PROJECT ENVIRONMENT

It's a governmental institution. Institution contains from two big sectors- orphanage and habilitation centre. In one orphanage part there are living children: from 0 till 3 years old if they do not have any developmental problems, or from 0 till 7 years old if they have some developmental problems or disabilities. The main task is to take care of children (orphans or those, who are in ward ship) with normal or disordered development. To create conditions for their physical, emotional, psychological development and social adaptation.
The habilitation centre contains from out- patient and in- patient clinics. The main task is to give habilitation services for children with disabilities and their families.
Total number of staff in the local host organisation ~150
Number of staff and volunteers directly involved in the proposed EVS project - 20
Number of national and international volunteers already working in the organisation - 20

Lithuania lies in Central Europe on the coast of the Baltic sea, near Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia. The population of Lithuania is approximately 3,5 million people. The main religion is Christianity. Lithuania is member EU and NATO. The bad positions: hard situation of economic and politic.
Organisation is based in Kaunas, which is the second largest city of Lithuania. Furthermore, Kaunas is near a capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, about 100 km. A view of cultural life for spending the leisure time: theatres, cinema, a zoo, night's clubs, an ice-rink, some museums and galleries. A big part of Kaunas inhabitants is students, because there are 7 universities. Organization is located in the center of Kaunas. It's very comfortable to reach by trolley bus, microbus or taxi.


ACTIVITIES

We can offer to volunteers to spend free time with children in different workshops and activities - sports, art, music, to accomplish own ideas, which volunteer will have in work with children (after several time being with children), to help them in organising themselves every day living activities fixating, taking self-care, sleeping, playing etc. It means to be a friend for children in each day tasks and activities. Most important thing for volunteer in our institution is to create contact and long-term relations with children. And volunteer from EVS it would be great possibility to our children and also for volunteer because one year it is a good period to specialize into this environment and to get deep feel of it. In this case child has opportunity to become safe attached to grow up person and has a chance to learn things, which are not seen, but very important in each day living- making relationships, getting in to the contact with another person and so.
Also in our institution all volunteers before starting to work they have to inoculate in case for children and the volunteer's security. This procedure the volunteer could do in our town before starting to work or in his/her own country.

The role of EVS volunteers in the host organisation: it is expected, that volunteers will work in orphanage part: teaching children, organizing art or music activities, therapy. In this field the volunteer could take more initiatives and give his tips to staff how it would be better to work with children, how he could help in his own way to these children and also to all staff. Of course during a nap of children the volunteer could have a little break and it would be good possibility to him to communicate, to discuss with our staff and to get more information about children care, life stories of children, to see our country's problems or gains in our society. Besides if volunteer would need special information about informal education with children or something else he or she could get in coordinating organization during seminars or consultations.


PROFILE OF VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer should be interested in working and communicating with children, if it is possible also with disabled children. Knowledge and experience in art or music subjects could be an advantage.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=46000159817