help and support to those who identify themselves with the purpose of community services and want to implement it (or support its implementation) in Slovakia.

www.zdomovadomov.sk

B.      EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTION

In 2014 in collaboration with the Danish partner Villum Foundation we started a long-term project of early diagnostics and care for children with potential of perilous development. The goal of this project is to build three centres of early diagnostics and care for children in order to make the help for families more accessible and more complex in their own environment. Furthermore the goal of the project is to influence the legislative conditions as well as the way this service is financially supported from public sources. We will carry the project out in 2014-2017 and the total sum provided will be about 1 000 000 EUR.

www.centravi.sk

C.       “OLD AGE CONCERNS US” CAMPAIGN AND PUBLIC MONEY COLLECTION LADYBIRD HELPING

SOCIA is the only foundation in Slovakia that has been organizing money collection focused on supporting the seniors – LADYBIRD HELPING – in the long term. We also organize an annual campaign aimed at dismantling the prejudices about elderly age. In 2013 we organized the fourth year of the campaign. The money collection is working on creating its own brand, its profit rises every year and we can say it has

·         a compact concept and long-term strategy of development (we collaborate with Simona Bubánová´s Creative Department Agency)

·          won several ambassadors among popular personages (maestro Chudík, Dominika Cibulková, Adela Banášová, Sajfa, Lukáš Latinák, Helena Krajčiová, Ľuboš Kostelný, Zlatica Puškárová, Zuzana Mauréry)

·         won awards for creation (Zlatá pecka in Praha, Strieborný klinec and Prekop in Slovakia)

·         won the Orange Foundation Award for social inclusion in 2012

LADYBIRD HELPING money collection is part of a bigger campaign OLD AGE CONCERNS US whose main activities are focused on the month of October (press conference, street money collection, media campaign, expert conference, concert, theatrical performance, contest for schools etc.).

www.lienkapomoci.sk

IV. EMPOWERING NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS
drawing attention to NGOs and strengthening their activities in the area of social services

By means of networking the NGOs, awarding significant quality carriers as well as through transnational collaboration we try to draw attention to the activities of NGOs and empower them in the area of social services. We try to influence legislative, institutional and financial conditions to enable the performance of these organizations´ services.

·         For ten years, the SOCIA Foundation was the organizational and professional guarantor of activities of the independent non-formal platform of social NGO´s – SocioForum. In 2012 we decided to support the establishing of SocioForum as an independent legal subject

www.socioforum.sk

·         We have initiated more than 50 regional seminars, workshops and meetings, especially about the questions of social laws.

·         We have participated in the formation and transformation of legislation – law about social help, law about social services and law about social-legal protection and social guardianship.

·         We have been permanently maintaining a dialogue with the representatives of central organs and we represented the social NGOs.

·         We have been networking Slovak NGOs with international organizations (EASPD, V4, DAPHNE, WHO).

·         We have awarded the best NGOs with SOCIA Foundation Award (2005, 2007, 2009).